8:30 a.m.
Check-in and light refreshments

9–10 a.m.
Creating a Focused Syllabus to Promote Belonging

10–10:30 a.m.
Syllabus Design Activity
Individual and small-group work facilitated by CATT staff

10:30–10:45 a.m.
Break

10:45–11:45 a.m.
Breakout sessions

• Using Formative Assessment to Promote Metacognitive Skills
• Mindful Pedagogy: Enhancing Student Participation and Performance
• UB Learns and Digital Accessibility, Including ADA Requirements
• Active Learning to Promote Belonging and a Positive Classroom Climate, Including Virtual Spaces

11:45 a.m.–1 p.m.
Lunch and open discussion

1–2 p.m.
Promoting Kindness and Belonging Through Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning

2–2:45 p.m.
Next Steps: Applications for the Classroom
Practical examples and group discussion

2:45–3 p.m.
Closing remarks

What if assessment could actively build better learners and not just measure learning? In this engaging, hands-on session, faculty will explore how formative assessment can be leveraged to strengthen students’ metacognitive skills, including self-awareness, self-monitoring, and strategic thinking. Through practical examples and collaborative discussion, participants will examine simple, high-impact strategies that make student thinking visible, spark reflection, and cultivate greater ownership of learning. Faculty will leave with ready-to-implement techniques that promote deeper engagement and more durable learning in any discipline.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Explain how formative assessment supports the development of students’ metacognitive skills.
• Identify and adapt 3–4 formative assessment techniques that promote reflection, self-monitoring, and self-regulation.
• Integrate metacognitive prompts or structured reflection into an existing course activity.
• Design feedback approaches that guide students to think about how they learn—not just what they learn.

Mindfulness is increasingly recognized as a powerful, research-informed practice that can support student attention, emotional regulation, and learning. This workshop will explore how mindfulness can enhance teaching and learning in college classrooms. Participants will discuss the purpose of mindfulness, examine the evidence behind mindful awareness, and consider its potential effects on student participation, academic performance, and classroom engagement.

The session will conclude with practical, accessible strategies that faculty can incorporate into their own teaching to foster presence, focus, and a supportive learning environment.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Describe the purpose of mindfulness in higher education contexts and explain how mindful awareness can support teaching and learning.
• Summarize scientific evidence behind mindfulness practices, including their role in attention, stress regulation, and cognitive engagement.
• Identify potential impacts of mindfulness on student participation and academic performance, particularly in relation to focus, motivation, and classroom climate.
• Experience and reflect on brief mindfulness techniques that can be used to support presence and readiness to learn in college classrooms.
• Develop practical strategies for integrating mindfulness into pedagogy, including inclusive, accessible practices that can be incorporated into a variety of disciplines and teaching modalities.

Student-centered teaching encourages us to design learning experiences that actively involve students in the learning process. Yet many LMS courses are still organized primarily as places to store readings, slides, and assignments. In this session, we will explore how UB Learns (Brightspace) can be used more intentionally to support student-centered learning. Participants will reflect on their beliefs about teaching and learning and consider how those beliefs show up in the way their courses are designed in the LMS. We will also briefly discuss how accessible course design—especially in light of the upcoming Title II ADA digital accessibility requirements—supports student engagement and ensures all students can access and participate in course materials. Through examples and a short redesign activity, faculty will identify small, practical changes they can make in UB Learns to better support engagement, practice, feedback, accessibility, and student learning.

Do you want to unlock strategies to captivate your students' interest? Join this workshop to discover innovative methods for transforming passive learners into active participants, all while fostering a connected and stimulating classroom environment.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify passive vs. active student behaviors
• Select and apply at least two active learning strategies
• Reflect on engagement practices and opportunities