What does it mean to truly engage students in a world shaped by multimodal communication, generative AI, and growing demands for transferable skills? In our recent webinar, Create. Engage. Inspire: Leveraging Adobe Express, Firefly, and Beyond, faculty from across UTA explored this question with Adobe’s Todd Taylor, Pedagogical Evangelist and longtime English professor.
In this session, Todd Taylor and Steven Watson from Adobe introduced UTA’s growing Adobe Creative Campus initiative and focused on Adobe Express, an accessible and powerful creative platform that makes it easy for instructors and students to build infographics, portfolios, posters, presentations, podcasts, and more. Paired with Adobe Firefly, Adobe’s generative AI tool, Express becomes a gateway to authentic, inclusive, and scalable learning experiences.
Key Takeaways
Start with Aspiration, Not Tech. Todd opened by asking participants to share aspirations for their courses—not tech goals, but educational ones. These included increasing student agency, shifting from product to process, and creating learning that connects to real-world futures.
Authentic Assessment Made Easy. Through Adobe Express and Firefly, instructors can move beyond traditional tests and papers toward projects that showcase student voice, creativity, and skill. Think: infographics that replace final essays or portfolios that tell a student’s professional story.
Plug-and-Play Resources Are Here. Todd shared a “leave-behind library” of remixable templates, models, and assignments for Express projects like research posters, dynamic portfolios, and presentations. Bonus: These will soon be available as plug-in modules in Canvas, complete with tutorials and microcredential options.
Adobe Tools Support Accessibility and AI Literacy. Adobe Express includes built-in accessibility checkers, alt-text tools, and ethical AI features. Firefly’s image generation respects copyright, offering a safe way to bring generative AI into the classroom while sparking teachable moments on intellectual property and design ethics.
It Scales! Whether you’re teaching a class of 25 or 250, Adobe tools can support smaller activities like “vision boards” or more robust podcast, video, or group presentation projects, all within the Express platform.
Want to Get Started?
Here are the resources shared in the webinar to help you dive in:
Content Authenticity: www.contentauthenticity.org (a movement that Adobe started with consideration for respecting intellectual property and building content provenance details)
As Todd reminded us, authentic assessment is about students creating something they want to put on a résumé, something they’re proud of. With Adobe Express and Firefly, those opportunities are just a few clicks away.
Join the Conversation
We’d love to hear from you! How are you using Adobe tools like Adobe Express or Adobe Firefly in your teaching, course design, or student engagement strategies? What opportunities—or challenges—do you see in adopting authentic, multimodal assessment practices? Share your thoughts, questions, and experiences in the comments below. Let’s keep the conversation going!
Forget strugglingwith clunky course design and say “hello” to Design Smarter, Not Harder: Supercharging Your Canvas Template with DesignPLUS! On July 2nd, UTA’s Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence, in collaboration with Dr. Jess Kahlow from the Center for Distance Education, hosted a dynamic session all about transforming your Canvas courses from basic to brilliant. We dove into the powerful DesignPLUS suite from Cidi Labs, a fantastic set of tools integrated right into Canvas that empowers instructors to craft visually appealing, accessible, and perfectly organized courses — no coding required! If you’re ready to leave behind bland Canvas shells and embrace engaging, student-friendly learning experiences, keep reading for a recap of the essential DesignPLUS tools that will make your course creation faster and easier than ever before.
Design Smarter, Not Harder: Recap
On July 2nd, we hosted Design Smarter, Not Harder: Supercharging Your Canvas Template with DesignPLUS. This practical session, led by Dr. Jess Kahlow from UTA’s Center for Distance Education, focused on demonstrating the fastest and easiest ways to build and improve a Canvas course.
UTA has DesignPLUS from Cidi Labs, a suite of powerful design tools integrated within Canvas. It helps instructors build visually appealing, accessible, and well-organized courses without needing to know advanced coding. The DesignPLUS tools make it faster and easier to turn a plain Canvas shell into an engaging, student-friendly learning experience.
Your Five DesignPLUS Tools
Key Action Items: Shows hidden messages from CDE about why the page is there, what you should update on the page, and how the information on the page helps meet Quality Matters standards.
Where to find it: Select the green button in the bottom-right corner.
When to use it: Anytime you’re editing a template page in Canvas.
QuickStart Wizard: Add pre-designed, accessible content to any blank Canvas page in just a few clicks.
Where to find it: Look for the blue QuickStart Wizard button on new, empty pages.
When to use it: Anytime you’re adding a new page to a course.
MultiTool – Due Date Modifier: Allows you to set all of your due dates and availability dates all in one place.
Where to find it: Look for the MultiTool link in your Course Navigation menu.
When to use it: Before you publish your course.
MultiTool – Module Builder: Allows you to use existing pages to build all the pages and assignments for your modules, utilizing pages within the course.
Where to find it: Look for the MultiTool link in your Course Navigation menu.
When to use it: Use this tool when you’re building a course from scratch.
Sidebar: Add pre-designed content, do advanced editing, and build interactive pages — all without leaving Canvas.
Where to find it:
Navigate to the Canvas page you want to edit.
Select Edit and put your cursor in the rich content editor.
Use these shortcuts while in edit mode: • Windows: Ctrl–1 or Alt–Shift–D • Mac: Control–1 or Option–Shift–D
The Sidebar stays open until you close it or exit the page. To change this, go to user settings and choose to have the sidebar open automatically.
