Newsletter November 26, 2024
cte.utah.edu

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, because no matter what is happening around me, it makes me take pause to consider and express all for which I am grateful. Practicing gratitude can contribute to wellbeing and is related to engagement in a range of prosocial behaviors (McCollough et al., 2002). In educational contexts, incorporating gratitude into the classroom context is associated with increases in both student and instructor wellbeing as well as academic outcomes, engagement, and motivation (Shankland & Rosset, 2017; Ton & Ismail, 2024).

Our team in the Martha Bradley Evans Center for Teaching Excellence is grateful first and foremost for all of the work that instructors, faculty, staff, teaching assistants, advisors, administrators, and more do to contribute to student success. We are grateful for the energy that you bring to the classroom and the lab and beyond. We are grateful for the support we receive from all over campus, as well as for the challenges and opportunities that come up throughout the year. And finally, we are grateful for each other.

We hope you have a restful Thanksgiving break, and we look forward to closing out Fall 2024 with you next week.

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 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