New Faculty Teaching Academy 2025

Welcome

We are so excited to welcome you as new colleagues to our teaching and learning community at UC Santa Cruz. Over the course of our time together we plan to provide you with an introduction to our teaching and learning landscape on campus as well as evidence-based, practical information and tools to offer our students excellent, equitable instruction. We are also so very excited to have you share your expertise and experience with us and our campus community.

Everything you need for our NFTA workshop

September 16 & 17 | 9:00am-4:00pm

Coastal Biology Building at the Coastal Science Campus

Agenda Coming Soon

Presentation Slides will be published after the event

Contact information for TLC: tlc@ucsc.edu

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Accessing the Coastal Biology Building on the Coastal Science Campus

You will need to buy a parking permit on site if you do not already have an "A" permit. ParkMobile is available to use in Lot 206 via the app; the day rate is $10.00. You can walk into the building from the rear or front doors and we will be in the large downstairs classroom (room 110). Alternatively, free parking is available on Delaware Avenue and you can use the path to walk to the building.

The seminar room in the Coastal Biology Building where we'll be spending our two days has an entire wall that will be opened to maximize air flow. Because of this, and Santa Cruz's typically foggy mornings, we suggest you bring layered clothing to be prepared for the possibly cold weather. Directly outside the seminar room is an outdoor courtyard where we'll be able to eat, as shown in the photo to the left. One other thing to be aware of is that it’s yellow jacket season in Santa Cruz. If you’re allergic, you may want to bring an epi pen since we’ll be eating outside and will have windows open during the event.

Join us for Happy Hour Social

To continue getting to know one another and ask questions that are on your mind, please join us for
Happy Hour Social from 4-5:30pm, immediately following Teaching Academy on Wednesday, September 17.

Together, we must strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for the next generation of thinkers and leaders. I know first-hand the power of higher education to transform the life trajectory of students - a transformation the UC Santa Cruz faculty and staff contribute to every day.

- Chancellor Cynthia K. Larive

Facilitators

Robin Dunkin | TLC Faculty Director; Associate Teaching Professor of EEB

Robin Dunkin is the Faculty Director of the TLC and an Associate Teaching Professor in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at UC Santa Cruz. Robin teaches the second course in the introductory biology series and an environmental physiology course. Robin has been an instructor and collaborator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) active learning initiative in the Physical and Biological Sciences Division designing active learning versions of large intro bio courses. She has been recognized with a Disability Resource Center Global Accessibility Champion Award (2021) and The Excellence in Teaching Award (2018). Robin directs faculty programming at the TLC and facilitates programs such as the TLC's equity minded course redesign program, Project Real as well as our STEM teaching and learning community. Robin brings interest and expertise in teaching for equity in large courses, teaching to support the development of STEM identity, and she loves supporting faculty in the development of their teaching practices.

Michael Tassio | Assistant Vice Provost for Educational Innovation

Michael Tassio is the Assistant Vice Provost for Educational Innovation where his role is to provide leadership for advancing strategic initiatives for the campus that contribute directly to student success by improving retention and graduation rates and closing equity gaps. As a driver of innovation in teaching across UC Santa Cruz’s broad academic landscape, Michael drives the development of new initiatives that contribute to creating more equitable learning environments including online degrees, degree completion programs, and publicly-offered online courses.

Michael’s passion for teaching with technology was developed while teaching his first hybrid course on philosophical debate. In this course, the use of technology created efficiencies that allowed space for active learning, significantly improving student engagement, and particularly so for historically underrepresented students. Michael was an undergraduate student at UC Santa Cruz (philosophy and anthropology), and he has worked on campus for the past 20 years.

Marcela Alfaro Córdoba | Associate Teaching Professor of Statistics

Marcela Alfaro Córdoba is an Associate Teaching Professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Marcela has been active member of TLC programming including as a Faculty Fellow in both 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 academic years. She is interested in developing novel statistical methods to address scientific questions related to the environment, and turning those experiences of interdisciplinary collaboration into teaching methods for statistics and data science. Her areas of application include climate models, biophysics, spectrophotometry, among others.

Marcela is committed to practicing open science and she believes in mentoring young scientists. Her volunteering activities include being a co-chair of CODATA-RDA Schools of Data Science, being part of the organizing committee of ConectaR2019 and ConectaR2021, the first R Users Conference in Central America. She is a founding member of the R-ladies chapter in San José, Costa Rica.

Samara Foster | TLC Managing Director

Samara “Sam” Foster is the Managing Director for the Teaching & Learning Center (TLC). In this role, she provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the center. As one of TLC’s executive leaders, Sam cultivates partnerships and represents the TLC in university-wide and external collaborations. She also guides TLC program evaluation, manages grant partnerships, and oversees TLC’s communications (e.g., The Teaching Newsletter and the TLC website).

Sam received a joint Ph.D. in Educational Research and Evaluation Methodology and Educational Foundations, Policy, and Practice and a graduate certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She also holds a BA and MA in Political Science.

Noriko Aso | TLC Assistant Faculty Director; Associate Professor of History

Noriko Aso is a member of the History faculty. She researches and teaches Japanese and Asian history, primarily in the fields of cultural, intellectual, and social history. She has published and presented on Japanese museum culture, aquarium culture, and gender and popular culture. She received her B.A. from Yale University in 1987 and her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1997.

She is also the Assistant Faculty Director for the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC). In this role she supports the director for workshops and other TLC activities. She has a particular interest in accessibility.

Heather Shearer | Teaching Professor of Writing

Heather Shearer has been a Faculty Associate with the TLC during the past academic year. In this work she co-developed and led a learning community on ungrading. Heather's research interests are rhetoric, organizational communication, activity theory, Peoples Temple, and visual design of information. She teaches multiple courses in the writing program and has deeply integrated various forms of ungrading or alternative grading in her courses with much success.

