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 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
Tuesday, July 22, 1:00pm - 2:00pm - Webinar
Panopto is an all-in-one video management platform built into Blackboard Learn. In
this session, attendees will learn how to create and manage video learning content
in Panopto that can be easily integrated into Blackboard courses.Register
Thursday, July 24, 10:00am - 11:00am - Webinar
In this interactive virtual workshop, instructors will learn how to create rubrics
from scratch and explore how to streamline the process using Blackboard's AI Design
Assistant. Participants will discover best practices for rubric design that support
clear expectations, consistent grading, and meaningful feedback. We will also cover
how to associate rubrics with assessments and use them effectively while grading student
work. By the end of the session, instructors will be able to build custom rubrics,
apply AI-generated templates, and confidently use rubrics to evaluate assessments
and discussions.Register
August 2025
Friday, August 15, 10:00am - 11:30am - Webinar
Stay ahead of the curve with our Blackboard Ultra Roadmap Session. This session will
provide faculty with an overview of upcoming features, enhancements, and updates in
Blackboard Ultra. Learn about the latest developments and how they can benefit your
teaching and learning experience. This is a great opportunity to ask questions, provide
feedback, and gain insights into the future direction of Blackboard Ultra. Join us
to stay informed and make the most of the evolving capabilities of this powerful learning
management system!Register
Friday, August 15, 12:30pm - 1:15pm - 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 15, 1:30pm - 2:15pm - Webinar
Unleash the full potential of assessments in Blackboard Ultra Course View with this
virtual workshop designed for faculty members. Explore how to create engaging and
effective assignments and tests that not only evaluate student learning but also enhance
their experience. We’ll cover the essentials of setting up assignments and tests and
incorporate engaging and creative elements to add that extra flair. By the end of
this one-hour session, you will be better equipped to take the assessments in your
course to the next level. Register
Friday, August 15, 2:30pm - 3:30pm - 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
Friday, August 15, 3:45pm - 5:00pm - Webinar
Join us for a hands-on workshop exploring how Zoom and Panopto integrate seamlessly
with Blackboard to support teaching and learning. We’ll cover how to schedule and
manage Zoom meetings directly within your course, as well as how to use Panopto for
recording, storing, and sharing video content with students. Participants will learn
practical tips for using both tools to enhance engagement and accessibility. Whether
you’re new to these platforms or looking to streamline your workflow, this session
will help you make the most of your Zoom and Panopto integrations.Register
This virtual orientation is designed to provide new adjunct faculty with essential
information and resources to ensure a smooth transition into their new role.Learn More
Thursday, August 21, 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.
This workshop, the first in the series, will provide participants the opportunity
to establish the group dynamics essential to successfully developing mentorship ability.
Participants will have the opportunity to develop their own philosophy of mentoring
as a part of the program and prepare for upcoming workshops within the Entering Mentoring
sequence.
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 29, 9:30am - 11:00am - In-Person
The Career Champions training educates and empowers campus faculty and staff on best
practices to have career conversations with students. Career Champions Module 1 serves
as a foundation, reviewing career development, our roles in a career ecosystem, and
resources.
The learning outcomes for Level 1 are as follows:
Gain a basic knowledge of the career development theories, career decision making
process and employability.
Gain a foundation of basic helping skills to best assist students with career planning
Learn how to assist students with goal setting regarding their career development
Learn how to make an effective referral to the Career Center
Learn the professional and ethical guidelines as outlined through the National Association
of Colleges & Employers (NACE)
Having a successful, positive experience during a graduate teaching assistantship
is a shared responsibility, including both the faculty member supervisor and the graduate
teaching assistant (GTA). While the faculty member/supervisor takes primary responsibility
for guidance through the requirements of GTA’s role, the GTA also needs to be pro-active
and involved.
