Year: 2025

What makes a great faculty mentor of students at The University of Texas at Arlington?

The Faculty Spotlight series showcases excellence in faculty teaching and mentoring. This post features Dr. Dereje Agonafer, Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at UT Arlington, and a Member of the National Academy of Engineering. Additional accolades include:

ASME Honorary Member, ASME and NAI Life Fellow, AAAS Fellow

Director, Center for Chip-to-Chiller Integration for AI Data Centers (C³I-AIDC)

Site Director, NSF IUCRC Center in Energy Efficient Systems

Director, Electronics, MEMS & Nanoelectronics Systems Packaging Center

For Dr. Dereje Agonafer’s students (Department of Mechanical Engineering), exceptional mentoring means someone who creates opportunity, instills confidence, and celebrates growth for students.

What to Know about Dr. Agonafer’s Exceptional Faculty Mentoring of UT Arlington students:

• Mentoring Graduate Students: He has a university record for graduating 259 graduate students since joining UTA in 1999, including 42 PhDs. He is dedicated to training the next generation of engineers.
• Active and Current Advising: He is currently advising a large cohort of students: 17 PhDs and 2 MS students, indicating sustained and active commitment to mentorship.
• Career Placement and Impact: His students secure positions and make significant contributions in top-tier industry companies like NVIDIA, Intel, Microsoft, META, Google, Tesla, and GlobalFoundries; his mentorship and team approach directly leads to successful professional careers.
• McNair Scholar Mentorship: He served as a McNair Scholar Mentor in both 2003 and 2004, indicating a commitment to mentoring underrepresented students in preparation for doctoral studies.
• Research-Centric Training: His mentoring is deeply integrated with research through two major centers he directs: the NSF IUCRC in Energy Efficient Systems and the Electronics, MEMS and Nanoelectronics Systems Packaging Center. His latest initiative is Director, Center for Chip-to-Chiller Integration for AI Data Centers (C³I-AIDC), where major companies will participate in an initiative to address AI date centers requirement – chip to chiller. The new center will be 9600 sq ft with 1700 ton chiller and potentially 8MW of power. It will be anchored by two rows of 16 racks each provided by NVIDIA – which will be at the heart of all the research.
• This gives students direct experience with multi-million dollar funded, industry-collaborative projects.
• Direct Industry Collaboration: His students benefit from his deep industry connections (e.g., his 15-year career at IBM) and corporate research partnerships (like NVIDIA, Intel, Microsoft, META, Google, and TI), providing real-world problems, large equipment donations, and valuable professional networking opportunities.
• Patent and Innovation Focus: Students have been involved in innovative work resulting in patents, such as the active cooling method developed by one of his PhD students, who is now a CEO of a company.

Empowering Students Through Trust and Real Experience 

Dr. Agonafer’s mentoring philosophy begins with a simple belief: students learn best when they are trusted with real responsibility. 

From leading hands-on research in state-of-the-art facilities to supporting professional networking, he ensures that every graduate student is challenged, supported, and empowered to take the lead. Whether in the lab or out in the field, students gain confidence because he gives them space to innovate and learn as emerging experts—not just trainees. 

He shares in a recent interview (source):

Given that, my graduate students travel extensively to conferences and present papers as well as publish papers. I tell them that looking for a job and school work are parallel processes—you don’t wait until you graduate to look for a job. I also encourage my graduate students to do internships, as it will usually lead to a job.

The Nai Profile: An Interview With Dr. Dereje Agonafer

Developing Career-Ready Leaders in Engineering

Many of Dr. Agonafer’s mentees step directly into high-impact and high-profile industry positions. Five PhD graduates have joined NVIDIA, a testament to the career-ready skills they developed under his guidance. He encourages students to work on real-world systems in real-time, offering mentorship that blends technical growth with professional readiness: 

• Guidance on how to communicate research to broad audiences 
• Encouragement to collaborate with industry engineers and partners 
• Support in navigating the transition from student to colleague 

Mentoring Through Visibility and Advocacy 

Dr. Agonafer actively champions his students by celebrating their successes publicly and helping them gain recognition for their contributions. Whether presenting at conferences, engaging in industry collaborations with partners like NVIDIA and Trane, or joining global research events, students feel seen and valued. 

He uses his platforms—including LinkedIn and professional networks—to uplift student achievements so they are noticed by future collaborators and employers. Through his advocacy, doors open. 

Building a Community of Support 

His students often describe his lab not only as a workspace, but as a community: 

• A place where questions are welcomed 
• A culture rooted in respect and collaboration 
• A shared mission to grow and support one another 

He builds mentorship networks that extend long after graduation, creating lifelong professional connections and supportive alumni relationships. 

A Faculty Mentor Who Invests Time and Energy into UTA Students

His mentorship is grounded in advocacy and belief in every student who walks into his lab.

Celebrating Dr. Agonafer as an Educator and Mentor at UTA

We at CRTLE UTA are proud to spotlight and showcase Dr. Agonafer as a mentor and educator who places students at the heart of his mission. As a scholar and mentor at UT Arlington, he is someone who leads not through accolades but through unwavering dedication to helping others thrive. 

Thank you so much, Dr. Agonafer, for the lives and careers you continue to shape. 

You show us what impactful mentorship looks like at UTA and beyond. 