Ebonée Williams, PhD | Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success and Equity

Dr. Ebonée Williams is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success and Equity (SSE) within the Division of Student Affairs and Success (DSAS) at UC Santa Cruz. Dr. Williams has unique skill sets and perspectives on campus, and both have made her a transformational leader. A first-generation college student, she earned a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and a M.S. in industrial business management. She earned a professional performance coaching certificate and completed the UC Executive Leadership Academy. Called upon to lead multi-divisional, multi-functional teams, Dr. Williams partners with faculty and student affairs practitioners in their shared pursuit: success and equity for all students. Student-centered and results-oriented, she is committed to working across disciplines to create opportunities, bolster support, and improve retention for underrepresented students.

Megan McNamara | Instructional Designer; Continuing Lecturer of Sociology

Megan McNamara (user’s choice) is an instructional designer with expertise in large lecture engagement, online and in-person pedagogies, equitable and accessible course design, and flipped classroom/active learning techniques. She particularly enjoys partnering with faculty who are seeking to enhance belonging, engagement, and equity in their courses. In addition to her work with the TLC, Megan serves as a Lecturer delivering a variety of popular courses in the Sociology major at UCSC. Megan holds Masters degrees in Sociology and in Cultural Anthropology, and a Ph.D. in Sociology. In her off time, she is a prodigious hiker and runs a de facto cat and kitten sanctuary.

Greer Murphy | Director, Academic Integrity Office

Greer Murphy serves as UC Santa Cruz’s inaugural Director of Academic Integrity, bringing over 15 years of experience in higher education, including leadership roles in policy, writing education, and faculty development. Prior to joining UCSC, they led academic honesty initiatives at the University of Rochester and currently serve on the Board of Directors for the International Center for Academic Integrity. Greer is committed to building a collaborative, student-centered culture of integrity grounded in shared values and restorative practices.

Aaron Zachmeier | Associate Director for Instructional Design and Development

Aaron Zachmeier partners with instructors to develop online, hybrid, and technetronic courses, and provides consultation on instructional design, student engagement, assessment, and technology integration. He has worked as an instructional designer and consultant in corporate and higher education settings in the U.S. and abroad, and has taught kindergarteners, graduate students, and others—with and without high technology.

Dana Conard | Education Specialist for Accessibility and Technology

Dana seeks to empower instructors with using technology in their teaching. In her role, Dana collaborates with instructors to make courses, assignments and activities that are engaging, innovative, and accessible. She also supervises the Accessibility Team which delivers course materials that are accessible for all students.

Stacey Knapp | Instructional Designer

Stacey Knapp is an experienced Instructional Designer dedicated to supporting faculty in creating engaging, effective, and accessible learning experiences. With expertise in educational technology, pedagogy and learning science, she assists faculty in designing new courses, enhancing existing courses, and integrating innovative instructional strategies. Through personalized consultations and hands-on training, Stacey helps faculty leverage Canvas to improve student engagement, streamline course delivery, and implement best practices in instructional design and assessment. Whether developing a course from the ground up or redesigning content for improved accessibility and interactivity, Stacey partners with faculty to foster meaningful and successful learning experiences.

Kendra Dority | Director for Graduate Student and Postdoc Professional Development

Kendra Dority (she/her) is the Director for Graduate Student & Postdoc Professional Development at the Teaching & Learning Center (TLC). In this role, she co-leads professional development programs for graduate students and postdocs in their educator roles, including as Teaching Assistants (TAs), Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs), and research mentors. These programs seek to uplift the strengths and leadership of grads and postdocs, while centering research-based approaches to equity-minded course design and teaching practices that center student learning and cultural wealth. She also works with faculty on mentorship of graduate students and postdocs, collaborating with TAs on teaching teams, and graduate-level teaching.

Kendra has been a member of the UC Santa Cruz teaching community since 2009, having served as a TA and GSI in the Literature department and a Lecturer at Porter College before joining the campus teaching center in 2017. She holds a Ph.D. in Literature from UC Santa Cruz.

Roxanna Villobos | Education Specialist for Graduate Student and Postdoc Development

Roxanna Villalobos joined the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) in 2023 as an Education Specialist for Graduate Student and Postdoc Development after receiving her Ph.D. in Sociology and Latin American and Latino Studies from UC Santa Cruz. In this position, Roxanna co-develops and co-facilitates research-based professional development programs, workshops, and resources focused on equity-minded and inclusive teaching for graduate students and postdocs across all disciplines. She leverages her expertise and passion in transnational and decolonial feminisms to work collaboratively with graduate and postdoctoral instructors to implement student-centered learning throughout our UCSC campus, which is designated as a Hispanic-serving institution. Roxanna’s research explores the intersections of racialized girlhood, mobility, and space/place in relation to transitions to adulthood through higher education for low-income Latinx rural youth. She utilizes this research to create context-specific and culturally relevant pedagogical opportunities for our undergraduate and graduate student populations.

Zoe Xiaoyi Zhong | Instructional Designer

Zoe (Xiaoyi) Zhong is an Instructional Designer at the Teaching & Learning Center (TLC). In this role, she partners with faculty to design and develop instructional content for online, hybrid, and in-person learning environments. Grounded in human-centered design, her work focuses on creating inclusive, interactive, and meaningful learning experiences that promote deeper engagement and understanding. Before joining TLC, Zoe worked as a Senior Instructional Designer at Columbia Engineering, Columbia University, and earned her Master’s Degree in Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology from Harvard University.

The classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the academy

― bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom

Resources shared during the academy will be published after the event.

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