Connection workshops are 80 minutes and designed to be in-person only. These workshops have built-in time to engage beyond the presentation. Participants will be able to engage in discussion and work on activities in small groups.
Please click on the session title to see the description and option to register.
- Sep3Wed
STEP Partnership Power Hour – (September 3, 2025 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM)
Location:TLPDC Room 150
2802 18th Street
Lubbock, TX 79409Room: TLPDC 150
Available Seats: 38
The STEP Program Faculty Power Hour, held in the Teaching, Learning & Professional Development Center (TLPDC), is an open-format, bi-weekly conversation designed by faculty, for faculty. Twice per month, a STEP Program Scholar will share a specific, actionable tip to enhance the classroom experience for both instructors and students. You'll hear directly how the implementation of these tips has transformed classroom dynamics. Half of our time will be dedicated to collaborative discussion on adapting these suggestions to fit your unique classroom environment. You will leave with a clear implementation strategy, ready for use in your very next class period. All Instructors of all ranks are invited and lunch is provided.
- Sep18Thu
STEP Partnership Power Hour – (September 18, 2025 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM)
Location:TLPDC Room 150
2802 18th Street
Lubbock, TX 79409Room: TLPDC 150
Available Seats: 40
The STEP Program Faculty Power Hour, held in the Teaching, Learning & Professional Development Center (TLPDC), is an open-format, bi-weekly conversation designed by faculty, for faculty. Twice per month, a STEP Program Scholar will share a specific, actionable tip to enhance the classroom experience for both instructors and students. You'll hear directly how the implementation of these tips has transformed classroom dynamics. Half of our time will be dedicated to collaborative discussion on adapting these suggestions to fit your unique classroom environment. You will leave with a clear implementation strategy, ready for use in your very next class period. All Instructors of all ranks are invited and lunch is provided.
- Sep23Tue
Now What? Writing Your Way Back to What Matters – (September 23, 2025 12:30 PM – 01:50 PM)
Location:TLPDC Room 153
2802 18th Street
Lubbock, TX 79409Room: TLPDC 153
Available Seats: 40
Facilitator: Dr. Jessica Smith Join this reflective workshop for a transformative writing session that reconnects you to academic passion. With a background in contemporary American poetry, memoir, and literary trauma theory, Dr. Smith cultivates an atmosphere of honesty, exploration, and healing through writing. Participants are invited to pause, reflect, and move beyond deadlines and goals to rediscover what truly matters in their academic lives. Through guided prompts and supportive peer sharing, participants will uncover personal narratives that illuminate purpose. Come and enjoy the space to explore your values, renew your connection to your work, and emerge with renewed focus and creative presence. IFE Path II
- Sep25Thu
Supporting Our Students: Strategies for Responding with Empathy and Compassion While Maintaining Boundaries and High Expectations – (September 25, 2025 12:30 PM – 01:50 PM)
Location:TLPDC Room 153
2802 18th Street
Lubbock, TX 79409Room: TLPDC 153
Available Seats: 143
Join Dr. Nichole Morelock, Professor of Practice in the Department of Community, Family, & Addiction Sciences and Mitzi Ziegner, Instructor for the College of Human Sciences and the Honors College and Associate Director at the TLPDC, as they discuss strategies for holding space and responding to students with grace while also maintaining high expectations, healthy boundaries and a nurturing a rich learning environment. Lunch will be provided and there will be time at the end for an “ask me anything” style conversation. This workshop session is designed to be delivered in a face-to-face format; however, we understand that you might need to attend remotely for a variety of reasons. Please use this link to join the conversation remotely:
Meeting ID: 281 826 829 456 8Passcode: Vq3Hj9SC - Oct1Wed
STEP Partnership Power Hour – (October 1, 2025 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM)
Location:TLPDC Room 150
2802 18th Street
Lubbock, TX 79409Room: TLPDC 150
Available Seats: 39
The STEP Program Faculty Power Hour, held in the Teaching, Learning & Professional Development Center (TLPDC), is an open-format, bi-weekly conversation designed by faculty, for faculty. Twice per month, a STEP Program Scholar will share a specific, actionable tip to enhance the classroom experience for both instructors and students. You'll hear directly how the implementation of these tips has transformed classroom dynamics. Half of our time will be dedicated to collaborative discussion on adapting these suggestions to fit your unique classroom environment. You will leave with a clear implementation strategy, ready for use in your very next class period. All Instructors of all ranks are invited and lunch is provided.
