News Archive

Motivated by his mother’s passion for teaching, Dr. Jigarkumar Patel, professor of instruction in mathematical sciences at UT Dallas, has built a career defined by clarity, connection, and care for his students. His dedication earned him one of the University of Texas System’s highest honors: the 2025 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award.  For Dr. Patel, it’s a milestone shaped by years of thoughtful… Read more: UT System Recognizes Math Professor’s Formula for Success

What if a sabbatical could be more than time away from teaching? When Dr. En Li was named a Provost’s Teaching Fellow last year, her goal was to create content that helps early career faculty better understand and navigate academic life. The Assistant Professor of Modern East Asian History has done exactly that with “Tenure:… Read more: New Podcast Episode Explores Purposeful Sabbaticals

Whether our students are traveling abroad or coming to UT Dallas from around the world, international education enriches learning, broadens perspectives and strengthens our campus community. International Education Week (IEW), held November 10–14, is a joint initiative of the U.S. Departments of Education and State that celebrates programs fostering global connection and exchange. To mark… Read more: Celebrate International Education Week with CTL

The pioneers of Virtual Exchange (VE)/Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) at UT Dallas will be taking their work to the international stage next month. Dr. Kate York and Katie Donaldson MAT’93, master teachers in the UTeach Dallas program, will present their research at the International Virtual Exchange Conference (IVEC) 2025 in Greece. IVEC is the leading global gathering for… Read more: VE/COIL Pioneers To Present at Global Conference in Greece

On a sunny Monday in September, students on the Plinth were greeted with something new: free popcorn and an open invitation to chat with faculty right in the heart of campus. The new Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) initiative was spearheaded by Dr. Salena Brody, associate director of CTL, and Ben Porter MS’08, PhD’11,… Read more: Faculty’s New Initiative Brings Office Hours Outdoors

Li’s Podcast Breaks Down Tenure Strategies When Dr. En Li was named a Provost’s Teaching Fellow last year, her goal was to create content that could help early career faculty better understand the tenure process. The Assistant Professor of Modern East Asian History has done exactly that with “Tenure: A Game Manual,” a five-part podcast in which… Read more: Provost’s Teaching Fellows

By Rick Vacek | August 29, 2025 They heard about it from the first minutes of New Faculty Orientation. Dr. Prabhas V. Moghe, the new President of The University of Texas at Dallas, talked passionately and extemporaneously about what he calls his “North Star.” Student success. “He set the right energy and the right tone, and then… Read more: New Faculty Get Oriented to Definition of Student Success

From Dr. Meghna Sabharwal, Associate Provost for Faculty Success | July 28, 2025 Starting a new academic year often brings excitement, curiosity and sometimes a bit of uncertainty — especially for new faculty members. That’s why the Faculty Success Program at The University of Texas at Dallas is introducing a series of new and refreshed initiatives designed not only… Read more: Faculty Success Program Introduces New Initiatives for 2025-26

By Rick Vacek | August 11, 2025 Until this year, recognition of the Short-term Working Group program’s success was limited to The University of Texas at Dallas. Now the SWGs are known internationally. Steamboat, a short produced in a Spring 2024 SWG led by Dr. Christine Veras, was selected for a special screening at the… Read more: SWGs Go Global with International Animation Festival Acclaim

By Rick Vacek | May 5, 2025 Dr. Salena Brody’s wildest dreams continue to be exceeded only by the reality of the Short-term Working Groups. As the pandemic waned several years ago, the Associate Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning dreamed of starting a program that would unite faculty and small groups of… Read more: Worthy of a Celebration: SWGs Are Here To Stay

By Rick Vacek | April 16, 2025 As The University of Texas at Dallas continues to deepen its international education footprint, Dr. Carol Cirulli Lanham is one of the many administrators and faculty members who are walking that walk. But the experienced traveler’s first trip to Australia last fall was an especially important step. Cirulli Lanham visited Deakin University’s Melbourne… Read more: World Class: Cirulli Lanham Revels in Fulbright Trip

By Rick Vacek | March 17, 2025 They grew up in vastly different places and cultures, across the world from each other, but their relationships are built on what they have in common as colleagues at The University of Texas at Dallas. That simple and yet powerful fact of life in two mentor-mentee pairings perfectly encapsulates… Read more: Thanks to Mentors, New Faculty Don’t Feel Out of Place

Interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty can create dynamic, active learning experiences that transcend academic boundaries. A recent project at UT Dallas exemplifies this approach. Led by Dr. Siham Raboune, Dr. Katrina Rushing and Dr. Christine Veras, the collaboration united students from neuropharmacology, music theory and experimental animation to raise mental health awareness through short animations aimed… Read more: Spotlight on Innovative Teaching Strategies: Active Learning Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Engineering was an unlikely career path for Dr. Nandika D’Souza, who recently joined The University of Texas at Dallas as associate dean of strategic initiatives in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. Engineering was considered an unconventional field for girls when she was growing up. Her father’s death when she was 5 left her… Read more: Engineering Education Leader Aims To Break Down Student Barriers

Incorporating technology in the classroom is a priority for Dr. Oziel Rios, professor of instruction in mechanical engineering at The University of Texas at Dallas. His first-year mechanical engineering students in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science use laser cutters to make trusses and blades for model wind turbines. They measure how the trusses respond to stress… Read more: Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award Winner Engineers Student Success

CTL will host Professor Keiko Ikeda, a global expert in Virtual Exchange/Collaborative Online International Learning, for a 1 p.m. workshop on March 6, 2025.  Ikeda, Executive Project Lead for the Japan Hub for Innovative Global Education (JIGE), has played a key role in expanding COIL across Asia and beyond, leading initiatives that connect faculty and… Read more: Global Leader in VE/COIL to Lead Workshop in March

