Newsletter February 21, 2025
cte.utah.edu

The science of learning focuses on using basic principles about memory and attention from cognitive psychology and applying them to teaching and learning. One of the most effective techniques from the science of learning that instructors can employ is elaborative encoding, which is the process of making connections between existing knowledge and new knowledge (Froehlich, 2025). We often do this by bringing up examples or analogies to make new content easier to comprehend. Students who have attended my lectures in educational psychology classes know that I love to bring in ridiculous examples about things like dog color vision, the Titan Submersible, or my kid, and use them to help explain the lesson content. Although my students may initially question my sanity and wonder if I’ve forgotten what I’m supposed to be teaching, it actually helps with encoding new content in at least two ways: 1. It helps them connect new content to information that is familiar and already stored in memory (and thus makes it easier to understand and later retrieve; and 2. It grabs and redirects their attention (see also Green, 2004). For more open resources on science of learning, see, for example, Benassi et al.’s (2014) free e-book, or check out some of the resources in the Center for Teaching Excellence’s Instructor Resource Library.

I’d like to argue that elaborative encoding also works for another reason. It humanizes faculty. Bizarre examples or funny stories or dorky jokes turn the speaker behind the podium into a real person who may be more approachable to students who are struggling to understand content or make a connection with their instructor. Building that common and open human connection facilitates the learning process and makes it a more comfortable environment for everyone (Wallin, 2023). So go ahead and connect your favorite weird examples or dorky jokes to your class content; science (of learning) supports it.

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 Fall 2025 semester. 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 following materials by March 15, 2025 via the button below.

Information Security Office

The University of Utah’s instance of Microsoft Copilot remains the only commercial artificial intelligence (AI) platform sanctioned for institutional use at the university. Other AI tools, such as Apple Intelligence, ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Google Gemini, have not been approved and expose the university and its data to IT security risks.

For more information, visit the AI at the U website or this IT Knowledge Base article (login required).

Are you leaving the U? If you are, you will lose access to various accounts and resources like Adobe, Box, and Google Workspace, content in Canvas, university libraries, and certain software products and Wi-Fi networks. You will have a limited period to secure your documents and data before you leave. Access this IT Knowledge Base article (login required) for more information, noting specific exceptions for Board of Trustees-appointed emeriti.  

Community Based Participatory Research Workshop Series

The Spring 2025 CEL Workshop Series will be on Community Based Participatory Research and will be led by Dr. Ana Antunes, who has recently published the book All In: Community Engaged Scholarship for Social Change

Zoom Registration

Workshop 3: Youth Voices: Research by Youth for Youth

Hear from local youth conducting research about the research process, what they learned, and their hopes for the future of community based research.

Friday, March 28; 11:30-1:00pm; GC 4490

Register for lunch

Every two years, the CCW coordinates the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) for our campus. This survey helps us better understand the health and wellness experiences of our students so we can improve, develop, and advocate for programs and services that truly elevate campus health and well-being.

This year, the survey launched on February 10th at 2PM (Today!) and runs through March 2nd. It was emailed to a random sample of 10,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at the University of Utah to their UMail. 

How can you help? 

The Partner Toolkit

To support outreach, we've put together a partner toolkit with graphics, sample texts, and resources that you can share with your students through the various communication channels your department uses. 

We also encourage that you (or your department) follow @uofuwellness, subscribe to our newsletter at wellness.utah.edu (or click here), and learn more about student health and wellness resources.

Faculty, staff, and student leaders play a pivotal role in reaching students here at the U, and we appreciate anything you can do to help spread the word. If you have any questions or need additional materials, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thank you for your support in ensuring students’ voices are heard!

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is excited to announce the Education Series for Spring 2025.  The OUR Education Series includes topics of interest for undergraduate student researchers and their faculty mentors. These events are open to all and are designed specifically with undergraduate students in mind.  Faculty are welcome to incorporate these events into their classes and/or encourage their students to participate.  

Faculty grants of up to $2,500 per year are available.  The University of Utah Sustainability Office offers funds to instructors who wish to integrate sustainability into their courses or renew a Sustainability Course Attribute (SUST). The funds can be used for a variety of purposes, including, but not limited to:

hiring graduate assistants or teaching assistants to aid with developing course content, or

purchasing course materials, project-specific supplies, event expenses, etc.

The streamlined application consists of three questions. There are two upcoming deadlines:

3/15/25 (reviewed by mid-April, funds disbursed before summer semester begins), and

5/15/25 (reviewed by early June, funds disbursed by the end of the fiscal year).

Find the application link here.

University Teaching Grant applications due March 7