*Note: This blog post was co-written with AI (ChatGPT) and CRTLE.

Links:

LinkedIn. Dr. Agonafer is prolific on LinkedIn and often shares updates on his student’s success.

This post was initially summarized by AI (Microsoft CoPilot) and then revised and rewritten by Dr. Laurel Stvan.

How can a familiar website like Wikipedia become a powerful engine for research, collaboration, and public scholarship in our courses? That question guided November’s Faculty Voices session, From Reader to Writer: How Wikipedia Editing Transforms the Classroom, held on November 19, 2025.

Hosted by CRTLE, the session was led by Dr. Laurel Stvan from Linguistics and TESOL and featured panelists and experienced educators Dr. Alicia Rueda-Acedo from Modern Languages and Dr. Christy Spivey from Economics. These veteran faculty members shared how course-based Wikipedia editing projects transform students from passive readers into active contributors to an ongoing collection of public, digitally shared knowledge.

Setting the Stage: Why Wikipedia Belongs in the Classroom

Dr. Laurel Stvan opened the panel by reframing Wikipedia as a dynamic collaborative research space rather than just of source of pages to read. And suggested that rather than being a place that they should avoid citing, it can be a resource that students and teachers can help shape. As ubiquitous as it is, Wikipedia still has uneven coverage, with pages that can be quite robust in some areas but sparse in others. This creates opportunities for instructors and students to fill the knowledge gaps with their own expertise. Using their access to the UTA Library’s resources and guidance from faculty experts, students can expand stubs of articles, translate materials from other languages, and even create new pages—which lets them jointly create a positive public impact.

She also introduced key areas of support that make this work manageable:

• Wiki Education (free support for instructors):
  https://wikiedu.org/teach-with-wikipedia/
• Andrés Vera, Equity Outreach Coordinator at WikiEdu:
  andres@wikiedu.org
• Create a Wikipedia account (for instructors and students):
  https://tinyurl.com/3bf2hpd6
• Citation Hunt (tool for finding statements needing citations):
  https://citationhunt.toolforge.org/en?id=360ab715

Dr. Stvan also provided further reading on using Wikipedia as a source of collaborative group work and a way to shape this open educational resource:

• Collaborative group work in linguistics classrooms: https://journals.linguisticsociety.org/proceedings/index.php/PLSA/article/download/5101/4748
• Wikipedia as OER chapter: https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/context/linguistics_tesol_facpubs/article/1028/type/native/viewcontent

These resources help faculty design assignments that build research, writing, and digital literacy in meaningful, public-facing ways.

Medical Translation and Rare Diseases: A Case Study in Spanish

Next, Dr. Alicia Rueda-Acedo shared a compelling project from her Translation in Medical Settings course, where students translated English-language articles on rare diseases into Spanish. With an estimated 300 million people worldwide affected by rare diseases—and limited information available in many languages—her students’ work directly expands access to life-changing medical knowledge.

She used a structured, project-based workflow that mirrors professional translation:

• Team roles: translator, terminologist, project manager
• Three-step drafting process: initial translation → peer review → instructor revision
• Careful quality control: only polished drafts are published to Wikipedia

A key innovation was the guided and intentional use of AI tools. Students compared translations produced by DeepL, ChatGPT, and Google Translate, evaluating each for accuracy, consistency, cultural nuance, and register. They concluded that while AI can accelerate work, human editing remains essential, especially for sensitive medical content. This emphasized the translator’s need for HITL: Humans-in-the-Loop.

Economics, Public Knowledge, and Student Empowerment

The third speaker, Dr. Christy Spivey, described how she has incorporated Wikipedia assignments across several Economics courses, including Economic Data Analysis, Human Resource Economics, and Healthcare in the Pandemic. She suggested that Wikipedia editing would typically account for 15–20% of the course grade and that instructors could set it up to span from six to twelve weeks, giving students time to research and revise carefully.

Her students move through a clear sequence:

• Identify a topic connected to course content
• Use Wiki Edu’s article finder to locate pages needing improvement
• Conduct a literature review using UTA library databases
• Draft revisions, complete peer reviews, and publish high-quality edits

Along the way, they complete Wiki Edu training modules on neutral writing, sourcing standards, and avoiding plagiarism. Spivey’s students have edited nearly sixty articles, created seven new ones, and added more than 500 references to Wikipedia articles. Quotes from their reflections showed an increased respect for evidence-based writing and a strengthened sense of responsibility toward the larger public of readers.

Addressing the Practical Questions

The panel addressed common concerns about group work, emphasizing that Wikipedia projects provide built-in transparency. Wiki Edu’s dashboard displays each student’s exact contributions—paragraphs, citations, formatting changes, and more—making assessment clear and fair. Faculty also use peer evaluations, assigned roles to group members, and assigned self-reflections to help ensure accountability.

Interestingly, students often enjoy Wikipedia-based group work more than traditional group projects. Because they are learning a new editing ecosystem together, teams naturally share knowledge and rely on one another’s strengths. They also recognize that their writing will live on a public platform, so this visibility increases motivation and care. Published articles remain accessible long after the semester ends, giving students an opportunity to revisit and update their contributions and to have other people build on their work.

