CRTLE NEWSLETTER

NEWS 125, February 11, 2026

What is the ACUE COMMONS?

ACUE Commons is a digital hub for higher-education faculty to sharpen teaching, boost student success, and grow professionally. Designed for educators at every career stage, ACUE Commons helps faculty stay current, connected, and effective. 

Subject line: Welcome to the ACUE Commons! from Support@ACUE.org

Either scan the QR code or click the button below to register and access the ACUE Commons!

If you have any questions about ACUE, please contact Peggy Semingson at peggys@uta.edu or NaKesha Brown at nakesha.brown@uta.edu, your ACUE Campus Co-Leads. Visit the CRTLE website to learn more!

Thursday, February 12

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Trinity Hall, Room 104

Can AI enhance connection and communication? Join applied psychologist Dr. Mel Sellick for a primer on human-centered AI design, exploring how design choices shape our psychological, cognitive, and relational capacities and why AI literacy isn’t the same as human readiness.

This session begins at 11:00 AM with Drs. Peggy Semingson, Laurel Stvan and Ahmad Bani-Hani presenting on “Ethical Use of AI in Teaching,” focusing on safeguarding academic integrity while empowering learning.

Dr. Mel Sellick will present at 12:00 Noon.

Dr. Mel Sellick

LinkedIn

Join the Center for Service Learning!

Thursday, February 12

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Trinity Hall, Room 104

Join us for a fun social and networking event! This is an opportunity to reunite with or build relationships with service-learning faculty and community agencies, share ideas, learn about new programs and initiatives, ask questions, or catch up.

Open to UTA Faculty/Staff and Community Nonprofit Agencies

Wednesday, February 18 (In-Person)

Friday, February 20 (Online)

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Trinity Hall, Room 105 or via Microsoft Teams

Problems are messy!  Analytical thinking a vital skill to navigate through the messy complexities of information, make informed decisions, and solve problems. By definition, analytical thinking is the cognitive process of breaking down complex information into smaller and manageable parts to see and understand its patterns, relationships and meaning.  This session will address the importance of developing analytical thinking skills and the use concepts maps to strengthen the development of analytical thinking skills for the classroom and beyond. This event is open to all faculty. Light lunch provided for in-person attendees.

Join CRTLE and OIT in the Technology Test Kitchen!

Step into an interactive space where faculty can explore digital tools and learn practical strategies for integrating technology into their teaching. 

January was highly successful, featuring two well-attended professional development sessions. Participants explored Leveling Up Your Career Portfolio and Supercharging Your Syllabus with Adobe Express. The series was further enriched by a guest representative from Adobe, Mr. Steven Watson. Thanks to all those who are participated! We look forward to seeing you at the next session. 

Sessions will be held at Trinity Hall, OIT Helpdesk, first-floor lobby, with breakout sessions in Rooms 112 and 105 from 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM. Each session is 30 minutes long, with additional time available for practice and exploration as needed.

February 19th: Creating Engaging Explainer Videos & Podcasts (30 minutes)

Step into our studio‑style Test Kitchen for a supportive, engaging, and hands‑on space where faculty can quickly experiment with creating polished explainer videos and mini‑podcasts using Adobe Express and Adobe Podcast. This session focuses on simple, repeatable workflows that enhance clarity and student engagement while keeping the learning curve gentle for everyone. Ideal for faculty looking to make complex ideas more visual, audible, and accessible. Faculty are welcome to stay the full time or drop in briefly—whatever fits your schedule. Join us in being creative with teaching as an Adobe Creative Campus!

Faculty will leave with:
• A ready‑to‑publish short video or mini‑podcast
• Template‑based workflows for announcements, introductions, concept mini‑lectures, study tips, reminders, or assignment overviews
• Strategies for supporting student‑generated multimedia

Low-Lift, High-Impact AI Tools for Teaching for Faculty

Wednesday, February 25

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Trinity Hall, Room 105 or via Microsoft Teams

Join us for an interactive workshop on using AI to create powerful experiential learning opportunities. UTA instructors will share real classroom examples and practical strategies for integrating AI to boost student engagement and deepen learning. Through demos and discussion, you’ll gain ideas and inspiration to bring meaningful, hands-on AI experiences into your own courses—whether you’re just getting started or already exploring AI.

Self-Enroll in the Accessibility Self-Paced Bootcamp on Canvas  

  The Center for Distance Education’s Accessibility Bootcamp (asynchronous version) is a guided, hands-on experience designed to help you prepare your Canvas courses for accessible, high-quality delivery. Throughout this asynchronous Canvas-based bootcamp, you’ll build practical skills using tools like TidyUP and Ally while applying accessibility best practices to clean up course content, remediate files, and support an accessible learning experience for all Mavericks. The bootcamp is user-friendly and includes helpful videos, screenshot tutorials, and supportive guidance to help you make meaningful progress with confidence. 

By the end of the course, you will have: 

A cleaned and organized course structure 

Remediated key files (images, HTML, Word, PowerPoint, PDFs) 

An inventory of remaining items 

A clear path to full course accessibility  

If you have a quick question (about 15 minutes or less) on how to implement an accommodation, what an accommodation means, or how to refer a student to SAR, join the Director or Associate Director virtually.

Starting Wednesday, February 4 through April 29, Drop In hours will be:

Wednesdays 11:00am - 1:00pm 

Join SAR Faculty office hours now

The CRTLE Faculty Fellows Program connects UTA faculty who are passionate about innovative, evidence-based teaching. Fellows collaborate across disciplines to design programs, share research-informed strategies, and strengthen teaching and learning across campus. Learn how this community supports professional growth and instructional excellence at UTA. Learn more!

How can the Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence support you!

The CRTLE team is here to support and inspire your teaching—from exploring new strategies and redesigning courses to integrating AI and digital tools. Share your questions, ideas, or requests using the form below, and a member of our team will follow up to connect you with the support you need. We look forward to working with you!

Did you miss a CRTLE Session? 

Don't worry! We have recaps of all CRTLE Sessions on our blog!

PEDAGOGY NEXT

Visit the CRTLE website for Updates on Event and Access to Our Many Teaching Resources: https://www.uta.edu/administration/crtle 

OFFICE OF THE PROVOST - CENTER FOR RESEARCH ON TEACHING AND LEARNING EXCELLENCE
PEGGY SEMINGSON, PH.D., ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND INTERIM DIRECTOR
SUSAN DEQUEANT, M.ED., ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR SERVICE LEARNING
BETH FLEENER, PH.D., SENIOR TEACHING INNOVATION RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
NAKESHA BROWN, M.ED., COORDINATOR II, SPECIAL PROGRAMS