Teaching Excellence Symposium

Call for Proposals

CELT is excited to invite proposals for the second biennial UK Teaching Excellence Symposium which will take place on Friday, October 10th, 2025 in the Gatton Student Center. Proposal submissions are due by 5pm on Friday, August 29, 2025.

Hosted by the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching, the symposium will be a space for sharing examples of exceptional teaching, exploring pedagogical approaches, and fostering community among UK educators. All instructors—faculty of any title and rank, graduate TAs, and part-time instructors—are invited to submit a proposal. Undergraduate students and staff with direct involvement in an instructional setting may be part of a presentation team with an instructor. There are two options for proposals: 10-minute lightning talks and 20-minute presentations, as well as the option to submit a fully-formed panel of three presentations.

Proposal Formats

10-minute lightning talks

Lightning talks highlight a specific curricular or pedagogical intervention that are grounded in a practical instructional need. They should provide insights or practices that can be applied across a range of disciplines. Lightning talks may situate the intervention within a theoretical or evidence-based framework, but should focus on practice and application. Lightning talks will be arranged on panels with five talks per panel.

20-minute presentations

Presentations explore questions, case studies, data, developments, theoretical or evidence-based frameworks, and practices related to teaching and learning. While presentations may focus on a particular discipline, program, or course, they should address an audience of teacher-scholars from across the University. We welcome proposals for presentations on a wide range of topics that highlight meaningful and timely projects, inquiries, and approaches to teaching to support the UK teaching community. Presentations will be arranged on panels with three presentations per panel.

We also welcome proposals for complete panels featuring three presentations addressing a common theme or question. Fully-formed panel proposals may be made for 20-minute presentations only.

Proposal Submission Form

Proposals are due by 5pm Friday, August 29, 2025. Proposals for individual lightning talks/presentations or complete presentations panels are welcome.

If you have questions, reach out at https:://celt.uky.edu.

Submit a proposal

Submission Guidelines

Submit your proposal by completing this form. Individual and group proposals are welcome. If you wish to proposal a complete panel, you will be invited to select that option on the form.* The form will require the following information:

Presenter name(s), college/department/school, & contact information
Session title & preferred format (please note, based on number and type of proposals received, we may have to request an alternate format)
Description of the teaching intervention or educational inquiry/research and a clear indication of what the symposium participants will gain, e.g., take-aways, outcomes. (100-250 words)
Brief description for listing in the symposium program (one or two sentences).
Times you are available to present on Friday, October 10.
Any other information needed (e.g., accommodations, technology needs, more detailed information about your availability).

*Those proposing complete panels will need to include the presentation titles, descriptions, and speakers of all three presentations.

Proposal submission deadline: Friday, August 29, 2025 by 5:00 p.m.