The Center for Teaching Excellence welcomes your suggestions for presenters and programming
aimed at improving teaching and learning at USC. Please share your thoughts. We’d
love to hear your ideas! Submit Professional Development Recommendation
This workshop familiarizes attendees with Blackboard Learn’s Ultra Course View. eLearning
Services will demonstrate how instructors can navigate a UCV course, communicate with
students, add content, find and utilize Blackboard tools, and grade assignments. Register
Tuesday, June 23, 10:00am - 11:30am - Webinar
This comprehensive 90-minute workshop introduces educators to using both Panopto and
Zoom within Blackboard Learn to create engaging, effective online learning experiences.
Participants will learn how to create and manage video content with Panopto, integrate
recordings seamlessly into their courses, and leverage Zoom for live virtual sessions.
The session will also cover scheduling and managing Zoom meetings, handling recordings,
and organizing video content for easy student access. Whether you are new to these
tools or looking to streamline your workflow, this training provides practical strategies
to enhance teaching and learning with integrated video and web conferencing solutions.Register
July 2026
Tuesday, July 7, 10:00am - 11:00am - Webinar
In this session you'll learn how to transform your Blackboard Learn Ultra course from
ordinary to extraordinary! Discover how best to organize your content to make your
course visually engaging and user-friendly and then take it a step further with customization
to add some pizazz. Whether you're looking to streamline your course structure, add
some creative touches, or both, this session will give you the tools to make your
course stand out. Register
Wednesday, July 22, 2:00pm - 3:00pm - Webinar
This workshop familiarizes attendees with Blackboard Learn’s Ultra Course View. eLearning
Services will demonstrate how instructors can navigate a UCV course, communicate with
students, add content, find and utilize Blackboard tools, and grade assignments. Register
August 2026
Tuesday, August 4, 10:30am - 11:30am - Webinar
This workshop is designed for Blackboard users who are familiar with the new Ultra
Course View but want a more intensive look at the UCV Gradebook. In this 60-minute
session, a consultant from eLearning Services will share best practices and tips &
tricks for setting up a Gradebook that works for you, present a live demonstration,
and answer questions.Register
Monday, August 10, 2:00pm - 3:00pm - Webinar
Why do you have a syllabus? Do your students even read the syllabus? In this session,
you will discuss the purpose of the syllabus and how it can support clear and organized
course design. You will identify USC-specific syllabus resources, including a template
and checklist, that can help communicate course expectations, policies, and student
responsibilities effectively.Register
Tuesday, August 11, 12:30pm - 1:30pm - Webinar
In this session, you will explore strategies for structuring your course for a strong
start and preparing students for success. You will examine content flow, pacing, and
alignment between outcomes and assessments to support a clear and organized learning
experience. Register
Tuesday, August 11, 2:00pm - 3:00pm - Webinar
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for course design that prioritizes
accessibility and anticipates learners’ needs. In this session, you will become familiar
with UDL as a tool for course preparation and explore resources for increasing the
accessibility of course materials and learning activities.Register
Wednesday, August 12, 11:00am - 12:00pm - Webinar
In this session, you will identify strategies for creating a strong start to the semester
through day one planning, early engagement, active learning, and connections to resources
that support student success.Register
Wednesday, August 12, 3:30pm - 4:30pm - Webinar
Active learning doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. In this session, you
will explore active learning activities that take around 15 minutes or less and begin
building an engagement toolkit that can support student participation and interaction.Register
Thursday, August 13, 9:00am - 10:00am - Webinar
This workshop familiarizes attendees with Blackboard Learn’s Ultra Course View. eLearning
Services will demonstrate how instructors can navigate a UCV course, communicate with
students, add content, find and utilize Blackboard tools, and grade assignments. Register
Thursday, August 13, 10:30am - 11:30am - Webinar
This workshop is designed for Blackboard users who are familiar with the new Ultra
Course View but want a more intensive look at the UCV Gradebook. In this 60-minute
session, a consultant from eLearning Services will share best practices and tips &
tricks for setting up a Gradebook that works for you, present a live demonstration,
and answer questions.Register
Thursday, August 13, 1:00pm - 2:00pm - Webinar
In this session you'll learn how to transform your Blackboard Learn Ultra course from
ordinary to extraordinary! Discover how best to organize your content to make your
course visually engaging and user-friendly and then take it a step further with customization
to add some pizazz. Whether you're looking to streamline your course structure, add
some creative touches, or both, this session will give you the tools to make your
course stand out. Register
Thursday, August 13, 2:30pm - 4:00pm - Webinar
This comprehensive 90-minute workshop introduces educators to using both Panopto and
Zoom within Blackboard Learn to create engaging, effective online learning experiences.
Participants will learn how to create and manage video content with Panopto, integrate
recordings seamlessly into their courses, and leverage Zoom for live virtual sessions.