Supervision can take many forms, depending on the faculty member’s personal supervision
style, the GTA’s academic and personal needs, the standards of the discipline, and
more. Regardless of style, both the supervisor and GTA should follow key guidelines
of good supervisory implementation and practice. On the part of the GTA, this includes
good communication with your supervisor, cooperative participation in the process,
developing with your supervisor realistic timelines and expectations for your role,
and handling any unanticipated or emerging problems with respect, understanding, and
integrity.
Join this webinar to learn the recommended guidelines and best practices including
how to ensure effective and respectful communication and how to navigate problematic
situations. 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
September 2025
Tuesday, September 2, 10:05am - 11:20am - Webinar
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.
Tuesday, September 2, 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.
The Virtual Environments Community of Practice is planning ways to integrate virtual
reality, augmented reality and mixed reality into teaching and learning environments
at USC. Meetings are open to faculty, staff and students.Register
Friday, September 5, 9:00am - 10:30am - In-Person
The Career Champions training educates and empowers campus faculty and staff on best
practices to have career conversations with students. Career Champions Module 1 serves
as a foundation, reviewing career development, our roles in a career ecosystem, and
resources.
The learning outcomes for Level 1 are as follows:
Gain a basic knowledge of the career development theories, career decision making
process and employability.
Gain a foundation of basic helping skills to best assist students with career planning
Learn how to assist students with goal setting regarding their career development
Learn how to make an effective referral to the Career Center
Learn the professional and ethical guidelines as outlined through the National Association
of Colleges & Employers (NACE)
The Career Champions program was created to educate and empower campus faculty and
staff on best practices to have career conversations with students. Level 2 Provides
engaging and enlightening information on how to engage students in conversations about
experiential education opportunities that align with their Career goals.
The learning outcomes for Level 2 are as follows:
Gain knowledge around experiential education
Identify different opportunities in the Career Center and beyond available for students
to gain experience
Identify ways to help students discover what opportunities they are interested in
and know where to find them
Gain knowledge in how to support students while they are involved in their experience
to make it more impactful
Articulate ways on how to encourage reflection during and after the experience
Identify ways on how to handle concerns that can arise while a student is participating
in an experiential education opportunity
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
Tuesday, September 9, 10:00am - 11:00am - Webinar
Curious about AI but not sure where to start? Join us for Easing into AI, a friendly,
hands-on introduction to the AI-powered tools built right into Blackboard Ultra. In
this session, we’ll explore how Blackboard’s AI Design Assistant and other smart features
can help streamline your workflow—while keeping you in control.
We’ll cover how to use AI to generate test questions, rubrics, learning modules, discussion
prompts, and more—all customizable to suit your teaching style and course goals. You’ll
learn how Blackboard’s AI tools are designed with instructor agency, transparency,
and security in mind: your content stays yours, and nothing is used to train external
AI systems.
Whether you're AI-curious or already dabbling, this session will equip you with practical
tips, reassuring guardrails, and a clear path forward. Come learn how AI can support
your teaching—not take it over. Register
Tuesday, September 9, 10:05am - 11:20am - in-Person
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.
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.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
Define Generative AI and explain how Generative AI works.
Recognize the level of familiarity high school students have with using Generative
AI.
Develop a lesson plan with Generative AI elements for student use.
Create clear expectations of Generative AI use in your classroom.
Wednesday, September 10, 10:00am - 11:15am - Webinar
Bias can surface in a classroom through a quick comment, an assignment example, or
even an unintended tone. This interactive session moves beyond abstract cultural awareness
into the practical work of recognizing and interrupting bias as it unfolds. We will
begin with a short, guided reflection that helps each of us notice how personal cultural
lenses may shape our teaching choices. Next, we examine research-based classroom vignettes
where bias shows up in discussion, group work, and feedback. Together, we will practice
two evidence-informed response moves:
Call in: inviting a student or colleague into a private, reflective dialogue
Call out: naming an exclusionary remark or action publicly while maintaining a climate
of respect
We will wrap up by creating concise bias interruption guidelines and restorative prompts
that can be woven into syllabi or lesson plans to rebuild trust and reaffirm shared
expectations.
