Welcome Letter Newsletter Relaunch

April 26, 2023
Photo of Gail Burd

Dear campus community,

The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) Network includes over 40 research universities who have come together to provide preparation in evidence-based teaching practices for future faculty. UArizona joined the CIRTL Network in 2020 to offer professional development in teaching practices that improve student learning for our STEM graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

The projects of the UArizona CIRTL Network extend professional development support from faculty, professional staff, administrators, and Academic Affairs since 2009 for high quality teaching and student learning. This includes:

  • formation of the Office of Instruction and Assessment (OIA), Digital Learning (DL), and the merger of these two units to form the University Center for Assessment, Teaching, and Technology (UCATT),
  • offering the Graduate Certificate in College Teaching by OIA (now UCATT),
  • support for and organization of faculty learning communities focused on evidence-based teaching practices,
  • transformation of classrooms to include over 40 collaborative learning spaces (CLSs) across campus,
  • formation of the Classroom Committee that works to renovate and transform classrooms for innovative pedagogy,
  • building of and programming instructional and student support in the Student Success District,
  • renovation of Old Chemistry and building of the Commons with a major goal to increase the number and variety of collaborative classrooms, and now
  • formation of the CIRTL Postdoc Pathway Program for “just enough and just in time” professional development for evidence-based teaching practices.

The UArizona CIRTL Network is open to all STEM faculty, professional staff, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars who want to increase the use of evidence-based teaching practices, the use of teaching as research and inclusive teaching practices, and advancement of the scholarship of teaching.

Sincerely,

Gail D. Burd, Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Teaching, and Learning and CIRTL Institutional Lead