ESSC coordinates a variety of faculty development events featuring topics on teaching and learning relating to faculty members in any stage of their career. We welcome every faculty member to participate in events of interest to them. Faculty may volunteer to present on topics of interest to their colleagues, and suggestions are always welcome.
Continuing Education information pending.
Tentative Schedule Fall 2026
| Event | When | Format |
|---|---|---|
| “Reimaging the Classroom, Part I, Introduction to Team-Based Learning” Aaron Woodall, MPAS, PA-C and Audra Wilson, DMS, MS, PA-C. Educational & Student Success Center Workshop | Wednesday, October 21, 2026 12 pm-1 pm | Zoom |
| “Reimaging the Classroom, Part II, Designing & Facilitating Team-Based Learning” Aaron Woodall, MPAS, PA-C and Audra Wilson, DMS, MS, PA-C. Educational & Student Success Center Workshop | Wednesday, November 4, 2026 12 pm-1 pm | Zoom |
Teaching Workshops
“Reimaging the Classroom, Part I, Introduction to Team-Based Learning”
Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 12-1 p.m., via Zoom,
Aaron Woodall, MPAS, PA-C and Audra Wilson, DMS, MS, PA-C
Join faculty from the PA Program to explore phased integration of team-based learning (TBL) in medical curricula. TBL has been proven to help students strengthen their clinical reasoning, problem‑solving, and teamwork skills. Presenters will share student outcomes from their delivery of TBL, and how they have designed the activities to support student-centered learning and assessment, preparing participants to design their own TBL in session 2.
By the end of the workshop learners will be able to:
- Describe the methodology of team-based learning (TBL) and its benefits for 21st century learners.
- Analyze outcomes of implementing TBL, including student performance and evaluation data.
- Discuss the benefits to students and faculty of incorporating TBL into a health education curriculum.
Please click on this link to sign up for the Workshops.
“Reimaging the Classroom, Part II, Designing & Facilitating Team-Based Learning”
Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 12-1 p.m., via Zoom,
Aaron Woodall, MPAS, PA-C and Audra Wilson, DMS, MS, PA-C
This workshop builds on the first session where participants gained valuable insight into the benefits and framework of TBL for medical education. In this interactive workshop, participants will practice utilizing backwards design to create and implement TBL in their own programs. The presenters will review best practices in faculty facilitation and lessons learned from their time utilizing TBL. Participants will leave this session with tangible tools to make TBL a success for their students.
By the end of the workshop learners will be able to:
- Describe the process of backwards design in creating instruction and how this is utilized to design a TBL activity.
- Utilizing backwards design, analyze student outcomes to refine teaching methods and TBL instructional content.
- Design a TBL event based on a relevant medical topic, including case application and readiness assessments.
- Describe best practices for facilitation of TBL activities.
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:
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.