Dates & times
All times are local to the venue · America/Chicago
- 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Earlier dates (2)
- 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
- 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Fostering International Student Success at UAB: Three CTL Teaching Sessions
A classroom convention that feels obvious to an instructor may not be obvious to every student. UAB’s Center for Teaching and Learning takes that gap as a practical teaching question: how can faculty explain expectations around writing, listening and speaking so students can navigate them?
Make the unspoken parts of teaching visible
Presented by Melissa Hawkins, PhD, the three-week Building Block draws on input from UAB faculty and students with global backgrounds. It considers how educational practices can differ across systems, and how instructors can respond in their courses rather than assume a single set of classroom conventions.
The series takes in group work, writing assignments, lecture delivery, participation and student initiative. Those subjects connect a broad question—how students encounter academic expectations at UAB—to decisions instructors make in everyday teaching.
Further reading: Fostering International Student Success at UAB - CTL Building Block - The University of Alabama at Birmingham ↗ · Certificates | Center for Teaching and Learning ↗
From source use to spoken instructions
The opening session addresses unintentional plagiarism through the work of paraphrasing, accurately using sources and developing an authoritative writing voice. It also considers how ideas about borrowing text and sharing intellectual work may differ, and how instructors can explain academic honesty in the U.S. academic setting, including appropriate uses of AI. The focus is practical support for students learning these skills, not just a rule about citation.
The second meeting shifts from written to spoken communication. It examines why English can be difficult to understand orally for multilingual listeners and considers ways to make spoken course material clearer. The stated aim extends to communicating course content more effectively for all students.
Further reading: Fostering International Student Success at UAB - CTL Building Block - The University of Alabama at Birmingham ↗
Participation is also a classroom-wide question
The final session considers how instructors can explain why discussion matters in U.S. educational settings, clarify appropriate and effective ways to contribute, and encourage participation during class. The event description notes that reluctance to speak can affect American students as well as international students, making this a teaching challenge that reaches beyond one group.
This is a UAB professional-development offering for current teaching faculty, instructors of record, academic advisors and other staff who work directly with students. Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars are directed to the CTL LIFT series instead.
Further reading: Fostering International Student Success at UAB - CTL Building Block - The University of Alabama at Birmingham ↗
Three teaching questions, in sequence
The announced progression moves from academic source use to clearer spoken instruction, then to the expectations and practices of classroom discussion. The individual sessions are listed separately in the event schedule.
Monday, November 2, 2026 · Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences, 411
- Helping International Students Avoid Unintentional Plagiarism
Monday, November 9, 2026 · Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences, 411
- Tweaking Lectures for Optimal Comprehensibility
Monday, November 16, 2026 · Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences, 411
- Please Talk! Promoting Class Participation
Dates, registration and credit
Three Monday meetings
The listed sessions are Nov. 2, 9 and 16, 2026, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. CST. The event description calls this a half-day workshop, but the calendar lays it out as three separate 90-minute meetings.
As of the supplied Nov. 3, 2026 check, the Nov. 2 meeting had passed; Nov. 9 and 16 were the remaining listed dates.
Fostering International Student Success at UAB - CTL Building Block - The University of Alabama at Birmingham ↗ · Home | Center for Teaching and Learning ↗ · Supporting UAB Educators Through CTL Building Blocks | Center for Teaching and Learning ↗
For UAB faculty and student-facing staff
The intended audience is current UAB teaching faculty, instructors of record, academic advisors and other staff who work directly with students. Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars are directed to CTL LIFT workshops.
The event lists a $0 price and provides an online registration form. It does not say whether registration requires a UAB login. For questions, CTL lists 205-996-1757 and [email protected].
Fostering International Student Success at UAB - CTL Building Block - The University of Alabama at Birmingham ↗ · Home | Center for Teaching and Learning ↗
Per-session credit and the Building Block pathway
The event listing assigns 10,000 CTL points for each workshop attended. CTL’s broader Building Block description says participants who commit to three consecutive weeks and complete an optional application assignment can earn 35,000 points toward a CTL certificate. The sources do not explain how the two point descriptions relate, so check with CTL if the exact credit total affects your plans.
The Global Awareness Certificate requires 100,000 points, and CTL says students are not eligible for that certificate.
Getting to Lister Hill Library
Room and address
The event is listed at Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences, room 411, 1700 University Blvd, Birmingham, AL 35233.
Fostering International Student Success at UAB - CTL Building Block - The University of Alabama at Birmingham ↗ · Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences - The University of Alabama at Birmingham ↗
Directions and arrival details
The event listing links to transit, driving and walking directions; those map links can calculate a route from your starting point. The listing does not provide route numbers, parking details, building-entry instructions or event-specific accessibility arrangements.
Before you make a plan
Who is the workshop for?
Current UAB teaching faculty, instructors of record, academic advisors and other student-facing staff. Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars are directed to CTL LIFT.
Can someone attend fewer than all three sessions?
CTL says participants can still receive points for sessions they attend if they cannot make every meeting; the event listing assigns 10,000 points per workshop attended.
Fostering International Student Success at UAB - CTL Building Block - The University of Alabama at Birmingham ↗ · Supporting UAB Educators Through CTL Building Blocks | Center for Teaching and Learning ↗
Is there an admission fee, and does registration require a UAB login?
The event lists a $0 price and offers online registration. It does not state whether the registration form requires a UAB login.
Location & Google Maps
Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences, 411
1700 University Blvd, Birmingham, AL 35233
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.