- Oct2Thu
Work Life Integration and Other Faculty Constructs – (October 2, 2025 02:00 PM – 02:50 PM)
Location:TLPDC Room 153
2802 18th Street
Lubbock, TX 79409Room: TLPDC 153
Available Seats: 32
Finding it more and more of a challenge to seek balance in your professional and personal roles? More often than not, do you feel that achieving success in one area leads to feeling that you must neglect the other? You are not alone! In this facilitated discussion, TTU faculty will share their struggles, strategies, ideas and insights. Please join us! This workshop session is designed to be delivered in a face-to-face format; however, we understand that you might need to attend remotely for a variety of reasons. Please use this link to join the conversation remotely:
Meeting ID: 283 170 957 689 7Passcode: 6qv2HR28 - Oct16Thu
STEP Partnership Power Hour – (October 16, 2025 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM)
Location:TLPDC Room 150
2802 18th Street
Lubbock, TX 79409Room: TLPDC 150
Available Seats: 36
The STEP Program Faculty Power Hour, held in the Teaching, Learning & Professional Development Center (TLPDC), is an open-format, bi-weekly conversation designed by faculty, for faculty. Twice per month, a STEP Program Scholar will share a specific, actionable tip to enhance the classroom experience for both instructors and students. You'll hear directly how the implementation of these tips has transformed classroom dynamics. Half of our time will be dedicated to collaborative discussion on adapting these suggestions to fit your unique classroom environment. You will leave with a clear implementation strategy, ready for use in your very next class period. All Instructors of all ranks are invited and lunch is provided.
- Oct21Tue
Chapter 2: The Faculty Reset – Vision, Purpose, Action – (October 21, 2025 12:30 PM – 01:50 PM)
Location:TLPDC Room 153
2802 18th Street
Lubbock, TX 79409Room: TLPDC 153
Available Seats: 40
Facilitator: Dr. Angela Walla In this session, you’ll reflect on your academic journey and re-envision your future with renewed clarity and purpose. Guided by the moderator, participants will engage in a series of reflective activities designed to help assess their career path, explore current goals, and consider new possibilities. This session aims to reignite enthusiasm and offer fresh perspective as you plan the next chapter of your academic career. You’ll leave with concrete action steps and the foundation of a personalized plan to guide your way forward. The session will be broken down into four sections. Each session has a mini-lecture followed by an activity Reflection on past career Exploring the possibility: Identification of passion projects and new areas Identification of Barriers Action Plan IFE Path II
- Oct28Tue
The Hidden Motivators: What Drives Us (and Drains Us) – (October 28, 2025 12:30 PM – 01:50 PM)
Location:TLPDC Room 153
2802 18th Street
Lubbock, TX 79409Room: TLPDC 153
Available Seats: 38
Facilitator: Dr. Lisa Garner Santa The rhythms of academic life are relentless. Over time, we begin to move through the motions—responding to requests, meeting expectations, saying yes before we even pause to ask why. In this session, we’ll explore the six life-alienating motivators named in Nonviolent Communication: reward, punishment, guilt, shame, duty, and approval. What happens when these motivators go unchecked? And what becomes possible when we bring awareness and choice into the picture? Using Rosenberg’s framework, we’ll identify internalized pressures that may be shaping our academic decisions—and begin to shift from obligation to alignment. “The most dangerous of all behaviors may consist of doing things 'because we're supposed to.’” – Marshall Rosenberg IFE Path I and II
- Nov4Tue
Reignite the Spark: Teaching with Learning in Mind – (November 4, 2025 12:30 PM – 01:50 PM)
Location:TLPDC Room 153
2802 18th Street
Lubbock, TX 79409Room: TLPDC 153
Available Seats: 39
Facilitator: Dr. Angela Lumpkin Join us for an inspiring session designed to reignite your passion for scholarship and pedagogy. This interactive workshop provides faculty with an opportunity to reflect on what makes teaching meaningful and effective. Through guided dialogue and reflective exercises, participants will explore how to align their instructional choices and actions with how students learn best, reigniting purpose and presence in the classroom. Find new inspiration and time to reconnect with your teaching values. IFE Path II
- Nov5Wed
STEP Partnership Power Hour – (November 5, 2025 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM)
Location:TLPDC Room 150
2802 18th Street
Lubbock, TX 79409Room: TLPDC 150
Available Seats: 40
The STEP Program Faculty Power Hour, held in the Teaching, Learning & Professional Development Center (TLPDC), is an open-format, bi-weekly conversation designed by faculty, for faculty. Twice per month, a STEP Program Scholar will share a specific, actionable tip to enhance the classroom experience for both instructors and students. You'll hear directly how the implementation of these tips has transformed classroom dynamics. Half of our time will be dedicated to collaborative discussion on adapting these suggestions to fit your unique classroom environment. You will leave with a clear implementation strategy, ready for use in your very next class period. All Instructors of all ranks are invited and lunch is provided.
