Sharpen intention.
Recognize context.
Harness community.
Who We Are
Intentional Higher Education consultancy is an experienced thought partner and service provider for higher education institutions and professionals. We are community-builders who leverage our experience in the classroom, in student affairs, residential life, and faculty development.
What We Do
We offer consultations, educational development workshops and faculty professional development, program design, strategic planning, and institutional assessment for higher education instructors, administrators, and related professionals. We enhance communication and collaboration among students, instructors, and administrative staff. Our ultimate aim is to contribute to intentional, inclusive, and transformative tertiary education for all students, enhancing their academic experience and empowerment. We bring joy, belonging, and purpose to teaching and learning.
Why “Intentional” Higher Ed?
Our faculty development strategy revolves around a core principle: start by understanding, and encouraging instructors to reflect upon, their own intentions as educators. We employ the same approach to student advising and programming, encouraging students to locate their ultimate aims and intentions, and work together to develop strategies for success. In our interactions with instructors and students, we center the individual before us, letting research-based ‘best practice’ inform but not overshadow that instructor or student, and their institutional context.
We are not the pedagogy police! We are not here to proselytize or reprimand. Our goal is to help instructors and institutions achieve their goals. Whether it is a workshop on Managing Hot Moments or a 1-1 consultation on assessment and grading, our first objective is to ask questions and create experiences that prompt instructors to reflect upon how well their teaching strategies align with 1) their learning objectives and 2) their students’ needs. Once instructors identify gaps between their learning goals and their current practices, they are more open to considering new, research-tested pedagogical and course design approaches.
We take this personalized approach for three reasons. First, we believe that teaching is personal. Instructors thrive when they find approaches that play to their strengths and personalities. Second, context matters. Scholarship on what works in a particular institutional and national context may not be as applicable in other terrain. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, this personalized approach is strategic: we play the long game. It is important to build trust before asking instructors to consider the research we have curated.
Areas of Expertise
Faculty Development
New Instructor Onboarding
Graduate Student TA Training
Peer Review of Teaching Programs
Student Engagement Techniques
Cultivating an Authentic Professorial Persona
Center for Teaching and Learning Reviews
Elevating Diversity in Faculty Hiring
Inclusive Pedagogy and Course Design
Lecture and Seminar Strategies
Syllabus Design
Grading and Assessment Techniques
Universal Design for Learning Approaches
Leveraging Student Diversity for Learning
Managing Challenging Classroom Situations
Responding to Politically-Socially Charged Incidents
Liberal Education and Core Curriculum Design
Student Support and Empowerment
Global Education and International Student Support
First Generation and Lower Income Student Empowerment
Peer Tutoring Programs
Academic Advising Systems
Civic Engagement and Service Learning
Intergroup Dialogue
Partners and Collaborators:
Academic Departments and Centers • Academic Deans and Deans of Faculty • Advising Directors • Centers for Teaching and Learning • VPs/ Deans/ Directors for Faculty Development and Advancement • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leaders • Student Success Offices and Deans of Students • Residential Education Directors • Individual Faculty and Students
We are excited to deliver customized services to meet your needs. Please contact us to discuss your context and how we might be of service.
Publications and Speaking Engagements
Diversity and Inclusion in Global Higher Education
“This edited volume of contributions provides rich insights and practical strategies for cultivating diversity and inclusion in diverse settings in Asia and beyond. This volume addresses issues in terms of inclusive pedagogy, curriculum design, and institutional leadership... a reliable source that can be utilized as a training tool for effective design and implementation of inclusive pedagogy, curriculum leadership, and strategic institutional innovations in promoting accessible and inclusive higher education. By offering valuable resources, this volume inspires both new and experienced educators to reflect on their pedagogical practices and take actions to enhance their innovative teaching, curriculum design, and leadership through greater awareness of their specific contexts."
- Jing Mao, Book Review for Journal of International Students.
Selected Chapters
Inclusive Pedagogy and Universal Design Approaches for Diverse Learning Environments
Other Writings and Speaking Engagements
About the Founder
Catherine Shea Sanger
Dr. Catherine Shea Sanger is an international educator, liberal education enthusiast, and social scientist. She has held leadership roles at the intersection of faculty development and curriculum design, student academic support and advising, and institutional diversity and inclusion. In 2021, Dr. Sanger founded Intentional Higher Education, offering faculty development, student success, research, and consulting services to higher education institutions and professionals. Previously she was Director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning at Yale-NUS College, a collaboration between Yale University and the National University of Singapore, while also serving as Senior Lecturer in Global Affairs. She is co-editor and author of Diversity and Inclusion in Global Higher Education: Lessons from Across Asia (Palgrave, 2020) and contributor to Teaching Civic Engagement Globally (American Political Science Association, 2021), Chronicle of Higher Education, Times Higher Education, and Faculty Focus. She holds a PhD in International Affairs from the University of Virginia and pursued undergraduate studies at Wellesley College and the London School of Economics and Political Science.