The session will also cover scheduling and managing Zoom meetings, handling recordings,
and organizing video content for easy student access. Whether you are new to these
tools or looking to streamline your workflow, this training provides practical strategies
to enhance teaching and learning with integrated video and web conferencing solutions.Register
Friday, August 14, 9:00am - 9:40am - Webinar
In this workshop, you will learn how to enhance your courses in Blackboard's Ultra
Course View. This session will guide you through setting accommodations for students,
making your content more accessible, and applying universal design best practices.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll be equipped with practical strategies to create
a more inclusive and effective learning environment for all students. Don't miss this
opportunity to make your courses better for everyone! Register
Friday, August 14, 12:30pm - 1:30pm - Webinar
This workshop familiarizes attendees with Blackboard Learn’s Ultra Course View. eLearning
Services will demonstrate how instructors can navigate a UCV course, communicate with
students, add content, find and utilize Blackboard tools, and grade assignments. Register
Friday, August 14, 2:00pm - 3:00pm - Webinar
iClicker Cloud is a mobile-optimized engagement platform designed to facilitate student,
educator, and institutional collaboration. iClicker Cloud includes both synchronous
and asynchronous options including polling, quizzing, and assignments. Integrated
right into Blackboard, iClicker can help instructors increase attendance and participation,
provide instant feedback and identify misconceptions in real time, regardless of class
size or the delivery method.Register
Monday, August 17, 11:00am - 12:00pm - Webinar
Did you know that there is a science behind learning names? Names are an important
part of identity and key to?establishing?rapport as you build your learning communities.
Facilitating learning names by everyone in your class increases a sense of belonging
and enhances opportunities for engagement. In this session, you will reflect on personal
and global naming conventions,?identify?cognitive challenges with learning names,
prioritize learning names as a pedagogy of care, and apply science of names to classroom
practices? Register
Monday, August 17, 5:30pm - 7:00pm - Virtual
Adjunct Faculty Orientation provides practical guidance and just-in-time resources
to support teaching at USC. Participants will learn about instructional technologies,
teaching support services, course preparation strategies, and campus resources available
to both instructors and students. Register
Wednesday, August 19, 11:00am - 12:00pm - Webinar
CTE is most useful as an ongoing relationship, not a service you call on only when
you are stuck. Faculty who connect with us early, before a specific need arises, get
the most out of what we offer: a sounding board for new ideas, a second set of eyes
on a course, a partner in trying something different. And when something more urgent
comes up, we are here for that too. This practical, interactive session introduces
what CTE actually does, including consultations, observations, programming, and course
design support, and helps participants find the right starting point for where they
are this semester. The session is built around participants' real questions and goals,
so everyone leaves with a concrete first step and a reason to come back. Register
Thursday, August 20, 11:00am - 12:00pm - Webinar
International students bring real strengths to a classroom: multilingual skill, cross-cultural
insight, and experience moving between very different academic systems. Yet even a
well-designed course can quietly work against them. Many courses rely on unspoken
rules about how to participate, how to write, and which English is “correct,” and
students often discover those rules only by breaking one. This highly interactive
workshop helps faculty see those hidden rules in their own teaching and make them
visible. Through short cases and shared problem-solving, participants leave with a
handful of concrete, low-effort changes that make a course easier to navigate for
international students. Register
Friday, August 21, 12:00pm - 1:00pm - Webinar
While teaching laboratory sections may appear to an outsider to simply involve monitoring
student activities, in reality they are multiple-hour classes that require numerous
instructional skills, including detailed planning, content mastery and presentation,
implementation of experiments, classroom management, troubleshooting, and interactive
student assessment. In this session, GTA/IAs will be given guidance on the preparation
and steps necessary for facilitating an engaging, learning-centered laboratory session
and how to keep students motivated. Tips on grading strategies for laboratory-style
assessments along with managing laboratory-specific issues will be discussed.Register
Monday, August 24, 11:15am - 11:45am - Webinar
Blackboard’s Ally tool simplifies the process of identifying and resolving accessibility
issues across a variety of file types. In this session, learn how to use Ally’s features
to check accessibility, fix issues, and improve your course materials.Register
Tuesday, August 25, 10:05am - 11:20am - In-Person
Are you equipped to provide accessible content that meets the needs of all your students?
Come prepared - with your laptop (if possible)-to gain hands-on experience of applying digital accessibility best practices during
this session.
This workshop will provide guidance for applying accessibility practices to your documents
appropriately and how to prevent potential barriers people experience due to disabilities.
An overview of disabilities and the challenges they cause will be provided including
types of assistive technologies (AT) that help alleviate those challenges.
Artificial intelligence (AI) will be touched on related to its part in developing
accessible content. Integrated automated accessibility checkers of Microsoft and Blackboard
platforms will also be covered. These automated tools can identify accessibility issues
and provide guidance to resolve them.