- Nov6Thu
Bridging the Gaps for Today’s Students – (November 6, 2025 11:00 AM – 12:20 PM)
Location:TLPDC Room 153
2802 18th Street
Lubbock, TX 79409Room: TLPDC 153
Available Seats: 29
COVID and other factors have impacted the ways students learn and manage their mental wellbeing, and one of the biggest ripple effects of the pandemic was learning loss and its ongoing effects. Some studies have predicted that student learning in subject areas, including math, science, reading, and writing will be impacted for years, if not decades. This session will discuss strategies for bridging those gaps, ongoing challenges for both academic achievement and mental health and what it means to be effective university educators teaching a generation of students who entered colleges with COVID learning loss and an increased mental load. Lunch will be provided. This workshop session is designed to be delivered in a face-to-face format; however, we understand that you might need to attend remotely for a variety of reasons. Please use this link to join the conversation remotely:
Meeting ID: 223 613 900 736 8Passcode: nH7hz9aP - Nov13Thu
Building Bridges, Not Walls: A Fresh Approach to Academic Integrity – (November 13, 2025 03:00 PM – 04:20 PM)
Location:TLPDC Room 153
2802 18th Street
Lubbock, TX 79409Room: TLPDC 153
Available Seats: 34
Why do some students see academic integrity as an outdated formality while faculty view it as fundamental to education? This interactive workshop facilitated by Barbie Chambers and Mitzi Ziegner from the TLPDC explores the gaps that shape how we and our students approach academic honesty. You'll discover practical strategies for moving beyond rule enforcement to meaningful conversations about character and professional preparation. Through real scenarios and discussion, we'll explore innovative ways to help students embrace integrity as a cornerstone of their Red Raider identity. Join us to transform how you think about and teach academic honor! This workshop session is designed to be delivered in a face-to-face format; however, we understand that you might need to attend remotely for a variety of reasons. Please use this link to join the conversation remotely:
Meeting ID: 218 322 364 287 6Passcode: Pz3xT3uU - Nov14Fri
Mind Your Mind – Nurturing Mental Wellness – (November 14, 2025 12:00 PM – 03:00 PM)
Location:TLPDC Room 153
2802 18th Street
Lubbock, TX 79409Room: TLPDC 153
Available Seats: 34
An introduction to evidence-based strategies for maintaining mental well-being in academia. Learn practical tools for managing stress, promoting resilience, and fostering a healthy work-life balance as you begin your faculty journey. This workshop session is designed to be delivered in a face-to-face format; however, we understand that you might need to attend remotely for a variety of reasons. Please use this link to join the conversation remotely:
Meeting ID: 242 984 966 110 8Passcode: ob2pY6rh - Nov18Tue
Collaborative Feedback in Academia – (November 18, 2025 12:30 PM – 01:50 PM)
Location:TLPDC Room 153
2802 18th Street
Lubbock, TX 79409Room: TLPDC 153
Available Seats: 40
Facilitator: Dr. Lisa Garner Santa What if giving feedback could be energizing, even enjoyable? In this session, we’ll explore how feedback, when grounded in connection and mutual respect, can become a two-way exchange that strengthens both mentoring relationships and institutional culture. Through the lens of Nonviolent Communication (NVC), we’ll examine how to move from “power over” or “power under” toward “power with,” where everyone’s needs matter. Participants will practice using observations, feelings, needs, and requests to engage in feedback conversations that are clear, kind, and co-created. When mentoring becomes a collaborative process, feedback becomes not only possible but meaningful and rewarding. IFE Path I and II
- Nov20Thu
STEP Partnership Power Hour – (November 20, 2025 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM)
Location:TLPDC Room 150
2802 18th Street
Lubbock, TX 79409Room: TLPDC 150
Available Seats: 38
The STEP Program Faculty Power Hour, held in the Teaching, Learning & Professional Development Center (TLPDC), is an open-format, bi-weekly conversation designed by faculty, for faculty. Twice per month, a STEP Program Scholar will share a specific, actionable tip to enhance the classroom experience for both instructors and students. You'll hear directly how the implementation of these tips has transformed classroom dynamics. Half of our time will be dedicated to collaborative discussion on adapting these suggestions to fit your unique classroom environment. You will leave with a clear implementation strategy, ready for use in your very next class period. All Instructors of all ranks are invited and lunch is provided.