Questions from the audience also explored how Wikipedia compares with other forms of classroom OER and how this student editing work also qualifies as experiential learning.

Continuing the Conversation

If you are interested in incorporating a Wikipedia assignment into your course, Wiki Education offers one-on-one support, ready-made training modules, and customizable dashboards. Get started here:

• Wiki Education (free support for instructors):
  https://wikiedu.org/teach-with-wikipedia/
• Andrés Vera, Equity Outreach Coordinator at WikiEdu:
  andres@wikiedu.org
• Create a Wikipedia account (for instructors and students):
  https://tinyurl.com/3bf2hpd6
• Citation Hunt (tool for finding statements needing citations):
  https://citationhunt.toolforge.org/en?id=360ab715

For broader support with integrating experiential learning or open education initiatives into your course(s), contact UTA Libraries or reach out to CRTLE at CRTLE@uta.edu.

Three to Thrive: Small Changes. Big Impact.  
Three easy-to-implement teaching practices to improve the student experience. These tips are from the UT Arlington Student Experience Project, a group of dedicated faculty seeking to provding a supportive learning environment for students. Check out their tips below!

As the semester winds down, many students start to question whether they can still improve, catch up, or turn things around. This is exactly where The Power of Yet becomes transformative. When students shift from “I can’t do this” to “I can’t do this yet,” they re-open the door to effort, strategy, and growth—especially during the crucial final weeks. 

For more information about SEP, visit our website page.  

1. Welcoming Environment: Reassure Students That It’s Not Too Late 

End-of-semester fatigue can make students feel like improvement is out of reach. A brief moment of reassurance can help them re-engage. 

Try this: 

• Open class with: “What’s one thing you’re still working on understanding or something you just don’t get yet?” 

• Acknowledge the crunch openly: “This point in the semester is hard. Confusion is normal right now, and there is still time to make meaningful progress.” 

• Highlight campus resources that can support a strong finish such as Knack tutoring, office hours, review sessions, writing center, etc. 

Why it works: 
Students feel seen, supported, and reminded that they’re not behind—they’re still in progress. 

2. Growth Mindset in Action: Use “Yet” to Reframe Late-Semester Doubt 

Students often decide they’re “just not good” at a topic after a tough exam or assignment. Reinforcing “yet” gives them permission to keep trying. 

Try this: 
Share end-of-semester reframes such as: 

• “I haven’t mastered this unit yet, but I can improve before the final.” 

• “I’m not satisfied with my last exam yet, so I’m going to revisit my notes and practice examples.” 

• “My study strategies aren’t working yet, but I’m going to keep trying.” 

Why it works: 
It turns doubt into direction and helps students claim the remaining weeks as an opportunity for growth rather than an expiration date on success. 

3. Wise Feedback: Give Forward-Facing Guidance for the Final Stretch 

Students finishing the semester need actionable, focused feedback—not generic encouragement. 

Try this: 

• When returning an assignment or sending a class-wide message, use this framework: 
  “Here’s where you are → Here’s what you can still accomplish → Here’s your next step.” 

• Use “yet” directly in feedback: 
  “Your understanding of this process isn’t consistent yet, but here’s the part you’re doing well, and here’s the exact piece to practice next.” 

• Provide exam wrappers or short checklists that help students translate feedback into a plan for the remaining weeks. 

Why it works: 
Students walk away with a clear path forward—one that feels achievable rather than overwhelming. 

How can educators move beyond AI policy discussions to truly integrate these tools in ways that enhance learning, uphold ethics, and prepare students for an evolving workforce? That question anchored the AI Course Redesign Institute, held on October 31, 2025, in Trinity Hall 104 and online via Microsoft Teams. Organized by CRTLE, the full-day institute brought together faculty from across UTA for an energizing, hands-on exploration of responsible and practical AI integration.

Setting the Stage

Dr. Peggy Semingson opened the session by framing the institute around alignment, ethics, and action. Participants received AI teaching checklists, links to UTA’s official AI guidelines, and a collaborative Teams workspace stocked with templates and resources. The message was clear: AI is here, but intentional design—not novelty—must guide its use.

Career Readiness in the Age of AI

Nikki Dickens from the Career Center highlighted how employers now expect graduates to demonstrate not just technical literacy but also ethical and critical thinking skills in AI-mediated workplaces. She shared resources for crafting AI-aware résumés, preparing for interviews that include AI-based assessment tools, and leveraging platforms like Copilot and Adobe Express responsibly. Dickens encouraged faculty to embed these professional competencies directly into assignments, emphasizing authenticity over automation.

Responsible AI in the Classroom

Next, Dr. Amy Hodges from the Department of English presented her “Responsible AI and the Future of Work” course model. Her approach reframes AI not as a writing shortcut but as a catalyst for higher-order thinking. Students engage in structured reflection on intellectual property, collaboration, and transparency while maintaining human authorship. Hodges urged faculty to rethink assessment design—retaining rigorous writing expectations but shifting the focus from output to process and reasoning.

Machine Learning Made Simple

Kaya Erdoğan introduced participants to Teachable Machine, a no-code tool for creating quick image and sound classification models. Through playful demonstrations, Erdoğan showed how faculty can use small-scale machine-learning projects to spark curiosity, introduce bias detection, and discuss the ethics of data labeling and accuracy. The activity reminded everyone that understanding AI begins with experimentation, not expertise.

