Dear Colleagues,
Most of us are planning to spend more time at home than usual this holiday season. If you’re looking for something new to do without leaving the house, consider checking out our university from the comfort of your own home! Many of our amazing library collections have been transformed in creative ways to offer you online access. Our beautiful buildings and fabulous faculty are also available online. Here are a variety of ways to explore our campus, virtually:
- Listen to the stories of your UT faculty members on the Provost’s Teaching Fellows podcast, “The Other Side of Campus”. Each episode features a conversation with one of our faculty members as they share what brought them to campus, how their research informs their teaching, and what’s working and not working in their classrooms right now.
- Explore faraway places through our map collections. Since 1995, researchers and armchair travelers alike have been visiting the online Perry-Castañeda Library (PCL) Map Collection to explore the world through cartography. Whether you are plotting your next adventure or planning for Spring classes, the PCL Map Collection homepage is a gateway to Maps of Current Interest, as well as Historical Maps, including UT Austin Historical Campus Maps to explore our campus in different ways.
- Both mapping and the internet have changed in the past twenty-five years, and we're changing with them! Visit the UT Libraries' Digital Collections portal for larger maps, or visit the Texas GeoData Portal if you are interested in georeferenced versions of our maps.
- Check out drawings and photographs in the Alexander Architectural Archives to learn more about our built environment. The Alexander Architectural Archives supports research and education about the history of the built environment by acquiring and preserving collections and by making them accessible. Explore a selection of drawings and photographs from the Alexander Architectural Archives in the UT Libraries’ Digital Collections portal, including images and plans for campus in the University of Texas Buildings Collection.
- Explore the racial geography of our campus, with Dr. Gordon’s virtual tour.
We have done remarkable work this semester. And now the holidays invite us to take time to rest. Take a break from all that you usually do to try something new, to explore something new, and to see something new. Hopefully these resources spark something new in you.
Thanks to Catherine Hamer, Director of Academic Engagement at UT Libraries, for helping me describe these great resources.
Save the Date: Online Teaching Days 2021
This February the Provost's Teaching Fellows and Faculty Innovation Center will once again be hosting Online Teaching Days for UT Instructors of all levels. Online Teaching Days is an opportunity for instructors to watch their colleagues teach, and to talk with each other about their teaching successes and struggles. As a non-evaluative peer observation practice, Online Teaching Days instead focuses on reflection and sharing of new ideas and methodologies. On February 9 and 10, Online Teaching Days will take place for the observation of Spring 2021 courses—instructors will have the opportunity to observe both synchronous and asynchronous undergraduate courses across many disciplines, and will have opportunities to reflect on the intersections between the course observed and their own current and upcoming courses. You can find more information about the event, including the full list of observable courses, here. Happy Holidays!.
Sincerely,
