CRTLE Summer 2026 Virtual Programming Series (June 3-August 5, 2026)

Theme: Teaching Smarter, Not Harder: Sustainable Teaching for a Changing UTA

Why Attend the CRTLE Summer 2026 Virtual Programming Series?

Online business education and training for professional development and skill enhancement programs

Teaching at UT Arlington continues to change, and so do the demands on faculty time, energy, and attention. The CRTLE Summer 2026 Virtual Programming Series was intentionally designed to meet this moment. Guided by the theme Teaching Smarter, Not Harder: Sustainable Teaching for a Changing UTA, this series focuses on helping faculty reclaim time, reduce unnecessary workload, and make thoughtful choices about where to invest effort for the biggest payoff in student learning. 

These sessions are not about adding new initiatives, platforms, or expectations. Instead, they center on practical, faculty‑tested strategies that support efficiency, clarity, and sustainability, whether you teach online, hybrid, or on campus. Each session offers concrete ideas you can apply immediately as you prepare for the fall semester, along with space to reflect, discuss, and learn from colleagues across disciplines.

Faculty should attend this series if they want to

  • Spend less time rebuilding courses and more time focusing on teaching and students 
  • Use Canvas and AI intentionally—without overengineering courses or creating more work 
  • Identify low‑lift pedagogical moves that improve learning outcomes while protecting faculty time 
  • Let go of practices that no longer serve students—or instructors 
  • Connect with other faculty in a supportive, pressure‑free environment during the summer months 

Stay tuned for registration information.

All sessions are virtual via Microsoft Teams, 45 minutes long, recorded, and designed to respect faculty schedules, combining focused content with meaningful discussion and idea sharing. Whether you join one session or the entire series, you’ll leave with practical takeaways, renewed perspective, and strategies that help make teaching at UTA more sustainable and manageable.

C A N V A S

1. Teaching Smarter, Not Harder with Canvas [June 3, 12-1 pm]

Streamline your course design, reduce rework, and set yourself up for an easier semester. 

Learn how a few strategic Canvas decisions can save you hours every semester—without rebuilding your course from scratch. This session focuses on practical ways to use Canvas more efficiently so you spend less time rebuilding and troubleshooting and more time teaching. We will highlight small, high‑impact design choices that save time across semesters, including reusable structures, accessibility‑friendly defaults, and realistic best‑practice decisions about what is worth building—and what is not. Faculty will leave with concrete ideas they can apply immediately while preparing for fall courses.

A person facing a glowing holographic humanoid AI figure with a speech bubble in a futuristic setting.

2. Teaching Smarter, Not Harder with AI (For Faculty)

June 17, 12-1 pm

Use AI to support your teaching—without creating more work or confusion. 

This session centers on faculty‑focused uses of AI for planning, revising, and decision‑making. Rather than tool overload or hype, we will explore realistic ways AI can support assignment design, rubric development, instructional clarity, and course preparation. We will also discuss boundaries, transparency, and connections to ongoing learning opportunities such as ACUE and self‑paced campus resources. 

PEDAGOGY NEXT

3. Teaching Smarter, Not Harder with Pedagogy: On campus Teaching Focus

July 15, 12-1pm

Low‑lift teaching moves that improve learning and protect your time. Also, leveraging your LMS with on-campus teaching will be discussed to help save you time and energy!  

Not everything needs to be graded, redesigned, or perfected. This session focuses on pedagogical strategies that reduce workload while supporting student learning, such as assessment triage, meaningful participation without overload, peer and self‑assessment, and course pacing that prevents backlog—for students and instructors alike. Faculty are encouraged to reflect on what they can simplify or stop doing altogether. 

Illustration of diverse people sitting and reading books in a cozy indoor setting.

4. Teaching Smarter, Not Harder: A Summer Reading, Listening, and Idea Exchange

July 29, 12-1 pm

A no‑prep faculty salon to reconnect, share ideas, and surface what’s shaping how you think about teaching right now.

This session is a relaxed, discussion‑first space for faculty to share books, articles, podcasts, tools, and ideas that are influencing how they think about teaching right now. There is no required reading or preparation. Participants will engage in short lightning shares and open discussion, with resources crowdsourced into a shared document for optional follow‑up. 

Additional Summer and Early Fall Information Sessions

ACUE logo

ACUE Information Session (August 5, 12-1 pm)

Get a clear, no‑pressure overview of ACUE at UTA so you can decide—quickly—whether it’s worth your time.  

A short, straightforward overview of ACUE opportunities at UTA, including time commitments, structure, and what faculty typically gain from participation. This session is designed for faculty who are exploring options or seeking clarity before committing.

trinity hall building with the sunrise behind it

CRTLE [and Partners] Virtual Open House (August 26, 12-1 pm)

Reconnect with CRTLE and campus partners and learn, in one hour, what support and resources are available to you this year.  

A brief virtual open house introducing CRTLE services, current initiatives, and ways faculty can engage—whether lightly or more deeply. This session is especially useful for faculty new to UTA or those reconnecting after recent institutional changes. This will include information about the Center for Distance Education studios that are available for faculty.