Modality: P (In Person)
The Faculty Center holds monthly professional development events during the semester. These events offer two or more concurrent sessions in each of three time slots, much like a mini-conference. They are held in person only, with remote options only available when the entire event is held online.
Each Teaching and Learning Day is announced several weeks before the event, and participants sign up to reserve a spot; participation is capped at 75. This event is for full-time faculty only, and we provide lunch in the form of pizza, salad, and subs. Since participation is limited, we ask that faculty only sign up if they can attend at least two sessions.
We do not record these sessions since we prioritize the networking and sharing elements of the face-to-face experience. You are always welcome to contact presenters to see if they would be willing to share materials with you separately.
Spring Dates
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Thursday, April 2, 2026
Register for Teaching and Learning Day, February 4.
https://ucf.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7283dIgLyBTwUZw
Teaching and Learning Day
February 4, 2026
Session 1: 9:00–10:00 AM
Navigating From Classroom to Career: Embedding Career Readiness into Your Curriculum
Kevin Yee (Special Assistant to the Provost for Artificial Intelligence; Director, Faculty Center)
Classroom Building 1 (CB1), Room 205
Should we teach AI fluency or ban it from big assignments? The answer is yes — to both. Join us to navigate the double-edged prompt of higher education’s AI era and learn strategies to empower, not outsource, student thinking.
From Classroom to Career: Embedding Career Readiness into Your Curriculum
Emily Flositz (Career Development Training Specialist)
CB1, Room 202 (FMC)
As the job market evolves, universities must ensure that students graduate with both academic knowledge and career-ready skills. This session will explore the importance of career readiness in higher education and provide faculty with an overview of key programs, tools, and resources Career Services offers to support career readiness in the classroom.
Break: 10:00-10:10 AM
CB1, Room 207 (Main Room of the Faculty Center)
Coffee, tea, and snacks
Session 2: 10:10–11:10 AM
The Belonging Check-In: Spotting Early Warning Signs and Taking Action
Liz Giltner (Instructional Specialist, Faculty Center)
CB1, Room 205
Week 3 is when the cracks start to show—students who were engaged in week 1 go quiet, assignment quality drops, or faces disappear from your classroom or Webcourses. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn to recognize patterns of disengagement across different class sizes and modalities, distinguish between academic struggle and belonging issues, and build a toolkit of low-lift interventions you can implement immediately. Whether you teach 15 students or 300+, in person or online, you’ll leave with concrete strategies to reconnect students before they’re too far gone—and create systems where students support each other’s success.
Beyond Viewing: Using Video to Build Engagement, Critical Thinking, and Information Literacy
Anastasia Bojanowski (Instructional Specialist, Faculty Center)
CB1, Room 202 (FMC)
This workshop explores strategic approaches to incorporating video into course design to enhance student engagement and develop essential information literacy skills. Participants will discover how video can serve as a catalyst for critical inquiry and an alternative mode for student expression. Through hands-on activities aligned with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, faculty will learn to design video-based assignments that require students to verify claims through library research, develop rubrics for video assessments, and create multiple pathways for student success. Participants will leave with practical tools and templates ready to implement in their courses.
Preparing Your HIP Course Designation Submission
Estrella Rodriguez, Alison Hudson, and Marika Koch (Experiential Learning)
CB1, Room 207G
Discover how to submit your course for a High-Impact Practice Course Designation before the February 6 deadline, or learn more to prepare for next semester. We’ll walk you through the process for highlighting your courses that include service learning, global connections, original research, or integrative learning experiences. (Note: the deadline for submission is Feb. 6. For those who would like information sooner, contact Estrella Rodriguez for more information or for the link information to attend a virtual workshop on this topic Thursday, Jan. 22 from 1-2 p.m.)
Break: 11:10–11:20 AM
CB1, Room 207 (Main Room of the Faculty Center)
Coffee, tea, and snacks
Session 3: 11:20 AM—12:20 PM
Access, Enrichment, and Flexibility: OpenStax OER and The Assignable Learning Platform
Daniel Williamson & Anthony Palmiotto (OpenStax, Rice University)
Introduced by Lily Dubach (UCF Libraries) and Rocco Fazzalari (Division of Digital Learning)
CB1, Room 205
OpenStax delivers high-quality, accessible, course-aligned open educational resources (OER) across sciences, math, business, nursing, computer science, social sciences, and humanities. This workshop explores how OpenStax materials are developed, supported, and customized, with real faculty examples. Attendees will also see Assignable, a Canvas-integrated tool for assigning OpenStax-aligned content, simplifying assessments, and automatically syncing grades to enhance learning and reduce costs.
Using Interrupted Case Studies for Engagement, Learning, and Critical Thinking
Eric Main (Associate Director, Faculty Center)
CB1, Room 202 (FMC)
Interrupted Case-Based Instruction asks students to address questions and problems in a sequential manner to teach them to scaffold complex learning tasks, engage with research more strategically, and manage their own cognitive load. Faculty participants in this session will experience a popular interrupted case, discuss its strengths and weaknesses, and receive resources for finding cases relevant to their courses.
Lunch: 12:20–1:00 PM
CB1, Room 207 (Main Room of the Faculty Center)
Sub Sandwiches from Costco
- Roasted chicken or roast beef (topped with slow-roasted tomatoes, Swiss and cheddar cheeses, and garlic herb aioli)
- Grillo’s pickle chips
Pizza station
- Italian sausage
- Pepperoni
- Cheese
Salad, Drinks, Coffee, Snacks
Register for Teaching and Learning Day, February 4.
https://ucf.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7283dIgLyBTwUZw