Spring 2026 Workshop Guide V1
Teaching that Transforms | Highlights
The Center for Teaching Excellence empowers those in instructional roles, whether new to teaching, new to TAMU, or those seeking fresh approaches, with the evidence-based knowledge, practical tools, and community needed to foster effective and engaging teaching and learning practices. Our programming is tailored to help faculty and staff through interactive workshops on building pedagogical skills, connecting instructors across colleges/departments, sharing inter-disciplinary experiences, and exploring new ways to foster student success.
Join us this spring to reflect on your teaching applications, refresh your current strategies and practices, and reimagine new and innovative possibilities for your classroom. The following are our featured highlights amongst our array of workshop series and topics.
To view a catalog of all our upcoming workshops and events, please visit our CTE TAMU Public Calendar.
NEW & EARLY-CAREER FACULTY
Date & Time |
Session |
Thursday, January 8th10 am – 11:30 am |
Exploring Motivation and Personal Accountability of Today’s Student: Instructional Strategies for SuccessThis session welcomes faculty at all career stages and may be especially relevant for new faculty building or refining their teaching practices. We will explore the challenges today’s students face, framed within the ongoing developmental effects of the pandemic and other social factors.
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Thursday, January 8th2 pm – 3 pm |
Setting Up Canvas GradebookThis session is designed with new faculty in mind, though the content is relevant and applicable to instructors at all career stages. In this session, participants will review a step-by-step process to create a gradebook that accurately tracks students’ progress in the class, integrates with their teaching methods, and supports effective grading communication for their students.
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Monday, March 2nd11 am – 12:15 pm |
Cultivating Critical Thinkers: Applying the Paul-Elder Model in Your ClassroomDiscover the Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Model, a proven framework for teaching reasoning, intellectual standards, and reflective habits of mind. Through engaging activities, resource sharing, and collaborative discussion, you’ll gain practical strategies to integrate critical thinking into your courses.
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TEACHING, ASSESSMENT & STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
Date & Time |
Session |
Tuesday, January 20th9 am – 10 am |
Empower and Engage: High-Impact Teaching for Student SuccessJoin us for an interactive, informative session designed to transform your teaching to support student success. High-impact practices, such as community-engaged learning, collaborative projects, writing-intensive courses, and capstone seminars, are instructional practices that have been widely shown to benefit students from diverse backgrounds.
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Tuesday, January 27th10 am – 11 am |
Designing for Impact: Faculty Perspectives on High-Impact and Reflective LearningWhat happens when teaching becomes a catalyst for curiosity, connection, and transformation? In this one-hour panel, faculty from diverse disciplines share how they design learning environments that spark participation, foster deep thinking, and empower students to take ownership of their learning.
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Tuesday, February 3rd1 pm – 2 pm |
From Chaos to Collaboration: Making Group Work WorkThis workshop explores how to design, facilitate, and assess small group projects that promote deep learning, collaboration, and student engagement. Participants will hear from faculty colleagues and examine common challenges in group work—such as unequal participation, conflict, and assessment fairness—and learn evidence-based strategies to address them.
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Thursday, February 12th11 am – 12:30 pm |
Beyond “Try Harder”: Teaching with a Growth Mindset LensThis interactive workshop is designed for faculty at any career stage and introduces the core principles of growth mindset, clarifying how they differ from a fixed mindset in a university setting. Participants will explore contextual factors that shape the impact of the mindset framework.
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DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY
Online:
Date & Time |
Session |
Wednesday, January 21st12 pm – 12:30 pm |
Digital Accessibility: Transforming Alternative Text Writing with AIAs we prepare content to meet the Final Rule deadline, writing alternative text can be a time-consuming task. Advancements in AI are transforming content remediation, and one key innovation is generative AI’s ability to produce alternative text for images.
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Wednesday, February 18th12 pm – 1 pm |
Digital Accessibility: Designing for Accessibility in Word and PowerPointThis session is designed for participants ready to deepen their digital accessibility practices. You will explore techniques in Word and PowerPoint that go beyond accessibility checkers. Through real-world examples and remediation sprints, you will learn to identify nuanced accessibility issues, apply effective design practices, and evaluate content using built-in tools.
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Thursday, March 26th11 am – 12 pm |
Digital Accessibility: Utilizing Canvas to Check for Course Content AccessibilityVarious tools in Canvas can help check the accessibility of a course, perform a final review of course materials, or simply track accessibility progress. In this session, we will explore Canvas tools—such as the built-in accessibility checker, Panorama, and the Ally report—that can improve the accessibility of your course content and show how Canvas can be embedded into your accessibility workflow.
