Newsletter September 3, 2026
cte.utah.edu

Durable skills, also called transferable skills, soft skills, etc., are critical for students to succeed in their university studies and in the future workplace. These skills are learned through repeated exposure across contexts and disciplines, and they help prepare students for the kinds of everyday challenges and experiences that they are likely to encounter in their future careers. 

Durable skills are being infused across the University of Utah student experience through curriculum integration projects led by the Martha Bradley Evans Center for Teaching Excellence and the Office of General Education, career preparation and offerings by U Career Success, extracurricular programming by Student Affairs, and information literacy support from Marriott Library. U Career Success, Student Affairs, and the Marriott Library are also infusing durable skills into student employment trainings.  

As part of our expansion of durable skills outreach, the Center for Teaching Excellence is hosting a Durable Skills Faculty Development Series throughout the Fall and Spring semesters. The first workshop will focus on explaining the U’s Durable Skills Framework and why these skills are so critical. Subsequent workshops will each focus on a specific skill from the framework, with a deep dive into examples, ideas, and resources.

Congratulations to the 2026-27 MBE Teaching Fellows cohort! These scholars are working on projects that will address digital accessibility at the curricular level, creating materials that will prepare multiple courses in their respective programs and departments for the mandatory federal digital accessibility requirement deadline of April 24, 2027. (For more information, see CTE’s Accessibility Essentials Site). 

The University of Utah One-U Responsible Artificial Intelligence Initiative (One-U RAI) is accepting nominations for its inaugural awards program honoring individuals who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to advancing responsible AI. The campus community is invited to submit nominations across all disciplines for two open awards—one for faculty members and another for grad students or postdocs. A third award will recognize a dedicated One-U RAI committee member. Help us celebrate outstanding work at the U, and nominate your peers or yourself by Sept. 20: rai.utah.edu/opportunities/annual-awards/.

The Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) mentor application is now open. Submissions are due October 4.  

Please join us for the SPUR: Faculty Mentor Information Session on Friday, September 11 from 11am-12pm via Zoom.  This session is for University of Utah faculty; professors who are career-line and tenure-track. Learn about SPUR, how it benefits faculty, and tips for applying to be a SPUR mentor.

Click here for more info on SPUR 2027 and to apply. 

If you have questions about SPUR, please contact Wallita Ranger at wallita.ranger@utah.edu. 

Join us for Accessibility Tech Tips Tuesday this fall! This semester’s series will focus on building practical skills for creating more accessible digital content. Through short, hands-on sessions, explore tools and strategies to help make your course materials easier to access, navigate, and use for all learners. Check out the schedule and drop in for the sessions that best support your work!

Build on the fundamentals of UDOIT and take a deeper look at
addressing more complex accessibility issues in Canvas. This session will cover
strategies for improving document accessibility, resolving color contrast
concerns, prioritizing fixes, and developing a sustainable workflow for
maintaining accessible course content over time.