Thursday, September 11, 10:05am - 11:20am - In-Person
Learn how Brittany N. Champion, MLS, uses the varied historical and contemporary collections
of South Carolina through library instruction to improve students’ primary source
literacy. This session is ideal for faculty across all disciplines who want to explore
how to broaden their students’ self-efficacy in research, resulting in stronger written
assignments, fostering the use of primary and secondary sources, and strengthening
connections with library professionals.
Engaging students with case studies, debates, and role-playing exercises doesn’t have
to be complicated, time-consuming, or require a detailed script. This webinar focuses
on the why and how of incorporating small-scale role-playing in your course, whether
online or face-to-face. For use across disciplines, exercise ideas will range from
five minute to two sessions and are geared to help students gain a sense of empathy
toward subject matter while promoting critical thinking. Register
Monday, September 15, 12:00pm - 12:50pm - Webinar
You'll feel more comfortable in the classroom when you understand how copyright applies
to course materials. Come explore how to use freely available, licensed, and copyrighted
materials in instruction and on Blackboard. We’ll discuss the practical applications
of fair use and other exceptions and limitations. Finally, we’ll examine how the library
can assist you with posting materials for your class.
Tuesday, September 16, 10:00am - 11:00am - Webinar
Blackboard’s inline grading feature just got a lot easier to use. New Box View has
been replaced with Blackboard Annotate. When you go to grade an assignment or a discussion
forum, you will see the new Blackboard Annotate feature. You will be able to draw
comments, make edit marks, type comments and more with this new feature. Participants
will learn about the many new options to provide meaningful feedback to your students.Register
Tuesday, September 16, 1:15pm - 2:30pm - In-Person
A key aspect of the mentor-mentee relationship is establishing a shared understanding
of its objectives. When challenges occur, they often stem from misunderstandings regarding
these expectations. Furthermore, as the mentee develops, the dynamics and expectations
of the relationship may shift, highlighting the need for regular communication and
adjustments from both mentors and mentees to ensure successful mentorship.
Wednesday, September 17, 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 18, 1:15pm - 2:30pm - In-Person
Ready to try something more active, relevant, and immersive for students than case
studies or discussions? Want to take engagement to the next level? Maybe you're a
multi-classing Wizard? This in-person workshop will discuss how several popular table-top
RPGs (role-playing games) can be adapted for the university classroom and deepen the
students' experience of your topic. Come prepared to test out a few and see how role
immersion sparks learning and fun. Dice will be provided because that is how CTE rolls!Register
Friday, September 19, 9:40am - 10:30am - Webinar
This session will cover the use of AI tools in teaching college-level courses. The
session aims to provide an overview of integrating AI to enhance educational experiences.
Topics include AI-generated presentations, in-class activities using ChatGPT and other
AI tools, advanced search and summarization tools, and creative branding exercises
with AI. This session is intended for educators interested in applying AI technology
to improve teaching methodologies. Register
Friday, September 19, 12:00pm - 1:00pm - Webinar
A common concern of many new instructors and teaching assistants regards the level
of appropriate interaction that is considered acceptable with respect to the instructor-student
relationship (“boundary dilemmas”, Aultman et al. 2009). Boundary dilemmas can arise
in aspects of communication, power dynamics, physical contact, relationships, and
others.
How can these dilemmas arise, and what can you do to prevent or alleviate the situation?
How do you maintain a professional boundary while still being viewed by your students
as helpful and accessible? What is considered an inappropriate interaction? These
questions and more will be discussed in this scenario-based workshop, in which participants
will review situations and then discuss the appropriate professional responses to
these scenarios. Register
Monday, September 22, 10:50am - 11:40am - Webinar
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.
Tuesday, September 23, 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.