Attend with curiosity to help lead toward innovative and inclusive content design
strategies. Leave with a strong sense of applying accessibility best practices that
opens the path of better experiences for all your students. It is strongly advised
that you bring a laptop or tablet to follow along with the presentation. Register
Tuesday, August 25, 1:00pm - 2:30pm - Webinar
The Generative Artificial Intelligence Community of Practice (GenAI CoP) at the University
of South Carolina is a collaborative initiative designed to explore and discuss the
implications of GenAI in higher education. This community brings together faculty,
staff, and graduate students to share insights, strategies, and experiences related
to the integration of GenAI across administration, research, teaching, and learning.Register
Wednesday, August 26, 11:00am - 12:00pm - Webinar
Bias doesn't announce itself. It surfaces in an offhand comment, a casually chosen
example, the student whose hand you don't see or feedback that lands differently than
intended. But bias doesn't operate in isolation, it's amplified or interrupted by
power dynamics: who holds authority, whose knowledge is centered and how participation
is structured. Interrupting Bias in the Classroom is a highly interactive, practice-focused
workshop that moves beyond awareness into action. We treat participants as practitioners
refining a difficult skill, noticing bias and the power structures that enable it
in real time, then respond in ways that preserve learning and relationships.Register
Wednesday, August 26, 12:00pm - 1:00pm - Webinar
Having a successful, positive experience during a graduate teaching or instructional
assistantship (GTA/IA) is a shared responsibility, including both the faculty member
supervisor and the graduate student. While the faculty member/supervisor takes primary
responsibility for guidance through the requirements of the GTA’s role, the GTA also
needs to be proactive and involved. GTA supervision can take many forms depending
on a variety of factors, and both the supervisor and GTA should follow key guidelines
of good supervisory implementation and practice.
Join this webinar to learn the recommended guidelines and best practices, including
how to ensure effective and respectful communication, develop realistic timelines
and expectations, and navigate problematic situations through a scenario-based discussion
approach. Be proactive so that you ensure your graduate teaching assistantship is
positive, successful, and provides you with a professional development opportunity
that benefits you in all aspects of your graduate career.Register
Thursday, August 27, 10:05am - 11:20am - Webinar
Clearly articulating classroom expectations helps to set the foundation for a mutually
beneficial course. Research shows that persistence and retention is connected to student's
sense of belonging. Furthermore, students who engage in quality interactions with
faculty are retained at a higher rate (Astin 1977, 1993). As a faculty member, it
is important to assist in developing this sense of belonging and aid in student's
persistence and retention. This session will cover pedagogical strategies and ways
to negotiate positive norms within your classroom to assist you in developing a meaningful
academic environment.
Meet academic leaders, connect with fellow faculty, and gain practical tools for success
at USC. Register
Monday, August 31, 2:20pm - 2:50pm - Webinar
All course materials hosted on USC platforms, including Blackboard, must be digitally
accessible. This session focuses on Microsoft Word and covers how to use heading styles,
the accessibility checker, and other tools to create accessible syllabi, assignments,
and handouts. Register
September 2026
Tuesday, September 1, 11:40am - 12:55pm - In-Person
During their time at USC, our undergraduate students enroll in courses, participate
in cocurricular engagements, hold down jobs while preparing themselves for their future
careers, engage with the community, and manage their own personal challenges (AAC&U/Carnegie
Foundation, 2004), but how do they make sense of these varied experiences and realize
how they all interconnect? Integrative learning provides students with strategies
to make connections between these within and beyond the classroom activities to help
them apply their skills to new and complex problems and challenges.
This presentation explores teaching strategies and philosophies that encourage students
to engage in activities beyond the classroom and then have students relate those experiences
to their courses and curriculum. We will review current research and practices on
integrative and experiential learning and how the Center for Integrative and Experiential
Learning supports IL and EL, including the impactful role of our Quality Enhancement
Plan, Experience by Design. Participants will discuss strategies for encouraging students
to reflect and make interdisciplinary connections between their experiences within
and beyond the classroom to promote creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving.
Active Learning doesn't have to be difficult or time-consuming. Start creating your
own engagement toolkit with this selection of active learning activities that take
around 15 minutes or less. Whether you're in a large or small room, have 20 or 200 students, need group work
or solo reflection, we have something you can modify to suit your needs.Register
Wednesday, September 2, 9:40am - 10:30am - Webinar
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming an integral part of our world. However,
it's crucial to understand that AI complements human innovation and creativity rather
than replacing it. In this webinar, we'll explore how Generative Artificial Intelligence
(GenAI) can empower learners and educators alike, fostering responsible and innovative
use across disciplines.Register
Wednesday, September 2, 12:00pm - 12:50pm - Webinar
The Active Learning & Technology Community of Practice (AL&T CoP) welcomes faculty, staff, and graduate students interested in engaging tools and technological
innovation for more interactive teaching and learning. The community explores the
integration of software and hardware for both in-person and online classrooms, focusing
on new platforms, best practices, and effective student engagement.
