Academic

The UCLA Teaching and Learning Center’s (TLC) Instructional Design and Media Production team will host the GenAI Tools Workshop Series to support instructors interested in thoughtfully exploring how to use Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to further enhance their teaching. Participants will build AI literacy, explore classroom integration strategies, and design meaningful learning activities that promote critical thinking and student engagement in the AI era. The first workshop in the series will explore how Google NotebookLM, an AI-powered notebook designed to help users organize, synthesize, and generate insights, can be used to support their class learning goals. During the workshop, we will explore and discuss -What is Google NotebookLM? -How to use it as a learning tool? -Writing tips for GenAI prompts -Sample uses of Google NotebookLM in an educational setting -Academic integrity considerations when introducing GenAI into a classroom By this end of this workshop, participants will be able to -Describe the core features and functions of Google NotebookLM and explain how it differs from other generative AI tools. -Demonstrate how to use NotebookLM to organize, summarize, and synthesize learning materials or course readings. -Apply effective prompt-writing strategies to guide AI toward producing relevant, accurate, and pedagogically useful responses. -Analyze sample educational scenarios that illustrate how NotebookLM can support student learning and critical thinking. -Evaluate issues of academic integrity, bias, and ethical use when integrating generative AI tools like NotebookLM into teaching and learning contexts. Instructors who complete all three workshops in the series will be eligible to receive $500 in seed funds for AI tool licensing and further experimentation with AI in teaching and learning.

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This talk by Margaret D. Stetz (University of Delaware) suggests that Oscar Wilde's fairy tales have been just as influential as his work in world of the theatre and his effect on Gothic fiction. This influence was clear almost immediately after the publication of both The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888) and A House of Pomegranates (1891), especially in works by rebellious “New Women” of the 1890s such as “George Egerton” (Mary Chavelita Dunne), Mabel Nembhard, and Ella Erskine.

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The mindful writing retreat will integrate simple techniques from mindfulness to support the writing process and cultivate an approach to writing that fosters balance, self-care, and well-being. Please bring a current writing project because much of the retreat time will be allocated for writing. All sessions will be conducted remotely via zoom.

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Choosing the right AI tool can be a real challenge. This short presentation provides a practical framework, using the Diffusion of Innovation model, to help you choose the best tools. We will explore the five key attributes, which are relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, trialability, and observability. The discussion will support you to confidently select GenAI solutions that enhance teaching and learning. Presenter: Sirui Wang, Senior Instructional Designer with Instructional Design and Media Production #GenAI #pick-your-innovation #diffusion-of-innovation #enhancing-teaching-and-learning Each academic quarter, the UCLA Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) hosts a weekly series of 10+10 Pop-Up sessions on Zoom. These brief, 10-minute presentations focus on specific topics related to course design, teaching, learning, and assessment, and are led by instructional designers and developers from TLC and campus partners. The “+10” refers to an optional 10-minute discussion following each presentation, where participants can ask questions and share insights. These sessions are open to all UCLA instructors—including faculty, lecturers, instructors of record, graduate student instructors, and postdoctoral scholars. Please direct any inquiries to instructorsupport@teaching.ucla.edu.

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Meet the TLC’s Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholar Engagement (GSPSE) team at the Graduate Student Resource Center (GSRC)! Enjoy coffee and snacks while supplies last and chat with us about all of your TA training and other teaching-related professional development questions.

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As generative AI usage expands across academic settings, educators must decide when AI outputs can be trusted - and when they require verification. This 30-minute Zoom workshop introduces a “Trust, but Verify” framework that centers human judgment in working with AI-generated content. Through guided examples and discussion, participants will build shared language and critical awareness around evaluating AI outputs and exercising informed human oversight. Please contact idmp@teaching.ucla.edu if you have any questions.

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This workshop will cover strategies for writing longer literature reviews for theses, dissertations, proposals, and review papers. The workshop will also address organizational approaches and writing process issues.

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Undergraduate Student-Initiated Education (USIE) gives juniors and seniors the rare chance to design and lead their own lower-division seminar under the guidance of a faculty mentor. If you’re interested in sharing an academic passion, building teaching and leadership skills, and shaping a meaningful learning experience for your peers, this workshop will walk you through what the program involves and how to prepare a strong application.

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Offered through the Teaching and Learning Center’s Instructor Wellbeing Initiative in collaboration with the Postdoctoral Association and award-winning mental health speaker and advocate, Ross Szabo. This interactive, in-person professional development workshop provides a practical and straight forward approach to help postdocs address common mental health challenges that can show up in classes, mentoring relationships, and office hours. The first portion lays out a common language for mental health that offers a baseline to navigate these issues, as well as how to frame mental health from a health education perspective. The second part of this session offers guidelines for if participants choose to incorporate their personal stories about mental health into interactions with mentees and students to help do so in ways that protect the boundaries of all parties and reinforce learning objectives. Lunch will be provided.

