Teaching and Learning Days

Modality: P (In Person)

The Faculty Center holds monthly events during the semester, typically on Tuesdays. These events offer two or more concurrent sessions in each of three time slots, much like mini-conferences. By their very nature, 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 from Publix. 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’re always welcome to contact presenters to see if they’d be willing to share materials with you separately.

The third event of the fall and spring terms (November and April) is held virtually and usually consists of only a single online workshop. Summer events are also held virtually.

Typical Event Format

Session 1, 9:00–10:00 AM
Coffee Break, 10:00–10:10 AM
Session 2, 10:10–11:10 AM
Coffee Break, 11:10–11:20 AM
Session 3, 11:20 AM–12:20 PM
Lunch, 12:20–1:00 PM

Teaching and Learning Day

January 21, 2025

Session 1 9:00–10:00 AM

The Ultimate Value Proposition: What to Convince Students to “Do Instead” in the AI Era, and How to Do It
Kevin Yee, Director: Faculty Center for Teaching & Learning
CB1, Room 218
Altered course and assessment design is not going to be enough; too many students might still be tempted by AI shortcuts. If we do nothing, we risk a future where our students skip the learning process in favor of turning in unreflected products and deliverables. We need to decide NOW what to emphasize and find effective strategies to convince them to actually do what works for learning, rather than for grades or for products. It’s a tall order, and uphill in many ways, but we have no choice but to try.

Step into Interactive Learning with ThingLink: A Quick Overview
Faith DeLorenzo, Faculty Multimedia Center
CB1-Faculty Multimedia Center (FMC), Room 202
Discover how UCF’s School License for ThingLink can elevate your teaching with interactive media and immersive scenario-based learning. This session provides a live demo of the platform’s key features to get you started with creating engaging materials and experiences for your courses.

Break 10:00–10:10 AM

Coffee, tea, and snacks in the Faculty Center
CB1-FCTL, Room 207 (Main Room)

Session 2 10:10–11:10 AM

Don’t be “Nice”: Instead Cultivate Compassion Through a Pedagogy of Kindness
Laurie Uttich, Faculty Center for Teaching & Learning
CB1-FCTL, Room 205
Explore the transformative power of kindness in higher education, as outlined in Catherine J. Denial’s “A Pedagogy of Kindness.” This session highlights how to redefine kindness as a powerful pedagogical tool that fosters collaboration and engagement among students. We will discuss innovative assessment methods that prioritize learning over competition and the importance of self-care for educators, highlighting how setting healthy boundaries can enhance both teaching effectiveness and personal well-being. Join us to discover actionable insights that can reinvigorate your teaching practice and create a more compassionate classroom experience.

Enhancing Teaching Through Identity Awareness
Liz Giltner, Faculty Center for Teaching & Learning
CB1-Faculty Media Center (FMC) Room 202
This workshop is designed specifically for faculty members eager to deepen their teaching practice through self-reflection. The interactive session will explore the pivotal role of personal and professional identities in shaping educational experiences and outcomes. Participants will engage with key psychological and sociological theories, participate in reflective exercises, and collaborate in discussions that reveal how their unique identities can significantly influence their teaching style, student interactions, and overall job satisfaction. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain insights into yourself as an educator and discover practical strategies to harness your identity for enhanced classroom dynamics and student engagement!

Roundtable: Gen Z and Gen Alpha
Kevin Yee, Director: Faculty Center for Teaching & Learning
CB1- FCTL, Room 207 (Small Conference Room)
This “unconference” is a free-flowing discussion without a formal presentation. How are our current (and future) students different? Do/will they approach learning differently? What might we have to shift in our teaching approaches? We’ll begin by critiquing some articles and some AI-generated answers to these questions, then work toward listing practical to-do items for all of us to consider.

Break 11:10–11:20 AM

Coffee, tea, and snacks in the Faculty Center
CB1-FCTL, Room 207 (Main Room)

Session 3 11:20 AM—12:20 PM

Improve Student Learning with Critical Reflection Exercises
Eric Main, Faculty Center for Teaching & Learning
CB1-FCTL, Room 205
Reflective practice can improve student learning by helping students become more aware of their strengths, weaknesses, and developing competencies through goal setting and self-regulation. It can also promote resilience of learning gains and improve mindset. In this session we will examine definitions, levels of reflective thought, and ideas for assignments and assessments.

Preparing Students for Post-Graduation: Including Digital Portfolios as Part of the Curriculum
Anastasia Bojanowski, Faculty Center for Teaching & Learning
CB1-Faculty Media Center (FMC) Room 202
Digital portfolios promote metacognition in undergraduate and graduate students by aligning course work with skills needed in the field post-graduation. This workshop will discuss pedagogical considerations for including digital portfolios as part of the curriculum. Included in the workshop are basic templates for professional digital portfolios, considerations for designing and building portfolios—including platform selection, and assessment guidelines of digital portfolios. The workshop will include a link to a digital portfolio module in Canvas Commons that can be imported and modified in Webcourses.

More about HIP Course Designations and How to Submit your Proposal for Spring 2025
Alison Hudson, Marika Koch, & Estrella Rodríguez, Student Success and Well-Being
CB1- FCTL, Room 207 (Small Conference Room)
Learn more about the four HIP course designations offered at UCF: Service-Learning (SL), Research-Intensive (RI), Integrative-Learning Experience (IE), and Global Learning (GL). This session will inform about evaluation criteria, the benefits of submitting a course for HIP designation, and the detailed submission process in Kuali with a deadline of January 31st for Fall 2025 consideration. We will also share information about the Spring 2025 HIP Student Showcase, and how faculty members support this important event.

Lunch 12:20–1:00 PM

CB1-FCTL, Room 207 (Main)