Designing with AI: The Architecture Perspective

In a session bridging art, design, and computation, Sharmeen Yousif from the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs (KAPPA) shared how architecture students use generative tools such as diffusion models and GANs to explore design alternatives while measuring real-world performance—like daylight simulations and material sustainability. Her projects illustrated how AI can augment creative thinking while grounding innovation in verifiable outcomes.

Lunch Keynote: “Bubbles and Slop”

Pete Smith delivered a provocative keynote titled “Bubbles and Slop.” He examined the twin challenges of AI hype and data pollution—warning against both over-investment and uncritical adoption. Smith encouraged faculty to view AI through a dual lens: optimism balanced with skepticism. His core message resonated throughout the day—universities must help students navigate a landscape crowded with both promise and misinformation.

OIT Demonstration: Campus AI Assistants

The afternoon concluded with Lee Pierce and Mei from OIT, who offered a first look at UTA’s experimental AI assistants and course bots. These “role-aware” agents—dubbed Nebula One—can act as tutors or guided experts, prompting students to think before revealing answers. The presenters cautioned against reliance on AI-detectors, advocating instead for transparent student–instructor dialogue and evidence of authentic work through drafts, prompts, and reflection.

Key Takeaways

Across all sessions, a few consistent principles emerged. Faculty were encouraged to start small—perhaps by redesigning a single assignment—and to clarify expectations through assignment-level AI policies. Ethics and transparency are not add-ons but essential learning outcomes. An authentic assessment that values process over product reduces both academic integrity concerns and over-dependence on detection software. And finally, collaboration—with colleagues, students, and emerging AI tools—remains the most powerful way to experiment, reflect, and refine.

Practical Next Steps

Participants left the institute with a toolkit of ready-to-use templates, including a “policy ladder” detailing allowed, limited, and prohibited AI uses; sample rubrics emphasizing process evidence; and model assignments such as an AI ethics mini-essay, an ATS-aware résumé sprint, and a collaboration diary for tracking prompt logs and reflections. Each example reinforces the broader goal: designing learning experiences where AI supports creativity, analysis, and professional growth rather than replacing them.

Continuing the Conversation

For additional guidance and examples, see the Career Readiness Packet, which includes AI prompts and resources for exploring careers, writing application materials, and preparing students for the evolving workforce. This resource complements the AI Course Redesign Institute’s focus on aligning learning, ethics, and employability—helping faculty connect classroom innovation with real-world career readiness.

This tip is part of a series on HyFlex and synchronous teaching. HyFlex teaching is a broader model but can include livestreaming your face-to-face teaching in a synchronous format. This skill is complex, and I would suggest that using a “pre-flight” checklist, like the idea that pilots check their technology before taking off, is an essential part of HyFlex and synchronous (live) teaching. It requires intentional planning by design to support both in-person and online students equally and to have a professional session.

Failing to plan intentionally in a HyFlex environment puts learning at risk and adds stress. Students’ engagement and learning suffer without structure

A simple planning template or “run of show” helps structure class flow, balance participation, and ensures everyone has meaningful ways to engage and access the learning and technology. Clear design models good online-focused teaching: organization, access, interactivity, and good design.  

Some aspects of this planning template include: 

• Planning for audio and video quality control checks prior to the class or meeting start.  

• Identifying who will manage what technology: instructor, online moderator(s), tech support, or student assistants. Decide who will assist with managing the chat window, helping with audio (e.g., using external microphones if the room doesn’t have ambient microphones built in), etc.    

• Prepare activities that work equally well online and in-person (e.g., polls, shared docs for real-time writing or collaboration, group discussions). Build pauses or moments for engagement and check-ins for all participation modes. What will be the plan to pause instruction to do an active learning task (e.g., poll, chat window discussion) to connect those online with those in the class? 

• If you are having students interact in real-time: Leverage the chat window heavily as a dialogic shared learning space. Those in the classroom can also login to the meeting to participate with those joining online. Students can volunteer to strategically assist with the chat window, and this can rotate weekly. 

A “pre-flight” style checklist run-of-show (example from SFSU) before HyFlex teaching or presentations transforms potential chaos into a coordinated, inclusive learning experience. Failing to plan intentionally in a HyFlex environment puts learning at risk and adds stress. Students’ engagement and learning suffer without structure. By using a session template, faculty can create seamless sessions that support all students, no matter which modality they choose. For more information on best practices in HyFlex teaching, visit the HyFlex Learning Community online. Next week, the CRTLE Team will share more on how to do HyFlex and synchronous learning during the class or presentation. 

Resource:

An example of a facilitation plan from one of CRTLE’s recent HyFlex events is below and here:

Run of Show Detailed Agenda for October 15, 2025

Regular and Substantive Instruction

12:00-1:00 PM.

Hybrid: Trinity Hall 105 & Teams

From UTA:

• Tyler Garner (Facilitator)
• Sarah Sarraj (panelist)
• Heather Arterburn (panelist)
• Christy Spivey (panelist)

Room setup:

• Chairs and/or table up front for four panelists
  • Check to make sure room camera works/will get the whole panel
• Hand mic to pass around during panel questions and Q&A after
• PowerPoint parts before and after panel
  • Check to see how this interferes with panel (if at all). Do we want the screen blanked behind them or a slide, etc.

