CETL Workshops
The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) offers a range of workshops and asynchronous courses designed to support faculty in developing inclusive, engaging, and effective teaching practices. These sessions provide practical strategies grounded in research and tailored to the needs of Virginia Tech educators. Workshops are offered both in-person and virtually to provide flexibility. Asynchronous course opportunities can be found at the bottom of this page and may be completed at any time through June 2026.
Workshops
Integrating Global Learning into Students’ Learning Experiences
Thursday, February 26, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Location: 3310 Torgersen Hall and virtual
In this workshop, we will explore how to intentionally design courses that foster students’ global and intercultural awareness and engagement. Participants will examine practical strategies for integrating global learning outcomes into their courses, facilitating meaningful student collaboration across multicultural teams, and leveraging technology to connect classrooms across borders. Through various faculty perspectives, case study examples, breakout discussions, and interactive activities, attendees will leave with actionable approaches to integrate global learning into their teaching and contribute to VT’s Beyond Boundaries vision of preparing students to thrive as global citizens in an interconnected world. Join us for an opportunity to ask questions, share ideas, and network with colleagues who are passionate about global teaching and learning.
How People Learn
Tuesday, March 3, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
Location: Virtual
There are many different teaching and studying methods, but not all of them are equally effective. Join us as we examine what neuroscience has taught us about how people learn and discuss strategies to promote learning in your courses.
Current State of AI Technologies Impacting Education: March 2026 Edition
Wednesday, March 4, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Location: Virtual
As the landscape of artificial intelligence continually evolves, so does the way we teach and learn. In this session, we'll break down the latest trends, tools, and shifts in the AI market as well as implications for your teaching practice.
Teaching With, Against, and Around AI: Pedagogical Strategies for Faculty
Wednesday, March 11, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Location: Virtual
How do we teach well when AI is everywhere? Join us as we review current AI capabilities while focusing on what matters most: our pedagogical goals and student learning. We'll move beyond reactive fixes ("How do I prevent ChatGPT on this assignment?") to intentional pedagogical design. Together, we'll explore:
- When AI tools genuinely support our learning objectives—and when they undermine them
- How to make purposeful choices about integrating, limiting, or reimagining assignments
- Strategies that center human connection, critical thinking, and meaningful learning
This isn't about either policing AI or adopting every new tool. It's about reclaiming pedagogical agency in a rapidly shifting landscape and making choices aligned with our teaching values and our students' growth.
Distilling Your Message for Teaching and Outreach: Brief and Compelling Interactions with the People You Need to Talk to
Monday, March 16, 12:30-2:20 p.m.
Location: virtual
Effective teaching begins with effective communication. Public outreach requires shaping one’s message for new audiences. Collaboration occurs only when collaborators can find a common language. In this interactive and experiential learning-based workshop facilitated by faculty from Virginia Tech’s Center for Communicating Science, participants will build their communication skills through engaging in exercises that help them move from “information overload” to engaging, clear, and simple communication. We will introduce the 5 W’s of clear communication and learn about the curse of knowledge. Participants will begin to translate their research findings or other complex information into messages that inspire curiosity and engagement. For this interactive Zoom workshop, please plan to have your cameras on and to be in a location where you feel comfortable speaking and moving.
Exploring the Foundational Elements of PBL
Wednesday, March 18, 2:00–3:30 p.m.
Location: 3310 Torgersen Hall and Virtual
Join us for an interactive session that delves into the key principles and practices that support effective project-based learning (PBL). This workshop will introduce the foundational elements of PBL design, including strategies for developing authentic projects, aligning learning outcomes, and fostering student engagement through inquiry and collaboration. A panel of Virginia Tech faculty will share their experiences implementing PBL in diverse disciplines, highlighting approaches that worked, challenges encountered, and lessons learned. Participants will leave with practical ideas and inspiration to begin or refine their own PBL initiatives.