When to use it: When you’re comfortable with Canvas and the UTA template and are ready to use more advanced editing tools when making pages. You can use it to add interactive…
elements (e.g., pop-ups, dialog boxes, embeds, accordions).
quick-check questions (e.g., true/false, multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, or flip cards).
Upload/Embed Image: Easily add, resize, and manage images. Pick high-quality visuals from Unsplash or Pexels, or upload your own.
Where to find it: Look under Apps in the Rich Content Editor.
When to use it: When you’re adding images to your course.
UTA’s Template
The session focused on showcasing how each of these tools can speed up the course creation process for instructors. We started with a description of the UTA Canvas Template, which is fully accessible and designed to meet Quality Matters Standards. A recommended workflow was presented that demonstrates when to use each tool, including:
Update the Home page and Getting Started module following the key action item instructions
Add more student resource pages to the Getting Started module with the QuickStart Wizard (APA, AI, Respondus, etc.)
Update Module Template pages using the Sidebar and Snippets
Use the Module Builder to quickly create pages for each module
Add content and set due dates with the Due Date Modifier
Course Design Days
Ready to keep building? Want to learn more? Join us for Course Design Days, a fast-paced, hands-on workshop series running August 5–8, 11 AM–12 PM on Teams. This series is designed to help you build a clear and engaging course in Canvas using the UTA template and DesignPLUS. By the end of this series, participants will be able to:
By the end of this workshop series, participants will be able to:
1. Develop a clear, student-friendly course structure that aligns with instructional goals.
2. Apply effective design practices that enhance clarity, accessibility, and engagement.
3. Build the course out in Canvas in an organized, scalable, and consistent way.
4. Prepare the course for launch by completing key setup tasks.
This series is intended for instructors teaching a course in Fall 2025 who are already familiar with Canvas basics. The series focuses heavily on the use of DesignPLUS, which requires proficiency in Canvas; due to the fast-paced nature, we won’t have time to address basic Canvas questions. Therefore, to participate in the workshop, you will need your syllabus, access to your Fall 2025 Canvas course, and a good understanding of Canvas.
Save your spot by completing this Course Design Days Registration/Applicationby July 25th, 2025.The first three people to sign up win a free page makeover featured in our YouTube series!
Mastering DesignPLUS video series: Each video in this series from CDE walks you through essential tools, features, and techniques that will make course creation smoother and more efficient.
Self-enroll in CDE’s DesignPLUS Guide: CDE’s guide to the DesignPlus Sidebar will show you the basics of DesignPlus and prepare you to use the DesignPlus tools in your courses.
Update (September 2025): Upgrade from the Legacy DesignPLUS Sidebar by Dec. 31
If your Canvas course is still using the Legacy DesignPLUS Sidebar (kl_ code), it’s time to upgrade to the new Sidebar (dp_ code) before the December 31, 2025 sunset date. The legacy sidebar won’t be compatible with many new DesignPLUS features, and un-upgraded content risks breaking when edited. Upgrading is simple: go to your course Settings, open the New Sidebar (Windows: Ctrl–1 or Alt–Shift–D; Mac: Control–1 or Option–Shift–D), select Course Upgrade under Course Tools, then scan, review, and approve your items. For detailed steps, see the Cidi Labs DesignPLUS KnowledgeBase article on upgrading content and the Cidi Labs User Guide for upgrading content with video . After upgrading, please let us know which sidebar you’re using so we can make informed decisions about future support.
Note: This workshop and the waitlist are now full.
If you were able to access the link and fill out the form, you are either registered or on the waitlist.
We will be providing resources for those who are unable to attend and are considering offering the workshop again in the fall.
UTA AI Course Redesign Institute
Dates: August 7, 9 am-2 pm. This event is capped at 20 participants (faculty).
This event has limited capacity. A short waiting list will be formed. All ranks of faculty can apply. You must be teaching a course or courses next academic year (2025-2026).
You will be notified by Friday, August 1, 2025.
Time-sensitive: Applications close July 31, 5 pm, CST.
The AI Course Redesign Institute offers a workshop-style hands-on experience for UTA faculty interested in integrating Artificial Intelligence into their courses. This one-day institute provides faculty with the tools, resources, and frameworks needed to redesign and enhance their curricula with AI, creating more engaging, effective, and inclusive learning environments. Participants will explore the latest AI technologies and pedagogical strategies from peers and resources, gaining the skills to integrate AI tools into their teaching practices. There will be time provided to work on developing your own course or courses. By the end of the institute, participants will leave with actionable next steps to incorporate AI into their teaching, fostering an innovative and forward-thinking classroom environment. Ideas for how to prepare students for the ever-changing workforce with AI will be explored.
Speakers:
Pete Smith
Jessica Kahlow
Heather Philip
The CRTLE Team! Dr. Beth Fleener, Dr. Peggy Semingson, and Dr. Sarah Shelton
Expectations:
Come prepared with a course in mind to work on to better integrate AI (policies, teaching, assessment, tutorials, etc.). Bring your laptop and a digital or printed copy of your syllabus. Make sure your laptop is fully charged.
Review curricular resources relating to AI and teaching ahead of time. (A link will be provided.)
Bring ideas and questions to engage with the group to foster discussion and knowledge sharing.
Take learning back to your department/school/college and share information, resources, and ideas digitally (via email or other digital knowledge sharing) as you see fit, informally with peers, or in your faculty meeting or other face-to-face sharing.
Benefits:
$250 professional development funds to be used next academic year (e.g., travel, conferences/courses, etc.)
Breakfast and lunch will be provided!