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The Practice and Play with EdTech series offers instructors a hands-on opportunity to explore teaching tools and strategies with TLC staff. Each session begins with a brief overview of a tool followed by a guided exercise and time to explore and apply the tool to participants’ own course. In this session, participants will explore how to leverage AI to support aspects of their teaching workflow — from brainstorming lesson plans to drafting assessments or developing grading strategies. Participants will experiment with Google Gemini and practice crafting prompts to support their courses. The session will also include time to critically assess AI-generated responses for accuracy, relevance, and bias. This session is designed for graduate students, TAs, and postdocs. All instructors are welcome to attend.

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Come by our office at A239 Murphy Hall or on Zoom to ask legal questions! We provide legal counseling on: *Landlord-Tenant issues *Immigration issues *Employment issues *Family law *Criminal/traffic matters *University-related concerns (Disciplinary; Title IX) *Personal Injury *And more!! Hours: 9:00 am - 11:00 am and 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm Meeting ID: 926 8881 6950 Passcode: 675685

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This workshop will give an overview of the main components of a dissertation proposal in the social sciences and cover strategies for writing the research questions, literature review, and methods sections, as well as some tips for getting through this sometimes daunting process. (These strategies should be adapted to your department's and advisor's expectations about the structure and content of your proposal.) If you have preliminary drafts of an abstract or research questions, please bring them.

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This workshop is geared towards giving prospectus writers the tools to write their prospectus over the course of two months. We will discuss literature review and argument development as well as how to turn the many different pieces of a prospectus into a coherent document. Please note: this is meant to be an addition to--not a substitution for--serious discussions with your advisor about what is expected of you in your home department.

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In the 2025-26 Core Program conference, historians of the Ottoman, Qing, and Mughal empires revisit the problem of comparison by considering synchronicities and structural parallels across Asia. The second conference, "Empires in Practice," looks at Imperial Operations. How did empires work? What did the mundane, everyday operations of imperial rule look like? Early modern empires confronted the same “great enemy” of distance which severely constrained all actions, from government communications to tax collection. The solutions that the Ottomans, Mughals, and the Qing developed to address these common problems shared some essential features despite their local variations. Organized by Professors Choon Hwee Koh & Meng Zhang (History, UCLA) and Abhishek Kaicker (History, UC Berkeley).

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Are you looking to refresh, rewrite, or rethink your syllabus? Are you designing a new course, and want to learn about best practices for syllabus design? Join the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) for a co-working and peer review session during which you will look at example syllabi; consider backward design principles for syllabus design; explore strategies to foster belonging in your syllabus; and, finally, create a digitally accessible syllabus. This session is open to all instructors, including TAs and postdocs.

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Neuroprotective Greek Herbs: Bridging Neuroscience and Cultural Heritage a seminar organized by Anastasia Tsingotjidou (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) in collaboration with Korina Atsopardi and Marigoula Margariti (University of Patras) This seminar brings together researchers from neuroscience, pharmacology, biology, veterinary medicine, nutrition, and plant biodiversity to explore the neuroprotective potential of traditional Greek herbs. Through a combination of in-person and online presentations, the program highlights translational research, from animal models and isolated bioactive compounds to nutritional approaches and cultural heritage. The seminar concludes with a culinary demonstration using Cycladic herbs, emphasizing the connection between Greek history, daily life, and brain health. Speakers: Korina Atsopardi, School of Pharmacy, University of Patras Dimitra Efthymiopoulou, Department of Nutrition & Dietetics and Department of Sports Nutrition, Harokopio University (Zoom) Irene Giannakopoulos, CEO, Aegialis Hotel and Spa, author of the culinary book, My Amorgos! Professor Marigoula Margariti, School of Biology, University of Patras (Zoom) Marita Papagianni, Plant Taxonomist & Biodiversity Research Associate, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Zoom) Professor Igor Spigelman, Laboratory of Neuropharmacology, Section of Biosystems and Function, School of Dentistry, UCLA Professor Anastasia Tsingotjidou, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Associate Professor Konstantinos Xanthopoulos, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Zoom) This event is made possible thanks to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). To view the full program schedule and to RSVP, please visit our website: https://hellenic.ucla.edu/event/neuroprotective-greek-herbs/

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The mindful writing retreat will integrate simple techniques from mindfulness to support the writing process and cultivate an approach to writing that fosters balance, self-care, and well-being. Please bring a current writing project because much of the retreat time will be allocated for writing. All sessions will be conducted remotely via zoom.