CRTLE Support:

• Peggy Semingson: Introduction
• Sarah Shelton: in-room help (setup, get technology going, etc.); help facilitate mic sharing/movement and PowerPoint slides (if needed); will monitor the chat when not doing the above
• NaKesha Brown: monitor chat online; drop links, etc.
• Yousif Aloufi: monitor chat; drop links, etc.

Include a detailed minute by minute agenda (in time segments, e.g., 1:00-1:10 pm) using headings like the one below in a table:

Time

Presenter and Activity

Chat window content: Tech notes/things to paste into the chat. Links, PowerPoint, handouts, etc.

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This tip was written by Peggy Semingson, Ph.D. (peggys@uta.edu), Interim Director of CRTLE, drawing on use of HyFlex facilitation plan templates used by the CRTLE Team during CRTLE events and my own classroom HyFlex teaching. 

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A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning

UTA welcomes José Antonio Bowen and C. Edward Watson, authors of Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning, for an exclusive two-day event. Join us for insightful sessions on embracing AI in education and preparing students for the future.

This event is limited to UTA-affiliated registrants only.

Day 1: Wednesday, November 19th

Embracing AI as Essential Learning: Preparing Students for Life Beyond College

Generative AI tools have had an astonishingly quick impact on the ways we learn, work, think, and create. While higher education’s initial response was to develop strategies to diminish AI’s influence in the classroom, it is now clear that AI competencies and literacies must be embraced as essential learning for most colleges and universities. These responses and realities create a challenging tension that higher education must work to resolve. Drawing from the new, second edition of the book, Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2025), Dr. C. Edward Watson will detail the challenges and opportunities that have emerged for higher education, especially in terms of pedagogical practice and student learning. The core focus of this keynote will be on concrete approaches and strategies higher education can adopt, both within the classroom and across larger curricular structures, to best prepare students for the life that awaits them after graduation. It will also detail the pedagogical possibilities regarding how AI can have a positive impact on student learning.

Time: 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm

Location: Trinity Hall, Room 104 or Teams (Hybrid)

Presenter: C. Edward Watson

Register here now

Day 2: Thursday, November 20th

Simulations, Custom Bots and New Assignments for Learning in the AI Era

All assignments are now AI Assignments. In the same way that the ease of finding information on the internet forced faculty to rethink what homework students did and how we wanted them to do it, we will all need an AI strategy for assignments. Since most work will soon be AI-assisted work, we can help prepare students for the jobs of the future with assignments that require or suggest that students use AI to assist in completing them. We will learn how to create and use custom bots and through a wide diversity of examples, explore how we can redesign to reduce cheating and raise standards.

Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Location: Trinity Hall, Room 104 or Teams (Hybrid)

Presenter: José Antonio Bowen

Register here now

Space is limited for in-person attendance. Register early to secure your spot!

Special Offer: 30% Off the Book

Get 30% off the second edition of Teaching with AI at Johns Hopkins University Press.

Order here

Discount Code: HTAI25

Event Host

Hosted by the Office of the Provost – Academic Affairs, University Analytics, Division of Faculty Success and CRTLE

We look forward to seeing you at this transformative event as we explore the intersection of AI and education!

Presenter Bios

C. Edward Watson, Ph.D., is the Vice President for Digital Innovation at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). He is also the founding director of AAC&U’s Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum. Prior to joining AAC&U, Dr. Watson was the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Georgia (UGA) where he led university efforts associated with faculty development, TA development, learning technologies, and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. He continues to serve as a Fellow in the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education at UGA and recently stepped down after more than a decade as the Executive Editor of the International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. His most recent publications are Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024), Leading Through Disruption: Higher Education Executives Assess AI’s Impacts on Teaching and Learning (AAC&U, 2025), and the Student Guide to AI (Elon University & AAC&U, 2025). Dr. Watson been quoted in the New York Times, Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, Campus Technology, EdSurge, Newsweek, U.S. News, EdTech, Consumer Reports, UK Financial Times, and University Business Magazine and by the AP, CNN and NPR regarding current teaching and learning issues and trends in higher education.

José Antonio Bowen has won teaching awards at Stanford and Georgetown, was Dean at Miami and Southern Methodist University and President of Goucher College. He has written over 100 scholarly articles and has appeared as a musician with Stan Getz, Bobby McFerrin, and others. He is the author of Teaching Naked (2012, the winner of the Ness Award for Best Book on Higher Education), Teaching Change: How to Develop Independent Thinkers using Relationships, Resilience and Reflection (2021) and Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning with C. Edward Watson (2024; 2nd edn 2026). Stanford honored him as a Distinguished Alumni Scholar (2010) and he has presented more than 500 keynotes and workshops in 47 states and 24 countries around the world. In 2018, he was awarded the Ernest L. Boyer Award (for significant contributions to American higher education). He is now a senior fellow for the American Association of Colleges and Universities and also does innovation and inclusion consulting for a wide variety of Fortune 500 companies.

Resources/Preparing for the Event: Learn More About AI and Teaching

The following curated resources provide guidance on understanding, integrating, and teaching with AI across higher education contexts.