Two books about AI and teaching. You will receive at least one AI and teaching book to build background knowledge to include: Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning (2024)by José Antonio Bowen and C. Edward Watson plus an additional book on AI.
Be able to redesign one more courses for the fall and/or Spring semester and have a plan for further redesign of courses and teaching.
Network with colleagues about AI and teaching.
Support from CRTLE, OIT, and the UTA libraries, and colleagues on the topic of AI.
Participate in ongoing dialogue in a Teams-based channel
If you have any questions, contact us at: crtle@uta.edu or Dr. Peggy Semingson, Interim Director of CRTLE at peggys@uta.edu.
🎬 Mic, Camera, Action: Multimedia Strategies for the 21st-Century Classroom 📅 Recorded June 25, 2025 | Presented by CRTLE
This post was co-authored by ChatGPT 🤖✍️
Are you looking to energize your classroom with creative, student-centered strategies that foster deeper learning and digital fluency? This CRTLE Summer Series webinar brings together UTA faculty and experts to explore how podcasting, video, and multimedia tools can prepare students for a media-driven world.
👨🏫 Dr. Patryk Babiracki, Associate Professor of History, The University of Texas at Arlington
Dr. Babiracki shares the story of his podcast Practical History, a niche “narrowcast” designed to showcase how historical thinking can add value to careers in business and tech.
🎙️ Intro: Dr. Patryk Babiracki – Host of the Practical History Podcast
📚 According to the New Books Network, Practical History is a special podcast series that explores the practical uses of historical knowledge in all realms of life—especially business and tech.
🧠 The series highlights how historical understanding can solve real-world problems in the here and now.
👨🏫 Your host: Dr. Patryk Babiracki is a historian, researcher, writer, and professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. 🎓 PhD in History from Johns Hopkins University 📘 Faculty advisor for MA students 🌍 Expert in Russian & East European history and politics 📰 His work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Wilson Quarterly, and more. 📌 He is a leading voice in #AppliedHistory—applying historical frameworks to modern organizational challenges.
🎓 Ladonna Aiken, Multimedia Educator & Broadcast Specialist, The University of Texas at Arlington
📚 Bio: LaDonna Aiken, M.A., is a distinguished Broadcast Specialist in UTA’s Department of Communication. A former Marine Corps broadcaster (honor graduate of DINFOS), she served as a military broadcast journalist for American Forces Radio & Television in Okinawa, Japan ratemyprofessors.com+9utsystem.edu+9uta.edu+9. After the military, she moved into award-winning corporate & event video production, earning top honors and speaking nationally on multimedia techniques utsystem.edu. 👩🎓 At UTA since 2013 (alumna, summa cum laude), she teaches broadcast and video production, advises student media, and champions experiential & service-learning projects—like producing training videos for the City of Arlington—through UTA’s ELF program uta.edu+3uta.edu+3utsystem.edu+3.
🎙️ Segment Theme:Audio & Video Projects to Create Connections
📌 Highlights:
About Me Videos – strengthen classroom community
Scavenger Hunt Projects – build media literacy and campus awareness
Peer Mentor Interviews – enhance public speaking and connection
Vox Pops – develop interviewing skills and evoke diverse perspectives
💡 Key Takeaway: Focus on authenticity and connection—not polish. Personality and storytelling are the strongest media tools.
Ladonna shares easy-to-implement, high-impact video assignments that build confidence and creativity—no experience required!
🎞️ Assignments Include:
About Me Videos for classroom community
Scavenger Hunts to teach composition/media literacy
Peer Mentor Interviews for public speaking skills
Vox Pops to analyze diverse perspectives
🧰 Tools to Try: Adobe Express, Canva, Vimeo, 11Labs, Adobe Podcast (Free or UTA-supported)
💡 Key Takeaway: Don’t focus on polish—authenticity is your greatest strength.
📚 Segment 3: Creative Curriculum from the Library
📘 Alessia Cavazos, Experiential Learning Librarian, The University of Texas at Arlington
📚 Meet Alessia Cavazos – Experiential Learning Librarian at UTA
🎓 Alessia Cavazos is the Experiential Learning Librarian at the UTA Libraries. As both a professional and UTA alumna (M.A. in English, 2019), Alessia brings deep campus knowledge and passion for supporting student success across disciplines.
🧑🏫 She works closely with faculty to co-design curriculum, support multimedia projects, and build engaging, AI-resistant assignments. Alessia also collaborates with the English Department to provide supplemental instruction and learning resources for students.
🎬 Segment Theme:Creative Curriculum Support from the Library
📌 Alessia spotlights the UTA Libraries’ powerful media and tech resources—and how YOU can access them for creative teaching.
🔧 What You Can Do Through the Library:
🧠 Partner with the ELF (Experiential Learning Faculty Facilitator) program
🖥️ Redesign assignments to include hands-on, low-barrier, AI-resistant projects
🤖 AI: Creating Your Own DIY Pathway for Teaching and Learning
📅 Summer Webinar Recap 🧠 [This recap is co-authored by AI/ChatGPT.]
🎓 Presented by: Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence (CRTLE) 📍 Recorded: June 11, 2025
💡 As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes higher education and the workforce, faculty face an urgent question: 👉 How do we keep up and help our students do the same?
🛠️ In this CRTLE Summer Programming webinar, “AI: Creating Your Own DIY Pathway for Teaching and Learning,” faculty and instructional experts at UTA shared:
🔧 Tools to build AI literacy
🧭 Strategies for personalized AI learning
👩🏫 Instructor-tested tips for integrating AI into teaching and learning
🔗 See the UTA AI Website:Click here 🔗 LinkedIn Learning at UTA:Click here 📘 Explore the OER Book:AI-Powered Education: Innovative Teaching Strategies to Elevate Student Learning 👉 Click here for the book!
