Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Facilitated by Robert Quigley, Professor of Practice, School of Journalism and Media, Moody College of Communication

Every other Thursday from 1 pm – 2 pm, beginning September 5th

As artificial intelligence rapidly advances and expands, it’s on us as educators to ensure that the learning environment remains strong and ethical. Join this peer circle to discuss and share ideas on how to use AI to creatively enhance learning, including creating assignments that encourage ethical AI use. We’ll also discuss how to find boundaries for students’ use, including creating assignments that are designed to avoid students’ AI use. Discussions will center around how AI is currently being used in the classroom by educators and students and how we can maintain high ethical and academic standards.

Digital Accessibility at UT

Facilitated by John Neumann, Associate Professor of Practice, School of Information

Every other Wednesday from 11 am – 12 pm, beginning September 4th

In this circle, participants will discuss issues involving Digital Accessibility for students, instructors, and staff. There is a strong argument that accessibility is a moral imperative to allow everyone an opportunity to get a UT education, but there are now government and legal forces in play that must be considered, too. Additionally, UT is preparing for the results of a recent accessibility audit by the Dept. of Justice, and this may impact faculty and staff across the entire campus. While digital accessibility is not new, it’s been under the radar for decades. This circle is expected to be valuable for people at all levels of experience with accessibility at UT. Whether you’re looking to understand your Ally Canvas course companion or are interested in redesigning your school’s website for accessibility, or getting involved with university-wide efforts, we’ll share experiences and resources that you can use today.

Incorporating Civil Discourse Across Disciplines

Facilitated by Riyad Alhomsi, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Middle Eastern Studies, College of Liberal Arts

Every other Monday from 2 pm – 3 pm, beginning September 9th

It is crucial that our teaching fosters an academic environment that encourages responsible civil discourse on topics that interest students and the wider community. The ultimate goal is for students to respectfully engage with differing views and learn how to channel the passion they have about issues into positive change.

The discussion will focus on different strategies to educate students on effective methods of civil discourse, including:

Curriculum Integration: How can we design a curriculum that equips students to engage in responsible civil discourse?

Best Classroom Practices: How can we positively model civil discourse in our classroom practices?

Community Engagement: How can we prepare our students to respectfully participate with the larger community on topics of broader interest?

Fostering Effective Student Practicum Experiences

Facilitated by Laura Estep, Assistant Professor of Practice, Department of Special Education, College of Education

Every other Thursday from 12 pm – 1 pm, beginning January 23rd 

Integration of practicum site experience with coursework is an important aspect to students’ education across many fields. The ability to practice hands-on skills in a variety of settings provides crucial experience that coursework alone cannot. However, there are several difficulties that can arise with these types of courses from identifying quality sites and finding harmony between the needs of the students with the actualities of the site, to determining how best to tie relevant practical experience to coursework in meaningful ways. This theme would use interdisciplinary peer discussions to explore innovative approaches to integrate practicum or site experiences with coursework, best practices in the logistics of running these courses from set up to on-going management, strategies for dealing with conflict at sites, and creative ways to bring practicum experience to the classroom and bring the classroom to the practicum site.

Doing Research as Professional Track Faculty

Facilitated by Marina Alexandrova, Associate Professor of Instruction, Department of Slavic and Eurasian studies, College of Liberal Arts.

Every other Monday from 12 pm – 1 pm, beginning January 20th

This circle will meet to discuss a rarely addressed, but increasingly common situation of professional track faculty who want to focus on research projects in addition to their teaching and administrative duties. While UT-Austin does offer valuable resources like faculty writing groups, publishing and grant workshops, and faculty development grants, professional track faculty often struggle to find the time and energy to write articles and books. Now that promotion criteria for professional track faculty have been expanded to include research as one of the possible areas of excellence, this circle helps those coming up for promotion strengthen the research part of their portfolio. In our biweekly meetings, we will learn about organizational strategies that work, learn from colleagues who managed to successfully publish while maintaining a full teaching load and other responsibilities, and come up with meaningful plans for pursuing and strengthening our own research agendas.