CAFE: The Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence
CAFE, formerly The Center for Educational Excellence and Innovation, provides free resources and support for anyone in a full or part-time teaching role at UVA Wise.
CAFE offers a wide range of free faculty activities and resources designed to improve retention, job satisfaction, expertise, and engagement in academic life. We spotlight campus faculty excellence, promote research-driven national best practices, introduce new pedagogy, and nurture deep reflection and cross-disciplinary communities of practice in teaching and learning at UVA Wise.
March in the CAFE
Monday, March 2nd at 1 PM in Smiddy 230: Master Teacher Learning Community: This Faculty Learning Community invites faculty to discuss any aspect of teaching with colleagues. This group will meet on the first Monday of the month at 1 PM in Smiddy 230. Drop-ins are always welcome!
Tuesday, March 3rd at 1 PM in Smiddy 265 Lab: Advising 101: Come get hands-on training and learn tips and tricks from Narda Porter for assisting students in advising. Drop-ins are welcome!
Wednesday, March 4th at Noon in Smiddy 230: CV Tips: Bring your CV and discuss ways to format and organize your accomplishments. Drop-ins are always welcome!
Thursday, March 5th at 12:30 PM in Library 509: Thursday Writers Learning Community: This Faculty Learning Community invites faculty from every discipline to meet monthly to set writing goals and hold one another accountable for progress on scholarly projects. This group will meet on the third Thursday of the month at 1 PM in Library 509. Drop-ins are always welcome!
Monday, March 16th at 1PM in Library 509: Alternative Grading Learning Community. Hosted by Donnie Sorah, this Faculty Learning Community invites faculty to explore alternative ways to evaluate our students’ work. Each participant will develop one resource to be shared on the CAFE website and, optionally, at a teaching presentation.
Tuesday, March 17th, and Tuesday, March 31st at 2 PM in Library 509: Exploring Pedagogy (Ways of Teaching) Learning Community: This Faculty Learning Community invites faculty to develop more intentional teaching practices. Each participant will observe and be observed by a colleague, and explore making a single small change to their teaching. They will also have the opportunity to share their work in a handout or infographic on the CAFE website and optionally at a teaching presentation. This group will meet twice this month to accommodate February snow delays. There is still time to join!
Wednesday, March 18th at 1 PM in Library 509: AI in the Classroom Learning Community: Hosted by David Frazier, this Faculty Learning Community invites faculty to develop models of classroom activities and assignments that use AI in a beneficial way. Each participant will develop one resource to be shared on the CAFE website and at an optional teaching presentation.
Wednesday, March 25th at 1 PM in Library 509: International Faculty Coffee: Come join our International Faculty for coffee and conversation. Sponsored by International Programs and Services. Contact IPS Director Candice Stadler or Suresh Mummadi for more information.
Monday, March 30th at Non in Smiddy 230: Cover Letter Tips and Tricks: Bring your cover letter for feedback or come to hear ideas about how to get your impressive accomplishments categorized and explained in ways that are true to your skills and strengths. No registration needed: Just drop in!
Email Emily Dotson, CAFE Director, with questions or suggestions for future workshops and Learning Communities.
Need Resources or Recommendations?
Access the CAFE Resource page with updated Academic Affairs policies and a variety of recorded workshops, handouts, videos, podcasts, and other materials developed by our own faculty and from national experts to help you with any questions you may face in teaching, service, scholarship, and academic life
Don't see something you need?
Email Emily Dotson at ead2y@uvawise.edu to request a workshop or event.
Want to offer a workshop?
If you would like to offer a workshop to help develop college-wide teaching or professional development, please send your workshop title, a brief description, and proposed dates to Emily at ead2y@uvawise.edu at least 30 days before the anticipated workshop.
Have a Question or Need Individual Attention?
CAFE Director Emily Dotson is always happy to meet privately to discuss your pedagogical philosophy, solve a teaching challenge, or brainstorm ways to live a more meaningful and engaged faculty life. She is also happy to observe your class and provide feedback or survey your students at any point in the semester.
Frequently Asked Questions About CAFE
What does CAFE do?
CAFE offers a wide range of activities and programs designed to improve faculty retention, job satisfaction, expertise, and engagement with students.
Although all faculty are experts in their disciplinary field, few have professional training in educational pedagogy and practice or other specialized demands of faculty positions at UVA Wise. CAFE was created to fill this gap by providing support and instruction at every level of faculty development.