🧠 Segment 1: LinkedIn Learning – Industry-Aligned AI Training
👨💻 Presented by Ron Roberson (OIT)
Ron introduced UTA’s access to LinkedIn Learning, highlighting:
🧩 5-tier AI upskilling framework (basic to specialization)
🎓 800+ AI-related courses and certification paths
🤖 Built-in AI coaching tools to recommend content and simulate performance
💡 Pro Tip: UTA students, faculty, and staff get free access to LinkedIn Learning. Use filters by level or certification to find the right starting point!
😵 Feeling overwhelmed? You’re not alone. The key is to start small. Choose just one of the following:
✅ Take a short LinkedIn Learning course ✅ Enroll in UTA’s AI Essentials Instructor Module ✅ Try one Coursera microcredential ✅ Explore the Pedagogy NEXT blog
How can I use multimedia in my classroom? What impact will it have on active learning, student engagement, and outcomes? Looking to bring more creativity and engagement into your classroom? This session explores how multimedia tools like podcasting, video, and web publishing can support active learning, boost student engagement, and promote accessibility through Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Join us as faculty and campus experts share practical strategies and available resources to help you get started. Wed, Jun 25, 2025 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM (UTC-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)
July 2nd: Design Smarter, Not Harder: Supercharging Your Canvas Template with DesignPLUS 12-1 pm, Central Time
Description: This practical session focuses on how to maximize the use of your Canvas template with the editing tools available in DesignPLUS. It covers how to use the Canvas template effectively, introduces the QuickStart Wizard, and showcases what’s possible when you’re ready to enable the full Sidebar, like adding interactivity to enhance student engagement. You’ll leave with practical tips and exciting new ideas to take your courses to the next level using DesignPLUS. Goals: By the end of this session, you should hopefully be able to… Identify what needs to be edited in the template Edit the template with DesignPLUS Add more template pages with the QuickStart Wizard Customize template pages with the Sidebar Resource: https://cidilabs.com/landing/design-tools/
July 9th: Create. Engage. Inspire: Leveraging Adobe Express, Firefly, and Beyond 12-1 pm, Central Time
Create. Engage. Inspire: Leveraging Adobe Express, Firefly, and Beyond Ready to bring more creativity and interactivity into your teaching? This session with experts from Adobe introduces tools like Adobe Express and Adobe Firefly that make it easy to design visually engaging content, create accessible multimedia projects, and empower students to express their ideas in dynamic ways. Whether you’re building presentations, videos, social media graphics, or student assignments, learn how to use these intuitive platforms to enhance learning across disciplines and what resources are available to us at UTA as an Adobe Creative Campus. No design background required. Wed, Jul 9, 2025 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM (UTC-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)
July 16th: AI in Action: Exploring Khanmigo for Smarter Teaching in Canvas 12-1 pm, Central Time
AI in Action: Exploring Khanmigo for Smarter Teaching in Canvas Discover how Khanmigo, Khan Academy’s AI-powered teaching assistant, can streamline your workflow and enhance your Canvas course experience. In this one-hour session, we’ll explore how Khanmigo integrates directly into Canvas to support smarter teaching with time-saving tools like auto-generated quizzes, lesson plans, rubrics, classroom activities, and more. You’ll learn how to use Khanmigo to boost student engagement, differentiate instruction, and simplify course design—all while maintaining academic integrity and safeguarding student data. Whether you’re new to AI or ready to dive deeper, this workshop will give you practical strategies for leveraging Khanmigo in your everyday teaching. Who should attend: Faculty and instructors using Canvas who want to explore practical, ethical uses of AI in teaching. Wed, Jul 16, 2025 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM (UTC-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)
July 23rd: Reading in the Age of AI: Introduction to Perusall 12-1 pm, Central Time
Description: “Reading in the Age of AI: Introduction to Perusall” is a webinar designed to explore the rapidly changing nature of what it means to read and learn in the context of artificial intelligence. Participants will gain an understanding of how AI influences our engagement with texts, followed by a practical introduction to Perusall, a collaborative annotation platform. This session will highlight Perusall’s features that enhance active reading, facilitate group discussions directly within assigned materials, and provide valuable insights for educators into student comprehension and participation. The goal is to equip attendees with strategies and tools to foster deeper learning and engagement with course content in an increasingly AI-driven educational environment. The featured speaker is Dr. Katie Welch (Department of Linguistics and TESOL) who has a background in educational technology and teaching in higher education.
Speakers: Dr. Katie Welch, Department of Linguistics and TESOL, Katie Welch, Ph.D., is a university instructor, linguist, teacher trainer, and active contributor in the TESOL field. For two decades, she has taught classes and trained teachers across various settings, including K-12, adult education, and higher education. Katie spent seven years at UNT-Dallas in the School of Education, where she designed award-winning online linguistics courses. More recently, she has worked at UTA’s English Language Institute, teaching Developmental English for International Teaching Assistants. Her innovative classroom ideas have been published in academic journals such as Language and American Speech. Mentis profile: https://www.uta.edu/academics/faculty/profile?user=catharine.welch Resource link: https://www.perusall.com/
July 30th: Leveraging Canvas: Lucid for Virtual Whiteboard and More 12-1 pm, Central Time
Speaker: Vanessa Cicero from Lucid. Bio: Solutions Engineer: Teaching and Learning Consultant for Lucid for Education | Empowering Students Through Visual Learning
Looking for dynamic ways to boost collaboration, innovation, and visual learning in your Canvas course(s)? Join Vanessa Cicero from Lucid for Education to explore how Lucid’s virtual whiteboard tools integrate seamlessly with Canvas to support interactive teaching, group work, and student creativity. This session will highlight practical use cases for Lucidchart and Lucidspark—whether you’re building concept maps, organizing group projects, or facilitating live brainstorming activities online. Discover how to enhance student engagement, foster visual thinking, and streamline your course design with Lucid’s powerful, user-friendly platform.