Tuesday, September 23, 11:45am - 1:00pm - In-Person
Join us for a Mutual Expectations Discussion on exploring the topic “Experiential
Learning at Carolina” in our September session. This discussion will explore what
participants think about how to intentionally find the bridge between academic studies
and activities beyond the classroom. What exactly is experiential learning and what
can it look like for you? How can a faculty member help you find these connections?
Join this fun discussion with fellow students and faculty!
Free lunch is provided and RSVP required! Sponsored by the Carolina Experience, the
Center for Teaching Excellence, and the Center for Integrative and Experiential Learning.
Wednesday, September 24, 12:00pm - 12:50am - Webinar
The Resilience in the Classroom training is a 50-minute training that focuses on three
major components of resilience:
Self-compassion
Dealing with failure, and coping skills, and
How to incorporate these components into the classroom.
Resilience is associated with academic success and psychological well-being. This
session will help instructors identify how they can strengthen students' resilience
and help them adapt to change and hardships by integrating these core competencies
into their curriculum.
Wednesday, September 24, 1:10pm - 2:00pm - Webinar
Want to try new tech but just don't have the time to research the latest tools? This
session is all about Visual AI. From creating great prompts to thinking about copyright,
this will be an informative session. Come out of curiosity and leave with new ideas
and lesson plan ideas for adding innovation to your course. Have a special request?
Email Kristin Harrell for more information: kharrell@sc.edu. We're excited to help!
Register
Thursday, September 25, 10:00am - 11:15am - Webinar
This comprehensive training session is designed to help educators effectively use
Zoom and Blackboard together to enhance their online teaching experience. Whether
you are new to Zoom or looking to optimize your use of these tools, this training
covers everything you need to know. Participants will learn how to set up and use
Zoom and its features right from their Blackboard course; how to schedule and manage
Zoom meetings; how to manage recordings after your Zoom sessions, and more!Register
Thursday, September 25, 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.
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
Friday, September 26, 12:00pm - 1:00pm - Webinar
Active learning is a student-centered approach in which pre-planned activities are
used to engage the student as an active participant in their learning. Techniques
such as think-pair-share, one-minute paper, concept mapping, and others have been
shown to improve student learning, retention of material, and enhance student engagement
and success (Freeman et al 2014, Eddy & Hogan 2017). However, active learning strategies
can be difficult for instructors to implement because they require preparation and
skills in guiding and moderating the activity.
This workshop examines the three key student learning benchmarks integrated into active
learning techniques and outlines the planning system necessary to incorporate such
activities. Numerous examples from the facilitator’s own teaching will be provided
to illustrate these, and attendees will participate in several active learning techniques
applicable to a wide range of classroom settings. You will learn helpful tips on what
you can do, how to do it, and why active learning in the classroom is important to
student learning. Register
Tuesday, September 30, 10:05am - 11:20am - In-Person
This interactive session will explore the needs, demographics, and attitudes of today’s
first-year students, both nationally and locally. Through a facilitated discussion
and game show format, participants will learn more about the realities and needs of
students entering college in 2025.
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
Tuesday, September 30, 1:15pm - 2:30pm - Webinar
Are you curious about the potential of Generative Artificial Intelligence to transform
teaching and learning? In this webinar, we will explore the world of Generative AI,
a powerful technology that can generate text, translate languages, write different
creative content, and answer your questions with human-like responses. With prompt
writing, the art of crafting effective instructions for Generative AI, you will discover
how to write prompts that produce meaningful responses.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
Define and explain Generative Artificial Intelligence and prompt writing.
Explore four popular large language models, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Copilot
Identify the various ways Generative AI can enhance teaching and learning.
