The Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) organized a luncheon gathering for the teachers involved in the Staff Mentoring Program (SMP) of semester 1, 2022-2023 on September 14, 2022 at Faculty Club. A total of 69 teaching staff participated in this event, including 30 pairs of mentors and mentees, as well as 9 Open Classroom Initiative (OCI) course instructors.

The SMP is dedicated to provide one-on-one mentorship for new academic staff to foster their professional development and career growth within the respective programs during their first year at UIC. This informal gathering also provides an opportunity for teachers to meet colleagues from other disciplines, to learn from each other, and to improve cross-departmental communication.

As the Director of CTL, Dr. Yi-Lung KUO warmly welcomed all the new mentees and strongly encouraged them to consult with their mentors when they need help about college teaching and professional development. He also highlighted the missions of CTL in promoting teaching excellence to empower students across diverse disciplines.

During the luncheon gathering, Dr. KUO presented the Certificate of Appreciation to Dr. Yuhui DENG, Dr. Wenmeng HE, Dr. Wei JIANG, Dr. Milen JISSOV, Dr. Yi-Lung KUO, Dr. Chai Lee LIM, Dr. Ying WANG, Dr. Canhao XU, and Dr. Shengxin ZHU to recognize their contributions to Open Classroom Initiative (OCI) of Semester 2, 2021-2022. The OCI program launched by CTL provides our colleagues a platform to learn and develop teaching practices from the exemplary colleagues.

Edited and Reported by CTL