Event Offerings and Registration

Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 12-1 p.m., via Zoom,
Dr. Madison Howe, Au.D., CCC-A, CH-AP

Title: “Test Smarter, Not Harder: Writing Exam Questions That Stick”

Abstract: Assessment shapes how students learn, yet too often exam questions rely on simple recall rather than application of knowledge. This interactive workshop will equip UAMS faculty with strategies to design high-quality exam questions that reflect the complexity of healthcare practice. Participants will explore how to transform traditional recall exam items into case-based, clinically relevant questions that foster higher-order thinking, problem solving, and clinical reasoning. Through a blend of educational lecture and hands-on activities, faculty will practice writing, reviewing, and refining exam questions. By the end of the session, attendees will leave with practical tools and a stronger framework for building assessments that both measure knowledge and prepare students for success in real-world clinical settings.

Please click on this link to sign up for the Workshops. 

Learning Communities

Less formally structured than traditional professional development, learning network activities offer opportunities to learn and grow as professionals with support from a diverse network of people and resources.

“Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning” Book Discussion Group

Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 12-1 p.m., via Zoom,
facilitated by: Mr. Josiah Wheeler, Assistant Professor in Instructional Design, OED

Join us for a study of “Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning” by James M. Lang. 

“Research into how we learn can help facilitate better student learning–if we know how to apply it. Small Teaching fills the gap in higher education literature between the primary research in cognitive theory and the classroom environment. In this book, James Lang presents a strategy for improving student learning with a series of small but powerful changes that make a big difference–many of which can be put into practice in a single class period. These are simple interventions that can be integrated into pre-existing techniques, along with clear descriptions of how to do so. Inside, you’ll find brief classroom or online learning activities, one-time interventions, and small modifications in course design or student communication. These small tweaks will bring your classroom into alignment with the latest evidence in cognitive research.

Each chapter introduces a basic concept in cognitive research that has implications for classroom teaching, explains the rationale for offering it within a specific time period in a typical class, and then provides concrete examples of how this intervention has been used or could be used by faculty in a variety of disciplines. The second edition features revised and updated content including a newly authored preface, new examples and techniques, updated research, and updated resources.

• How can you make small tweaks to your teaching to bring the latest cognitive science into the classroom?
• How can you help students become good at retrieving knowledge from memory?
• How does making predictions now help us learn in the future?
• How can you build community in the classroom?

Higher education faculty and administrators, as well as K-12 teachers and teacher trainers, will love the easy-to-implement, evidence-based techniques in Small Teaching.”

–from description on Amazon

Finally, to make this book club more accessible, we will use a Zoom-only format. All participants will receive a reminder with a Zoom link before the start of the book club meetings. We look forward to seeing you at our book club meetings on Fridays, from noon to 1:00!

Note: Copies of the book are available in the Educational & Student Success Center (Library, 3rd floor, Ed. II Building) on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please click on this link to sign up for the Book Discussion. 

Continuing Education information pending.