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In-Person
Date & Time |
Session |
Wednesday, February 25th11:30 am – 1 pm |
Digital Accessibility Lunch and Learn: Accessibility in Word and PowerPointJoin us for a Lunch and Learn event designed to help you prepare for the Title II Final Rule, which requires digital content to meet accessibility standards for all users.
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Tuesday, March 17th11:30 am – 1 pm |
Digital Accessibility Lunch and Learn: Utilizing Other Accessibility Tools Adobe and CanvasJoin us for a Lunch and Learn session designed to help you prepare for the Title II Final Rule, which requires all digital content to meet accessibility standards. This session introduces practical tools in Adobe Acrobat and Canvas to support the remediation of course materials.
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CANVAS, GENERATIVE AI & EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
Date & Time |
Session |
Thursday, January 22nd12 pm – 1 pm |
Using Generative AI to Assist in Building a CourseThis interactive workshop explores how generative AI can support the course design process from start to finish. Participants will examine the course design cycle, identify key opportunities for AI integration, and consider the value these tools bring to course planning.
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Tuesday, February 10th2 pm – 3 pm |
Student-Centered Learning Experience Design with Generative AIThis workshop introduces instructors to the principles of student-centered learning experience design, with a focus on integrating generative AI tools available at Texas A&M University.
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Wednesday, February 18th10 am – 11 am |
Engage Your Students Better Using Canvas Course AnalyticsDiscover how to make the most of Canvas Course Analytics to boost student engagement and success. This session introduces the key features of Course Analytics (formerly New Analytics) and demonstrates how instructors can use data to understand student participation, identify at-risk learners, and tailor course strategies for improved outcomes.
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Wednesday, March 18th12 pm – 1 pm |
Using Generative AI to Align Course Learning OutcomesThis workshop highlights the importance of aligning course learning outcomes with content and demonstrates how generative AI tools can support this process.
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Tuesday, March 31st2 pm – 3 pm |
Purposeful Personalized Learning with Generative AIThis hands-on workshop guides instructors through the principles of personalized learning, emphasizing intentional design and learner agency. Participants will explore strategies for engaging students as co-designers in their learning journeys and discover how generative AI tools, especially those available through Texas A&M University can support differentiated instruction and adaptive learning.
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Date & Time |
Session |
Thursday, January 8th10 am – 11:30 am |
Exploring Motivation and Personal Accountability of Today’s Student: Instructional Strategies for SuccessThis session welcomes faculty at all career stages and may be especially relevant for new faculty building or refining their teaching practices. We will explore the challenges today’s students face, framed within the ongoing developmental effects of the pandemic and other social factors. |
Thursday, January 8th2 pm – 3 pm |
Setting Up Canvas GradebookThis session is designed with new faculty in mind, though the content is relevant and applicable to instructors at all career stages. In this session, participants will review a step-by-step process to create a gradebook that accurately tracks students’ progress in the class, integrates with their teaching methods, and supports effective grading communication for their students. |
Monday, March 2nd11 am – 12:15 pm |
Cultivating Critical Thinkers: Applying the Paul-Elder Model in Your ClassroomDiscover the Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Model, a proven framework for teaching reasoning, intellectual standards, and reflective habits of mind. Through engaging activities, resource sharing, and collaborative discussion, you’ll gain practical strategies to integrate critical thinking into your courses. |
MICRO-WORKSHOPS
Date & Time |
Session |
Tuesday, March 31st12 pm – 12:30 pm |
Active Learning Bites: Introduction to Active LearningDiscover how active learning can transform student engagement and classroom dynamics. This introductory session will define active learning, break down its components, and present a variety of strategies.
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Tuesday, April 7th12 pm – 12:30 pm |
Active Learning Bites: Thinking Routines to Promote Active LearningAs part of our Active Learning Workshop Series, this session introduces thinking routines—simple, flexible instructional strategies that promote active learning, fostering engagement, reflection, and deeper understanding. Discover how these routines can be used to spark curiosity, support student-centered assessments, and make thinking visible across a range of educational contexts. Explore a menu of practical options and begin identifying routines you can incorporate into your own teaching right away.
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Tuesday, April 14th12 pm – 12:30 pm |
Active Learning Bites: Discussion Strategies for Active LearningAs part of our Active Learning Workshop Series, this final session explores the relationship between classroom discussions and active learning. Discover the characteristics of effective classroom discussions and explore strategies for structuring conversations that engage students and promote deeper learning and critical thinking.
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