Prompting and Communication with AI

• MIT Sloan EdTech: Effective Prompts – Tips for crafting precise and productive AI prompts.
• Google Cloud: Prompt Engineering Guide – Explains how wording and structure shape AI outputs.
• ClassPoint: A Teacher’s Prompt Guide to ChatGPT – Provides ready-to-use classroom prompt ideas.

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Designing Assignments and Learning with AI

• Duke University: AI and Assignment Design – Offers strategies for integrating AI into coursework.
• Harvard Bok Center: Courses and Assignments in the Age of AI – Outlines frameworks for aligning learning outcomes with AI tools.
• Vanderbilt University: Teaching with Generative AI – Highlights tested practices for faculty.
• University of Sydney: Learning with AI Responsibly – Guidance for maintaining integrity while using AI.

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Assessment, Integrity, and Policy

• UNESCO: Evolving Assessments with AI – Explores global trends and policy directions in assessment.
• Jisc: Rethinking Assessment and Feedback with AI – Discusses equitable and adaptive grading approaches.
• Turnitin: Academic Integrity and AI Writing – Offers advice for ethical classroom discussions.
• Inside Higher Ed: “Writing in the Age of AI Suspicion” – Reflects on authorship and originality in AI-assisted work.

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Tools, Frameworks, and Teaching Resources

• OpenAI: Teaching with AI Resources – Official guidance and classroom examples.
• ChatGPT Education Hub – Ideas and safety guidelines for educational contexts.
• TeachAI.org – Global policy and curriculum frameworks for AI in education.

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UTA Professional Development Opportunities

• Pedagogy Next Overview of AI Essentials – Learn more about course structure and outcomes.
• Pedagogy Next Homepage – Features news, guides, and faculty resources.
• Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence (CRTLE) – Workshops and communities for teaching innovation.
• Division of Faculty Success – Professional development opportunities at UTA.

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Research and Innovative Teaching Strategies

• Magruder, Karen J.; Cavallo, Ann M.L.; and Clark, Andrew M. (2025). “AI-Powered Education: Innovative Teaching Strategies to Elevate Student Learning.” – A UTA-authored open educational resource from Mavs Open Press offering evidence-based practices for integrating AI into diverse classrooms.
• Mollick, Ethan R., and Mollick, Lilach (2023). “Assigning AI: Seven Approaches for Students, with Prompts.” – A Wharton School research paper presenting practical methods and prompt frameworks for student engagement with AI.
• Cornell Center for Teaching Innovation: “AI in Assignment Design.” – A concise guide to rethinking course assignments in the age of generative AI.

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This post was written by Dr. Tyler Garner, Clinical Assistant Professor in Kinesiology (CONHI) at The University of Texas at Arlington.

The semester often feels like a non-stop sprint. You power through the first few weeks, execute the first big exam, and then you’re sprinting toward the finish line. But then the questions come in, the requests for office hours. For many of us, this period is often coupled with a quiet doubt, and maybe even a whisper of imposter syndrome. We fear that asking “Am I doing this right?” might expose some flaw. But the time between that first exam and the final is arguably the most critical period for intervention, and it demands vulnerability. It’s the perfect moment to pause and ask the most important question, not from a place of fear, but from a commitment to mastery: is what we’re doing working?

This is the secret power play: choosing to be transparent about your process. Yes, it demands vulnerability, but it immediately reframes you as a leader in the classroom who is secure enough to seek feedback to optimize

I faced this vulnerability head on recently when I conducted an exam debrief with my students, and I asked two simple questions:

1. What can you do better to prepare for the next exam?
2. What can I do better to help you prepare for the next exam?

The students were surprised that I was asking their opinion on what I could be doing better. Several expressed that they had never been asked that before. This confirmed a truth every educator needs to embrace: Self-evaluation should be proactive, not retrospective. Waiting until final course evaluations means you collect data you can only use next year. A mid-semester check-in provides real-time, actionable insights that directly benefit the current group of students.

The Collaborative Core of Learning

The true impact of those two questions wasn’t just the feedback; it was the shift in perspective. By asking students what they could do better first, I established that academic success is a collaborative process, not a solo performance. It wasn’t about “just me” fixing my teaching, or “just them” studying harder. It was an opportunity for us to grow together.

This approach defines a new learning contract: We are partners, and the exam results are diagnostic for both of our strategies. We’re working toward mastery as a team, and if the class isn’t meeting goals, both the instruction and the student approach deserve scrutiny. This shared ownership minimizes blame and maximizes constructive, collaborative action.

Starting the Conversation with Students

This collaborative spirit is why the student check-in is so vital. To expand on this success, make the feedback process a core expectation:

Ask students to write down responses using a simple Keep, Stop, Start format. What assignment, activity, or resource should I definitely keep doing? What is confusing or wasting time that I should stop doing? What is missing that I should start doing (e.g., more examples, clearer review sessions)?

The critical follow-up? You must acknowledge and act. Dedicate five minutes in the following class to share what you learned and announce one or two specific changes you plan to implement immediately. This shows your students that their effort is valued and that their perspective actively shapes the course.