GAI For Good: Creating Functional and Productive GAI Graduate Course Policies
Thursday, March 26, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Location: Virtual
Description: Your graduate student emails you to say they used ChatGPT to outline their qualifying exam. What do you do? As generative AI (GAI) reshapes academic work, graduate instructors like you face challenging situations: students need clear boundaries, yet most syllabi are silent or vague about GAI; VT's guidance focuses heavily on undergraduate contexts; and graduate scenarios, such as thesis work, prelims, and collaborative research projects, fall into murky territory. Without clear policies, you're vulnerable because students don't know what's permitted, and you're left adjudicating gray areas after the fact. This hands-on workshop helps you get ahead of the problem. Through an iterative, scenario-based activity, you'll draft and refine a GAI policy for your course, starting from scratch and progressing through increasingly complex real-world situations that reveal gaps you might not know about. We'll cover research-based findings on academic integrity, GAI, and course syllabi design; VT's Graduate Honor System (GHS) processes; new GAI guidance from the university's Responsible AI framework; and how your course policies intersect with this broader landscape. You'll leave with a working policy, strategies for identifying gaps before they become problems, and insights from fellow instructors across disciplines. Whether you're writing your first syllabus or revising an existing policy, this workshop meets you where you are and equips you to set clear, defensible expectations in your graduate classroom. We’d love for you to join us!
Applying Motivation Science to Engage Students in Courses
Wednesday, April 1, 1:30–3:30 p.m.
Location: 3310 Torgersen Hall
What can you do to improve student motivation and engagement in your courses? In this workshop, you will learn how you can use motivation science to make changes in your classes, activities, and assignments that will lead to increased student motivation and learning. This practical workshop will help instructors connect motivation research to practical teaching strategies by answering questions such as: What principles of motivation science can be used in college courses? What specific strategies can be used to motivate and engage students? How can instructors assess students’ motivation? What can I do in my courses to motivate and engage students?
While teaching this semester is not a requirement for attendance, participants that are will be encouraged to, and supported with, implementing the MUSIC Model Survey following the in-person session.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to better:
- Explain principles from motivation science that apply to college courses
- Describe teaching strategies that they can use to motivate their students
- Assess student motivation in their courses to make data-driven instructional decisions
Current State of AI Technologies Impacting Education: April 2026 Edition
Wednesday, April 8, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Location: 3310 Torgerson Hall
As the landscape of artificial intelligence continually evolves, so does the way we teach and learn. In this session, we'll break down the latest trends, tools, and shifts in the AI market as well as implications for your teaching practice.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify current trends in artificial intelligence technologies.
- Analyze how AI updates could inform or enhance your course design
Asynchronous course opportunities
Building Community in the Classroom
Research shows that a positive classroom climate favorably impacts students’ persistence, channels energies toward learning, and engenders emotions that advance learning. One of the first steps toward creating a positive classroom climate is establishing community guidelines with your students. This session workshops the process of writing and communicating guidelines that foster community and accountability among students.
Fostering a Growth Mindset
Students’ beliefs about learning and intelligence influence their ability to persist in academic disciplines where they encounter difficulty. Students who view intelligence as innate, and failure as a threat to their identity are more likely to panic, give up, or cheat when the work is harder than anticipated. Students from groups stereotyped on the basis of social identity experience stress when asked to perform challenging tasks that converge with stereotypes about their group, and as a consequence, may underperform. Professors can counter the effects of stereotype threat and a fixed view of intelligence by fostering a growth mindset. A growth mindset affirms that intelligence is malleable, learning is effortful, and failure can prompt development. By the end of this session, participants will have proven strategies for reducing stereotype threat that can be implemented in their courses.
Handling Difficult Conversations
We want our students to grapple with challenging and controversial topics, but are we prepared to facilitate discussions when these topics evoke strong opinion and emotional response? By the end of this session participants will learn proactive strategies for creating classroom environments that foster dialogue. Participants will practice using tools that reduce tension, promote engagement, and develop critical communication skills.
Recommended prerequisite: Building Community in the Classroom
Neurodiversity in the Classroom
The term, neurodiversity, first used by sociologist Judy Singer in the 1990s, refers to neurological differences —like autism, ADHD, or dyslexia—that should be normalized and respected in learners. This course introduces the concept in relation to the social model of disability, and explores how we can go beyond accommodations to make the academic classroom more inclusive of and hospitable to neurodivergent learners.