The Virtual Environments Community of Practice is planning ways to integrate virtual
reality, augmented reality and mixed reality into teaching and learning environments
at USC. Meetings are open to faculty, staff and students.Register
Wednesday, October 1, 2:00pm - 3:00pm - Webinar
Panopto is an all-in-one video management platform built into Blackboard Learn. In
this session, attendees will learn how to create and manage video learning content
in Panopto that can be easily integrated into Blackboard courses.Register
Wednesday, October 1, 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
Thursday, October 2, 11:40am - 12:55pm - Webinar
The responsibilities of all educators typically include grading student work. Yet
ensuring that grading is both objective and efficient involves specific strategies
and reflection on important considerations in advance, including aspects of which
one may not be aware. Educators at any level need to define what their “grading philosophy”
is for the course, and use practices, strategies, and techniques best suited for the
specifics of the course and the purpose of the assessment itself. Grading should be
viewed and valued as a method for providing constructive feedback to students, with
feedback types differing depending on the assessment type. How to develop your grading
philosophy, incorporate relevant techniques while grading different types of assessment
styles, and provide effective feedback will be discussed in this workshop. Register
Thursday, October 2, 1:15pm - 2:30pm - 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.
Learning Outcome
Gain insight into challenges people with disabilities can experience with digital
content.
Increase awareness of assistive technologies that students may utilize.
Expand your understanding of digital accessibility, why it matters, and how it relates
to your content.
The Career Champions training educates and empowers campus faculty and staff on best
practices to have career conversations with students. Career Champions Module 1 serves
as a foundation, reviewing career development, our roles in a career ecosystem, and
resources.
The learning outcomes for Level 1 are as follows:
Gain a basic knowledge of the career development theories, career decision making
process and employability.
Gain a foundation of basic helping skills to best assist students with career planning
Learn how to assist students with goal setting regarding their career development
Learn how to make an effective referral to the Career Center
Learn the professional and ethical guidelines as outlined through the National Association
of Colleges & Employers (NACE)
Discover how to harness Blackboard Ultra’s built-in AI tools to save time, spark creativity,
and enhance student engagement. This hands-on workshop will introduce powerful features
like the AI Design Assistant, AI Test Generator, and AI-powered Rubric Generator.
We’ll provide a live demo and plenty of time for questions, so you can explore how
to confidently integrate AI into your own courses. Join us and take the first step
toward becoming an AI-savvy educator!Register
Tuesday, October 7, 1:15pm - 2:30pm - Webinar
Enhance your teaching approach with innovative content creation and course design.
This webinar offers educators practical insights into using Generative Artificial
Intelligence to develop lectures, instructional materials, and course structures tailored
to the needs of 21st-century learners. From reimagining traditional content delivery
methods to incorporating creativity and interactivity into materials and course frameworks,
participants will explore innovative approaches that utilize the power of Generative
AI. Discover how Generative AI can enhance engagement, foster deeper understanding,
and inspire interest in your students.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
Apply prompt writing in the context of course content and course design.
Utilize Generative AI tools to generate dynamic and interactive course content.
Create effective and meaningful learning experiences that facilitate student success.
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
Monday, October 13, 2:20pm - 3:10pm - Webinar
Fanfiction, although often reserved for extracurricular spaces, allows writers to
create new identities, narratives, and meanings by repurposing stories, themes, and
characters. In this webinar, participants will be introduced to fanfiction as a meaning-making
tool and engage with strategies that encourage learners to take ownership of their
learning through storytelling. Leveraging fanfiction in the classroom can encourage
students to internalize course information through reflection and increase the relevancy
of course concepts to their lived experiences.Register
Tuesday, October 14, 1:15pm - 2:30pm - In-Person
A key goal of mentoring is to help mentees identify and achieve both academic and
professional objectives. While learning to conduct disciplinary research is an important
academic outcome in research mentoring, there are many other factors that will shape
a mentee’s future career. Mentors should intentionally support their mentees in achieving
these broader outcomes as well.