The AL&T CoP provides opportunities to:
Attend presentations on innovative experiences and share your own projects and research.
Brainstorm with peers who are effectively integrating new hardware and software to
increase student engagement.
Collaborate with members from diverse departments.
Get involved in active learning events on campus through learning and volunteer opportunities.
Register
Thursday, September 3, 10:05am - 10:35am - Webinar
PowerPoint presentations can powerfully support student learning when designed accessibly.
This session explores key accessibility practices such as reading order, alternative
text, and slide structure to ensure every student can engage with your visual content.Register
Thursday, September 3, 1:15pm - 2:30pm - In-Person
How can we excel at supporting all graduate and professional students at USC? This
interactive presentation explores this question through a look at the needs and experiences
of this often, under-resourced population of students, from both a national and USC-specific
perspective. Through facilitated discussion, participants will learn about key challenges
to graduate student academic and career success and how to translate skills to the
labor market as well as academia and explore resources and recommendations for fostering
a culture of support in the classroom and beyond.
Creating an environment of integrity within the classroom truly takes a village. Faculty,
administrators, and students all play a role in maintaining an ethical campus community.
This workshop will explore preventative tools to address classroom roadblocks.
You've got your mind set on active learning strategies, but how do you bring them
to scale without overwhelming yourself or your students? Maybe you want to do 'something'
active in your big class, or to adapt a technique you're using with a smaller class,
but need support with the logistics.
Join us for an overview of effective, evidence-based active learning strategies that
are manageable in larger classes - whether for you that means 30 or 300..Register
Wednesday, September 9, 10:05am - 10:35am - Webinar
PDFs are one of the most common file types shared across courses and websites, but
they can also be one of the least accessible if not properly designed. This micro-workshop
explores how to create and remediate accessible PDFs, whether you’re exporting from
Word, PowerPoint, or scanning existing materials. Learn how to check PDFs for accessibility
as well as resources to address the most common errors.Register
Wednesday, September 9, 2:20pm - 3:10pm - In-Person
The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) community of practice provides an intentional
space for discussion regarding accessibility in teaching and learning at the university.
Faculty, staff, and students are invited to join. Register
Thursday, September 10, 2:50pm - 4:05pm - Webinar
How can we foster meaningful engagement in the online classroom? This interactive
virtual workshop explores practical active-learning strategies for both synchronous
and asynchronous courses. Participants will experience approaches that encourage collaboration,
participation, and deeper learning, from simple discussion and case-study activities
to more structured models such as team-based learning. Register
Friday, September 11, 12:00pm - 1:00pm - Webinar
Assessing your course is crucial to gathering valuable feedback on how effectively
your teaching methods are working and making adjustments to improve the overall learning
experience for your students. A course assessment should go beyond end-of-semester
student evaluations by obtaining meaningful, actionable input from students regarding
their experience in your class, their needs, and perceptions. There are many ways
to collect feedback from your students; the best method depends on your objectives
and the kind of information you want. In this webinar, we will explore a variety of
techniques, such as midterm feedback for obtaining this kind of formative whole-course
feedback, how to identify areas of improvement, what to ask your students, when and
how to collect feedback, and how to interpret and respond to that feedback so you
can improve your course for all involved. Register
Monday, September 14, 11:00am - 11:30am - Webinar
Learn how the Quality Standards for Online Courses (QSOC) guide the Provost’s Online
Course Quality Review Initiative and support student success in online learning environments.
This webinar provides an overview of the standards and highlights practical considerations
for course development, communication, engagement, accessibility, and online course
delivery. Register
Monday, September 14, 12:00pm - 12:50pm - Webinar
Discover the potential of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to support your
teaching and enhance student learning. This session explores practical strategies
for experimenting with GenAI tools, such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot.
Examine how foundational prompt-writing techniques and hands-on exploration can build
your AI literacy and inform the teaching and learning content you design.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
Define Generative Artificial Intelligence and prompt writing in accessible, practical
terms.
Explore four GenAI tools—ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot—to compare capabilities
and uses relevant to teaching and student learning.
Apply basic prompt-writing strategies to experiment with GenAI and generate outputs
that could support student learning or instructional tasks.
Identify opportunities for meaningful integration of GenAI into teaching and learning—such
as explanations, examples, feedback, question generation, or activity design.
Tuesday, September 15, 10:05am - 11:20am - In-Person
This interactive session will examine what students truly want from faculty inside
and outside the classroom. Using research and student voices, participants will explore
themes such as supportive teaching, sense of belonging, communication, approachability,
and engaging pedagogy. Attendees will reflect on their own teaching practices while
gaining practical strategies for building stronger connections with students and fostering
environments that support learning, persistence, and student success. Register
Tuesday, September 15, 1:15pm - 2:30pm - In-Person
Through Recovery Ally workshops, Gamecock Recovery strives to empower students, faculty
and staff to make campus more supportive of students in recovery from substance use
disorder. Learn to: confront myths and stigma about substance use disorder; use and
model acts of allyship in everyday interactions; and identify, access, and direct
people to recovery resources at USC.
