Newsletter November 14, 2024
cte.utah.edu

November means falling leaves and Thanksgiving break, but to academics it can also mean all the catchup work that happens before the semester ends and the winter holidays start. It’s usually always busy, but this year November feels more November-y than usual. The team at Martha Bradley Evans Center for Teaching Excellence is here to support you .

Do you need help designing your assessments and developing strong rubrics? Schedule a consult with one of our team members.

Do you want to learn how to use automated grading tools like SpeedGrader or Turnitin in Canvas, or Gradescope? Email Digital Learning Technologies.

Do you need an idea for a new approach to teaching content? Maybe try having a “chat” with Microsoft copilot about it.

Do you want to get ahead for spring semester? Post your core syllabus to the class schedule via CIS.

We are excited about supporting faculty through consultations, workshops, and online resources. Contact us via email or schedule a consultation!

Looking for ideas on how to make your classes more engaging and ways to encourage deeper learning?

Please join the Office of Undergraduate Studies for a Reacting to the Past Lecture and a Faculty Workshop led by Dr. Naomi Norman from the University of Georgia’s Louise McBee Institute for Higher Education.

Wednesday, Nov. 20

Lecture 11:30 am-12:00 pm in the Faculty Learning Center (MLIB 1705). Registration is not required.

Workshop 3:00-5:00 pm in the Sill Center Conference Room (SILL 120). Please register below.

Register for the Workshop

Reacting to the Past is an active learning pedagogy of role-playing games designed for higher education.

University of Utah policy 6-100 requires instructors to post course syllabi that include course outcomes and learning objectives, course expectations for earning credit and grades, and if applicable, a preliminary schedule for major examinations and assignments. Per policy, this information must be made available to students every semester, one week in advance of classes starting. For the Spring 2025 semester, all instructors are required to post core syllabi by December 30, 2024. 

To support instructors in complying with PPM 6-100, the Martha Bradley Evans Center for Teaching Excellence (MBECTE) has prepared a Syllabus Design Page containing a core syllabus template and instructions on how to post a syllabus to the class schedule via CIS. This process will create a hyperlink to the syllabus within the class schedule. MBECTE has created a webpage listing up-to-date university policies and resources for required syllabi posting. 

If instructors have questions about syllabus requirements or recommendations, they are welcome to schedule a consult with a team member from MBECTE.

Starting on December 17, 2024, all existing university Adobe accounts will expire, and eligible University of Utah community members who wish to use Adobe products will be required to activate a new software license, which remains free to end users. Please review eligibility requirements for Adobe products on the Office of Software Licensing (OSL) website.

No files or data will be lost during the transition, however, it is always a good precaution to back up your data.

Adobe users are asked to evaluate their university-related needs and obtain the minimum software that supports them.

UIT recommends Adobe Express for most users. Express is a web-based software for creating and editing graphics, webpages, videos, and brand elements that includes Adobe fonts. Users may access the application from any web browser, without the need to download or install software, and the Adobe Express mobile app on iOS or Android devices lets users create content on the go.

Although Acrobat Reader is not included with Express, Adobe users may download and install it for free. Acrobat Reader is a popular Adobe software used to view, print, and comment on PDF documents.

Users who require a more comprehensive suite of creativity tools (e.g., Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Acrobat Pro) may request Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps.

UIT is currently testing the new Adobe account provisioning process. On December 3, 2024, UIT will email Adobe users with instructions on how to activate a new Adobe license.

If the license selected supports Adobe applications already installed on a user’s device, they should continue to function seamlessly. Local IT staff support may be required to install Adobe software on devices owned or managed by the university.

Please note that the university has a limited number of Adobe licenses. After six months of inactivity (six months since last login), Adobe accounts will be flagged for deactivation and users will receive a notification with instructions on how to keep their account active.
 
If you have questions or need assistance, please email the U’s Adobe account support team at classhelp@utah.edu.

The University of Utah’s University Professorship is a special rank that recognizes tenure-line faculty who have demonstrated extraordinary skills in teaching, distinguished scholarship in their field, and an interdisciplinary approach to undergraduate instruction. The University Professorship provides time and funding for faculty to launch new Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) projects related to general education courses. We highlight general education courses with this award because they have broad impact across disciplines and can make significant differences in our efforts to provide exceptional educational experiences for students. University Professors hold this special rank for two years. The application cycle for the 2025-27 University Professorship is now open. For more information, see the University Professorship website. Apply by December 2, 2024.

The Office of General Education and the General Education Curriculum Committee (GECC) are thrilled to announce this year’s recipient of the Excellence in General Education Teaching Award, Dr. Elizabeth Dewitte. Dr. Dewitte, an Associate Professor in the Department of Art and Art History, has been a dedicated contributor to the success of the General Education curriculum for over 25 years. Her commitment to inclusive and engaging teaching methods, especially in courses that serve large numbers of students, has made a lasting impact on General Education at the University of Utah.

Join us in celebrating Dr. Dewitte and her outstanding contributions to General Education. The award celebration will be held on December 13, 2024, at 10:00 AM in the Sill Center Large Conference Room. We look forward to the opportunity to honor Dr. Dewitte and learn from her inspiring work.

For more information, please contact Lindsay Massman at lindsay.massman@utah.edu.

The Teaching 4 Learning Conference (T4L) 2024 will be hosted in Orem, Utah, by the Office of Teaching and Learning at Utah Valley University. As the flagship annual event of the Intermountain Consortium for Faculty Developers, T4L brings together educators and leaders from across higher education to explore innovative teaching and learning practices.

Conference Theme: Reflecting, Rethinking, and Redefining Teaching

Higher education faces unique challenges and opportunities in a rapidly changing world. We invite you to share your insights, research, and practices on how we can better prepare students for the demands of our evolving global landscape.

Thematic Areas for Submission:

Session Formats:

Submission Guidelines:

T4L welcomes proposals from individuals, teams, institutions, employers, and other partners. Student proposals are also encouraged.

To submit your proposal or for more information, please visit the T4L website.

 

 

Applications due for University Teaching Grants: January 27, March 7

Nominations due for Early Career Teaching Awards: December 6