A message from Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning Erin Sanders O’Leary
As we wrap up the spring quarter and move into the summer, I’ve been reflecting on some of the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) accomplishments during this academic year as we strive to support our educator community in elevating teaching at UCLA.
We held our first UCLA Teaching Symposium, which brought colleagues together to explore if and how we might thoughtfully and responsibly use AI in teaching and learning. We brought pedagogical researchers to campus through our Educational Innovation and Scholarly Teaching Seminar Series and supported our second cohort of Dialogue across Difference Faculty Fellows. We continued to offer a variety of professional development programming and teaching resources to instructors, and transitioned 18 UCLA divisions and schools (including 118 departments) to a new Student Experiences of Teaching (SET) survey platform that offers more customization options. You can read more about many of these activities in the articles below and on the TLC Newsroom.
At the same time, I want to acknowledge that our campus, and higher education more broadly, continues to grapple with challenging moments and hard realities. I recognize that this uncertainty is difficult to navigate and can disrupt our instructional goals and plans to innovate or experiment in our teaching. Collaboration and a commitment to student success are at the heart of TLC’s mission, and I believe that by embracing both principles, we can best position ourselves to overcome obstacles together, identify creative solutions to advance UCLA’s academic mission, and thrive as an educator community. I look forward to building new partnerships and strengthening existing relationships as we undertake this important work.
As we look ahead, the TLC remains focused on UCLA’s most important stakeholders, our students. We are committed to doing all we can to support instructors in providing our current and future Bruins a world-class education.
Wishing you a fun, rejuvenating, and restful summer.
Highlights from the Quarter
Inaugural Teaching Symposium Explores Adapting Instruction in the Age of AI
The all-day event provided a forum for exploring the role and impact of AI on teaching and learning on campus. Read the story.
Scholarly Teaching Seminar Explores Adaptive Framework for Enhancing Student Success
Andrew Estrada Phuong’s talk walked through a scalable approach to identify student success barriers and enhance engagement. Read the story.
Emerging Educators Celebration Spotlights Graduate and Postdoc Teaching Accomplishments
Over 120 UCLA graduate students and postdoctoral scholars were recently honored for their contributions to teaching and learning. Read the story.
UCLA Senior Survey Data Offers Insights from the Class of 2025
The Survey provides insight into students’ academic and co-curricular activities that informs efforts to enhance UCLA’s academic mission. Read the story