The Recovery Ally workshop is presented in a flipped-classroom model that includes
a self-paced video module as prework (estimated 20 minutes) and an in-person session.
Please review the recorded content prior to your workshop session.
Wednesday, September 16, 1:10pm - 1:40pm - Webinar
Captioning and transcripts make video content more engaging, flexible, and accessible.
Learn how to use USC’s supported video platform, Panopto, to easily add and manage
captions for lectures and other recorded materials. Register
Thursday, September 17, 10:05am - 11:20am - In-Person
As part of the Compassionate Carolina initiative, this workshop helps faculty and
teaching assistants build classrooms grounded in care, connection, and courage. Participants
will learn how trauma impacts student learning and behavior, and explore practical,
trauma-informed strategies to promote psychological safety, inclusion, and resilience—for
both students and themselves.
How do we view our students? How can you harness their strengths and abilities to
succeed? In this session, we will recognize how the lenses that we view students through
form a hidden curriculum of expectations and how we can shift to leveraging the strengths
of all students. We will apply strategies for creating more equitable teaching to
enhance our teaching practices and empower students.Register
Tuesday, September 22, 10:05am - 11:20am - In-Person
Join our series to learn more about the importance of collaborating with the University
Libraries’ Special Collections to transform student research. This session will introduce
practical strategies for identifying, selecting, and scaffolding primary materials
across disciplines. Attendees will explore assignment design techniques that support
critical thinking, source evaluation, and original interpretation. This hybrid series
offers adaptable approaches to deepen student engagement and elevate research outcomes.
The Generative Artificial Intelligence Community of Practice (GenAI CoP) at the University
of South Carolina is a collaborative initiative designed to explore and discuss the
implications of GenAI in higher education. This community brings together faculty,
staff, and graduate students to share insights, strategies, and experiences related
to the integration of GenAI across administration, research, teaching, and learning.Register
Thursday, September 24, 10:05am - 11:20am - In-Person
This workshop is designed to explore the student experiences of junior and senior
year students utilizing insights gleaned from USC data, as well as national literature
on these topics. Given the significant emphasis placed on the later years of undergraduate
college students, particularly related to their career readiness and planning, participation
in high-impact practices and experiential learning opportunities, and preparing to
successfully launch into the next life chapters, this session will highlight ways
that faculty and staff can support upperclassmen students during this significant
stage of their academic careers.
Thursday, September 24, 11:40am - 12:55pm - In-Person
As part of the Compassionate Carolina initiative, this workshop helps faculty and
teaching assistants build classrooms grounded in care, connection, and courage. Participants
will learn how trauma impacts student learning and behavior, and explore practical,
trauma-informed strategies to promote psychological safety, inclusion, and resilience—for
both students and themselves.
When you inherit a course, you also inherit someone else's decisions. A syllabus,
a set of materials, an assessment plan, all built on reasoning you cannot fully see.
Some of it is genuinely good. Some of it no longer fits the students, the field, or
you. The hard part is telling the difference. This hands-on workshop gives participants
a clear process for reviewing an inherited course and deciding what to keep, what
to change, and what to remove. Participants work with their own inherited course during
the session, so they leave with the start of a real revision plan.Register
Tuesday, September 29, 11:40am - 12:55pm - In-Person
This session will primarily focus on transfer and sophomore college year experiences,
with some additional emphasis on junior year students. With the recent launch of Carolina
Experience in 2024, a heightened emphasis is placed on continuity across the entirety
of USC student experiences through increased sense of belonging and career readiness.
To help in these endeavors, longitudinal qualitative and quantitative data collected
from the Student Success Center has been instrumental in better understanding these
target populations.
What are the experiences of transfer and sophomore college students? What are the
biggest challenges they face and what do they most look forward to? How does this
align with the national research on these populations? And most importantly- how can
this scholarly literature, theoretical context, and localized data be used to support
the overall USC student experience at USC and in support of engagement, including
experiential learning, and career readiness?
We will go over the assessment findings and what specialized resources are already
in place at USC to support these populations, as well as provide recommendations for
instructors and course-based activities utilizing evidence-based approaches. Finally,
we will wrap up this session with group discussion on suggestions to further support
the target populations through the Carolina Experience, including additional ways
for campus stakeholders to get involved.
Tuesday, September 29, 1:15pm - 2:30pm - In-Person
Join our series to learn more about the importance of collaborating with the University
Libraries’ Special Collections to transform student research. This session will introduce
practical strategies for identifying, selecting, and scaffolding primary materials
across disciplines. Attendees will explore assignment design techniques that support
critical thinking, source evaluation, and original interpretation. This hybrid series
offers adaptable approaches to deepen student engagement and elevate research outcomes.
