Join CRTLE and OIT in our Technology Test Kitchen—an interactive space where faculty can experiment with digital tools and learn practical strategies for integrating technology into their teaching. Located in Trinity Hall, OIT service desk, first floor lobby with breakout sessions in rooms 112 and 105 from 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm. Sessions are 30 minutes long with additional work time if needed.
Faculty mentors are invited to sign up for one or two Test Kitchen sessions that fit their availability. There is no expectation to attend all sessions. We will email you and your chair/supervisor a thank you for supporting this initiative! We will also acknowledge you on our CRTLE website.
We will offer two sessions in January.
January 15th: Level-Up Your Career Portfolio Assignments with Adobe Express (30 minutes)
Empower your students to present their academic and professional achievements with confidence using Adobe Express (free to faculty and students at UTA). In this faculty-focused hands-on workshop, you’ll explore how to incorporate Adobe Express into portfolio-based assignments that encourage creativity, multimodal communication, and real-world skill building. Build AI literacy for you and your students and learn strategies for guiding students through the design process, review ready-to-use templates, and leave with adaptable assignment ideas you can bring directly into your courses. Bring your own device (laptop, iPad, mobile device). Access Adobe Express before the workshop.
January 22nd: Supercharge Your Syllabus: Multimodal Design in Adobe Express (30 minutes)
Reimagine your syllabus as an engaging, accessible gateway into your course. This session introduces faculty to multimodal syllabus design using Adobe Express, offering tools and approaches to visually highlight key information, enhance clarity, and support diverse learners. You’ll experiment with templates, explore best practices for visual communication in teaching materials, and walk away with a refreshed syllabus ready to energize your students from day one. Access Adobe Express before the workshop.
Please visit the CRTLE Adobe Resources Page before the session: https://www.uta.edu/administration/crtle/resources/adobe-resources
If you have any questions, please email us at CRTLE@UTA.EDU
February 19th: Creating Engaging Explainer Videos & Podcasts
Registration Link: https://common.forms.uta.edu/view.php?id=2983958
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:
March 5th: Designing Clear & Compelling Research Posters and Infographics with Adobe Express
Registration Link: https://common.forms.uta.edu/view.php?id=2984224
This faculty‑friendly session supports instructors in transforming dense or complex information into visually clear posters and infographics using Adobe Express. Create assignments for students that support research and summary graphics using Adobe Express. With hands‑on guidance in the Test Kitchen, faculty will explore practical design principles that strengthen student digital literacy and AI Literacy. Join us in being creative with teaching as an Adobe Creative Campus!
Faculty will leave with:
April 2nd: OER Potluck: Turn Your Course Materials into Shareable Mini‑Resources
Registration Link: https://common.forms.uta.edu/view.php?id=2985012
CRTLE is partnering with the UTA Libraries for this Test Kitchen. Bring your favorite ‘side dish’ to the table, except this time, it’s your teaching materials! Just like a potluck, everyone contributes something they already have or have remixed to support their teaching. In this hands-on, 30-minute hands-on session with heavy support, we’ll walk through the full recipe for turning an existing course resource into a side-dish-sized Open Educational Resource (OER). No need to start from scratch, we’ll help you season and serve your resource so others can enjoy it too!
What’s on the menu:
Outcomes:
April 23rd: AI for Teaching: Using Khanmigo & IgniteAI in Canvas to Save Time and Add Insight
Registration Link: https://common.forms.uta.edu/view.php?id=2985012
Discover how to make the most of Khanmigo and IgniteAI—AI teaching tools already built directly into Canvas and ready for you to use today. This AI-focused hands‑on Test Kitchen session gives faculty a practical, low‑pressure space to try out lesson design ideas, explore AI‑supported activities for teaching design and assessment, and see how these tools can meaningfully enhance quiz creation, discussion boards, and more instruction adding complexity. With faculty interest in AI at an all‑time high, this session focuses on real, classroom‑ready strategies—when AI can help, when traditional approaches shine, and how to blend both with intention. Faculty are welcome to stay for the full experience or drop in for a shorter visit—whatever fits your day.
In this Test Kitchen, faculty will:
Ideal for faculty curious about using AI responsibly and creatively.
May 7th: Signature Dish Showcase: Sharing Your Best Teaching Idea
Registration Link: https://common.forms.uta.edu/view.php?id=2985999
This celebratory closing session invites faculty to bring a ‘signature dish’—a teaching innovation, digital creation, AI‑enhanced lesson, or redesigned assignment developed during previous Test Kitchens or on your own. The Signature Dish Showcase is designed as a friendly low-key gallery walk with rich peer feedback. Let’s celebrate your teaching innovations and build community with colleagues!
Faculty may share:
Participants will leave with new ideas and inspiration drawn from colleagues across UTA.
Your Hands-On Pathway Through the Technology Test Kitchen. Be sure to participate in the Chef's Challenge for Recognition!
The Technology Test Kitchen is grounded in contemporary learning theories that emphasize active creation, collaboration, AI Literacy, and digital fluency. Drawing from constructivism (Vygotsky, 2025), connectivism (Siemens & Downes, 2024), and Communities of Practice (Wenger-Trayner, 2020), the Test Kitchen provides a dynamic environment where faculty learn by experimenting with emerging technology tools such as Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly, Khanmigo, generative AI, and more. To structure this experimentation, the space utilizes Design Thinking (Fallin & Turton, 2025) to foster iterative prototyping, while engaging peers in shared problem-solving, coaching support, and informal mentoring. Furthermore, by adopting the flexible personas described in the Ten Faces of Innovation (Kelley, 2005), such as the "Experimenter" or "Cross-Pollinator," faculty are empowered to bypass academic silos. This hands-on, multimodal approach facilitates Experiential Learning (Morris, 2020), supporting digital literacy with an eye on teaching, encouraging innovation, and helping faculty build confidence through supported exploration and playful learning rather than isolated trial-and-error. By fostering community, creativity, a sense of belonging, and practical skill-building, the Technology Test Kitchen enables faculty to design innovative and more engaging, learner-centered digital experiences for students.
References
Fallin, L., & Turton, M. (2025). The transformative potential of Design Thinking in Learning Development. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (34).
Kelley, T. (2005). The ten faces of innovation: IDEO’s strategies for defeating the devil’s advocate and driving creativity throughout your organization. Currency/Doubleday.
Morris, T. H. (2020). Experiential learning – a systematic review and revision of Kolb’s model. Interactive Learning Environments, 28(8), 1064-1077.
Siemens, G., & Downes, S. (2024). Connectivism: Learning in the age of generative AI. Learning Technologies Magazine, 51(2), 24-30.
Vygotsky, L. S. (2025). The enduring influence of Vygotsky's social constructivism. In 6 Key Learning Theories Every Educator Should Know in 2025. Teachfloor Blog.
Wenger-Trayner, E. (2020). Communities of practice: A brief introduction. Wenger-Trayner. (Updated conceptual reference).
