Wednesday, September 2
Happy Hour with the Student Disability Services Testing Center
3:00 pm – 4:15 pm
SU 362C
Event Description:
Have you ever wondered how SDS Testing gets your exam to your student, or how that exam is kept secure? Have you had any questions about navigating the faculty portal, and are you aware of all the information available there?
Join Teaching and Learning Innovation and Student Disability Services for Happy Hour with SDS Testing to gain a better understanding of how SDS Testing works with you and your students to proctor an exam. Appetizers and mocktails will be provided, so please RSVP by August 25 if you plan to attend.
Register for Happy Hour with SDS
Thursday, September 10
UT FUEL
3:00 pm- 4:30 pm
Zoom
Event Description:
TLI’s “Facilitating Undergraduate Evidence-Based Learning” is a six-session, non-credit professional development course for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who want to gain a deeper understanding of their teaching practices. During the course, students will learn about evidence-based teaching practices, write their teaching philosophy, and design a lesson unit for a course they wish to teach. Those who complete the course will receive the nationally recognized CIRTL Network Associate-level certificate.
Learn more about UT FUEL
Tuesday, September 15
So You’re Not a Fan of Grading…: Exploring and adapting alternative grading strategies
12:00 pm- 1:30 pm
Zoom
Event Description:
Advancing technologies and changes in the student population have made assigning grades to student work more difficult, even before generative artificial intelligence arrived on the scene! In this panel session, experienced UT faculty will show how they adopted alternative grading strategies, and then discuss their successes and challenges with a panel of respondents. Join us to learn more about how to adopt and adapt new techniques in your field!
Register for So You’re Not a Fan of Grading
Thursday, September 17
UT FUEL
3:00 pm- 4:30 pm
Zoom
Event Description:
TLI’s “Facilitating Undergraduate Evidence-Based Learning” is a six-session, non-credit professional development course for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who want to gain a deeper understanding of their teaching practices. During the course, students will learn about evidence-based teaching practices, write their teaching philosophy, and design a lesson unit for a course they wish to teach. Those who complete the course will receive the nationally recognized CIRTL Network Associate-level certificate.
Learn more about UT FUEL
Tuesday, September 22
Survey Says! Design a Mid-Semester Tool to Discover What’s Working Well in Your Course
1:00 pm- 2:30 pm
SU 362A
Event Description:
What’s working well in your course, and how do you know? In this hands-on workshop, you’ll create a customized mid-semester feedback survey in Canvas using a bank of ready-to-use Likert-scale questions aligned with the University’s Principles of Excellence in Teaching, plus your own open-ended questions. We’ll discuss practical approaches to interpreting student feedback and identifying opportunities for growth. Leave with a ready-to-use Canvas survey along with strategies for building on what’s working well and making low-lift, high-impact adjustments before the end of the course.
***To get the most out of this hands-on workshop, please bring a laptop. While tablets and mobile devices can access Canvas, a laptop is recommended for easier navigation and full functionality.***
Thursday, September 24
Lifelong Learning Book Club: Session I
12:00 pm- 1:00 pm
Zoom
Event Description:
The Lifelong Learning Book Club is a collaboration among Teaching and Learning Innovation, UT Libraries, and the Department of Psychology that aims to foster a community of support for faculty, staff, and students by reading a common book each semester. Meeting three times during the fall, participants will discuss their insights and takeaways from Parker Palmer’s The Courage to Teach. All are welcome.
Learn more about the Lifelong Learning Book Club
Thursday, September 24
UT FUEL
3:00 pm- 4:30 pm
Zoom
Event Description:
TLI’s “Facilitating Undergraduate Evidence-Based Learning” is a six-session, non-credit professional development course for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows seeking a deeper understanding of their teaching practices. During the course, students will learn about evidence-based teaching practices, write their teaching philosophy, and design a lesson unit for a course they wish to teach. Those who complete the course will receive the nationally recognized CIRTL Network Associate-level certificate.
Learn more about UT FUEL
Wednesday, September 30
Teaching Summit 2026
Next-Level Leadership in Teaching: From Challenge to Change
8:30 am- 3:00 pm
Student Union
Event Description:
Join colleagues from across UTK for a full-day Teaching Summit focused on turning conversation into action. Explore adaptive leadership, hear from panelists who have led teaching-related initiatives, and develop practical strategies to improve teaching, learning, and the student experience. Leave with new connections, actionable ideas, and a clear next step.
Thursday, October 1
UT FUEL
3:00 pm- 4:30 pm
Zoom
Event Description:
TLI’s “Facilitating Undergraduate Evidence-Based Learning” is a six-session, non-credit professional development course for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows seeking a deeper understanding of their teaching practices. During the course, students will learn about evidence-based teaching practices, write their teaching philosophy, and design a lesson unit for a course they wish to teach. Those who complete the course will receive the nationally recognized CIRTL Network Associate-level certificate.
Tuesday, October 13
A Student-Centered Approach to Plagiarism in the Age of Generative AI [part I]
1:00 pm- 2:30 pm
Zoom
Event Description:
Many instructors have felt unable to address plagiarism effectively after COVID-19 and the rise of generative AI. But what if these new technologies aren’t so much disrupting traditionally effective ways of learning as highlighting problems that have always been there?