Wednesday, September 30, 12:00pm - 12:50pm - Webinar
Examine how Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) can enhance the clarity, accessibility,
and engagement of your course materials. This session explores practical strategies
for using GenAI tools—such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot—to support course
content creation and strengthen course design. Examine how GenAI aligns with Universal
Design for Learning (UDL) principles to promote flexibility, inclusivity, and deeper
learning experiences.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
Apply effective prompt-writing strategies to create or refine course content that
aligns with desired learning outcomes.
Use Generative AI tools to generate clear, engaging, and accessible content that supports
student learning.
Integrate UDL principles—including engagement, representation, and action/expression—to
design flexible and inclusive learning experiences.
Identify responsible and transparent practices for using GenAI in course content creation
and design.
Wednesday, September 30, 2:20pm - 3:10pm - Webinar
How do you conceptualize learning? How do you guide your students toward integrating
new knowledge and skills into their existing ideas and abilities? In this session,
you will review key principles of cognitive constructivism, social constructivism,
and connectivism and strategies to apply them to our teaching to enhance student learning.
You will then reflect on how these strategies could affect your students’ learning
experience and how you might apply them to your own teaching practices. Register
October 2026
Thursday, October 1, 11:40am - 12:55pm - Webinar
Are your students sometimes mystified by their grades, or perhaps lacking motivation
to take ownership of their learning? Have you ever wanted to help your students become
more effective learners? Today’s students come to college with widely varying academic
skills, unaware of the study skills needed to meet college-level expectations for
learning.
Metacognition is the practice of “thinking about thinking”: the awareness and ability
of learners to identify their cognitive processes and make changes to their learning
behaviors (Lovett, 2008). Promoting metacognition can increase students' understanding
of how learning works, teaching students how to understand what caused their successes
or failures and direct their own learning (Brownlee, Purdie, & Boulton-Lewis, 2001).
This webinar will go beyond the basics of metacognition and explore how to use metacognitive
techniques to help students monitor and regulate their own learning, providing you
with concrete strategies and adaptive instructional materials for incorporating into
your course. Register
Friday, October 2, 12:00pm - 12:50pm - In-Person
Think back to the most influential teacher or professor you have ever had. Chances
are, what you remember most is not their PowerPoint slides, lecture notes, or exam
questions. You remember how they made you feel, the experiences they created, the
questions they challenged you to answer, and the moments that transformed information
into understanding. Why do some of these learning experiences stay with us for years
while others are forgotten by the end of the semester? The answer may lie not in what
students hear, but in what they do. Experiential Learning Theory suggests that meaningful
learning occurs when students actively engage with ideas through experience, reflection,
and application. Yet many instructors struggle with how to move beyond traditional
lectures without sacrificing course content or rigor. The good news is that experiential
learning does not require a complete course redesign. Small, intentional changes can
create opportunities for deeper engagement, critical thinking, and lasting learning.
In this interactive workshop, participants will use an experiential learning framework,
the Design Challenge, to redesign a component of their course to include an experiential
learning element. Through reflection, hands-on activities, and peer discussion of
practical implementation for their discipline and instructional modality, attendees
will leave with evidence-based approaches for creating learning experiences that students
remember long after the course has ended.
Learn how the Quality Standards for Online Courses (QSOC) guide the Provost’s Online
Course Quality Review Initiative and support student success in online learning environments.
This webinar provides an overview of the standards and highlights practical considerations
for course development, communication, engagement, accessibility, and online course
delivery. Register
Wednesday, October 7, 10:05am - 11:20am - Webinar
In this session we will discuss the academic misconduct trends we are seeing online
and in person with our students. Additionally, we will discuss how to identify and
address these common violations while maintaining a productive instructor/student
relationship.
The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) community of practice provides an intentional
space for discussion regarding accessibility in teaching and learning at the university.
Faculty, staff, and students are invited to join.Register
Thursday, October 8, 11:40am - 12:55pm - In-Person
Utilizing integrative learning principles, the presenters will share examples of how
high impact practice (HIP) characteristics are incorporated across different disciplines
and identify classroom assessment techniques (CATs) that can be applied across a variety
of academic settings. Participants will have opportunities to share examples of reflection
and integrative learning principles in the design of assignments and appropriate assessment
methods for their classroom.
Many students find it increasingly difficult to afford course materials and faculty
can feel at a loss for how to find and incorporate free, copyright-compliant materials
into their courses. Educators may also be interested in knowing how these resources
can be used creatively for more interactive learning sessions. We are here to help!
