Chef’s Challenge

Your Hands-On Pathway Through the Technology Test Kitchen

The Chef’s Challenge is a high-energy, curriculum-connected friendly competition and tiered recognition system tied to the CRTLE Technology Test Kitchen that brings experiential learning to life. Emphasizing teamwork, communication, problem-solving, digital integration, and creativity, the Chef’s Challenge helps faculty turn classroom concepts into memorable, applied learning experiences using tools we already have access to while developing AI and digital literacy skills for you and your students.

This event is also one of the signature ways faculty can participate in the UTA Test Kitchen, our yearlong teaching innovation program. By engaging with the Chef’s Challenge, faculty automatically begin progressing through the Test Kitchen’s three-tier recognition pathway—from Taste Tester to Sous Chef to Executive Chef.

How the Chef’s Challenge Works

Three Tiers of Participation & Recognition

Participation in the Chef’s Challenge helps faculty progress through the Test Kitchen’s chef-themed tiers. Each tier recognizes growing engagement, creativity, recognition, and leadership—mirroring the process of exploring ingredients, crafting dishes, and leading a kitchen.

NOTE: To allow for flexibility, if you cannot attend the in-person events, you can access the link for that session’s test kitchen on our main website or below (to be posted) and participate on your own!

The links for each session to participate asynchronously are below:

🥄 Tier 1 — Taste Tester

Goal: Sample core tools, ideas, and teaching “ingredients” introduced in the Test Kitchen.

How to Earn Taste Tester:
Faculty complete ONE of the following:

  • Attend 4 out of 8 in-person Test Kitchen sessions, OR
  • Complete 4 asynchronous micro-challenges (if you cannot attend the test kitchen), such as:

Taste Tester = exploration, curiosity, and foundational engagement.

Taste Tester Recognition Includes:

  • Taste Tester digital badge
  • Name listed on the Test Kitchen webpage on CRTLE webpage
  • Recognition email from CRTLE to your department chair/supervisor
  • Recognition in the CRTLE newsletter

 

🔪 Tier 2 — Sous Chef

Goal: Move from tasting to creating—transforming ideas into instructional artifacts.

How to Earn Sous Chef:
Faculty must:

  • Complete Taste Tester, AND
  • Share one instructional artifact (screenshot and/or link), such as:

Participation in the Chef’s Challenge naturally produces photos, prompts, rubrics, reflections, and student examples—making it an ideal vehicle for earning Sous Chef status.

Sous Chef = hands-on creation + contribution to the campus teaching community.

Sous Chef Recognition Includes:

  • Sous Chef digital badge
  • Name listed on the Test Kitchen webpage on CRTLE webpage
  • Recognition email from CRTLE to your department chair/supervisor
  • Certificate from CRTLE
  • Recognition in the CRTLE newsletter

 

👨‍🍳 Tier 3 — Executive Chef

Goal: Lead, showcase, and contribute back to UTA’s teaching excellence community.

How to Earn Executive Chef:
Faculty must:

  • Complete Taste Tester + Sous Chef, AND
  • Complete ONE of the following:

The Chef’s Challenge serves as the foundation for any of these culminating activities—reflection, artifact-building, and student engagement narratives all translate beautifully into final-tier scholarship or presentations.

Executive Chef = innovation, leadership, and scholarly contribution.

Executive Chef Recognition Includes:

  • Executive Chef digital badge
  • Name listed on the Test Kitchen webpage on CRTLE webpage
  • Recognition email from CRTLE to your department chair/supervisor
  • Certificate from CRTLE
  • Recognition in the CRTLE newsletter
  • Chef’s Hat Special Pin for Wearing
  • Featured “Meet the Executive Chefs” faculty profile on the CRTLE Webpage and Pedagogy NEXT blog.

 

Join the Challenge

Whether you are exploring new teaching approaches, creating instructional artifacts, or preparing to share your work with the campus community, the Chef’s Challenge provides a natural, enjoyable pathway through the Test Kitchen’s three-tier recognition system.

Start as a Taste Tester, grow as a Sous Chef, and rise to Executive Chef—one challenge at a time.