CITI BEAT April 2025

FOCUS ON AI

Are you interested in participating in an AI Community of Practice in Fall 2025 or Spring 2026? If so, please complete this interest form or scan the QR code below. CITI will contact you when we begin enrolling faculty for the learning communities.

To learn more about other initiatives under the Generative AI Faculty Development Project, click the button below:

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENING......

IN YOUR CITI

RAM Pitch: April 16

The Center of Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation, in collaboration with CITI, announces the Spring 2025 Entrepreneurial Enlightenment Day and student business plan competition sponsored by Adobe, NC Idea Foundation, Black Entrepreneurship Council and PNC Entrepreneurial Fellows. The event begins at 12:30 with the Brilliance Bazaar, *lunch and networking. The RamPitch Competition will begin at 2:00 pm led by CESI Director, Dr. Notis Pagiavlas, along with associates, Drs. Susita Carrroll, Suresh Gopalan, Shih Chou, and PNC Bank student fellows.

Students competing will win monetary prizes up to $5,000.

*Lunch will be provided, but a reservation is required.

This semester, CITI sponsored a Lunch and Learn Series called Student Success: It's Everyone's Role. These interactive sessions with collaborative discussions and activities were designed to share ways that faculty could promote student success in instruction.

On Friday, March 28, the Lunch and Learn series featured a panel of six students—freshmen, sophomores, and seniors—who shared their thoughts with an audience of faculty and staff on various questions, including the following:

• On the first day of a new course, what do you find most helpful in your ability to learn?
• If you could change one thing about how student success is measured, what would it be?
• Describe the actions or characteristics of a teacher or instructor who impacted you the most.

The students eagerly and authentically shared their perspectives on the questions and set the foundation for an open and insightful exchange with faculty and staff participants. For highlights from the workshop, see photos below:

THE TIME IS DRAWING NEAR; SAVE THE DATE AND GET READY TO GO "BACK TO THE FUTURE" WITH AI!

It's that time of year again! Adobe Bash Faculty Festival 2025 will take place on Monday, May 12, 2025 in DJR 100 A and B. The time is 9:30am-3:30pm.

The theme for this year is "Back to the Future with AI," so we will spend the day engaging in innovative ways learning about generative AI technologies for instruction. There will be informational topics on transformational teaching topics, fun interactive AI tools for hands on training, a nationally known guest speaker, food, giveaways, swag, and a chance to fellowship with colleagues.

This is also the graduation day for our faculty who have completed the ACUE Excellence in Online Teaching Course. This ceremony will take place during the event.

Here is an  informational guide that will share more about the entire event and how to register.

University College and the Department of Liberal Studies are partnering with the Center for Innovative and Transformative Instruction to offer post-traditional learners a pathway to degree completion. The Online Interdisciplinary Workforce Degree Pathways Project will position adult learners to specialize in different fields to enhance their employment options and increase their economic mobility. The courses in this new degree pathway will embody the critical workforce skills that employers desire and reflect the quality standards of online course design and instructional excellence. The focus this semester is course design for the Education Studies pathway. We are excited about this collaboration and its impact on student success.

CITI BLOGS

The CITI Blog is a collaborative space to explore innovative instructional techniques, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), course design, and instructional technology.

This month, Ms. Dominique Johnson, Instructor of Writing, Coordinator of Writing and Communication Center and CITI Faculty Fellow, discusses strategies for fostering critical thinking and writing through embracing ChatGPT.

Access Ms. Johnson's blog below:

WE MISSED YOU!

Did you miss one of the CITI workshops last month? If so, we are happy to share resources to support the learning environment in your courses.

DON'T FEAR...WE'RE HERE!

The Center for Innovative and Transformative Instruction (CITI) is an inclusive, supportive, and collaborative common area for faculty, staff and administrators to pursue innovation and transformation in higher education teaching and learning, including the scholarship of teaching & learning (SoTL).​ CITI will keep you updated on the latest innovative and transformative instructional methods and technologies.​ CITI Team personnel are all experienced college faculty with a strong background in teaching and learning, course design, instructional technology, and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). ​