You might get suggestions that cannot be implemented, like removing a complex group project, but this then becomes an opportunity for transparency. By explaining the reasons behind why you’ve implemented that activity or project that is grinding your students’ gears, you help them see the activity not as busywork, but as a deliberate and important component of their growth

Holding Up the Mirror: Your Personal Audit

Once you have the student feedback, hold it up against your own internal practices. This personal reflection is crucial for turning raw data into effective action. Ask yourself the uncomfortable questions:

• Did I adequately scaffold? If students struggled with a complex problem, did I spend too long on easy topics and rush through the challenging, necessary steps? We often assume prior knowledge that just isn’t there.
• Was my communication transparent? Were the expectations transparent? Were grading criteria specific and clear, or did they lead to predictable confusion?
• Am I fostering engagement? If students mentioned difficulty focusing, reflect on the classroom environment. Am I fostering inclusivity? Did I encourage participation from a diverse range of students, or did a few voices dominate the discussion every time?

Turning Insight into High-Impact Action

Don’t try to fix everything at once. Focus on one or two high-impact changes derived from your reflection. Self-evaluation is useless without a plan, but the plan needs to be manageable. 

For example, if student feedback points to a lack of practice models, your goal for the rest of the term could be: “Implement one low-stakes quiz at the start of every unit, specifically designed to model the complexity and format of the final exam questions.” This focused effort makes the change visible to students and dramatically improves their preparation. I implemented this practice myself and not only did I receive positive feedback, exams scores on the next exam were considerably higher!

The Professional Payoff

Ultimately, the mid-semester self-evaluation is an act of professional integrity. By proactively seeking feedback and revising your strategies, you seize control of your development. You shift your role from a content deliverer to an educational designer. This practice reduces the sting of negative end-of-semester reviews because you have already identified and addressed problems when they mattered most. You leave the term with documented successes, clear data on what didn’t work, and specific, measurable goals for your next iteration. I’d also be willing to bet that you’ll see improvements in your end of semester evaluations because of the trust you fostered by valuing the insights and opinions of your students.

By making the mid-semester pause a non-negotiable part of your teaching rhythm, you move beyond merely judging your performance and actively commit to professional mastery.

Three to Thrive: Small Changes. Big Impact.  

Three easy-to-implement teaching practices to improve the student experience. 

Welcoming Environment: “Sharing Experiences to Build Connection” 

Building a welcoming environment is an ongoing practice of pausing, connecting, and recognizing the people behind the coursework. Taking short, intentional moments to share experiences reminds students that they are part of a community, not just a classroom. 

Here are a few simple ways to weave connection into your class: 

• Weekend Warm-Up: Begin class with a quick, low-stakes check-in like, “What’s one fun or relaxing thing you did this weekend?” or “What’s something you’re looking forward to this week?” These moments create warmth and help students see each other as peers rather than strangers. 

• Campus Connection: Highlight campus events or opportunities such as tutoring sessions, game days, student organization fairs, volunteer opportunities, or wellness activities. This reinforces that learning extends beyond the classroom and shows you care about their broader student experience. 

• Shared Curiosity Moments: Invite students to share something interesting they’ve learned recently, either inside or outside your course. It could be a podcast, a research finding, a community event, or even a social media post related to your discipline, learning, or life. 

Growth Mindset: “Mistakes Welcome Here” 

A growth mindset isn’t just about encouraging effort. It’s about helping students see that mistakes are an essential part of learning. Starting class with a brief reflection or discussion on “what I learned from last week’s missteps” models that mindset and reminds students that progress often comes through trial and error. 

Try these activities to send the message that mistakes are normal, expected, and valuable: 

• One-Minute Reflection: Ask students to jot down one thing that didn’t go as planned last week, such as an assignment, concept, or study strategy, and what they learned from it. 

• Pair-Share Conversation: Have students briefly discuss their reflections with a partner to normalize struggle and build community around shared experiences. 

• Reviewing Common Mistakes: Start class by highlighting common errors from a recent exam or assignment, framing them as collective learning opportunities rather than shortcomings. 

“Several students missed this question, and that’s completely normal—it tells us this concept needs more attention. Let’s take a closer look together.” 

These quick activities can signal that learning is a process that everyone is improving. 

Wise Feedback: “Turning Errors into Insight” 

Give feedback that treats mistakes as milestones toward mastery, not evidence of failure. Wise feedback acknowledges that learning is challenging, affirms students’ ability to improve, and provides clear next steps. 

Practical ideas: 

• “Feed-forward” Phrasing: focus less on what went wrong, more on how to move forward. 

• Balanced Feedback: Incorporate one encouraging comment for every corrective one (“I can tell you’re thinking deeply about this. Let’s refine how you applied it here.”). 

• Tone of Voice: Use video or audio comments to humanize the message. The tone of voice reinforces encouragement. 

Feedback that acknowledges difficulty and provides a path forward fosters trust, reduces defensiveness, and motivates students to keep trying. 

Note from Dr. Peggy Semingson (Interim Director of CRTLE): These ideas can be used across any modality. I have done “virtual icebreakers” and a “virtual watercooler” for online and HyFlex courses. Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below!

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Written by Dr. Shelley Wigley, Department of Communications, The University of Texas at Arlington

Dr. Wigley, who teaches and researches crisis communication and reputation management, never expected a real-time crisis to unfold in their own classroom—a stark, high-stakes moment where academic theory crashed headfirst into reality.

