Navigating Teaching Challenges
The Provost’s Office, through the Office of Faculty Affairs and the Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning, has launched the Navigating Teaching Challenges program to support educators as they navigate recent legislative and policy changes, including KRS 164.2895 (formerly House Bill 4). This initiative offers practical tools, reflective learning opportunities and spaces for community dialogue, all designed to help educators uphold excellent teaching practices in a shifting higher educational landscape. In recognition of the emotional and intellectual demands of this time, the Navigating Teaching Challenges also includes resources to support educator health and wellness.
Upcoming Sessions
Join us for these live learning opportunities that offer deeper engagement with core topics. Additional sessions will be announced throughout the semester. All sessions are open to all educators at UofL. Virtual sessions will not be recorded to support open discussion between participants. As possible, asynchronous materials that address the topics covered by the live learning sessions will be added to the SharePoint site.
Responding to Difficult Moments
Work through realistic teaching-related scenarios that raise questions about how compliance with KRS 164.2895 impacts our decision-making and communication. This session will also look at ways to prepare for and facilitate classroom discussions that include topics addressed by KRS 164.2895.
- Sign Up: Tuesday, August 5, 1-2:30 p.m. Virtual session via MS Teams.
- Sign Up: Thursday, August 14, 1-2:30 p.m. In-person in the TILL Classroom, 3rd Fl. of Ekstrom Library.
Policy Awareness for Educators
This session, hosted by Faculty Affairs, will look at how to interpret and respond to policy shifts while maintaining your pedagogical goals.
Sign Up: Tuesday, August 12. 2-3 p.m. In-person in the TILL Classroom, 3rd Fl. of Ekstrom Library.
Transparent Assignment Design for Clarity and Trust
In this session, we’ll explore how the TiLT (Transparency in Learning and Teaching) framework can help us clearly communicate the purpose of our assignments and what success looks like. Focusing on how we convey relevance and share criteria for success, we’ll examine ways to make assignments more meaningful and accessible to our learners and to ensure our expectations are less open to misinterpretation. Together, we’ll practice viewing assignments through a student lens to consider not only what we’re asking students to do and why, but how they might interpret it and how clearly we’ve shown what high-quality work entails.
- Sign Up: Monday, August 25, 1-2:30 p.m. Hybrid options via MS Teams or TILL Classroom.
Open Office for Navigating the Semester
These recurring drop-in session offer you a space to connect with members of academic leadership to ask questions, share concerns and discuss emerging issues. Whether seeking clarity, feedback or simply a sounding board, these informal gatherings are designed to support you as you navigate the teaching landscape throughout the semester. There’s no formal agenda – just open conversation and collaborative problem-solving.
- Sign Up: Friday, August 29, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Virtual Session via MS Teams.
- More fall 2025 dates to be announced soon.
Strategies for Constructive Classroom Dialogues
Difficult conversations are sometimes unavoidable in the college classroom. This session will provide tools to help instructors respond with confidence when tensions arise. Participants will explore strategies for redirecting unproductive dialogue, fostering respectful participation, and modeling thoughtful engagement. Whether you are anticipating a challenging topic or responding in the moment, this session offers a framework to help you steady the course.
Explore Resources
Visit the Navigating Teaching Challenges SharePoint site for access to asynchronous micro-trainings, downloadable teaching resources and discussion guides. You may have to be logged into your UofL Microsoft credentials to view. The site includes the following key sections:
- Understanding Policy: Resources to help you and your students understand the expectations outlined in KRS 164.2895 and how they may impact your teaching.
- Building a Foundation: Guidance and tools especially useful in the first weeks of class, including syllabus design, class norms and communication strategies.
- Difficult Conversations: Strategies for preparing for and navigating challenging classroom moments, including guidance on maintaining respectful engagement.
- Critical Thinking: Materials to help you foster analytical thinking, evidence-based reasoning and productive dialogue in your courses.
- Wellness and Well-Being: Supportive resources to help you manage stress, sustain energy and prioritize your health and wellness throughout the semester.
Help Us Enhance this Initiative
As the semester unfolds, we want to ensure Navigating Teaching Challenges continues to meet your evolving needs. If there are additional topics, resources or types of support that would be helpful to you or your colleagues, we invite you to share your suggestions using this quick feedback form. Your insights will guide future programming and resource development.