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, October 16, 11:40am - 12:55pm - Webinar
Graduate students must handle a myriad of responsibilities during the span of their
graduate studies (e.g., teaching, research, coursework, etc.). Meeting the high expectations
of these academic demands is challenging at best, and for many, stressful, overwhelming,
and guilt-inducing due to the competing demands of their professional and personal
life. How to balance and find time for each of these facets is not a skill that graduate
students automatically know! Learning how to realistically define both short-term
tasks and long-term goals and how to prioritize are key to beginning to find your
balance.
This workshop will help you learn to recognize different levels of stressors in your
life by interactively applying the Covey Time Management Matrix and other reflective-thinking
tools to your own situation. Advice for managing your workload, prioritizing your
responsibilities, and identifying personal traits and time-sinks that may be contributing
to this imbalance will be given, and discussion with other participants will be encouraged
to help you begin to gain perspective on your graduate school experience.Register
Friday, October 17, 8:00am - 3:30pm - In-Person
The 16th 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.
The Oktoberbest keynote address will be given by Thomas J. Tobin, Ph.D., Senior Teaching
and Learning Developer, Center for Teaching, Learning & Mentoring, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Register
Friday, October 17, 10:00am - 11:00am - 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, October 20, 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 21, 10:00am - 11:00am - Webinar
The Career Champions program was created to educate and empower campus faculty and
staff on best practices to have career conversations with students. Level 2 Provides
engaging and enlightening information on how to engage students in conversations about
experiential education opportunities that align with their Career goals.
The learning outcomes for Level 2 are as follows:
Gain knowledge around experiential education
Identify different opportunities in the Career Center and beyond available for students
to gain experience
Identify ways to help students discover what opportunities they are interested in
and know where to find them
Gain knowledge in how to support students while they are involved in their experience
to make it more impactful
Articulate ways on how to encourage reflection during and after the experience
Identify ways on how to handle concerns that can arise while a student is participating
in an experiential education opportunity
Engaging students through interactive and dynamic activities is essential for fostering
a stimulating learning environment. In this webinar, educators will explore how to
leverage Generative Artificial Intelligence to enhance their teaching practices and
create impactful activities for 21st-century learners. From designing collaborative
projects to incorporating AI-generated prompts and feedback, participants will discover
innovative ways to integrate Generative AI into their instructional activities.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
Apply prompt writing in the context of learning activities.
Design interactive activities that leverage Generative AI to enhance student engagement
and participation.
Identify opportunities for further integration of Generative AI into instructional
activities to enhance student learning outcomes.
Wednesday, October 22, 10:00am - 11:15am - Webinar
Even the most seasoned instructors can lose sight of the original spark that brought
them to teaching. This session invites participants to pause, revisit their teaching
philosophy and name the core values that guide their instructional choices. We will
introduce the Educator Reflection Wheel, a practical tool that encourages reflection
in seven key areas: Student Engagement and Inclusion, Pedagogical Clarity, Celebration,
Environment, Professional Identity, Feedback and Assessment, and Time Management.
Guided activities will move us through three stages. First, a brief free write helps
each participant reconnect with the personal and professional purpose that shapes
their work. Second, small groups use the Educator Reflection Wheel to map strengths
and growth areas. Finally, individuals draft one concrete action step that will bring
their values to life in an upcoming course. Participants leave with a refreshed sense
of purpose and a simple plan for intentional teaching. Register
Thursday, October 23, 1:00pm - 2:30pm - Virtual
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, October 23, 2:50pm - 4:05pm - In-Person
We're at it again, discussing whether AI can rewrite the classics! If you say “yeah!”
or “certainly not!” or “maybe?” come try it out! We’ll start with a demonstration
of source-grounded AI programs such as NotebookLM and how they can be adapted for
the classroom. Then participants will test generative AI’s capabilities for identifying
genre, characters, and plot points of classic novels. Original editions of works will
also be on display. There will be time for participants to share results, tweak prompts,
and decide for themselves whether AI can (or CANNOT) rewrite the classics. Bring a
laptop!
