UTRGV Academy of Distinguished Teachers Series

Alyssa G. Cavazos

March 03, 2026 - 12:00pm-1:30pm Dagoberto Eli Ramirez, Lecturer III Distinguished Teaching Professor, University College

Constantine Tarawneh

Jessica Sanchez Associate Director for Research & Innovation, Center for On-Line Learning & Teaching Technology (COLTT)

Shaghayegh Setayesh

Robert Longoria Program Manager, Engaged Scholarship & Learning (ES&L)

This 90-minute panel-style workshop, facilitated by a first-year experience faculty member and two colleagues from campus support units, brings together three complementary mentoring approaches to help faculty intentionally design mentorship that extends beyond individual conversations. Participants will first explore evidence-based mentoring strategies grounded in academic coaching, culturally responsive practices, and first-year success research to support student self-efficacy, goal clarity, and reflective decision-making. The session then examines how mentorship can be embedded directly into learning environments – particularly through Brightspace – by using growth-mindset language, reflective scaffolds, and career-connected touchpoints that scale mentoring behaviors even when time is limited. Finally, participants will engage with experiential learning models that position faculty as mentors of emerging scholars, highlighting pathways for guided research, engaged scholarship, and career readiness. Together, these three segments offer practical tools and adaptable frameworks for designing mentorship that is purposeful, inclusive, and sustainable across courses, programs, and student experiences.  

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Alyssa G. Cavazos

March 26, 2026 - 2:00pm-3:00pm Marcela Hebbard Senior Lecturer Distinguished Teaching Professor, Writing & Language Studies

This teaching conversation will invite faculty and staff to reimagine mentoring students by integrating the cultural concept of a “bucket list” with the "macronutrients of happiness"—Enjoyment, Satisfaction, and Purpose (Brooks, 2023). Participants will explore how to guide students in creating a personalized "Academic and Professional Bucket List," a roadmap designed around the three macronutrients to foster intentional goal setting. By helping students identify milestones that extend beyond degree requirements, this holistic approach aims to build student self-efficacy while also enriching the professional experience of the mentor.

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Alyssa G. Cavazos

April 14, 2026 - 12:30pm-1:30pm Sue Anne Chew Associate Professor Distinguished Teaching Professor, Health & Biomedical Sciences

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Alyssa G. Cavazos

April 30, 2026 - 12:30pm-1:30pm Alyssa G. Cavazos Professor, Writing and Language Studies Distinguished Teaching Professor, Director, Center for Teaching Excellence

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Alyssa G. Cavazos

May 01, 2026 - 11:00am-12:00pm Marcela Hebbard Senior Lecturer Distinguished Teaching Professor, Writing & Language Studies

This teaching conversation will invite faculty and staff to reimagine mentoring students by integrating the cultural concept of a “bucket list” with the "macronutrients of happiness"—Enjoyment, Satisfaction, and Purpose (Brooks, 2023). Participants will explore how to guide students in creating a personalized "Academic and Professional Bucket List," a roadmap designed around the three macronutrients to foster intentional goal setting. By helping students identify milestones that extend beyond degree requirements, this holistic approach aims to build student self-efficacy while also enriching the professional experience of the mentor.

Register here

Alyssa G. Cavazos

February 03, 2024 - 11:00am-12:00pm Alyssa G. Cavazos, Director, Center for Teaching Excellence Professor, Department of Writing and Language Studies

Art Brownlow

Art Brownlow, Professor, Music Faculty Fellow for Academic Innovation

In this workshop, we will explore strategies for how we can seek intentional feedback on our teaching and learning practices. We will also reflect on how we can identify an area of need and growth in our own teaching and how to draft meaningful questions for peer observers that will yield improvement of student learning and continuous teaching growth.

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Alyssa G. Cavazos

March 03, 2024 - 11:00am-12:00pm Alyssa G. Cavazos, Director, Center for Teaching Excellence Professor, Department of Writing and Language Studies

Teresa Feria Arroyo

Teresa Feria Arroyo, Professor and director of the School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences (SIBCS), College of Sciences

Sue Anne Chew

Sue Anne Chew, Associate Professor, Health and Biomedical Sciences

Dagoberto Ramirez

Dagoberto Ramirez, Associate Professor, Health and Biomedical Sciences

In this workshop, we will explore evidence-based practices on how to conduct growth-oriented peer observations of teaching through reciprocal learning. We will explore peer observation of teaching frameworks and approaches aligned to faculty members' needs and intentional feedback requests while centering action-oriented feedback that leads to implementation and collection of evidence on the impact teaching revisions have on student learning and instructors' continuous improvement of teaching.

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Alyssa G. Cavazos

April 15, 2024 - 11:00am-12:00pm Alyssa G. Cavazos, Director, Center for Teaching Excellence Professor, Department of Writing and Language Studies

Constantine Tarawneh

Constantine Tarawneh, Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Shaghayegh Setayesh

Shaghayegh Setayesh, Senior Lecturer, Mathematical & Statistical Sciences

In this workshop, we will explore how to reflect on and implement feedback we receive from peer observations of teaching by engaging in proactive and action-oriented practices. We will also identify strategies for seeking additional feedback and resources for meaningful implementation and continuous teaching growth. Additionally, we will explore data collection approaches that allow us to reflect on the impact our teaching revisions have on student learning and growth.

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