When social anxiety prevents students from forming connections with one another, it can have detrimental effects on their academic success and mental health. At the recent CTL Mini-Conference, Dr. Ben Porter, assistant dean of effective teaching in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, presented an approach that he is using to counter… Read more: Ten Minute Talkies: Reducing Social Anxiety to Foster Peer Connections

To understand what the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) does at The University of Texas at Dallas, the first step is to understand what it does not do. It does not simply place highly regarded teachers in front of a group and anoint their proclamations as gospel, even if students sing their praises. “Understanding teaching and learning is not… Read more: CTL’s ‘Pedagogical Magic’ Shares Tricks of Good Teaching

CTL is pleased to announce the appointment of three new Provost’s Teaching Fellows for the 2024-2025 academic year. These faculty leaders will play a key role in planning and delivering high-quality programs and services with CTL, bringing their expertise to enhance teaching and learning across UT Dallas. The inaugural cohort of teaching fellows includes Sarah… Read more: Meet Our New Provost’s Teaching Fellows

UT Dallas has been chosen to participate in the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ (AAC&U) inaugural Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum for the 2024-2025 academic year. A team from UT Dallas, which includes a CTL associate director, will join the fully online institute, which aims to equip educational institutions with strategies to… Read more: UT Dallas Selected for Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and Curriculum

Call for Proposals: Instructional Improvement Awards  Applications are now being accepted for Instructional Improvement Awards (IIA) for 2024-2025. Faculty members are encouraged to submit their innovative ideas by July 15, 2024, to enhance teaching and learning on campus. These awards, typically under $7500 each, support projects that innovate and improve instructional practices across disciplines. Don’t… Read more: Call for Proposals: Instructional Improvement Awards 

Dr. Ishak-Boushaki Wins 2024 Piper Award Dr. Ishak-Boushaki, professor of physics in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, specializes in theoretical astrophysics and has mentored numerous graduate and undergraduate students. His research focuses on the origin and evolution of the universe, including cosmic acceleration, dark energy, gravity, and gravitational lensing, and their influences on… Read more: Dr. Ishak-Boushaki Wins 2024 Piper Award

Grant Funds Expansion of Short-Term Working Group Program  The Short-term Working Groups (SWG) program at UT Dallas will be funded by a $20,000 grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, allowing it to expand to a national level. The grant was awarded to Salena Brody, Professor of Instruction in Psychology and Associate Director of the Center… Read more: Grant Funds Expansion of Short-Term Working Group Program 

Microsoft Copilot Now Available to Faculty and Staff Faculty and staff at UT Dallas now have access to an enterprise version of Microsoft Copilot, which provides a secure and efficient way to use generative AI on campus. Users can log in at copilot.microsoft.com using their NetID and password. This tool has been engineered to deliver… Read more: Microsoft Copilot Now Available to Faculty and Staff

CTL Associate Director Selected as a Fulbright Specialist   Carol Cirulli Lanham, associate director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, has been chosen as a Fulbright specialist by the U.S. State Department to work on a project called “Co-operative Virtual Learning Across Borders” at Deakin University in Australia. This initiative focuses on Virtual Exchange (VE)/Collaborative… Read more: CTL Associate Director Selected as a Fulbright Specialist  

Provost Inga Musselman recently announced a new policy effective Spring 2024 that provides guidance for instructors when campus is closed due New Inclement Weather Policy For more information go to CTL Teaching Resources on eLearning Provost Inga Musselman recently announced a new policy effective Spring 2024 that provides guidance for instructors when campus is closed due to… Read more: Instruction to Continue During Campus Closures 

Workshop Series to Explore the use of Generative AI in Education Dates Session 1: Navigating AI in Education: Privacy, Compliance and Latest Developments (1/26) – 10am-11am RSVP Session 2: Gentle Introduction to AI (2/9) – 9am-10am RSVP Session 3: AI Integration in Course Assignments (2/23) – 10am-11am RSVP Much like the calculator, personal PC, and… Read more: Workshop Series to Explore the use of Generative AI in Education

Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology 2023 Awards The Victor Worsfold Outstanding Teaching Award recognizes excellence in teaching by a member of the faculty and a Graduate Teaching Assistant. A founding member of our faculty in 1975, Worsfold served with distinction as professor and administrator until his retirement in 2001. He is… Read more: Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology 2023 Awards

Partnership Provides New Benefit for STEM Teachers-in-Training University of Texas at Dallas students who aspire to become science, math or computer science teachers are now eligible for a scholarship designed to recruit and retain the most talented teachers for Texas public schools. This fall, the University’s UTeach Dallas program became a full partner in the Charles Butt… Read more: Partnership Provides New Benefit for STEM Teachers-in-Training

Dr. John Zweck is always refining the equation that improves outcomes for his students and keeps his courses engaging and enriching. The University of Texas at Dallas professor of mathematical sciences routinely follows up with students and teaching assistants to fine-tune his teaching methods for conveying complex concepts. Throughout his 30-year career, Zweck has tested new teaching methods,… Read more: Math Professor Earns Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award

High school science teacher Preston Dozier BS’18, MAT’22 capped the past academic year by winning the national Outstanding Alumni Award from UTeach.

The Center for Teaching and Learning recognized Victoria McCrady with its Outstanding Service Award.

This month we recognize the professors from a wide range of disciplines who were honored at the Sixth Annual Celebration of Teaching Excellence.

Dr. Salena Brody has been tapped to join the UT System Academy of Distinguished Teachers. The academy recognizes extraordinary educators throughout the System.

Dr. Chandramallika Basak will embark on an intercontinental collaboration via an instructional medium that uses technology to bring the world to the classroom.