February 26 – March 1, 2024
The Teaching & Learning Center, in collaboration with the Committee on Teaching, hosted UCSC Teaching Week from February 26 – March 1, 2024. Teaching Week was an opportunity to celebrate and elevate the innovative teaching happening at UCSC in support of our shared goals of equity-minded and transformative learning for all students.
Teaching Week events included:
UCSC Teaching Symposium — Feb 27, 2024; 3:30–6 PM; Cultural Center at Merrill College
The Teaching Symposium, which showcased the work of instructors (including graduate students, lecturers, and senate faculty) presenting on teaching innovations, activities, programs, and scholarly work. Presentation modalities included posters, digital projects, and short spoken presentations.
Teaching in the Age of Generative AI — Feb 28, 2024; 2:30–4 PM; Zoom
A joint Academic Senate and Teaching & Learning Center forum, Teaching in the Age of Generative AI, created a space to reflect on the challenges, opportunities, and affordances offered by rapidly evolving algorithmic technologies.
In the first part of the program, participants from the TLC’s Artificial Intelligence Learning Community shared insights from their fall quarter meetings, highlighting classroom experiences and showcasing faculty successes in integrating large language models into teaching practice. Students also shared their perspectives on AI and learning.
In the second part, a faculty panel examined how Generative Pretrained Transformers are changing the ways we interact with computational systems. Panelists discussed how tools like Copilot are reshaping the computer science classroom and enabling instructors in other disciplines to design new assignments and activities that had previously been impossible to teach while still covering course content.
The Zoom event was co-sponsored by the TLC and the Academic Senate and was facilitated by Zac Zimmer, Associate Professor of Literature and Chair of the Academic Senate’s Committee on Information Technology, and Michael Tassio, Assistant Vice Provost for Educational Innovation in the Teaching and Learning Center.
Distinguished Teaching Award Lecture — Feb 29, 2024; 4–6:30 PM; Cultural Center at Merrill College
The Distinguished Teaching Award Lecture, The Paradox of Authenticity in Teaching and Mentoring, was delivered by Prof. Alegra Eroy-Reveles, the 2022–23 Distinguished Teaching Awardee and Associate Teaching Professor in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. She was joined in conversation by Dr. Mica Estrada of UCSF and Yuliana Ortega of UCSC, with facilitation by Dr. Yvonne Rodriguez of The Surge Institute. Together, they explored the many paradoxes of joining “soul and role” in teaching and mentoring, while also balancing life as Latina mothers and grandmothers.
Yuliana Ortega (BA in Biology and Latin American and Latino Studies from UCSC) is the Director of STEM Diversity Programs at UCSC working with hundreds of students at the start of their research careers. Born in Oaxaca, Yulianna’s family went back and forth between Oaxaca and Santa Cruz for much of her childhood until they finally settled permanently in the Santa Cruz area when she was 12 years old. As an undergraduate, she found her preferred balance between science and social justice in the STEM Diversity Programs, which she now directs. She has two children and is currently enrolled in a doctoral program in Educational Leadership at UC Davis. Yulianna was the 2020 UCSC Outstanding Staff Awardee for her important roles as leader and mentor to students and beyond.
Dr. Mica Estrada (PhD in Social Psychology from Harvard U) is the Associate Dean of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity for the School of Nursing and a Professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. After completing her doctoral degree, she stepped out of academia for more than 10 years to raise her three children, while also volunteering for nonprofit organizations. She then got back into research working as an adjunct researcher at CSU San Marcos, then later moved to UCSF and is the PI on several NIH grants. Dr. Estrada sits on numerous National Academies committees, recognizing her leadership and expertise on issues of undergraduate STEM student retention.
Dr. Yvonne Rodriguez (PhD and BS in Physics from UCSC, MBA from Bentley U) is the Director of National Program Impact and Talent for The Surge Institute, which provides leadership acceleration programs for leaders of color who are looking to transform the education space. She also runs her own business as a STEM Equity Coach and Consultant. Dr. Rodriguez transferred to UCSC from Chabot College along with her three children and completed bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in Physics. She later earned her MBA and Coaching Certificate. She has worked for various national organizations in science and education, including SACNAS, AWIS, and SWE, providing leadership on how to engage, support, and advance leaders of color.