Newsletter October 24, 2024
cte.utah.edu

As Election Day gets closer and tensions increase, the Martha Bradley Evans Center for Teaching Excellence has received many questions about how to address the election in the classroom in a calm and fair way and without violating the University Speech Policy. Here are some resources to help you:

We encourage you to review these resources and make a plan for if and how you’ll handle discussions about the election in your classroom. Also, please encourage your students to vote. The Marriott Library will be a voting center on Election Day, November 5. The Gould Auditorium on level 1 will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for voting. Voters may also drop off their completed ballot during polling hours; there’s no need to wait in line if you’ve completed your mail-in ballot.

The Martha Bradley Evans Center for Teaching Excellence (MBECTE) is seeking one graduate student to join our team as Graduate Fellow. This paid position begins in the Spring 2025 semester (or sooner if available), with the potential to renew in subsequent semesters and to work hourly during Summer2025. The position is designed to be flexible with graduate students’ program responsibilities.

This unique opportunity allows you to strengthen the teaching and leadership components of your CV, increase your own knowledge of best practices in higher education pedagogy, and assist faculty and other graduate students refine their teaching skills. It may also provide exposure to online and hybrid teaching environments.

Graduate Fellow / Generalist (20hrs/week) – work closely with MBECTE staff to support instruction across disciplines on the Salt Lake City campus. Potential responsibilities include:

The benefits of working as a MBECTE Graduate Fellow include:

Strong candidates will possess the following:

To apply, submit the materials by November 15, 2024 to: 

CTE 2025 Grad Fellow Application Link

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.

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 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

Applications due for John R. Park Teaching Fellowships: November 11

Nominations due for Community Engaged Teaching and Scholarship Award: November 11

Nominations due for Early Career Teaching Awards: December 6