Center for Educational Excellence and Innovation
Established in 2021, the Center for Educational Excellence and Innovation is dedicated to inspiring, enhancing, and advancing educational excellence and innovation in teaching, service, and nurturing deep reflection and collaborative cross-disciplinary learning communities.
The Center for Educational Excellence and Innovation strives for excellence in:
- Inspiring educational excellence and innovation by spotlighting campus mentors in teaching, service and scholarship and their best practices
- Enhancing existing teaching and learning with resources and workshops that encourage creative, innovative, and research-driven approaches, assessments, and technologies for holistic life-long learning
- Advancing, applying and promoting best national practices from the national scholarship of teaching and learning including the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion and active and engaged learning within our academic community
- Nurturing collaborative cross-disciplinary learning communities for deep reflection, scholarly exchange, and connection around learning, teaching, and professional growth
To realize this mission, the Center unites faculty and staff and builds partnerships on and off campus to develop and offer a variety of innovative workshops, learning communities, resources, and opportunities.
Workshops and Events
Do you want to develop a skill or learn about something new? We offer workshops on a variety of topics from career planning to pedagogical and practical tips that empower faculty and staff to strive for excellence and innovation. These free workshops are open to any faculty and staff person in a full or part time position. These workshops do not require any prerequisite or expectation that participants need to attend a future talk or event. Note that *some workshops may also require advance registration when there are space limits or supplies involved.
View the Fall 2021- Spring 2022 Professional Development Opportunities
See Current Workshops and Events
Fall 2020-Spring 2021 Faculty Learning Communities (FLC)
Do you want a deep dive into an area of academic interest or concern? Email Emily Dotson ead2y@uvawise.edu to find out how you can join a small community of fellow faculty in a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) that meets multiple times throughout the academic year to make real changes in your pedagogy and practices. Faculty sign up at the start of an academic year with the expectation that they will attend multiple workshops and produce deliverable products that can be shared with the College in pursuit of a better understanding of a specific topic. The FLC provides an opportunity to work longer and in greater depth on a project and to work in collaboration with other faculty who share your concerns.
Learn About Current (FLC) Faculty Learning Communities
Resources
Do you want models of handouts, and guidelines to best practices? The Center provides handouts and resources created by UVA Wise Faculty Learning Communities and staff for a variety of teaching questions and concerns from syllabus design, active learning, teaching a DEI course, best practices in community engagement and many other issues.
Individual Feedback
Do you want a fresh perspective on your teaching as it unfolds? Invite Emily Dotson or her Student Mentors in to observe your class and/or talk to or survey your students and receive feedback on your course at any point in the semester. I am also happy to obtain anonymous feedback for you from successful students at the College about your syllabus, assignments, or activities.
Would you like to discuss or read more about your pedagogical philosophy, solve a teaching challenge, or brainstorm ways to engage your students more deeply? You can meet with Emily Dotson to confidentially to talk about a broad variety of teaching topics or academic concerns.
Would you like to discuss a Human Resource Issue? You can meet with Stephanie Perry to confidentially talk about a broad variety of staff topics or concerns.
See more information about UVA Wise Human Resources
Questions about the Center?
The Center is a a proud members of the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network, the largest international professional development organization for Educational Developers.
Emily Dotson is the SCHEV elected Representative for Virginia Public Colleges and Universities on the Virginia Higher Education Development Collaboration Executive Committee.
Contact Faculty Director, Emily Dotson ead2y@uvawise.edu or Staff Director, Stephanie Perry sdh9y@uvawise.edu for more information.