CRTLE Past Events

April 28, 2026

Do Your Graduate Students Need Help Navigating the IRB Process? Virtual Info session

Join us for a 30-minute virtual information session to learn about the IRB Mentor Fellowship Program—a supportive resource designed to guide graduate students and their faculty advisors through the complexities of Institutional Review Board (IRB) processes. During this session, you’ll be introduced to our experienced IRB Mentors, Dr. Kathy Lee Siepker and Dr. Laura Hwang, who provide personalized, educational support at every stage of the IRB journey—from refining research ideas to preparing strong, submission-ready protocols. This session is ideal for graduate students and faculty seeking guidance, clarity, and confidence in the IRB process.

Please note: IRB Mentors offer mentoring and educational support only; they do not approve protocols or make official IRB determinations.

April 23, 2026

Words That Work: A Wise Feedback Approach for Faculty (SEP Mini-Workshop)

Students often receive feedback but never read it; and when they do, it doesn't always land the way instructors intend. This session introduces faculty to Wise Feedback, one of the Student Experience Project's Three to Thrive pillars, a research-backed approach to commenting on student work that communicates high standards, genuine belief in student potential, and a clear intent to support growth. By the end of this session, faculty will be able to write and personalize Wise Feedback Framing Statements in their courses, identify the channels and moments to deliver wise feedback most effectively, and understand how to encourage students to engage with, and act on, the feedback they receive.

March 18, 2026

The Mindful Professor: Prioritizing Well-being for Effective Teaching

How can faculty care for their own well-being while also creating stronger learning environments for students?

That question guided the March 18 Faculty Voices session led by Dr. Dianna Rachell Jones, Assistant Professor of Practice in the School of Social Work and CIRTL Faculty Facilitator. Rather than treating well-being as something separate from teaching, Dr. Jones presented it as part of effective teaching itself. A central message ran through the session from beginning to end. Faculty presence matters. When instructors are regulated, prepared, flexible, and aware of their own stress, students benefit. When faculty are overwhelmed or emotionally exhausted, the classroom feels it too.

March 19, 2026

Webinar Recap: CRTLE Technology Test Kitchen

Missed the first four sessions of the Technology Test Kitchen series? Here’s your chance to catch the highlights and handson inspiration. This dynamic recap webinar will walk through four transformative sessions focused on enhancing teaching, learning, and professional storytelling using Adobe Express.

March 19, 2026

SEP Workshop: Growth Mindset

SEP Workshop focuses on Growth Mindset and how everyday teaching choices—such as course design, assignments, and feedback—shape students’ persistence, confidence, and sense of belonging. Grounded in Student Experience Project (SEP) research and examples from UTA SEP Fellows, this session highlights how communicating high standards alongside clear support helps students stay engaged through challenge. This workshop is part of the UTA SEP Community of Practice and is open to faculty and staff interested in practical, researchbased strategies they can apply right away.

February 12, 2026

Pondering AI: Ethical Use of AI in Teaching: Safeguarding Academic Integrity While Empowering Learning

The February Pondering AI session, *Ethical Use of AI in Teaching: Safeguarding Academic Integrity While Empowering Learning*, brought faculty together to confront a question that is now central to teaching across disciplines: how do we work with generative AI rather than simply against it? Rather than framing AI as something to ban or fear, the session emphasized curiosity, transparency, and intentional course design.

January 28, 2026

Expanding Learning Pathways: LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, and Other Microcredentials

How can short, stackable learning experiences outside the classroom help students build real skills and communicate them to employers? That question guided this Faculty Voices panel on January 28, 2026, hosted by Dr. Peggy Semingson from the Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence. Five faculty members from across UTA shared how they have integrated microcredentials from platforms like LinkedIn Learning and Coursera into their courses. Each brought a different approach, a different discipline, and a different set of lessons learned.

January 21, 2026

Hook, Not Hold: Keeping Students Engaged in Class

How do you keep students engaged when attention is constantly pulled by phones, notifications, and distractions? That question shaped this Faculty Voices conversation led by Ahmad Bani Hani from Civil Engineering. The session focused on specific practices you can use before the semester begins and routines you can repeat across the term to keep students involved. The central message was simple. Engagement does not happen by accident. It has to be designed into the course experience.