Excellence, Innovation
February 5, 2014
UT Tyler Office of Marketing and Communications
UT Tyler Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation Provides Professional Development for Faculty
February 5, 2014
Media Contact: Hannah Buchanan
Editor/Writer–Strategic Communications & Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.539.7196 (cell)
February 5, 2014
The University of Texas at Tyler has created a center to provide enhanced professional development to faculty, Dr. Alisa White, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, announced.
The UT Tyler Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation allows faculty members to grow in leadership and expertise, while giving them not only the opportunities to develop their skill sets, but also the information needed to facilitate student engagement and active learning throughout the university.
“The UT Tyler Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation was developed to become a ‘one-stop shop’ for all faculty and serve as an extension of the university’s Faculty Learning Communities that have already been in place,” said Dr. Scott Marzilli, assistant vice president for academic innovation and student success. “We want to create a community of scholars dedicated to teaching excellence, innovation and student success, while at the same time promoting excellence in scholarship.
“Too many times teaching and research are encapsulated. We want to give our faculty the opportunity to integrate both concepts of research and teaching.”
Through the center, UT Tyler faculty may expand their knowledge in the areas of service learning, academic innovation, undergraduate research and data analytics through developmental workshops, peer observations and consultation.
The activities will be available to faculty as well as adjunct faculty and teaching assistants.
Each of the four initiatives will be overseen by a UT Tyler group of faculty fellows, responsible for promoting excellence, innovation and student success across the university under the center’s Faculty Fellowship Program.
“The faculty fellows will assist the center in achieving its initiatives through a commitment to teaching excellence and innovation, continued faculty development, student success and exceptional scholarship,” Marzilli added.
The center’s inaugural group of faculty fellows will be announced.
For more information, contact Marzilli, 903.566.7465 or smarzilli@uttyler.edu.
One of the 15 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler features excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of more than 7,500 high-ability students. UT Tyler offers courses at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine as well as a location in Houston.