Newsletter August 28, 2025
cte.utah.edu

According to the Strada Gallup Education Consumer Survey, when students are asked why they attend college, 58% of respondents indicate that it is to get a good job or career in the future. However, most students (and their hiring managers) say they are underprepared for the workplace (National Association of College and Employees, NACE, 2023, 2023). Given that higher education is moving toward more alignment between degree offerings and job placement opportunities (UT HB265), educators are encouraged to integrate durable, transferable skills early on into their courses, and to reinforce them through intentional classroom experiences (U Career Success).

According to NACE, there are 8 career readiness competencies that students need to be successful in the workplace and lifelong career management: career and self-development, communication, critical thinking, equity and inclusion, leadership, professionalism, teamwork, and technology. Each of these is explained in more detail in the graphic below.

How do you currently incorporate these competencies into your class activities and assignments? How could you adjust to include them more purposefully? This does not mean sacrificing disciplinary content for skill training. Instead, it involves integrating critical skills into pedagogy throughout the college experience. Cognitive psychologists have long known that spaced repetition leads to better retrieval (Kang, 2016) , and spaced repetition of skills is frequently used in medical education (e.g., Jape, Zhou, & Bullock, 2022), second language learning (Kim, 2022), and other domains. By spacing career readiness competencies throughout your class activities, you can help students learn critical skills that help them not only in your class but in their future classes and career as well. Looking for ideas on how to do this? Schedule an individual consultation with staff from the Martha Bradley Evans Center for Teaching Excellence.  Students can also schedule an appointment with their Career Coach through U Career Success. 

Starting Fall 2025, students will have the opportunity to earn academic credit through Portfolio-Based Assessment (PBA).

PBA allows currently matriculated, degree-seeking undergraduate students to demonstrate mastery of learning outcomes for an existing course in the University catalog by showcasing verifiable, college-level learning gained through professional, volunteer, or community-based experience. PBA expands credit pathways for diverse learners, bridges academic curriculum with workforce and community needs, and supports timely progress toward degree completion.

To prepare faculty portfolio reviewers of eligible courses, asynchronous Canvas training modules are now available. Please contact Danielle.Susi-Dittmore@utah.edu to access these Canvas modules.

Additionally, two optional faculty PBA orientations will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, September 2 at 11:00 am and Wednesday, September 3 at 3:00 pm. Interested faculty, department chairs, and associate deans need only attend one of these meetings and not both.

Join the One-U Responsible AI Initiative for its Second Annual Symposium on Sept. 12—RSVP by Aug. 31

Join the University of Utah One-U Responsible AI Initiative for its Annual Symposium on Friday, September 12, at the University Guest House and Conference Center. This one-day event brings together campus and community partners to explore the future of responsible AI. Hear from university, state, and national leaders and enjoy lightning talks from university researchers in the initiative’s thematic areas: environment, healthcare and wellness, and teaching and learning. Plus, network, browse research posters, and hear from responsible AI community organizers.

Workshop: Community Engaged Scholarship in a Divided Landscape

Join faculty from across Utah to discuss Community Engaged Scholarship in Divisive Environments September 18-19, 2025 in Heber Utah (see flyer attached). This 1.5-day workshop will be facilitated by Dr. Thomas A Bryer who recently wrote "Integrating Community Engagement in Public Affairs Education: Solutions for Professors Working in Divisive Environments." Thursday afternoon will focus on engaging headlines as a public intellectual, and Friday will be a full day workshop on innovative strategies for co-creating community engaged projects while navigating complex dynamics and producing scholarship that makes a difference.

Register for FREE thanks to support from Community Engagement offices in the Utah Campus Community Engagement Network (UCCEN) and the University Presidential Leadership Fellowship funded by the Mellon Foundation. Email megan.medina@utah.edu with any questions.

CTE is proud to offer a 15-credit graduate certificate in Teaching in Higher Education. The certificate consists of 4 online semester-based courses taught through CTE, as well as one elective.

Interested in learning more? Check out the certificate page.

This year, we will be offering two elective courses:

Faculty Benefits Include:

The Office invites University of Utah tenure-line and career-line faculty to apply to serve as mentors for SPUR 2026 (May 18-July 31,2026). Deadline for faculty applications: October 3, 2025

Visit: our.utah.edu/spur for more information.

University Distinguished Teaching Awards

 September 15

University  Teaching Grants

 October 3, January 26, and March 6

Calvin S. and JeNeal N. Hatch Prize in Teaching

October 13

John R Park Teaching Fellowship

November 10

Community Engaged Teaching and Scholarship Award

November 10

Early Career Teaching Award

December 5