This scenario began during a service-learning course, where students partnered with an organization believed to be a credible nonprofit. Midway through the semester, serious, undisclosed issues were uncovered regarding the organization’s tax-exempt status. This was no hypothetical case study or a classroom simulation; it was a bona fide PR crisis with tangible professional consequences for the students. Their weeks of hard work were suddenly jeopardized, and their professional reputations were at risk. What followed was a turning point for the class—a chance to stop discussing theory and start doing, proving that resilience and ethical agility aren’t just concepts on a slide, but essential skills forged under authentic pressure.

Resilience in the Classroom: Navigating an Unplanned PR Crisis 

I teach and research crisis communication and reputation management. Yet, I never expected a crisis to unfold in real time in my own classroom. 

In one of my service-learning courses during a previous semester, students partnered with what we believed to be a credible nonprofit organization. Midway through the semester, we discovered serious issues with the organization’s nonprofit status that had never been disclosed. This was no longer a classroom simulation. It was an authentic, high stakes learning moment for the students and for me. 

Educator Lessons: Protect, Respond, Pivot 

Once we verified the facts, our immediate priority was to protect students and their work. Together, we took decisive action: 

• Secured assets: Students gathered media analytics and archived their work for professional use. 

• Protected reputations: We removed all social media posts and content featuring students’ likeness. 

• Terminated the partnership: We paused all campaign activities and formally ended the partnership in writing. 

The students were understandably frustrated. They had spent weeks crafting content, building strategy, and representing the client publicly. But this was also a turning point and a chance to pivot and demonstrate what professionalism looks like under pressure. 

Educator Lessons: Building Agility and Resilience 

For students, this situation became an invaluable professional development experience. For educators, it offered a clear illustration of how agility and ethical reasoning can be intentionally fostered in the classroom. 

Key takeaways included: 

• Agility as a professional competency: Students experienced what it means to make quick, ethical decisions in real time and to adapt strategies when circumstances shift. 

• Documentation as protection: Because students secured their work immediately, they were able to preserve and present it as a professional accomplishment rather than a loss. 

• Ethics and accountability at the core: Crises test judgment, but they also shape professional identity. This moment reinforced the importance of instilling ethical reflexes early. 

• Turning a crisis into narrative capital: Students can now articulate their response to this challenge in job interviews, describing how they navigated uncertainty, acted ethically, and protected their work with professionalism. 

These outcomes did not emerge from a polished lecture or a well-rehearsed scenario. They came from experiencing the discomfort of real-world stakes and learning to respond with agility and integrity. 

Practical Takeaways for Faculty 

This incident also served as a reminder that service-learning, while powerful, comes with real risks. It underscored several practices that can help faculty prepare for and navigate unexpected challenges: 

• Vetting matters: Use tools like Guidestar or the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search to verify nonprofit status before engaging with community partners. 

• Scenario planning: Build ethical “what if” conversations and crisis simulations into course design so students are better equipped to respond if a real situation emerges. 

• Model adaptive leadership: Students look to instructors for clarity and steadiness during uncertainty. Modeling calm, decisive action teaches more than lectures ever could. 

Final Reflection 

This was not the semester any of us envisioned. But it was, without question, one of the most meaningful learning experiences we’ve shared. 

Crises in the classroom can be uncomfortable, but they are fertile ground for growth. Students left not only with campaign deliverables but with a story of resilience, adaptability, and ethical decision-making they will carry into their careers. 

And for educators, this was a reminder that classrooms are more than spaces for instruction; they are living laboratories, where theory and practice meet in unexpected ways and where the most powerful lessons often emerge from what we didn’t plan. 

Bio: Dr. Shelley Wigley is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Texas at Arlington where she teaches graduate courses in persuasion and crisis communication and undergraduate courses in public relations. She has more than a decade of professional public relations experience that includes media training, media relations, and crisis preparation, as well as experience as both a newspaper and broadcast journalist. Her research focuses on resistance to persuasion, crisis communication, media relations, and social media.

Are you passionate about creating a more supportive learning environment for your students? Would you like to connect with other educators across the UTA to intentionally apply research-based strategies that foster student success?

Consider becoming a Student Experience Project (SEP) Fellow and joining a dynamic community of practice focused on the deliberate integration of student success elements into teaching.

What is the SEP Community of Practice?

Supported by the University of Texas System, the SEP community brings together educators who are committed to enhancing student outcomes through practices that build:

• Growth Mindset – Encouraging students to see intelligence and abilities as qualities that can be developed.
• Resilience – Helping students bounce back from challenges and setbacks.
• Self-Efficacy – Fostering students’ belief in their ability to succeed.
• Trust – Cultivating strong, respectful student-instructor relationships.
• Welcoming Environment – Creating inclusive classrooms where all students feel they belong.

By becoming a SEP Fellow, you’ll collaborate with peers across institutions, gain access to evidence-based strategies, and help lead the charge in transforming the student experience in your courses and beyond.

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Apply Now!

📝 Application Deadline: November 21st
🔗 Apply here: https://utaedu.questionpro.com/t/AQoqaZ3mwn

For more information about the Student Experience Project, please visit the SEP website, visit the CRTLE website SEP page, or contact Amy Austin (AMAUSTIN@uta.edu) or Heather Arterburn (heathera@uta.edu).

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