A Collaboration between Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections and
Center for Teaching Excellence “Try the Tools” series. Register
Tuesday, October 28, 11:45am - 1:00pm - In-Person
Join us for a Mutual Expectations Discussion on exploring the topic “Artificial Intelligence
(AI) on the College Campus” in our October session. This discussion will explore what
participants think about how AI should be used on campus. When is ChatGPT appropriate
and when it is not? What is being used today beyond ChatGPT? Should we have common
expectations as a campus community on what and when we will use AI for? Join this
fun discussion with fellow students and faculty!
Free lunch is provided and RSVP required! Sponsored by the Carolina Experience, the
Center for Teaching Excellence, and the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity
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.
Thursday, October 30, 10:00am - 11:30am - In-Person
Join us for the 3rd module of Career Champions. In this session we'll learn about
the career competencies employers are looking for within our students and how to incorporate
those into our academic lessons, student employment, internships, etc. You'll also
know how to help students see these competencies within themselves and how to advocate
for themselves and articulate their talents, abilities, and experiences.
Learning outcomes for Level 3 are as follows:
Explain the importance of career readiness competencies in preparing students for
successful transitions into the workforce.
Develop strategies to embed career competencies into everyday student interactions
and advising conversations.
Empower students to reflect on their experiences and confidently communicate how their
skills align with employer expectations.
Thursday, October 30, 10:05am - 11:20am - 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.
How can online course design foster meaningful interaction and lasting learner engagement?
Effective online learning begins with intentional design. This session introduces
the HIDOC framework—a practical, eight-part model for creating clear, aligned, and
accessible online courses. Participants will explore each component of HIDOC and gain
actionable strategies for designing courses that are intuitive to navigate, promote
sustained student investment, and simplify course management for instructors. Register
Friday, October 31, 11:45am - 1:10pm - 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 some higher education
institutions require one as part of the tenure and promotion consideration process.
What is your teaching philosophy? What should you write or include? What if you have
limited teaching experience? This webinar will help you articulate your teaching philosophy
in a concise, effective essay. We will discuss the statement’s purpose, different
aspects of your teaching experiences that can be included, and best practices and
strategies for composing the statement.
NOTE: 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
November 2025
Monday, November 3, 2:20pm - 3:10pm - Webinar
This session focuses on developing modules in Blackboard that are intuitive, accessible,
well-organized and in alignment with learning outcomes. Participants will explore
how to structure content, build consistency across course themes and select activities
that promote active learning and retention. Register
Monday, November 3, 2:20pm - 3:10pm - Webinar
The first half of the Support Zone training focuses on providing context for the necessity
of faculty and staff being well-versed in recognizing and responding to students experiencing
mental health distress. The facilitator will review definitions, national and local
statistics about mental health in college students and discuss how stigma affects
help-seeking behaviors. The facilitator will also discuss how COVID-19 has exacerbated
the aforementioned issues. This session will also cover crisis support protocol, how
to recognize signs of distress, warning signs of suicide, non-suicidal self-injury,
and how to respond and intervene to a student of concern.
This session focuses on evidence-based practices that promote authentic engagement
in asynchronous courses. Participants will explore strategies for increasing instructor
presence, designing purposeful interactions and delivering feedback that builds trust
and fosters learner motivation. Whether you are refining an existing course or preparing
a new one, this session offers practical tools to enhance connection participation
and student success in fully online settings.Register
Tuesday, November 4, 1:15pm - 2:30pm - In-Person
Good communication is a key element of any relationship, and the mentoring relationship
is no exception. As mentors, it is insufficient to say we know good communication
when we see it. Participants will learn how to identify the key characteristics of
effective communication and practice these skills with other participants. At the
end of workshop, participants will be better prepared to provide constructive feedback
to mentees, engage in active listening, communicate across diverse dimensions (disciplines,
ethnicities, positions of powers), and formulate strategies for improving their own
communication style.
