Dear faculty colleagues,
This newsletter starts by sharing information and important reminders for faculty and ends with sharing faculty-related Stories and News. The Updates section includes the following:
- Open Education Fellows Program
- New Supplemental Forms for Course Evaluations
- Accepting Submissions: Faculty Authors Reception
- Call for First-Gen Longhorns Faculty Stories
- Fall 2024 Data & Donuts Workshop Series
- Longhorn Halloween
- CTL Updates: October 2024
- Texas Global Updates: October 2024
- New Faculty Launch Continued Learning
- Provost’s Office LinkedIn
Please share relevant information with colleagues and those you mentor. If you have any faculty-related questions, concerns or solutions, please contact the Faculty Affairs team — we’re here to support you in any way we can.
Stay well,
Tasha Beretvas
Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
Faculty Updates
Open Education Fellows Program
The University of Texas Libraries is now accepting applications for the Open Education Fellows Program, a stipend-support fellowship that supports faculty who adopt and create open educational resources (OER). This program challenges faculty to reduce the cost of required course materials for students at the University and empowers instructors to adapt or create course materials that meet their pedagogical goals. The Libraries will select up to five (5) total Fellows who seek to adopt or adapt existing OER to replace commercial materials, or who will author and openly license their own course materials.
New Supplemental Forms for Course Evaluations
Supplemental forms offer questions that can be added to the core Course Evaluation survey each semester. The Teaching Assistant and Applied Music supplemental forms were introduced during the 2022–23 Academic Year.
What’s New?
This Fall, the Foreign Language Supplement and the Education Practicum Supplement are also available. Instructors who wish to add one of these supplements to their surveys must contact their Course Evaluation Liaison(the departmental contact who sets up course evaluations) and request these supplements to be added on or before October 30. For additional details, review the Supplemental Form Update. Liaisons have been briefed, trained and provided support on this process.
What’s Next?
We expect to add additional supplemental forms in Spring 2025. More information is included in the Supplemental Form Update.
Accepting Submissions: Faculty Authors Reception
The Faculty Authors Reception was created to highlight the breadth of scholarship and creative activity taking place across the University. We are now accepting submissions for this year’s Faculty Authors Reception. There will also be an in-person event on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, to celebrate works published in 2024.
Eligibility:
- Works published between January 1st and December 31st of 2024 including scholarly monographs, published creative works (e.g. books, novels and anthologies of poetry), exhibition catalogs and edited collections.
- Deadline for submissions: November 8, 2024
Call for First-Gen Longhorns Faculty Stories
First-Gen Longhorns is looking to spotlight members of the first-generation community during First-Gen Week (November 4–8). First-gen faculty and staff are a fundamental part of the UT campus and a strong and proud part of the UT family. Your story could be key!
The submission form is hosted on Microsoft Office 365 and, therefore, will require a log-in with your University Microsoft account. Submitting to the form does not guarantee publication.
Fall 2024 Data & Donuts Workshop Series
The University of Texas Libraries’ Research Data Services team announced the schedule for its Fall 2024 Data & Donuts workshop series covering four unique topics specifically selected because of their importance to research data management in a wide range of disciplines.
All members of UT community are welcome to join from 12–1:15 p.m. on the Fridays listed on the website. Three installments will entail hybrid presentations with the in-person component taking place in the Scholars Lab at the Perry-Castañeda Library. Registration is required for virtual (Zoom) sessions
- October 25 – Intro to R for Data Management. Hybrid. Zoom Registration.
Longhorn Halloween
Longhorn Halloween will take place Sunday, October 27, from 12-4 p.m. on Speedway Mall. Sponsored by the Office of the President, Little Longhorns and their families can enjoy a full lineup of ghoulish activities along Speedway Mall and beyond. Check out activities, crafts and more under the Virtual Activities tab on the Longhorn Halloween webpage all month long!
CTL Updates: October 2024
Please see below for several updates from the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). Explore more opportunities in the October newsletter and 2024–25 programming flyer:
Accessible Pedagogy Conversations
Join us each Wednesday this fall from 12–1 p.m. on Zoom for Accessible Pedagogy Conversations. This informal, peer-directed space is open to all instructors who hope to share questions, strategies, and recommendations regarding accommodations and inclusion in learning environments. Hosted by CTL, the Disability Cultural Center (DCC), and Disability & Access (D&A).
