We hope you’re enjoying the holiday recess! Just a reminder that we have a variety of workshops scheduled for January. Normal business operations for the University of Pittsburgh resume Wednesday, January 2, 2019. Happy New Year! For a full listing of Teaching Center workshops, visit the University Calendar.

We’d like to congratulate Cressida Magaro (instructional technologist, Educational Software Consulting), Brittany Page (media producer, Academic Digital Media), and Bobby Ackerman (manager, Educational Software Consulting) for earning the Teaching Center’s 2018 Advancing Educational Excellence award! The annual honor recognizes Teaching Center staff members who exemplify the values of the center, demonstrate a positive attitude and commit to responsibilities, and make above-and-beyond contributions to the University. Congratulations on a successful year and thank you for your exceptional dedication to the center!

Blaine Walker, manager of the Teaching Center’s Academic Digital Media unit, was recognized by Chancellor Patrick Gallagher at the Chancellor’s Staff Recognition Awards Ceremony for completing 40 years of service at the University of Pittsburgh. Learn more about Blaine, and the award, in our latest Teaching Center blog!

The 2019 Assessment and Teaching Conference will be held on Friday, January 25, 2019. Faculty can submit proposals for poster sessions that focus on any aspect of teaching, learning, and/or assessment in their teaching practice. Topics that provide examples of innovative teaching are encouraged. For more information, visit the 2019 Assessment and Teaching Conference web page.

Teaching Surveys are open NOW and run through December 9, 2018. Response rates can be monitored through the Teaching Survey dashboard. The Office of Measurement and Evaluation of Teaching has a number of resources you can use to increase response rates this fall:

• Read about faculty who have achieved high response rates.
• Ask students ahead of time to provide effective feedback.
• Schedule class time for students to take their surveys.
• Read other strategies for increasing response rates.

The Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education [PCHE] is pleased to announce an open call for proposals focusing on teaching and learning or educational development for the 2019 Pittsburgh Regional Faculty Symposium on Monday, March 11, 2019. Organized by PCHE and hosted by the University of Pittsburgh, the symposium is a day-long conference for faculty, teaching assistants, and faculty support specialists from colleges and universities in Pennsylvania and its adjacent states.