On Tuesday, February 24, Erin Sanders O’Leary, Inaugural Vice Provost for Teaching & Learning, and David N. Myers, Director of the Bedari Kindness Institute, shared this message via Bruin Post.
The Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) and the Dialogue across Difference Initiative announce a call for applications for the third cohort of the year-long Dialogue across Difference (DaD) Faculty Fellows Program. The Fellowship program has provided a creative space for instructors to build their capacity to facilitate and support their students to engage in constructive dialogue across difference in the classroom. The third DaD Faculty Fellows cohort will learn best practices in evidence-based, inclusive teaching practices to foster learning environments where open dialogue can thrive. They will come together in a community of instructors from across the campus, supporting each other to incorporate UCLA’s DaD values of intellectual engagement, curiosity, empathy, active listening, and critical thinking into their course materials and teaching practices during the 2026–2027 academic year.
Eligibility and Participation
The DaD Faculty Fellows Program is open to all instructors of record. Priority will be given to instructors in a position to sustain and deepen UCLA’s commitment to dialogue across difference. Instructors selected to participate will receive $3,500, payable to a research or professional development fund. The program consists of an all-day kick-off workshop in September, monthly community of practice sessions during the academic year, small group (“pod”) meetings, and a culminating event in June 2027 showcasing the instructional innovations of the cohort. For more information, a full list of meetings, program expectations and deliverables, and the application form, visit the DaD Faculty Fellows requirements page.
Applications for the 2026-2027 DaD Faculty Fellows cohort are due on April 1 at 5 p.m.
Learn more about program eligibility and apply for the cohort.
Information Sessions
4–5 p.m., March 10 | Zoom
11 a.m.–noon, March 16 | Zoom
Interested instructors are encouraged to attend one of the information sessions hosted over Zoom. Colleagues from the DaD initiative and the TLC will provide an overview of the program. Presentations will be the same for both sessions. RSVP for the March 10 or March 16 Info Session to receive the Zoom link.
For questions about the DaD Faculty Fellows program, contact instructorsupport@teaching.ucla.edu.