March is an exciting month at the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC). We’re thrilled to welcome Kem Saichaie as the TLC’s inaugural executive director. With more than 20 years of experience in higher education, Saichaie will advance our mission to elevate teaching, offer pedagogical resources, and promote student success.
We have also launched applications for the Collegium of University Teaching Fellows and our second cohort of the Dialogue across Difference Faculty Fellows program. Keep reading to learn more about these opportunities, upcoming information sessions, application deadlines, and other events from the TLC.
Collegium of University of Teaching Fellows Nominations Due April 30
The Collegium of University Teaching Fellows (CUTF) program prepares advanced graduate students for careers in academia by offering opportunities to propose, design, and teach an undergraduate course inspired by their research or creative work with support from the TLC. Doctoral students in any discipline who will advance to candidacy prior to September 15 of the upcoming academic year are eligible to apply to their departments for consideration. Departments may then nominate a single candidate by 5 p.m. on April 30.
Fellows receive two units of course credit for the program’s pedagogy seminar in Fall 2025 and one quarter of TA funding at 50% time at the level of Teaching Fellow when they teach their seminar in Winter or Spring 2026.
Visit the program website for more information or join the Graduate Student & Postdoctoral Scholar Engagement team at one of our online information sessions:
4–5 p.m., March 10
Noon–1 p.m., March 18
Designing Your Online Course Workshop Series
Six live Zoom sessions from April 14 through May 23
Applications due March 21
The TLC’s Instructional Design and Media Production team will host a multi-session workshop exploring effective online instructional practices and course design strategies. The goal of the workshop is to design a course that is grounded in best practices for online instruction, is accessible to all learners, and incorporates principles of equity and inclusion.
The workshop runs from April 14 through May 23, with weekly Zoom meetings on Fridays at 10-11am. The workshop includes weekly asynchronous activities (~1.5 hours per week). Module deadlines can accommodate travel and research commitments. Each participant will also be assigned an instructional designer to work closely with during and after the workshop to develop and launch the course.
Please email Kate Schaller at kschaller@teaching.ucla.edu for more information.
Apply for the Course Design Workshop
Upcoming Deadlines
March 21 — Application deadline for TLC Course Design Workshop
March 21 — Application deadline for Tier 2 Educational Innovation Grants
March 31 — Application deadline for Tier 1 Educational Innovation Grants
April 1 — Application deadline for 2025-2026 Dialogue across Difference Faculty Fellows Cohort
April 4 — Deadline for Tier 3 Catalyst Grant proposals
April 4 — Deadline for Teaching Assistant and Non-Senate Faculty Distinguished Teaching Award nominations
April 30 — Departmental nomination deadline for 2025-2026 Collegium of University Teaching Fellows Cohort
May 2 — Deadline for Senate Faculty Distinguished Teaching Award nominations
Events
Dialogue Across Difference Faculty Fellows Program Info Sessions
Learn more about the Dialogue across Difference Faculty Fellows program and the 2025-2026 application at one of our online information sessions. The content of both sessions will be the same (though Q&A may differ).
3–4 p.m, March 5
10–11 a.m., March 18
Instructional Design Showcase
AI in Higher Ed: What’s Changing & What No One Is Talking About
11 a.m.–noon, March 6 | Young Research Library, Room 21570
AI is everywhere in education, but what’s really working, and in what disciplines? What’s just hype? And what’s missing from the conversation? This session peels back the curtain on how AI is transforming teaching, where it’s helping, and where it’s failing.
Learn More about the Showcase
TA / Postdoc Drop-in Hours
2–4 p.m., March 13 | Powell 186
This workshop session is open to TAs and postdoc instructors only
Join the Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholar Engagement team for our final drop-in hours of the quarter. Come for coffee, snacks, and grading support during this social working session.
Setting the Stage:
First Week Experiences to Cultivate Student Belonging
Noon–1 p.m., April 1 | Young Research Library, Room 21570
This workshop equips instructors with practical strategies to build community and establish rapport with their classes, whether on the first day of class, the first week, or beyond. Instructors will learn activities to communicate classroom goals, establish course policies, and foster a supportive classroom culture.
Register by Tuesday, March 25 to attend. Lunch will be served.
Equity Learning Communities:
Using Data to Enhance Instructional Change
2:30–3:30 p.m., April 2 | Powell 320
Daniel Reinholz, a professor of Mathematics and Statistics at San Diego State University, will examine how data can support equitable teaching and introduce participants to the equity learning communities model. He will then share practical strategies that college instructors and instructional developers can use to promote an equitable and engaging classroom environment.
Instructor Wellbeing:
Tools for Navigating Mental Health in the Classroom
9:00 a.m–12:30 p.m., April 11 | Luskin Center Enlightenment Room
Ross Szabo, Geffen Academy Wellness Director, will lead a training session to help instructors practically address common mental health challenges that might show up in class and during office hours. Instructors will learn how to utilize personal storytelling as a powerful tool to normalize conversations about mental health and reinforce student learning in any discipline.
Resources
Assessment Guide
Using Student Experiences of Teaching to Inform Teaching Practice
Our latest Assessment Guide is designed to help instructors review and reflect on student feedback. The guide offers suggestions for encouraging constructive student engagement and participation, making sense of the feedback, and incorporating the information into your continuous improvement practice. The guide and additional information can be found on the TLC SET webpage.
From Our Campus Partners
Fostering Academic Wellness
Hosted by the Center for Education Innovation & Learning in the Sciences
Noon–1:15 p.m., March 3 & 24 | Hershey Hall Salon 158
Pedagogy Essentials Workshops
Hosted by the Center for Education Innovation & Learning in the Sciences
12:30–1:30 p.m., March 6, 13, & 20 | Terasaki Life Sciences 5100
UndocuAlly Training Sessions
Hosted by the Undocumented Student Program
March 20, 21, & 22 | SAC Conference Room & Zoom
Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Staff and Faculty
Hosted by the Dialogue across Difference Initiative
Noon–2:30 p.m., March 20 | Location shared upon RSVP