Aug 6th: Perusall: Part Two (Diving Deeper on Digital Reading Annotation) 12-1 pm, Central Time
Applications now have an Extended deadline of Friday, August 15, 2025 (5 pm).
Start Date for 2025-2026 academic year: early September 1, 2025 [August 18 first day of classes.]
Applicants are needed from:
CAPPA
COLA
COS
CONHI
SSW
COED
COE
Description:
The CRTLE Faculty Facilitator program provides selected faculty the opportunity to work alongside our CRTLE Team to share knowledge and expertise as university teachers, and to develop and enhance resources and programs on teaching and learning for the UTA community. Facilitators typically serve one 2-year term. The start date for this coming year is September 1, 2025.
Serving as a CRTLE Faculty Facilitator requires a time commitment of approximately 3-4 hours per week, which includes time leading and/or participating in scheduled activities developed by CRTLE and a bi-weekly required planning meeting. Pending expected continued funding and as allowable by UTA Human Resources, Faculty Facilitators receive a stipend of $4,000 for the academic year, with half distributed at the end of the fall semester, and half at the end of the spring semester. Additional opportunities may be available over the summer session.
As a CRTLE Faculty Facilitator, you will be responsible for organizing and/or presenting at one or more of the monthly Faculty Lounge sessions where faculty meet to learn about and discuss timely teaching topics. CRTLE Facilitators should assist with effective teaching sessions, series, and programs. CRTLE Facilitators may also participate in Peer Observations and/or provide consultations for faculty who need specific guidance on teaching. All CRTLE Facilitators participate in planning and present at the CRTLE Faculty Showcase: A Celebration of Teaching Excellence each April. Facilitators are encouraged to participate in all CRTLE events and activities as much as possible. Additionally, we would like each facilitator to write at least one long-term blog post per year for the Pedagogy Next blog/website. This can also include an optional video.
Additional Requirements:
Share and promote CRTLE programming and resources amongst their colleagues in their department and/or college. We want facilitators to be a liaison and champion between CRTLE and their respective department and college.
Virtually promote CRTLE via online internal UTA channels such as email or Teams.
Attend and support other facilitator’s lounge sessions and additional general CRTLE programming (e.g., workshops, panels, AI events, Graduate student conference, Center for Service Learning events, etc.).
Attend regularly scheduled facilitator meetings and contribute to brainstorming, idea generating, and bringing information to and from your college.
Facilitators are optionally encouraged to:
Engage in continuous professional development to stay updated with the latest educational practices in digital/online teaching and learning (e.g., EDUCAUSE, Quality Matters, LinkedIn Learning, etc.).
Provide constructive feedback to CRTLE Leadership to aid growth and development.
Collaborate with other facilitators to share best practices and resources informally and organically.
Reflect on their own teaching practices and seek ways to improve.
Keep a blog to reflect on teaching practices via UTA Web Publishing (OIT) or maintain their own podcast through UTA Web Publishing (OIT) reflecting on teaching and learning.
NOTE: Of the nine faculty lounges, some will be virtual. The Analytics-Focused Faculty Lounge will be a combination event (both facilitators will collaborate).
September Faculty Lounge: In-person/hybrid
October Faculty Lounge: In-person/hybrid
November Faculty Lounge: In-person/hybrid
December Faculty Lounge: Virtual
January Faculty Lounge: Virtual
February Faculty Lounge: In-person/hybrid
March Faculty Lounge: In-person/hybrid
April Faculty Lounge: In-person/hybrid
May Faculty Lounge: Virtual
Fellow are strongly encouraged to:
Help identify and recommend exemplary teaching practices or faculty for CRTLE programming highlights, podcasts, or showcases.
Help expand CRTLE’s impact by participating in outreach to faculty.
To Apply, submit the following by or before Friday, August 15, 2025 (5 pm) to CRTLE@uta.edu. Use the following subject line in your email: 2025-26 CRTLE Facilitator Application
Detailed cover letter with your background related to teaching, why you want to be a facilitator, experience with CRTLE or faculty professional development related to teaching, and ideas you would bring to the role.
Include a formal letter of support from your department chair or indicating that they are aware of the time demands of being a facilitator.
Include a second letter from another colleague who can support your qualifications to be a facilitator, including the criteria listed here.
Post by Dr. Jess Kahlow, Instructional Designer in the Center for Distance Education & Adjunct Associate Professor in the College of Education (Faculty Profile)
Dr. Jess Kahlow debuts our new AI Essentials for Instructors Canvas course in this blog post.
TLDR
Curious about using AI in your teaching? Our new AI Essentials for Instructors is your one-stop guide to the effective, ethical, and practical use of AI at UTA. The course takes about two hours, and you’ll get an “AI Essentials” badge!
