Submitted by: Tonya McKinne, tmckinne@uca.edu on 05/06/2026
The offices of Instructional Technology and CETAL will hold open office hours during the first few days of May Intersession to assist all faculty with Brightspace issues. Feel free to join us on Zoom between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm at .
Submitted by: Scott Austin, saustin@uca.edu on 05/06/2026
Griffin Planetarium shows this Friday May 8 and Saturday May 9 at 7:00pm: The one-hour shows this week include a tour of the current sky, a flight around the universe, and the full-dome movie “Phantom of the Universe: The Hunt for Dark Matter”. The planetarium is located in the Conway Corporation Center for the Sciences. Building will be unlocked by 6:30pm. Seating starts 10 minutes before show time. Admission is free. Seating limited to the first 94. No admission after the shows begin. No food or drink allowed.
Submitted by: Robert Mauldin, rmauldin@uca.edu on 05/05/2026
Dr. Robert Mauldin of the BTDepartment of Chemistry & Biochemistry has published an entry about The Professors in the Central Arkansas Library System’s Encyclopedia of Arkansas (online). The Professors was a bluegrass/folk band consisting of five ASTC/SCA/BTscience professors who performed at numerous events across the state of Arkansas from 1967-2011. Here is the link:
Submitted by: Deanne Murphey, dmurphey@uca.edu on 05/05/2026
Renaissance Kids Bear Camp: July 13-17, 2026
Global Rhythms Bear Camp: July 20-24, 2026
Celebrate Africa Bear Camp: July 27-31, 2026
For more information and registration links, please visit UCA’s Community Language School web page. Children entering 1st-7th grades (ages 6-12) are welcome to join us!
Submitted by: Jennifer Brewer, jbrewer1@uca.edu on 05/05/2026
Ready to go beyond the basics? CETAL is offering a series of focused, one-hour Brightspace sessions on special topics designed to help you build more intentional, efficient, and student-centered courses.
Each session dives into a specific topic with practical, hands-on strategies you can apply right away—whether you’re customizing your gradebook, streamlining course organization, or creating personalized pathways for your students.
Click the link above for full session descriptions, or scroll below for dates and quick overviews.
Release Conditions – Guide student progress and control access to content with simple, high-impact setup strategies.
Dates:
Weighted Gradebooks & Specifications Grading – Design grading systems that clearly reflect your course structure and simplify what students see.
Dates:
Your Content, Amplified: Video Tools in Brightspace D2L – Explore Kaltura Media, Video Note, and YouTube to create engaging video content and feedback.
Dates:
Intelligent Agents for Student Success – Use automation to send timely messages, support students, and extend your teaching presence.
Dates:
Creating a Consistent Learning Experience with Page Templates – Design clean, accessible, and visually consistent course content using ready-to-use templates.
Dates:
Whether you attend one session or several, you’ll leave with clear, practical ideas to enhance your course design and support student success.
Submitted by: Stacy O’Brien, sobrien4@uca.edu on 05/04/2026
AI is reshaping higher education — and there’s no single right way to respond to it.
CETAL’s annual Teaching with AI Mini-Conference returns with all-new sessions built around the latest developments in generative AI and what they mean for your courses. This isn’t a conference about wholeheartedly embracing AI or embedding it into everything you do. It’s a space to think critically, ask hard questions, and figure out what makes sense for you and your students.
Skeptics, resistors, cautious adopters, and enthusiastic experimenters are all equally welcome here. Wherever you stand on AI, this conversation needs your voice.
What You’ll Explore
• Defining AI literacy — for you and your students
• Examining AI competencies across disciplines
• Stress-testing your assignments against AI tools
• Speed-dating with the latest AI tools
• Addressing your role in student AI use
• And more!
What You’ll Walk Away With
• Hands-on experience with generative AI
• Practical strategies ready to implement in your courses
• New connections with faculty across disciplines
• Forward-looking perspectives on where AI in education is headed
Registration is open now — don’t miss it!
Reserve your seat today and come ready to explore, collaborate, and rethink what’s possible in your classroom.
Submitted by: Kristen Oitker, koitker1@uca.edu on 05/04/2026
It’s Alumni Weekend at Bear Stadium! We’ve got a three game series against North Alabama – Friday (3 PM), Saturday (4 PM) and Sunday (1 PM). We’ll be giving away t-shirts and car decals on Saturday and celebrating moms on Sunday! Click the link to get your four free faculty/staff tickets!
Submitted by: Stephanie McBrayer, smcbrayer@uca.edu on 05/01/2026
YOU’RE INVITED!!
Miss BTSend Off Party
Tuesday, June 2nd
3:30pm – 4:30pm
Christian Cafeteria – Executive Dining Room
Join us for a reception honoring Miss UCA, Ana Brandon. She will be leaving to represent BTat the Miss Arkansas competition in the Robinson Center in Little Rock on June 6th.
Remarks at 4:00pm.
Refreshments will be served.
Contact: missuca@uca.edu
Instagram: @miss_uca
Submitted by: Shelly Vangsnes, Shellyv@uca.edu on 04/30/2026
This spring, Student Success Services launched a new initiative to support our students, the Cub Supply Cave, for the upcoming fall term. The Cub Supply Cave, located in the Student Success & Veterans Resource Center.
Through our work with students, we have seen firsthand how financial challenges can impact academic performance. For some, the lack of basic school supplies can become an unexpected barrier to success. The Cub Supply Cave is designed to help remove that barrier and empower students to stay focused on their academic goals.
We invite you to support this initiative through donations. We are currently collecting items such as notebook paper, pens, pencils, highlighters, new Scantrons, new Bluebooks, spiral notebooks, and gently used 3-ring binders. Please consider putting a box out for donated 3-ring binders and other supplies.
Your support will make a meaningful difference in the day-to-day success of our students. Thank you for helping us create a campus environment where all students have the tools they need to thrive.
Email shellyv@uca.edu if you have items that need to be picked up from your building or donations may be dropped off at the Student Success and Veterans Resource Center.