CAFE develops and promotes teaching and learning resources to spotlight UVA Wise faculty excellence, promote research-driven national best practices, introduce new pedagogy and practices, and nurture deep reflection and cross-disciplinary connection around teaching and learning at UVA Wise.
Who uses CAFE?
Professional development is not just for junior faculty!
In 2024-2025, CAFE offered 16 in-person workshops with 93 participants on campus and 14 faculty workshop leaders, and 8 FLCs with a total of 100 participants and 11 Faculty leaders, for a total of 218 faculty engaged in some way.
Additionally, CAFE advertised 14 virtual workshops at UVA, ACUE, and The Chronicle, which did not track participation. The campus-wide survey showed that 83% attend to collaborate with others and 67% go to get support for their teaching, service, or scholarship. The campus-wide survey also showed a 100% satisfaction rating with CAFE as a program.
In 2023-2024, CAFE successfully planned and promoted 11 Teaching Workshops, 12 Professional Development workshops, 8 Faculty Learning Communities, and 4 community-building events. There were more than 32 faculty presenters, a 23% increase, and a total of 208 participants, a 49% growth in attendance.
In 2022-2023, CAFE hosted 85 workshops with twenty-six faculty presenters and over 150 participants.
What is a CAFE workshop like?
CAFE workshops are free and open to anyone in a full or part-time teaching position at UVA Wise.
CAFE drop-in workshops allow faculty to attend a brief presentation by a topic expert, followed by a Q&A session.
Faculty Learning Communities offer a series of collaborative, multidisciplinary conversations with colleagues in fifty-minute meetings held regularly over an entire academic year.
CAFE promotes UVA CTE and other national academic workshops and events open to us. Registration is required in advance for some workshops and noted in the workshop description.
While some CAFE workshops are open to faculty and staff, CAFE is not connected to Human Resources, so CAFE cannot offer workshops or resources targeted to staff development or involving HR concerns. We encourage you to send any requests for staff development and all Human Resource issues to the Director of Human Resources, Stephanie Perry. See more information about UVA Wise Human Resources.
How do I find out about past or upcoming CAFE workshops or events?
Workshops are advertised on the faculty listserv and updated on the calendar on this site monthly. Significant notice may not always be possible with events scheduled and promoted by other Colleges, organizations, or people.
Please check your email for updates or changes to dates/times/ locations, or email Emily at ead2y@uvawise.edu to confirm events.
Where are CAFE workshops held?
Because we are an in-person campus, all CAFE workshops are on campus either in the Library in room 509 (next to Books and Brew) or in the CAFE Center, 230 Smiddy Hall, and in person unless otherwise stated.
Can I attend remotely or watch a recorded workshop?
Zoom participation is possible at most workshops if you request this in advance. CAFE makes every attempt to record and post our events. However, please be aware that events hosted by someone other than the Director may not be recorded as the presenter always has the final say in whether their talk or workshop will be recorded or made publicly available. Recorded workshops are made public on the CAFE Resources page.
How is CAFE assessed?
CAFE is assessed annually through a faculty-wide survey on programs and practices. In 2023-2024, faculty reported 96% satisfaction with the diversity, delivery, and timeliness of programs. In addition, individual workshops and learning communities are assessed through additional satisfaction surveys sent to participants. In 2023-2024, all learning communities had 95% or higher satisfaction rates.
Read More in our 2024 Three Year Program Review
Who is the Director of CAFE, what do they do, and to whom do they report?
The Director of CAFE is Emily Dotson, a Tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Language and Literature. See her bio.
The CAFE Director is a member of Academic Affairs and reports to the Dean of Faculty and the Provost.
CAFE Director Job Description.
CAFE Mentor of the Year Award
CAFE is proud to offer one award annually for exceptional faculty mentoring at UVA Wise. This person has shown exemplary connected and collegial service to others and served as a model of the teaching, service, scholarship and academic life we imagine in the very finest of UVA Wise faculty.
Winner of the 2024-2025 CAFE Mentor of the Year Award
Wendy Martin, Instructor in Mathematics
Winner of the 2023-2024 CAFE Mentor of the Year Award
Karen Carter, Associate Professor of Computer Science
Winner of the 2022-2023 CAFE Mentor of the Year Award
Christa Moore, Associate Professor of Sociology
Winner of the 2021-2022 CAFE Mentor of the Year Award
Elizabeth Dotson Shupe, Assistant Professor of Education
Questions?
Contact Emily Dotson ead2y@uvawise.edu for more information.