This workshop will not only discuss how to adopt OER resources for your course with
the library's assistance, but also to encourage you and your students to create and
license OER resources for others to use in their courses. These ideas are perfect
for individual or group projects that allow learners to test and use the course materials
to show their knowledge retention. Register
Monday, October 12, 1:10pm - 2:00pm - Webinar
Explore how Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) can support the design of interactive,
student-centered learning activities. This session explores practical strategies for
using GenAI tools—such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot—to design discussions,
case studies, and simulations that enhance engagement and deepen learning. Examine
how prompt-writing techniques and intentional use of GenAI can strengthen active learning,
promote critical thinking, and create more meaningful learning experiences for your
students.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
Apply prompt-writing strategies to generate or adapt active learning activities that
support engagement and student learning.
Design interactive learning experiences—such as discussions, case studies, and simulations—that
leverage GenAI to enhance participation and collaboration.
Evaluate GenAI-generated activities to determine alignment with learning outcomes
and opportunities for refinement.
Identify ways to integrate GenAI intentionally into learning activities to promote
deeper understanding, creativity, and reflection.
Through Recovery Ally workshops, Gamecock Recovery strives to empower students, faculty
and staff to make campus more supportive of students in recovery from substance use
disorder. Learn to: confront myths and stigma about substance use disorder; use and
model acts of allyship in everyday interactions; and identify, access, and direct
people to recovery resources at USC.
The Recovery Ally workshop is presented in a flipped-classroom model that includes
a self-paced video module as prework (estimated 20 minutes) and an in-person session.
Please review the recorded content prior to your workshop session.
Wednesday, October 14, 12:00pm - 12:50pm - Webinar
The Active Learning & Technology Community of Practice (AL&T CoP) welcomes faculty, staff, and graduate students interested in engaging tools and technological
innovation for more interactive teaching and learning. The community explores the
integration of software and hardware for both in-person and online classrooms, focusing
on new platforms, best practices, and effective student engagement.
The AL&T CoP provides opportunities to:
Attend presentations on innovative experiences and share your own projects and research.
Brainstorm with peers who are effectively integrating new hardware and software to
increase student engagement.
Collaborate with members from diverse departments.
Get involved in active learning events on campus through learning and volunteer opportunities
Register
Monday, October 19, 1:10pm - 2:00pm - Webinar
Do you want to learn techniques for involving your learners in your course? In this
session, you will discuss strategies for active learning and student engagement that
will help advance learning for everyone, such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
You will engage with small teaching strategies to design learning activities that
can enhance engagement as soon as your next class!Register
Tuesday, October 20, 11:40am - 12:55pm - In-Person
Learn to question your assumptions about what students know and explicitly identify
the knowledge and skills you want them to acquire when completing library research
assignments. In this session, participants will explore common challenges students
face when conducting library research and identify best practices for designing assignments
that require or encourage the use of library resources. Participants will also have
the opportunity to learn about ways in which faculty can partner with librarians to
support student success. By creating research assignments with specific learning outcomes
that are clear to your students, you can improve the experience for everyone involved.
We all hear the importance of active learning and group work, but how do we grade
group projects and participation in a way that seems fair and simple to us while also
feeling fair to students? Should we give one grade for all, have them self-grade,
use attendance, or keep checklists of who talks? In this webinar, we will discuss
best practices for assessing student learning in project, discussion, or active learning
situations.Register
Friday, October 23, 8:15am - 3:15pm - In-Person
The 17th Annual Oktoberbest Symposium celebrates teaching success at USC, actively
engages attendees in professional development sessions that enhance innovative teaching
practices, and establishes and fosters meaningful connections. The Oktoberbest agenda
features engaging sessions, led by your USC colleagues, on innovative approaches to
teaching, assessments, course design, and creative student learning opportunities.
Oktoberbest is free to all who teach or support teaching at USC, but is not open to
the general public.Register
Tuesday, October 27, 11:40am - 12:55pm - Webinar
A teaching philosophy statement provides a concise description of an instructor’s
teaching approach, methods, and experience. Colleges and universities request a teaching
philosophy statement from applicants for faculty positions, and this document is an
important part of your application package.
What is your teaching philosophy? What should you write or include? What if you have
limited teaching experience? This webinar will help you begin to articulate your teaching
and learning philosophy through reflecting on your own values and experiences in different
instructional settings. We will discuss the statement’s purpose, different aspects
of your teaching experiences that should be included, and best practices and strategies
for composing the statement.
This is a working webinar, requiring that you do some reflective writing in advance,
so that the webinar itself can include individual writing, group discussion, and feedback.
Participants will leave with an outline of their statement, written components, and
guidance to continue crafting it. Register
Tuesday, October 27, 1:00pm - 2:30pm - Webinar
Join us for a virtual session exploring how Generative AI tools can support research
workflows and academic writing. We will highlight practical strategies for building
a GenAI research toolbox, including brainstorming, literature discovery, data analysis,
and drafting, while emphasizing responsible and ethical use. Participants will also
learn about support available through Digital Research Services and engage in a guided
discussion about how AI is shaping scholarly work across disciplines. Register
Wednesday, October 28, 1:10pm - 2:00pm - Webinar
Assessments just got a major upgrade! This webinar explores how Generative Artificial
Intelligence can transform your assessments from rote memorization exercises to engaging
experiences that promote deeper learning. Discover how to generate assessments that
align with your course learning outcomes to foster creativity, critical thinking,
and personalized learning experiences.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
Differentiate between traditional assessment methods and generative AI-powered assessments.