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- Oct. 23: Canvas: Accessibility and Structure
- Oct. 30: General Q&A and Crowdsourced Strategy Sharing
Recent CTL News
Rubrics Don’t Need to Be Recipes | Guest Post by Dr. Art Markman
Read Dr. Markman’s guest news post for a deeper understanding of how rubrics can be used to enhance student learning.
Apply for the Provost’s Teaching Fellows Program!
If you would like to participate in a community of faculty who explore and share teaching strategies and enact impactful initiatives across campus, you are invited to apply to join the Provost’s Teaching Fellows Program. Express your interest by filling out this brief Intent Form by November 4 or visit the Provost’s Teaching Fellows website for more information about the program, its Fellows and their impacts across UT and beyond.
Teaching Tips: Civic Engagement in the Classroom
This month’s Teaching Tips revolve around the upcoming election and supporting civic engagement within your classroom during this unique season. Many of our students will be voting for the first time and may benefit from information and reminders of how to participate. Learn about resources and how to handle conversations in the classroom.
Texas Global Updates: October 2024
Texas Global Faculty Grant Opportunities
Texas Global supports faculty pursuing global research, teaching, publishing and event collaborations. Since 2020, more than $1.6M has been awarded for activities across 17 colleges. Faculty are invited to apply for the following funding opportunities by November 1:
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- Faculty Research Seed Grants: Up to $10,000 to conduct research that addresses global challenges with a peer collaborator at an institution abroad.
- Global Virtual Exchange Course Development Grant: Up to $5,000 to co-develop and co-teach courses or course modules with a faculty collaborator at an international institution. Contact Holly Schneider to find a collaborator and learn how to design a virtual exchange course.
- Faculty Travel Planning Grants: Up to $2,500 in travel funds to explore possibilities, develop connections and prepare to seek subsequent Texas Global funding opportunities.
- Internationalization Event Fund: Accepts applications on a rolling basis and awards up to $10,000 to support high-impact global engagement events on campus involving multiple colleges and schools.
- President’s Award for Global Learning: A prestigious experiential learning program for interdisciplinary faculty and student teams. The award includes $5,000 for program costs, $10,000 to support a graduate assistant and a $14,000 honorarium per faculty, plus fully funded travel for both faculty and students.
Please contact txglobal-grants@austin.utexas.edu with any questions.
Texas Around the World
Texas Global displays data reflecting the University’s international activities and connections on the Global Explorer Map. This map showcases UT Austin’s global engagement, including student mobility, alumni networks, partnerships, and the research and creative efforts of more than 1,000 faculty members across country-specific webpages. To contribute or update your information, please complete this survey. For further details, contact our Global Strategies Officers at txglobalgso@austin.utexas.edu.
New Faculty Launch Continued Learning
- Faculty hired for the 2023-24 or 2024-25 academic year
- Tenured and tenure-track faculty
- Professional-track faculty
- FTE 50% or higher
- Permanent (non-visiting) faculty
Provost’s Office LinkedIn
Follow the Provost Office on LinkedIn! We will share faculty news, program highlights and information, and updates from the Provost’s portfolio and UT. Network, stay informed and share the important work happening across The University of Texas at Austin.
Featured News & Stories
Blanton Museum Of Art Ups Game To Equal Ascension Of Its Home City: Austin, Texas
As the population and profile of Austin, TX exploded over the past 40 years, its art museum struggled to keep up. Today, the Blanton Museum of Art is an institution befitting its prominent home city.
Computational Sciences Pioneer Mary Wheeler Retires
Wheeler’s career spanned more than five decades in applied mathematics, computational science and petroleum engineering.
Announcing the CTL’s Generative AI in Teaching and Learning Resources
In addition to providing support for GenAI innovation through the PAIRS grant program, CTL also developed a comprehensive guide, the Generative AI in Teaching and Learning toolkit, for UT faculty and instructors.
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