My background is primarily in writing and communication, so the impact of technologies like Copilot and ChatGPT has interested me from the start. Because of that, it shouldn’t be surprising that I started using these technologies in every way I could think of and allowed AI in my courses.
I often use AI tools like Copilot, Notebook LM, and ChatGPT. As I started experimenting with AI, I first focused on understanding what these tools are really good at (we knew they were bad at a lot of things, but finding things they were consistently good at was a bit more challenging). Soon, I realized that AI is good at restructuring information; for example, it was good at turning a bunch of information into a nice, short overview or general summary. This was great for writing chapter or article summaries and even for writing module overviews. Then, I applied this same idea to using AI to make rubrics. Since a rubric is essentially a differently formatted version of the assignment, AI is a very helpful tool for doing this (and you can learn more about it in my chapter on Using AI for Rubrics!). From there, I became more curious about how AI could support instructors, and in my chapter on Instructors’ Use of AI in Teaching, I talk more about how AI can be used to develop assignments, discussions, and quizzes. While writing this, I came across the idea of AI-proof assignments; I realized that AI-proofing basically just meant creating meaningful and authentic assessments. I had already been doing this, but it did give me a more persuasive argument for getting the faculty I worked with in my role as an instructional designer to include more meaningful and authentic assessments in their courses.
Then, once I figured out how I was using AI, I started addressing AI in my courses and started explicitly telling students that they could use it. But, allowing AI in my courses wasn’t as simple as just saying, “Go ahead!” In my courses, I used one of the syllabus statements provided by UTA that says students can use AI as long as they cite that they used it. I included it in the syllabus and on the “Academic Integrity” page in my courses. The first semester I used this statement, I noticed students immediately started disclosing that they used ChatGPT for some of their assignments. That’s fine—I expected as much when I decided to allow it. However, simply citing that they used ChatGPT was not at all helpful to me as an instructor. First, most students just included a vague statement that said something like “ChatGPT was used to complete this assignment,” while others provided an APA citation that resembled something like “Copilot. (2025, April 25). Conversation.” Neither of those gave me enough information to know how students actually used the AI tool, nor did they give me any kind of idea of how much thinking happened. Did they use it for brainstorming general ideas? Did ChatGPT write the whole assignment? I honestly had no idea.
The following semester, I adjusted my approach. I kept the same syllabus statement, but I added information about how to cite AI, and I asked students to include AI tools in their in-text citations and in their reference list. I also asked them to include links to the conversation they had with ChatGPT and the prompt they entered. You’ll never guess what happened. (Seriously, try.) Students completely stopped citing ChatGPT. I’m naive, but not so much so that I believed none of my students used ChatGPT or other AI tools. I could still see evidence of it in their writing (e.g., random bolded words throughout paragraphs, the overuse of words like “delve” and “journey”, etc.). So, by requiring more strict directions for citing AI use, I either discouraged its use altogether or simply dissuaded them from disclosing their use of AI. Neither of those options was great.
Feeling defeated and like the Cybermen returned yet again, I started looking into how other instructors and universities were navigating AI in courses. That’s when I stumbled across the idea of AI use statements. Up until this point, I was missing a way for students to tell me how they were engaging with AI on their assignments. At a minimum, they explain what AI was used to create the materials and how it was used, which already goes beyond what a basic citation asks. I then took it a step further and asked students to describe how the way they used the tool aligns with the honor code, specific information about the prompt, including the prompt itself and the number of iterations, a link to the prompt (or printout), and even a reflection about how the AI tool contributed to the quality, clarity, or depth of their submission. (I now call them “AI use supplements” because they ended up becoming a bit more than a “statement”.) Somehow, seemingly doubling down on AI use directions made students start disclosing that they’re using AI tools again, and they’re being more specific about how they use them. This shows that having clear and specific directions helps students understand exactly what my expectations are and how to meet them when using AI; it’s about helping make sure students have the resources they need to use AI thoughtfully, not out of convenience.
While AI use statements (or supplements) were helpful, it became clear that students probably aren’t super aware of what they are or why they should include them. Since I was making directions anyway, I ended up making the AI Essentials for Students Guide that provides an overview of how students can effectively and ethically use generative AI in academic work. It introduces the basics of AI technology, ethical considerations, and privacy concerns when using AI tools. It talks students through university policies on AI use, practical applications for academic tasks, and how to properly cite AI-generated content.
However, once the student-facing guide was done, I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. The student guide was great for students, but it left out all of this other stuff I did as the instructor to try to navigate this new AI landscape. This led to the final thing I came across about how to navigate AI in courses: a guide just for instructors. With the support of the Center for Distance Education and the Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence, the AI Essentials for Instructors course was then born. The course takes all of what I learned as I tried to figure out how to let students use AI in my courses while also making sure they’re still learning and thinking for themselves, combined with common concerns and questions I get from faculty that I work with as an instructional designer.
AI Essentials for Instructors is a quick, practical course to help you make informed decisions about using AI in your courses (so you don’t have to go through all of these iterations like I did!). The purpose of this course isn’t to talk you into (or out of) using AI—it’s about recognizing that AI is a powerful tool that we need to be aware of. The AI Essentials course does just that; it’s there to help you make informed, thoughtful decisions about what works best for you, your course, and your students. Whether you end up fully integrating AI or barely touching it, you’ll walk away with strategies, examples, and guidance to help you navigate this new terrain with confidence.
