News from CTL

There will be many wonderful opportunities during February facilitated by CTL and the wider teaching and learning community.

While it may not feel like October outside, we are approaching the midpoint of the semester. What is working for you so far? What challenges are present? There are many opportunities this month to help you move forward! We encourage you to invest in your teaching practice in one or two ways and help strengthen our teaching and learning community.

Read about how a good course design pairs activities and assessments with clear rubrics that relate student performance to the feedback and grade.

The first full month of the semester includes a wide variety of opportunities to invest in your teaching practice. Find a new GenAI resource and a number of workshops to attend to further preparedness as the semester carries on.

As the semester approaches, we offer a variety of support and resources to help you prepare. Below, you will find information about our Longhorn Teaching Labs, a program targeted towards early-career faculty members, but open to all who are interested. Additionally, there are opportunities focused on AI and academic technologies, as well as graduate student instructors.

Happy New Year to all! We're excited to gather with the community at our 50th anniversary celebration this Wednesday. In addition, this newsletter edition contains many resources to help you prepare for spring courses.

The resource includes topics for framing and revisiting difficult conversations, as well as suggestions for content warnings, linking to mental health resources, and responding to student feedback. This approach is critical for educational care, growth, and mutual accountability, emphasizing the importance of assisting students during difficult times.

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is partnering with the Graduate School and UT Libraries to host our 7th Graduate Teaching Showcase which highlights excellent graduate student teaching at UT Austin. The centerpiece of the Showcase is a series of personal narratives about teaching presented by students from across campus.

Like everyone, we've been on a roller coaster. Some of our team members are only now getting power restored to their homes. At the same time, we are so excited that Texas Teach-Up is starting today! In the midst of it all, we're grateful for this UT Austin community that inspires and sustains us.

Happy New Year! We are wondering how it can be time to start classes already, but our spring lineup is ready to support your teaching. Be sure to note our drop-in course preparation support on Jan. 5-6.