Apply prompt writing in the context of assessments.
Design effective assessments that measure student mastery and promote meaningful learning
outcomes.
Do you have a desire to help your learners become more motivated to do well and persist
through challenges? Join us to learn how to leverage motivation and emotion to create
positive, engaging learning environments. You will analyze motivational theories and
strategies to determine what might be able to best help your learners in your context.
Register
Thursday, November 5, 10:05am - 11:20am - Webinar
Engaging in conflict is challenging whether you are an experienced instructor or new
to your role. A common strategy is to ignore the behavior due to our own discomfort,
concern over retaliation or fear that our intervention may cause more harm or disruption.
We will identify what our fears are about classroom disruption and use case study
examples to practice strategies to stretch participants' comfort zones. This workshop
will also explore Gerald Amada's research from Coping with Misconduct in the College
Classroom and provide participants with tangible strategies to prevent and respectfully
address disruptive behavior.
Over 20% of USC students identify as first-generation (first-gen). With the launch
of the First-Generation Center and First-Generation Living and Learning Community
in fall 2024, a heightened emphasis has been placed on first-generation student success.
This interactive session will present both national and USC-specific data, along with
effective strategies and best practices for supporting first-generation students.
Enjoy a lively discussion with colleagues and students.
Tuesday, November 10, 10:05am - 11:20am - In-Person
Through Recovery Ally workshops, Gamecock Recovery strives to empower students, faculty
and staff to make campus more supportive of students in recovery from substance use
disorder. Learn to: confront myths and stigma about substance use disorder; use and
model acts of allyship in everyday interactions; and identify, access, and direct
people to recovery resources at USC.
The Recovery Ally workshop is presented in a flipped-classroom model that includes
a self-paced video module as prework (estimated 20 minutes) and an in-person session.
Please review the recorded content prior to your workshop session.
In this introductory workshop, participants will learn how publishing models affect
students’ abilities to access affordable course materials and how libraries can acquire
learning resources for the classroom. Workshop facilitators will demonstrate how to
use the library to provide affordable and equitable access to course materials through
e-reserves, purchasing, video streaming, and open educational resources.
Wednesday, November 11, 12:00pm - 12:050pm - Webinar
The Active Learning & Technology Community of Practice (AL&T CoP) welcomes faculty, staff, and graduate students interested in engaging tools and technological
innovation for more interactive teaching and learning. The community explores the
integration of software and hardware for both in-person and online classrooms, focusing
on new platforms, best practices, and effective student engagement.
The AL&T CoP provides opportunities to:
Attend presentations on innovative experiences and share your own projects and research.
Brainstorm with peers who are effectively integrating new hardware and software to
increase student engagement.
Collaborate with members from diverse departments.
Get involved in active learning events on campus through learning and volunteer opportunities.
Register
Wednesday, November 11, 2:20pm - 3:10pm - In-Person
The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) community of practice provides an intentional
space for discussion regarding accessibility in teaching and learning at the university.
Faculty, staff, and students are invited to join. Register
Thursday, November 12, 11:40am - 12:55pm - Webinar
A teaching philosophy statement provides a concise description of an instructor's
perspective on teaching, student learning, methodologies, and implementation, and
institutions typically request a teaching philosophy statement from applicants for
faculty positions and as part of the tenure and promotion process.
What, then, is your teaching philosophy? What aspects should you reflect upon, write,
or include? And importantly, how has the writing of this document changed as a result
of ChatGPT, both in your perspective on this fundamental shift in higher education
as well as document construction assistance? This will be a working webinar, where
we will discuss strategies for composing the statement, incorporating time for personalized
theme development, and tips for using ChatGPT prompts in writing it. Participants
will leave with a thematic outline and components of their statement, and guidelines
to continue crafting it.
NOTE: For you and other participants to benefit the most in the time available, this
webinar requires that you do some reflective writing in advance of the session.
As Generative AI becomes more integrated into higher education, it raises important
questions about how thinking, learning, and work are changing. This session explores
how AI may reshape cognitive effort, reasoning, and independence across teaching,
research, and student support. Register
Thursday, November 19, 2:50pm - 4:05pm - Webinar
Many educators think of games in the classroom as busy work or merely fun activities
to catch students' attention, but game-based learning is a researched and valuable
aspect of active learning that can expand students' abilities to engage in critical
thinking about your course content. In this workshop, we will discuss various gaming
strategies to understand how, when used thoughtfully, serious play can increase student
retention of materials. Register