New Faculty Teaching Academy
All faculty new to teaching at UCI are invited to participate in the New Faculty Teaching Academy (NFTA). The 2024 Academy will be held September 20th from 9am-2:30pm in AIRB 1030. Lunch will be provided! Registration will open during Summer 2024. Last year’s Schedule of Sessions is posted to the right.
The Academy is designed specifically for new professors with limited teaching experience; however, new faculty with more experience who are still interested are more than welcome to participate.
Designed as a series of integrated modules, participants can sign-up for the number of modules that they feel will best suit their needs.
If you would like to keep in touch and receive email opportunities and additional resources, please fill out this form.
Schedule of Sessions (2023)
MODULE 1: 9:00 – 11:00 Welcome and Introduction to UCI and DTEI
Facilitated by Matthew Mahavongtrakul, Ph.D, Principal Educational Developer
Get your quarter off to a great start by meeting other new faculty and learning more about the Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation (DTEI) and how we can help you succeed at UCI. Learn about UCI undergraduates, their expectations, their diversity, and how that can positively influence your course design and teaching methods. In addition, we will briefly go over some teaching methods that can help you motivate your students and get them more engaged while increasing learning. Lastly, we will go over tips and tricks for setting the tone for your course, establishing expectations, and building a sense of community. There will be coffee and snacks!
MODULE 2: 11:00 – 12:00 Instructor and Student Well-Being in the Classroom
Facilitated by Theresa Duong, Ph.D, Pedagogical Wellness Specialist
What do wellness and course design have in common? How can we design our courses such that both student AND faculty wellness are taken into consideration? These are the questions we will be exploring in this session. In addition, we will introduce pedagogical wellness at UCI and course design strategies that may promote mental health and well-being for both you and your students.
MODULE 3: Lunch Eat-and-Greet 12:00 – 1:00
Learn more about DTEI and how we can help you with teaching, managing TAs, education research, and online teaching in this informal Eat and Greet! Various DTEI team members will be attending to answer any questions you have and to enjoy a meal together. Food provided by Taste Catering – a DTEI favorite!
MODULE 4: 1:00 – 2:00 Keeping a Pedagogical Mindset when Designing a Canvas Course
Facilitated by Megan Linos, M.S., Director of Digital and Online Teaching (DOT)
One of the cornerstones of facilitating a successful course is having a central location to manage course materials. Enter: Canvas! The goal of this session is to introduce you to various learning technologies at UCI and prepare you for teaching by beginning to set up a functional and effective Canvas course site. We will also be going over strategies to design a clear learning path on Canvas for students for both engagement and assessment.
MODULE 5: 2:00 – 2:30 Wrap-Up
In this session, we will collect feedback that will inform our offerings to help support your and your students’ continued success.