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Dear Colleagues,
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Provost’s Teaching Fellows program, we—Gwen Stovall and Natalie Czimskey—offer this special edition of Teaching Tips as an homage to the PTF program, a reflection of its impact, and a view forward into the future. Next month, we will be back to our regularly scheduled monthly tips and tricks for you to use in your classrooms.
Back before EV vehicles roamed the streets, AI was at our fingertips, and CRISPR fully revolutionized gene editing, ten UT faculty members brainstormed the creation of a faculty-driven program dedicated to teaching excellence. Among this trailblazing group were Pat Davis (Pharmacy) and Ruth Buskirk (CNS), with Pat eventually serving as PTF Chair for several years. Ruth recorded some notes from the day and generously shared those describing the features of the new program:
- Liaisons, mentors, facilitators, community builders
- Communicate about university-shared services, technologies, existing programs, and projects
- Thought leaders and communicators—not just faculty in their individual silos
- Turn CTL into a support structure partnering with faculty
- Work with new UGS dean for educational innovation and support of curriculum
- Funding for fellow ‘projects’ (flipped class, curriculum design, new interdisciplinary)
- Involve both tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty
It’s remarkable how many of these early principles still guide the program today, and the quality of the initiatives that have come from this program is truly impressive. Below are just a few examples of impactful initiatives:
- Adam Rabinowitz (Classics, 2015): Developed FromthePage, a crowd-sourcing platform for humanities archival work, and Nanosourcer, a student-driven citizen science project. Both initiatives have received national recognition and continue to thrive under UT Libraries’ support.
- Vernita Gordon (Physics, 2020): Created a course for Physics students designed to increase success and graduation rates for first-generation and low-income students, now supported by a National Science Foundation grant.
- Mike Mackert (Advertising and Public Relations/Health Communication, 2014): Founded the Health Communication Scholars Program in Moody, which provides grant funding and support for student-led research projects.
- Fernanda Leite (Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, 2019): Created building information modeling (BIM) project-based learning integrations across the Architectural Engineering program.
- Ashley Castleberry (Pharmacy, 2020): Built OCSE-like practice exams for students (an expansion of PTF Renee Acosta’s initiative), developed a partnership with the Athletic Training program.
- Katie Dawson (Theater and Dance, 2016): Created a drama-based pedagogy interdisciplinary faculty learning community, presented work nationally, and has a book in the publication process with a chapter from PTF Jen Moon.
- Carole Delville (Nursing, 2014): Developed a Doctor of Nursing Practice program in the School of Nursing.
- Luis Martins (Management, 2016): Founded the entrepreneurship minor (now part of the Harkey Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies), and developed the Entrepreneurship Ambassador Program, which offers start-up programs, fellowships, grants, workshops, and student resources.
- Samy Ayoub (Law and Religious Studies, 2023): Developing an interdisciplinary Law and Religion minor, providing an opportunity for undergraduates to begin their studies with some of UT’s top law faculty.
- Tolga Ozyurtcu (Kinesiology & Health Education, 2022): Currently creating a Canvas module with resources on student mindfulness and wellbeing to be available to all UT instructors.
- Diane Rhodes (Social Work, 2018): Developed resources for teaching during times of crisis and was awarded one of UT Libraries’ new Open Educational Resources Fellowships.
We believe innovative PTF initiatives like these and others have since been woven into the fabric of The University and that the PTF program has made a sizeable impact on the 40 acres. Totaling 44 current fellows and 95 alumni, including tenure-track and professional track faculty, PTFs have represented 15 colleges and 60 departments and units over the last 10 years. Here is a glance at some of the contributions PTFs have made across campus:
PTFs and their initiatives have also contributed to the scholarship of teaching and learning, both at UT and across the country. Fellows have published articles in peer-reviewed and popular publications; given presentations and conference papers at regional, national, and international conferences and symposia; been featured in articles, blogs, and podcasts; and received grants to continue and expand their initiatives.
Looking ahead, the Provost’s Teaching Fellows program remains committed to fostering educational excellence through innovation and collaboration. As we enter the next decade, we’re excited to build on our experience and continue supporting UT’s educational mission. We encourage you to join us for upcoming events:
Think Tanks: Collaborative discussions on innovative approaches to teaching and learning
Texas Teach-Up (February): A unique opportunity to observe and reflect on classroom teaching.
We are honored to serve the UT community through the Provost’s Teaching Fellows and look forward to continuing our partnership with the Center for Teaching and Learning. Thank you for celebrating this milestone with us and for your ongoing support!
Best regards,
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Gwen Stovall and Natalie Czimskey
Chair and Chair-Elect of th Provost’s Teaching Fellows
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Upcoming Events and Opportunities
PTF Think Tank: Compassionate Pedagogy, October 16. The idea of expressing compassion in our classrooms might mean many things. It might even feel counter intuitive to how we were taught. Join Professors Sarah Sloan and Mary Beer for an opportunity to hear about and share ideas on the effectiveness of compassionate pedagogy in our contemporary teaching and learning. This Think Tank will be facilitated by Sarah Sloan, Mary Beer, and Starla Simmons (SHSW). All instructors are welcome! RSVP here.
Accessible Pedagogy Conversations, Wednesdays at noon. Join us each Wednesday this fall semester from 12-1 PM on Zoom for Accessible Pedagogy Conversations. This informal, peer-directed space is open to all instructors who hope to share questions, strategies, and recommendations regarding accommodations and inclusion in learning environments. With the support of CTL, DCC, and D&A staff members, we will collectively explore new topics each week to enhance accessibility for all instructors and students. RSVP here.
Prompt Design for Teaching and Learning: Planning Interactions with GenAI, October 10. Generative AI tools are designed to be easy to use through a kind of conversational interaction that mimics dialog with very knowledgeable or creative partners. By taking an approach in which user prompts are more intentionally designed, however, and with certain safeguards are in place, GenAI tools can provide a richer, transformative experience for designing elements of our courses and assignments. During this workshop, we will share with you CTL resources designed to help you shape your interactions with various AI tools. Specifically, you will learn about the function of AI prompts and practice developing prompts in a teaching and learning context through readily available, appropriate tools (i.e., ChatGPT, Grammarly). RSVP here.
Teaching During Times of Crisis Workshop (Part 2), October 10. Join us for the second session of Teaching During Times of Crisis, an event co-facilitated by the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), and the Office of the Dean of Students (DoS). During this in-person follow-up session to Part 1, we will apply recommended wellness, teaching, and intervention strategies to our current and future course design. There will be space for processing, proactive preventative planning, and community-building over light refreshments. Attendance at Part 1 of the workshop is not required. RSVP here.
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