Three Faculty Join UCI Faculty Academy for Teaching Excellence

Pictured left to right: Dr. Kelli Sharp, Professor David Trend, Professor Joel Veenstra

Three esteemed faculty members from the Claire Trevor School of the Arts have joined the inaugural class of UCI Faculty Academy for Teaching Excellence (FATE) fellows. They are Dr. Kelli Sharp from the Department of Dance, David Trend from the Department of Art, and Joel Veenstra from the Department of Drama.

FATE is a community created by the UCI Office of the Vice Provost of Teaching. It consists of faculty members across the campus who have been recognized for their exceptional teaching practices and commitment to promoting student success. The Academy acknowledges educators with a demonstrated record of creating effective learning environments that support the growth of all students, have continued to develop their teaching skills through professional development, and have been identified as exemplary educators. FATE Fellows share a desire to foster a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all students.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by our peers as model educators, who continually analyze and advance our pedagogy and our learning environments to foster the growth in all of our students,” said Joel Veenstra, professor of teaching and vice-chair of the Department of Drama.

FATE Fellows will work on one of three 2022-23 projects. The CTSA team will focus on helping faculty construct courses that promote inclusion and well-being in the classroom.

The project has two primary objectives. Firstly, the team will develop messaging to highlight the value of promoting inclusion and well-being while maintaining high standards and rigor in the classroom. This will help faculty understand the importance of creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment while ensuring that academic standards are not compromised.

Secondly, the team will construct policy recommendations and teaching materials that faculty and graduate students can use to better support inclusion and well-being in the classroom. By providing these resources, the team hopes to empower educators to create more inclusive and supportive learning environments that promote student success.

“We are all grateful for the recognition, and we look forward to continuing to work for advancements in pedagogical inclusion and well-being,” said Dr. Kelli Sharp, Professor of Dance Science.

“It is a joy to work with our colleagues on this topic of inclusion and well-being.,” added Veenstra. “We have a group of such dedicated and insightful leaders in this realm – it is exciting to have all of our minds together in an effort to promote positive change.”