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Don't miss the next topic in the Teaching and Learning Center's GenAI Workshop Series. During this In-Person workshop, we will explore and discuss: -The role of AI-supported knowledge construction in enhancing student engagement and deeper learning. -How Google NotebookLM can be used to curate, organize, and connect course materials into interactive knowledge bases. -Strategies for involving students in co-creating and expanding shared AI-assisted notebooks as part of their learning process. -Examples of how NotebookLM can support collaborative inquiry, reflection, and critical discussion in academic settings. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: -Explain how creating shared or individual knowledge bases in Google NotebookLM can enhance student engagement and active learning. -Demonstrate how to organize readings, notes, and resources in NotebookLM to scaffold knowledge building across a course or project. -Design learning activities that engage students in analyzing, connecting, and synthesizing information using NotebookLM. -Integrate NotebookLM into classroom or online environments to promote collaborative inquiry and reflective dialogue. -Evaluate ethical and pedagogical considerations when using AI-generated insights in shared student learning spaces.

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Join the TLC for TA and postdoc drop-in hours, social grading edition! Work through end-of-quarter grading while enjoying refreshments and building community with your fellow TAs. TLC staff members from the Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholar Engagement (GSPSE) team will also be available to support you.

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One of the deadliest wildfires ever recorded took place on July 23, 2018 just 30 km from the historical center of Athens in Greece. Artist Katerina Angelopoulou survived the fire and her book, "The Fumes of Mars," combines her photographs with personal testimonies from other survivors, timelines, maps, and reports. With these materials Angelopoulou attempts to weave together a collective narrative of the events to better understand the violent disconnect between her own experience and the “official” account of the disaster in which facts were concealed and victims held culpable The book opens with black and white photographs showing the aftermath of the fire alongside with testimonies of the survivors. These are followed by Angelopoulou’s photographs taken as the disaster unfolded overlayed with her timeline of events. Collected evidence on the events follow, including aerial maps, topographical information, lists of the victims with location and cause of death, weather and aircraft reports, CCTV and news coverage images, information from the State Investigator report and information on the ongoing trial. The final images of the book are of Angelopoulou’s personal artifacts after the fire, such as remnants of jewelry, books and glasses. This assembled evidence is embedded with importance because after the fire, the truth of the victims and their families was questioned multiple times—in the public narrative, facts were concealed and re-produced with false arguments blaming residents and victims. Katerina Angelopoulou is an artist based in Athens. The Fumes of Athens won the Format Festival’s Reviewers Choice Award 2022, was selected for and featured in the COCA Project 2021, shortlisted for the Belfast Dummy Award and Photo Festival in 2022, and exhibited at LCC in London as part of the Common Ground Exhibition. Angelopoulou holds a BSc in Mathematics & Theoretical Physics from Imperial College London, a BA in Design for Performance from Central Saint Martin’s, and an MA with Distinction in Photojournalism & Documentary Photography from LCC. This program is made possible thanks to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. For more details, please visit: https://hellenic.ucla.edu/event/the-fumes-of-mars/

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This 30-minute interactive session explores why specific, criteria-aligned feedback supports learner motivation and improvement, and highlights practical strategies for delivering high-quality feedback efficiently at scale. Through guided reflection and discussion, participants will consider evidence-based feedback principles before viewing a brief demonstration of scalable grading practices in Gradescope, including rubric-based grading and AI-assisted answer grouping. This session may be especially useful for instructors teaching large classes or courses with limited grading support.

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In this workshop, you will reflect on essential professional competencies in your discipline in relation to how AI may or may not be used in students’ future workplaces. You will then revise one of your course assignments to develop an AI-informed set of goals and assignment rubric targeting the development of career-ready skills.

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This 30-minute interactive Zoom session explores why specific, criteria-aligned feedback supports learner motivation and improvement, and highlights practical strategies for delivering high-quality feedback efficiently at scale.

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In the 2025-26 Core Program conference, historians of the Ottoman, Qing, and Mughal empires revisit the problem of comparison by considering synchronicities and structural parallels across Asia. The third conference, "Empires of Things," looks at Society, Materiality, and Knowledge. In what new ways did merchants trade, how did artisans and craftsmen organize themselves, how did guilds transform, how did the pious communicate with each other, how did common subjects live, how did spatial imaginaries change? Organized by Professors Choon Hwee Koh & Meng Zhang (History, UCLA) and Abhishek Kaicker (History, UC Berkeley).

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