The TLC’s Maintaining Instructional Continuity page has newly-added resources for supporting instructor wellbeing during this unprecedented and uncertain time.

Dialogue across Difference Faculty Fellows Program

The UCLA Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) has partnered with the Dialogue across Difference (DaD) Initiative to support instructors as they equip students with the tools to engage in complex conversations across differences in lived experience, cultural background, and perspective.

Program Overview

Instructors play a critical role in establishing an inclusive learning environment and equipping students with tools to engage in complex conversations across differences in lived experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. The year-long Dialogue across Difference Faculty Fellows program supports instructors of record in integrating the UCLA DaD Initiative’s five values of intellectual engagement, curiosity, empathy, active listening, and critical thinking into their course materials and teaching practices. Faculty Fellows engage with best practices in evidence-based, inclusive teaching and practice dialogic frameworks to foster learning environments where open dialogue thrives.

As participants in the Dialogue across Difference Faculty Fellows program, Fellows will: 

  • Form collaborative relationships with a community of colleagues across campus who share a commitment to engaging in meaningful dialogue across difference in the classroom; 
  • Practice a range of dialogue frameworks, gaining the ability to discern when to employ strategies from each to meet pedagogical goals and learning objectives;
  • Leverage pedagogical best practices to create supportive contexts for dialogue in the classroom;
  • Create multiple opportunities in one’s course for the DaD Initiative’s five values of intellectual engagement, curiosity, empathy, active listening, and critical thinking to appear when addressing differences in the classroom.

Call for Applications: 2025-2026 DaD Faculty Fellows

Applications are now open for the second cohort of the Dialogue across Difference (DaD) Faculty Fellows Program, which will run during the 2025-2026 academic year. Participants have the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from across the university and build capacity for supporting dialogue across difference on campus and in their classrooms. 

Applications for the 2025-26 DaD Faculty Fellows cohort are due by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1.
Visit the application page to learn more about eligibility requirements, program expectations, and access the application.

2024-2025 DaD Faculty Fellows

Aaron Littman

Law

Abigail Saguy

Sociology

Brenda Suttonwills

Law

Caitlin Solone

Disability Studies

Dana Rose Garfin

Community Health Sciences

Hirsch Perlman

Art

Jonathan Heldt

Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences

Julie Elginer

Health Policy and Management

Katrina DeBonis

Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences

Michele Moe-Forsyte

Writing Programs

Natasha Wheaton

Medicine

Paul Macey

Nursing

Rachel Ketai

Writing Programs

Rebecca Jean Emigh

Sociology

Sanford Williams

Law

Tamara Levitz

Comparative Literature

Learn more

Funding for these faculty fellowships is provided by the UCLA Teaching and Learning Center, the Anthony and Jeanne Pritzker Foundation, and the office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost.

For questions about the DaD Faculty Fellows Program, contact edp@teaching.ucla.edu.

Receive the latest news

Get TLC Updates

The TLC offers monthly and quarterly updates highlighting events, resources, and other opportunities to foster teaching excellence on campus. Sign up to receive communications.