References
Center for Distance Education, & Center for Research on Teaching and Learning. (2025). AI Essentials for Instructors. University of Texas at Arlington. CC BY-NC-ND. https://uta.instructure.com/enroll/J4BXH8
Kahlow, J. (2024). The Alchemy of Assessment and Evaluation: From Lead to Gold. Mavs Open Press. uta.pressbooks.pub/thealchemy
Magruder, A. M. L. Cavallo, & A. M. Clark (eds.) (2025). AI-Powered Education: Innovative Teaching Strategies to Elevate Student Learning. Mavs Open Press. https://uta.pressbooks.pub/aipowerededucation
Flyer for the event with pictures of the two keynote speakers
Dr. George Veletsianos
#ICYMI on April 28 with Dr. George Veletsianos. A recap summarized by Microsoft Copilot with slight edits is below:
Key Topics:
Introduction and Setup: George Veletsianos and Peggy Semingson introduced the session and setting up the meeting. They confirmed the agenda and the structure of the day’s sessions. 1
Generative AI in Education: George Veletsianos discussed the promises, tensions, and challenges surrounding generative AI in education. They emphasized a balanced approach without hype or panic, grounded in the history of educational technology and reflective practice. 2
Historical Context of Educational Technology: George Veletsianos highlighted the recurring narrative of technology transforming education. They stressed the importance of questioning this idea critically, noting that technology often amplifies existing systems and inequalities rather than fundamentally changing education. 3
Future of Higher Education: Participants were asked to imagine higher education in 2035, considering factors like online learning, AI integration, and environmental disruptions. This exercise aimed to explore potential futures and the implications for education. 4
Tensions in AI Adoption: George Veletsianos outlined several tensions in AI adoption, including scholarly critique vs. pragmatic need, technological skepticism vs. innovation, and reflective pedagogy vs. efficiency gains. These tensions highlight the complexities of integrating AI into education. 5
Assessment Strategies: The discussion included the need to rethink assessment strategies, focusing on the learning process rather than just the final product. This shift aims to understand better students’ learning journeys and the role of AI in supporting this process. 6
Speculative Fiction Workshop: George Veletsianos led a workshop on creating speculative fiction to envision utopian AI educational futures. Participants engaged in brainstorming and writing exercises to imagine positive futures for education with thoughtful AI integration. 7
Scenario Planning Activity: In the afternoon session, George Veletsianos introduced a scenario planning activity. Participants used challenge cards to discuss potential future scenarios for UTA and how the institution might respond to various challenges and opportunities. 8
Group Discussions and Sharing: Participants in both in-person and online groups discussed the challenge cards and shared their insights. They considered risks, opportunities, and strategies for UTA to navigate potential future scenarios. 9
Workshop Conclusion: George Veletsianos concluded the workshop by encouraging participants to reflect on how the discussions expanded their thinking about AI in education. They emphasized the importance of imagining positive futures and taking small steps towards those visions. 10
Tuesday, April 29, 2025: Henrik Skaug Sætra presented Hybrid and Collective Intelligence and Connections to Climate: A recap summarized by Microsoft Copilot with slight edits is below:
Generated by AI. Be sure to check for accuracy.
Meeting notes:
Meeting Setup: Henrik and Pete discussed the technical setup for the meeting, including audio and slide sharing, and confirmed the participation of Peggy, who would join virtually later.
Technical Setup: Henrik and Pete discussed the technical setup for the meeting, including ensuring the audio was working correctly and that Henrik could share his slides. They also addressed some initial technical issues, such as pixelation and frame drops, and Henrik adjusted his settings to improve the connection.
Peggy’s Participation: Peggy was confirmed to join the meeting virtually at around 10:40. Pete mentioned that she might assist in the second part of the meeting, depending on the group size and the need to break into smaller groups.
Workshop Structure: Henrik and Pete outlined the structure of the workshop, including a keynote presentation followed by a workshop session, with a focus on artificial intelligence and its implications for academia.
Keynote Presentation: Henrik’s keynote presentation focused on the impact of artificial intelligence on academia, particularly in research and education. He discussed the potential changes and challenges posed by AI technologies.
Workshop Session: The workshop session was designed to be interactive, allowing participants to engage in exercises and discussions about the implications of AI in academia. Henrik planned to use collaborative online tools to gather feedback and insights from the participants.
AI in Academia: Henrik presented on the impact of intelligence technology on academia, focusing on research and education, and discussed the potential changes and challenges posed by AI.
Impact on Research: Henrik discussed how AI technologies could significantly impact research processes, including data gathering, analysis, and dissemination. He highlighted the potential for AI to automate various stages of research, which could lead to increased efficiency but also raised concerns about the loss of human involvement in critical thinking and analysis.
Impact on Education: Henrik explored the implications of AI in education, particularly in higher education. He discussed how AI could be used to enhance learning experiences, provide personalized education, and support educators in administrative tasks. However, he also noted the challenges of integrating AI into educational systems and the potential risks of over-reliance on technology.
Challenges and Concerns: Henrik raised several concerns about the widespread adoption of AI in academia, including issues related to data privacy, ethical considerations, and the potential for AI to perpetuate biases. He emphasized the need for careful regulation and oversight to ensure that AI technologies are used responsibly and ethically.
Historical Context of AI: Henrik provided a historical overview of AI development, highlighting key milestones and the evolution of AI technology over the years.
Early Developments: Henrik traced the history of AI back to the 1940s and 1950s, mentioning key figures such as McCullough and Pitts, who proposed the concept of artificial neurons, and the Dartmouth Conference in 1956, which is often considered the birthplace of AI as a field of study.