This workshop essentially argues that lowering plagiarism via generative AI is, at its core, an issue of transparency about the work of learning. Leon Furze, for instance, argues that instructors should focus on “assessment validity” as an essential step to discourage offloading tasks onto AI. However, we argue that “validity” depends on two further questions: what is the nature of “the work” we’re asking students to do? And, how might the instructor and the students perceive that work differently? If students know what actually constitutes “the work” of learning in an assessment and how it will help them learn, they should be less likely to offload critical elements of the work onto technology rather than struggle through it on their own.
Wednesday, October 14
A Student-Centered Approach to Plagiarism in the Age of Generative AI [part II]
1:00 pm- 2:30 pm
Zoom
Event Description:
Many instructors have felt unable to handle the challenges of addressing plagiarism after COVID-19 and the rise of generative AI. But what if these new technologies aren’t so much disrupting traditionally effective ways of learning as highlighting problems that have always been there?
This workshop essentially argues that lowering plagiarism via generative AI is, at its core, an issue of transparency about the work of learning. Leon Furze, for instance, argues that instructors should focus on “assessment validity” as an essential step to discourage offloading tasks onto AI. However, we argue that “validity” depends on two further questions: what is the nature of “the work” we’re asking students to do? And, how might the instructor and the students perceive that work differently? If students know what actually constitutes “the work” of learning in an assessment and how it will help them learn, they should be less likely to offload critical elements of the work onto technology rather than struggle through it on their own.
Thursday, October 15
UT FUEL
3:00 pm- 4:30 pm
Zoom
Event Description:
TLI’s “Facilitating Undergraduate Evidence-Based Learning” is a six-session, non-credit professional development course for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows seeking a deeper understanding of their teaching practices. During the course, students will learn about evidence-based teaching practices, write their teaching philosophy, and design a lesson unit for a course they wish to teach. Those who complete the course will receive the nationally recognized CIRTL Network Associate-level certificate.
Tuesday, October 20
Connect over Coffee: Collaborating with Student Disability Services for Classroom Communication
8:30 am – 9:45 am
SU 362C
Event Description:
Ever wondered what it’s really like to learn through an interpreter or speech-to-text provider? Join Teaching and Learning Innovation and Student Disability Services for an interactive session on creating inclusive learning environments for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. We’ll discuss effective strategies for working with interpreters and speech-to-text providers, dispel common misconceptions about hearing loss and communication access, and share practical classroom tips that benefit all students.
Whether you’ve worked with Deaf students before or are new to communication access, you’ll leave with tools and resources to help create a positive learning experience for everyone. A light breakfast will be provided, so please RSVP by October 12 if you plan to attend.
Register for Connect Over Connect
Tuesday, October 20
Do You Even Scaffold, Bro?: Exploring and adapting formative assessment practices
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Zoom
Event Description:
The relationship between large projects and small formative assignments has always been complex, but today’s students face crowded calendars, complex course schedules, and a sense that they “don’t have enough time.” In this panel session, join experienced UT faculty as they show how they have adopted innovative assignments for formative purposes, with a panel of respondents. Join us to learn more about how to adopt and adapt new techniques in your field!
Register for Do You Even Scaffold
Wednesday, October 21
The Work of Wonder: Curiosity as a Leadership Skill
1:00 pm- 2:30 pm
Zoom
In this Listen. Learn. Lead. Week series, we will look at what the research says about curiosity in adults and why it matters for teaching, supervision, and decision-making in higher education. Participants will leave with concrete question frameworks and reflection habits that help them lead with wonder instead of certainty or burnout.
Register for The Work of Wonder
Thursday, October 22
Lifelong Learning Book Club: Session II
12:00 pm- 1:00 pm
Zoom
Event Description:
The Lifelong Learning Book Club is a collaboration among Teaching and Learning Innovation, UT Libraries, and the Department of Psychology that aims to foster a community of support for faculty, staff, and students by reading a common book each semester. Meeting three times during the fall, participants will discuss their insights and takeaways from Parker Palmer’s The Courage to Teach. All are welcome.
Learn more about the Lifelong Learning Book Club
Thursday, October 29
UT FUEL
3:00 pm- 4:30 pm
Zoom
Event Description:
TLI’s “Facilitating Undergraduate Evidence-Based Learning” is a six-session, non-credit professional development course for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows seeking a deeper understanding of their teaching practices. During the course, students will learn about evidence-based teaching practices, write their teaching philosophy, and design a lesson unit for a course they wish to teach. Those who complete the course will receive the nationally recognized CIRTL Network Associate-level certificate.
Friday, November 13
What AI Can’t Do: Human Presence and the Power of Embodied Learning with Dr. Susan Hrach
1:00 pm- 2:00 pm EST/12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CST
Zoom
Event Description:
Thursday, November 19
Lifelong Learning Book Club: Session III
12:00 pm- 1:00 pm
Zoom
Event Description:
The Lifelong Learning Book Club is a collaboration between Teaching and Learning Innovation, UT Libraries, and the Department of Psychology that aims to promote a community of support for faculty, staff, and students through reading a common book each semester. Meeting three times during the fall, participants will discuss their insights and takeaways from Parker Palmer’s The Courage to Teach. All are welcome.
Learn more about the Lifelong Learning Book Club