We hope your teaching is going well! Whether you’re looking for feedback from your students, fresh ideas for the classroom, or opportunities to connect and grow as an instructor, the CTE is here to support you. We’re sure you’ll find something useful in this News issue for the weeks ahead!

Upcoming Events

Follow this link to see our new hub for upcoming workshops and events with the CTE. This webpage will be updated regularly, so keep an eye out for offerings and opportunities that interest you. 

Upcoming Deadlines

The purpose of the CTE-IGNITE (Incorporating Generative AI With Novel Ideas for Teaching Excellence) grants is to encourage scholarly teaching around the opportunities and challenges presented by Generative AI. There are 3 levels of grants available.

Submit a CTE major teaching project grant proposal ($3,000). These grants encourage curricular and pedagogical innovations that result in more engaged and improved student learning. Innovations may be at the course, department, division, and/or university levels.

Deadline: October 19, 2026

This award was established by Miami alumnus E. Phillips Knox, a 1968 graduate, to recognize creative, innovative, and engaging teaching methods at the undergraduate level. 

News and Information

The CTE is pleased to offer Miami instructors, graduate students, and staff a limited number of free registration scholarships (excluding meals and preconference workshops) for the 45th Original Lilly Conference on College Teaching (November 19-21, 2026, at Armstrong Student Center). Over half of the available scholarships have been claimed so far. Complete this short scholarship application to be considered. Please wait to register until you receive word on your application from LillyCon@MiamiOH.edu. Check out the exciting Lilly program featuring three days of sessions with more than 100 presenters, including plenaries by Christine Harrington, Heidi McKee and Dennis Cheatham, and Lynn Meade.

What might you learn about your teaching by seeing your classroom through another set of eyes? The CTE offers two ways to gain this valuable insight: a midcourse consultation and a formative observation (including online courses). A CTE Faculty Teaching Associate (FTA) will engage in a supportive conversation with you to help you maximize your students’ learning. Plan now to request one (or both) of these services!

Help pilot an AI coaching tool that supports students in writing more useful Bare Bones Questioning (similar to Stop/Start/Continue) midcourse feedback. A short, AI-guided conversation prompts students to revise their initial responses to provide more thoughtful reflection on what is—and is not—helping them learn. The AI then summarizes their ideas. This work is part of a research project on AI-assisted metacognitive coaching. To try it with your class this term, please indicate your interest.

This Faculty Focus article makes the case for a competency-based approach to grading, which is designed to shift students’ focus from what grade they are getting to how to reflect on their learning and keep improving.

Managing stress is critical to students’ academic success. This Faculty Focus article describes how instructors can help students develop stress-management and self-regulation strategies through such techniques as embracing error, normalizing uncertainty, modeling vulnerability, and creating community.

Opportunities From Our Partners

Wednesday, October 14, 2:30-4:30 pm 

Via Zoom:

https://miamioh.zoom.us/j/81714944321?pwd=biogIHhLzreI4YFkBrNHutjIhgTGMn.1 

Meeting ID: 817 1494 4321

Passcode: 584696

OR

In-person in King Library 112B

Have questions about using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies in your teaching? Bring your questions and course materials to discuss with Dr. Bree Kirsch, Head of Learning & Engagement, Miami University Libraries. Dr. Kirsch's dissertation focused on UDL implementation in higher education, and she recently designed a CTE book club on the UDL book Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone by Tobin and Behling. Join via Zoom or stop by in-person at King Library Room 112B anytime between 2:30-4:30 pm.

Register now for the 11th Annual Access For All: Accessibility Symposium that will be held on Friday, October 23rd. This free one-day event is open to anyone at Miami who wants to learn how to make our community more welcoming and accessible for all. Highlights include sessions on universal design in study abroad, cognitive load research in note-taking technology, and practical hands-on training in Canvas Studio. Register before October 15 to secure a complimentary lunch. You are welcome to register and attend only the sessions that fit your schedule.

Free Zoom workshop from the Strategic Ohio Council on Higher Education (SOCHE)

Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 1 to 2 p.m. ET

Generative AI has made traditional take-home assignments harder to interpret, leaving faculty to preserve rigor and academic integrity while helping students develop responsible AI practices, often without additional support. This webinar offers a practical framework for redesigning assignments with clear AI-use boundaries, documented process, checkpoints, verification, and reflection, plus ready-to-adapt language for syllabi, assignments, and rubrics. 

To get access to SOCHE offerings, register for your free Go2Knowledge account as a Miami instructor (Miami is affiliated). Once you have an account, you can link to the live workshop directly or access an on-demand version (and other offerings from SOCHE).

Center for Teaching Excellence

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513-529-9266