Preparing for and Participating in the 1/22/26 UTA Technology Test Kitchen Where Innovation is the main ingredient

Topic: Supercharge Your Syllabus: Multimodal Design in Adobe Express (30 minutes)

We are thrilled that you will be joining us on January 22, 2026 for a new, collaborative adventure--the UTA Technology Test Kitchen in the lobby of Trinity Hall/Trinity 112, or Trinity 105, at your designated time between 1:00-2:30 pm.

NOTE: This does not replace the official UTA syllabus. This is a "liquid syllabus" you can send out ahead of time to preview the syllabus or in addition to the UTA syllabus in an alternative format. Please have a course or syllabus in mind! Description: Reimagine your syllabus as an engaging, accessible gateway into your course. This session introduces faculty to multimodal syllabus design using Adobe Express, offering tools and approaches to visually highlight key information, enhance clarity, and support diverse learners. You’ll experiment with templates, explore best practices for visual communication in teaching materials, and walk away with a refreshed syllabus ready to energize your students from day one. Access Adobe Express before the workshop. Key resource: Information about the UTA syllabus template is here. Please be sure you understand all syllabus requirements: Syllabus Resources - Office of the Provost - The University of Texas at Arlington *If you cannot participate in the Technology Test Kitchen you can still participate on your own by reading through these tasks and completing them on your own! Please take a close look at these preparation instructions. Please complete these steps no later than January 22, 2026 if you are attending the test kitchen event in person. Doing so by January 22, 2026 if you are attending in person will help make everyone's experience super fabulous. Visit the CRTLE Adobe Resources page (recommended pre‑read).

STEP 1: Hardware, Wifi, and Software Prep (5-15 minutes)

  • Prepare and bring a laptop computer with a power charger and WiFi connectivity. The UTA Technology Test Kitchen will have essential hands-on moments throughout. A laptop is highly preferable to a tablet. Laptops can be checked out of the UTA Central Libraries:  Laptops | UTA Libraries. We will also have access to computers at the Test Kitchen but these are limited. Please make sure you can access UTA wifi once you are on campus:  Wireless Network – Office of Information Technology – The University of Texas at Arlington.
  • Triple-check to ensure you have rock-solid access to Adobe Express through your campus log-in protocol. In other words, use your campus SSO to confirm that you can access Adobe Express. You can click this URL to test: http://express.adobe.com
  • If you would like you can also re‑enable your Adobe Creative Cloud license (recommended) through: 🔗 go.uta.edu/adobe-opt-in

STEP 2: Customize Your Digital Name Tag Before the Session (5-15 minutes)

  • Only do this if you did not do this for the 1/15 Test Kitchen!
  • Open the Remixable Template at: https://tinyurl.com/Adobe2025ASU
  • Click the blue Remix button in the top-right corner.
  • Replace the placeholder text with your first name, last name, and institution's name.
  • Click the text-to-image icon in the middle of the empty image pane until you see the Generate Image menu pop-up on the left. Be sure to update the university name, too!
  • In the box beneath Describe what you'd like to see, type in a generative AI prompt to create an image that represents the kind of academic innovation that you aspire to create on your campus.
  • A resource for prompting is here (highly recommend. Give it a skim/read): Adobe Firefly Prompt Guide
  • Click Generate.
  • Iterate the prompt and (re)Generate until you like it.
  • When you are finished iterating, click the grey Download button in the top-right (next to the Share button) and use the default PNG format to download.
  • Optional--Post the downloaded file to Nakesha Brown (nakesha.brown@uta.edu),Beth Fleener (Beth.Fleener@uta.edu) and Peggy Semingson (peggys@uta.edu) by January 22 (anytime) or sooner and post it in the Teams channel.
  • A tutorial video on how to do the name tag, featuring Dr. Beth Fleener from CRTLE is here: Name Tag Adobe

STEP 3: The Portfolio Task for the 1/22 Test Kitchen

If you are attending the Test Kitchen event in person on 1/22, you can preview this. If you are participating on your own (asynchronously) follow the directions below to learn and participate. You can use this to participate in the The Chef's Challenge for recognition!

  1. Open the Remixable Template for the Portfolio Task here: UTA Syllabus
  2. Click the blue Remix This button in the top right corner.

Add Your Core Syllabus Information

We will guide you through structuring an accessible, multimodal syllabus. Tasks include:

  1. Add a course banner or header image using:
  2. Insert text blocks for:
  3. Turn text into visual components , such as:

C. Explore Multimodal / Visual Communication Strategies

You’ll learn to enhance clarity and accessibility through:

  • High‑contrast color palettes
  • Chunked layouts
  • Simple iconography
  • Short hero statements (“What this course is about in 15 words”)
  • Replacing dense paragraphs with skimmable visuals

D. Use Adobe Firefly for Visual Flourishes

Faculty may generate:

  • Section headers
  • Illustrations representing course themes
  • Background textures or patterns

To generate an image:

  1. Select an image frame → click Text‑to‑Image.
  2. Write a prompt such as: “Vibrant abstract academic theme with warm tones representing learning and collaboration.”
  3. Regenerate until satisfied.

Customize the Design. Choose a Theme, change the pictures (click on the picture you want to change and click replace). Preview then Publish your Portfolio. Select share -> Publish to Web -> Create link, then copy your shareable link.

STEP 4 (Optional): Preview the Recipe Cards and the Adobe Firefly Prompting Tips

If you cannot attend the live session, review the prompting tips for Adobe Firefly (Generative AI) and the recipe cards to try on your own! Be sure to join the Chef's Challenge Teams area to earn recognition and prizes! Click here to join the Chef's Challenge Team! General | The Chef's Challenge Team | Microsoft Teams About the Chef's Challenge: Chef’s Challenge and Faculty Recognition - CRTLE - The University of Texas at Arlington

Resources:

Links

Credits:

Created with an image by Andrii - "Syllabus is shown on the cjnceptual photo using the text"