Key Milestones: Henrik highlighted significant milestones in AI development, including the creation of the first AI programs, the development of expert systems in the 1980s, and the victory of IBM’s Deep Blue over chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997. He also mentioned more recent advancements, such as the success of AlphaGo in defeating human champions in the game of Go.
Generative AI: Henrik discussed the emergence of generative AI technologies, such as ChatGPT, which have brought AI into mainstream awareness. He noted that these technologies have demonstrated impressive capabilities in generating human-like text and performing various tasks, leading to increased interest and investment in AI research and applications.
Perspectives on AI: Henrik discussed various perspectives on AI, including its role as a tool, its impact on collective intelligence, and the concept of hybrid intelligence, where humans and machines collaborate.
AI as a Tool: Henrik explained the perspective of AI as a tool that can be used to enhance human capabilities. He emphasized that while AI can be a powerful tool, it is essential to consider how it is used and the potential consequences of its application.
Collective Intelligence: Henrik discussed the concept of collective intelligence, where AI systems can contribute to the collective knowledge and problem-solving abilities of groups. He highlighted examples of how AI can be integrated into collaborative efforts to achieve better outcomes than individual efforts alone.
Hybrid Intelligence: Henrik introduced the idea of hybrid intelligence, where humans and AI systems work together in a complementary manner. He described how AI can augment human intelligence by providing computational power, pattern recognition, and data analysis capabilities, while humans contribute creativity, empathy, and contextual understanding.
Future Scenarios: Henrik presented three potential future scenarios for AI in academia: collaborative intelligence, business as usual, and technological acceleration, and discussed their implications.
Collaborative Intelligence: Henrik described a future scenario where AI and humans collaborate closely, with AI systems augmenting human capabilities and providing support in research and education. This scenario emphasizes the importance of explainable AI and the need for regulation to ensure ethical and responsible use of AI technologies.
Business as Usual: In the business as usual scenario, Henrik outlined a future where AI adoption continues at its current pace, with incremental improvements and integration into existing systems. This scenario assumes that AI will be used to optimize and automate various processes, but without significant changes to the overall structure of academia.
Technological Acceleration: Henrik discussed a more radical future scenario where AI development accelerates rapidly, leading to the emergence of superhuman AI researchers and significant disruptions in academia. In this scenario, AI systems take on more autonomous roles, potentially surpassing human capabilities in research and innovation, and raising concerns about the implications for human researchers and educators.
Research Automaton: Henrik introduced the concept of the research automaton, exploring the potential for AI to automate various stages of the research process, and discussed the benefits and challenges of such automation.
Automation Potential: Henrik explored the potential for AI to automate different stages of the research process, including ideation, literature review, data gathering, analysis, writing, and dissemination. He highlighted the benefits of increased efficiency and the ability to handle large volumes of data.
Challenges of Automation: Henrik discussed the challenges associated with automating the research process, such as the risk of losing critical thinking and creativity, the potential for biases in AI-generated outputs, and the ethical considerations of relying heavily on AI for research.
Human Involvement: Henrik emphasized the importance of maintaining human involvement in the research process to ensure the quality and integrity of research. He argued that while AI can be a valuable tool, it should not replace the human elements of curiosity, intuition, and ethical judgment in research.
Interactive Exercise: Henrik led an interactive exercise where participants evaluated the impact of AI on different stages of the research process, using a collaborative online tool to gather feedback.
Exercise Overview: Henrik introduced an interactive exercise where participants used a collaborative online tool to evaluate the impact of AI on various stages of the research process. Participants were asked to place stamps on a matrix to indicate their views on the benefits and challenges of using AI in each stage.
Participant Feedback: Participants provided feedback on the use of AI in different research stages, highlighting areas where AI could be beneficial, such as transcription and data analysis, and areas where it might be problematic, such as peer review and theoretical development. The exercise facilitated a discussion on the potential and limitations of AI in research.
Concerns and Resistance: Henrik expressed concerns about the potential negative impacts of AI on research and academia, advocating for a cautious approach and resistance to full automation.
Curating content and staying current with AI is crucial! Michael Schmid of University Analytics shares his favorite technology and AI-focused podcasts. –Peggy Semingson, Interim Director of CRTLE at UT Arlington.
From Michael Schmid (Learning Analytics Director at UTA University Analytics):
Free time? Yeah, probably just as rare for you as it is for me. We all juggle multiple priorities every day. And I’m preaching to the choir—my fellow educators—to say we all learn and consume information differently. Podcasts on my commute work for me.
So today, in our UTA AI Community of Practice session, we’re each sharing resources that work for us. Certain topics and media may resonate more with you than others, and that’s okay. On this page, the first six items are some of my favorite AI-related podcasts.
A few dive deeper into the weeds, but most are great for staying current with the latest AI developments—or even helping you drift off to sleep at night. If you’ve got other helpful AI resources, let me know and we’ll add them to the list!
Investigates the evolving workplace through emerging AI technologies, offering actionable strategies to enhance work culture and productivity. (Microsoft)
Offers daily insights and tips on leveraging AI for productivity and career growth in everyday tasks.
One other resource you shouldn’t miss is Professor Ethan Mollick at The Wharton School in Philadelphia. Perhaps the best way to consume his insights into AI is to subscribe to his Substack via his website: https://www.oneusefulthing.org/ or buy his (I don’t get a cut) New York Times bestselling book, Co-Intelligence.
I hope this helps, as we navigate these challenges and opportunities together!
Michael
Michael Schmid, MBA
Director of Analytics Solutions & AI Engagement
University Analytics, University of Texas Arlington
