These Teaching Conversations are a part of a series on Reflcting on Teaching Growth and Impact on Student Learning: A Guided Self-Assessment Tool in partnership with the UTRGV Academy of Distinguished Teachers. The goal of the series is to share tips and strategies on documenting teaching effectiveness for annual review or tenure and promotion.

January 26, 2024 - 11:00am-12:00pm Art Brownlow, Professor, Music
Colin Charlton, Professor, Writing & Language Studies

In this interactive workshop session, the speakers will share examples and strategies for effectively documenting peer observation of teaching experiences. Additionally, participants will be encouraged to reflect critically on their teaching practices by drawing on the Documenting Teaching Effectiveness Self-Assessment Tool as a guide.

https://www.utrgv.edu/cte/_files/documents/resources/documenting-teaching-effectiveness-a-guided-self-assessment-tool.pdf 

Art Brownlow:

I am Senior Fellow for Academic Innovation in the Office of Student Success and a professor in the School of Music. My teaching focus is music history, and my research has centered around nineteenth-century orchestral music and brass instrument history, explored in my book The Last Trumpet: A History of the English Slide Trumpet. My recent scholarship integrates teaching effectiveness, educational technology (with an emphasis on Apple tools), open education, and the application of artificial intelligence in teaching and learning.

Colin Charlton:
I’ve been working on the intersections of teaching, assessment, and professional development across disciplines since at least 2000. Keeps me young😊 At this point in my life and career, I’m really invested in two things: (still) improving what I do as a teacher, mentor, and administrator, and supporting colleagues as they develop innovative, engaging, and efficient ways to help learning happen. Strategic reflection is where both of those start. As with all teaching conversations, I’m looking forward to what we can learn from each about how to write about what we do and how we change.

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February 28, 2024 - 12:30pm-1:30pm Dagoberto Eli Ramirez, Lecturer III, University College Distinguished Teaching Professor

In this interactive workshop session, the speaker will share examples and strategies for documenting teaching effectiveness related teaching values and beliefs in your dossier Additionally, participants will be encouraged to reflect critically on their teaching practices by drawing on the Documenting Teaching Effectiveness Self-Assessment Tool as a guide.

https://www.utrgv.edu/cte/_files/documents/resources/documenting-teaching-effectiveness-a-guided-self-assessment-tool.pdf 

I am a UTRGV Lecturer III, and primarily teach UNIV 1301 Learning Framework and UNIV 1101 Academic and Career Success to first-year students, mostly freshmen. Additionally, I have also taught a wide variety of courses, on Mexican American Studies, Bilingualism, Leadership for Community Engagement, Introduction to Teaching Profession, Secondary Content Pedagogy, Introduction to Research in Counseling, and Mentoring and Professional Development. In my service to my department, college, and the UTRGV institution, I have previously presented professional development opportunities for CTE and other venues on campus on a variety of topics. Although as a full-time Lecturer III faculty member I am not required to conduct research, I am currently involved in one UTRGV IRB-approved NSF research project on family-centered pedagogy, allowing the intersection of teaching and research to keep me grounded in the scholarship of our profession.

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April 10 - 12:15pm-01:15pm Teresa Feria Arroyo, Professor, School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences Associate Dean for Faculty Success, College of Sciences

This Teaching Conversation is a part of a series on Documenting Teaching Effectiveness in partnership with the UTRGV Academy of Distinguished Teachers. The goal of the series is to share tips and strategies on documenting teaching effectiveness for annual review or tenure and promotion.  

In this interactive workshop session, the speaker will share lessons learned during more than one decade of teaching and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students as part of service learning and community engagement courses.

Additionally, participants will be encouraged to reflect critically on their teaching practices by drawing on the Documenting Teaching Effectiveness Self-Assessment Tool as a guide.

https://www.utrgv.edu/cte/_files/documents/resources/documenting-teaching-effectiveness-a-guided-self-assessment-tool.pdf  

Register Here

April 12, 2024 - 11:00am-12:00pm Alexis Racelis, Professor, School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences

In this interactive workshop session, the speaker will share examples and strategies related to documenting teaching, research, and service intersections. Additionally, participants will be encouraged to reflect critically on their teaching practices by drawing on the Documenting Teaching Effectiveness Self-Assessment Tool as a guide.

Documenting Teaching Effectiveness -A-Guided-Self-Assessment-Tool

I am a Professor and Houston Endowed Chair for Science and Technology in the School for Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences at UTRGV. As an agroecologist, my research focuses on the interdisciplinary analysis of the implications that conservation strategies have on soil health in subtropical water-limited farms. In one of my projects, I work closely with my students and other scientists--in close collaboration with local area farmers who manage more than 30,000 acres in the region--to combine large scale implementation of cover crops and improved tillage practices with rigorous scientific evaluation to understand the synergies among soil and water conservation, carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, social well-being, and economic returns of soil health management systems in water limited areas. In addition to my research, I direct the Agroecology and Resilient Food Systems program, which includes the management of the 5-acre urban farm Hub of Prosperity, and the certified organic Agroecology Research and Community Gardens. I also co-Direct the UTRGV Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Advancement. Finally, I hold a federal appointment as Member of the USDA Federal Equity Commission Subcommittee of Agriculture.

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May 14, 2024 - 10:00am-11:00am Alyssa G. Cavazos, PhD Director, Center for Teaching Excellence Associate Professor/ Department of Writing and Language Studies

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Writing and Language Studies where I teach undergraduate and graduate coursework in writing studies. Additionally, I also serve as the Director for the Center for Teaching Excellence where I oversee a plethora of professional development activities and partnerships. I am also fortunate to co-lead and direct our Students as Learners and Teachers at a Hispanic Serving Institution (SaLT HSI) program where we have opportunities to explore meaningful and engaging teaching and learning experiences centered on student voices and success.

Register Here