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, November 5, 9:40am - 10:30am - Webinar
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
Wednesday, November 5, 1:10pm - 2:00pm - Virtual
The Virtual Environments Community of Practice is planning ways to integrate virtual
reality, augmented reality and mixed reality into teaching and learning environments
at USC. Meetings are open to faculty, staff and students.Register
Thursday, November 6, 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.
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
Tuesday, November 11, 1:15pm - 2:05pm - Webinar
The second half of the Support Zone training focuses on participants learning how
to refer students of concern experiencing varying levels of distress (mild, moderate
and severe), what to do if a student refuses a referral, how to maintain the students'
privacy, and how to follow-up with the student. This session includes role-plays and
other interactive activities to help participants practice their recently acquired
skills. The facilitator will also discuss the how responding to students of concern
affects faculty/staff mental health and how to respond accordingly.
This session includes a review of resources specific to faculty/staff needs and tips
on dealing with COVID-19 related stressors. Lastly, the facilitator will review campus
and community resources to ensure participants have a thorough understanding of what
is available to students and when to use each resource.
Wednesday, November 12, 10:00am - 11:30am - In-Person
Join us for the 3rd module of Career Champions. In this session we'll learn about
the career competencies employers are looking for within our students and how to incorporate
those into our academic lessons, student employment, internships, etc. You'll also
know how to help students see these competencies within themselves and how to advocate
for themselves and articulate their talents, abilities, and experiences.
Learning outcomes for Level 3 are as follows:
Explain the importance of career readiness competencies in preparing students for
successful transitions into the workforce.
Develop strategies to embed career competencies into everyday student interactions
and advising conversations.
Empower students to reflect on their experiences and confidently communicate how their
skills align with employer expectations.
Thursday, November 13, 11:45am - 1:00pm - In-Person
This Mutual Expectations discussion will focus on the benefits and practical steps
that faculty/staff can take on developing meaningful professional relationships with
one another. How students can approach faculty, why developing professional relationships
matters, how this may be different than a mentor relationship and more. Join this
fun discussion with fellow students and faculty over a free lunch!
Sponsored by the Carolina Experience and the Center for Teaching Excellence
Thursday, November 13, 2:50pm - 4:05pm - In-Person
Are you unsure how to create a learning environment suitable for having challenging
conversations? Do you want to encourage and support your students to be more comfortable
with discomfort? In this session, we will discuss how your learning space can emphasize
personal and academic growth through challenge and discomfort while maintaining respect.
You will learn about the concept of brave spaces, reflect on your own biases, comfort
levels, and practices around supportive discussion facilitation, and develop actionable
strategies to create or maintain brave spaces.
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.
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 how has the writing of this document changed as a result of ChatGPT,
both in the document construction as well as your perspective on this fundamental
shift in higher education? This will be a working webinar, where we will discuss strategies
for composing the statement, incorporating time for theme development, group discussion
and feedback, and ChatGPT prompt exploration. Participants will leave with a thematic
outline of their statement, a draft of the opening paragraph, 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.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
Reflect on and clarify their values about teaching and learning.
Expound upon these values and craft a working thematic outline.
Explore the ethical usage of ChatGPT in teaching statement construction.
Wednesday, November 19, 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 20, 10:00am - 11:00am - Webinar
Unleash the full potential of assessments in Blackboard Ultra Course View with this
virtual workshop designed for faculty members. Explore how to create engaging and
effective assignments and tests that not only evaluate student learning but also enhance
their experience. We’ll cover the essentials of setting up assignments and tests and
incorporate engaging and creative elements to add that extra flair. By the end of
this one-hour session, you will be better equipped to take the assessments in your
course to the next level.Register
Thursday, November 20, 1:00pm - 2:30pm - Virtual
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
December 2025
Thursday, December 4, 1:00pm - 2:30pm - In-Person
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