On September 21, 2023, nearly 300 UCI faculty, staff, and graduate students gathered at the Anteater Learning Pavilion for the first annual UCI Teach Day. Attendees began the day with welcome remarks from Provost Hal Stern and Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning Michael Dennin followed by a keynote address from Dr. Natasha Turman (University of Michigan) centered on the need for instructors to embrace critical perspectives to better support student success. Attendees After that, there was an inspiring student panel featuring undergraduates Carisa De Santos and Kit Feeney and graduate students Jordan Grasso and MacKenzie Christensen, who provided insight from their experiences as learners and teachers themselves.
After the student panel, attendees could choose from a series of breakout sessions focused on education research, professional development opportunities, and pressing educational issues. Notably, the day was also an opportunity for UCI to showcase the amazing pedagogical activities and research being conducted and for the inaugural class of Faculty Academy for Teaching Excellence (FATE) Fellows to present their recommendations regarding an array of educational challenges.
The event ended with the 31st annual Celebration of Teaching, where we had the opportunity to honor faculty and graduate student award winners. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to campus next fall with another UCI Teach Day.