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TEK leverages the expertise of faculty to prepare students with the targeted transdisciplinary skills necessary for the 21st century workforce and for advancing Kentucky. The purpose of TEK Faculty Fellows is to support faculty in: (1) developing new transdisciplinary courses, and (2) retooling existing courses to focus on one or more essential employability skill, as outlined in the TEK Student Learning Outcomes.

 In collaboration with the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT), Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) have been established for TEK Faculty Fellows to support faculty professional development and foster transdisciplinary collaboration. TEK Faculty Fellows work in cohorts, participating in an orientation, followed by course design and preparation guidance in the fall semester immediately after selection as a TEK Faculty Fellow. TEK Faculty Fellows also receive ongoing support and collaboration during the semester of teaching. 

2026-2027 TEK Faculty Fellows Applications

Call for Applications

Call for Applications

Application Questions

Application Questions

2026-2027 Application

Application

TEK Faculty Fellows Program Details

Tracks

Track 1: New Courses (TEK 200-level: Discover and TEK 300: Engage)
TEK Faculty Fellows who are selected for Track 1 will develop course sections for TEK 200-level: Discover or TEK 300: Engage. Fellows will teach those sections during the Spring 2027, Summer 2027, or Fall 2027 terms. These course sections will address all four TEK Student Learning Outcomes:

  •  Identify multiple viewpoints
  • Reflect on process and growth
  • Communicate ideas
  • Collaborate in teams

Fellows selected for Track 1 will participate in eight meetings as part of a small faculty learning community during the Fall 2026 semester. During the semester of teaching the TEK course, Fellows will participate in consultations with CELT and participate in the CELT midsemester feedback process. Fellows may be asked to participate in occasional events such as panels or luncheons. Upon completion of the Fellow teaching the TEK course, Fellows will participate in the assessment of student learning with respect to the TEK Student Learning Outcomes.

TEK 200-level courses and TEK 300 courses will include the following elements:

  • Co- development and co-teaching by faculty from two or more disciplines 
  • Meaningful integration of one or more community partner(s) and/or experts from the workforce 
  • Critical problems, topics, or opportunities important to Kentucky (and beyond) 
  • Multiple points of view (e.g., theories, methods, perspectives, experiences) for problem solving 
  • Collaborative behaviors and dispositions (e.g., understanding cultural and societal differences and their relation to multiple viewpoints) 
  • Opportunities for reflection and awareness 
  • Transferrable or employability skills (e.g., communication, teamwork) 
  • Assessments/deliverables including (1) regular student reflections on prior and potential learning in depth to provide insight into perspectives about educational and life experiences and (2) a team-based project exploring a critical issue from multiple perspectives where students communicate their understanding of audience and purpose using appropriate and effective content, organization, and writing/speaking/multimodal skills. Student products from the assignments will be used as part of the assessment of TEK


 

The table below illustrates how TEK 200-level courses and TEK 300 courses differ based on characteristics specific to the course level.

TEK 200-level courses: Discover TEK 300: Engage

Introduction to transdisciplinary approaches (e.g. definitions, examples, etc.) in a course aligned with a UK Core area (The University of Kentucky’s general education program) 

Team-based activity/project from the onset of the course where students communicate ideas as they develop and disseminate transdisciplinary approaches to addressing critical issues. 

Exposure to one or more community partner(s)/ workforce expert(s) (academic and non-academic) 

Students work in teams with a community partner or workforce expert (academic and non-academic) 

Focused on understanding critical problems, topics, or opportunities important to Kentucky from multiple perspectives and disciplinary frameworks. 

Focused on generating solutions to a critical problem or opportunity important to Kentucky from multiple perspectives and disciplinary frameworks 

Students will work in teams to communicate ideas as they develop and disseminate transdisciplinary approaches to address critical issues. 

Students prepare and deliver a presentation for the UK Undergraduate Research Showcase that will be presented at the showcase within a year. 

Students will reflect on their growth and skill development. 

Students reflect on their strengths and development as team members and leaders 

 

Track 2: TEK Skills—Existing Undergraduate Courses 

TEK Faculty Fellows who are selected for Track 2 will teach an undergraduate course or course section(s) (up to and including 400G and 500-level courses) with a clear emphasis on employability skills tied to at least one TEK Student Learning outcome. Faculty will reflect on their pedagogical practices and identify at least one major assignment in the course used to assess the identified TEK Student Learning Outcome. Student products from the assignments will be used as part of TEK assessment. Fellows will teach the retooled course during the Spring 2027, Summer 2027, or Fall 2027 semesters. The course must address at least one TEK Student Learning Outcome (see Purpose and Misson). 

 

Fellows selected for Track 2 will participate in four meetings as part of a faculty learning community during the 2026-27 academic year and four additional meetings during the semester when the TEK Skills course is offered. During the semester of teaching the TEK course, Fellows will participate in consultations with CELT and participate in the CELT midsemester feedback process. Fellows may be asked to participate in occasional events such as panels or luncheons. Upon completion of the TEK course, Fellows will participate in the assessment of student learning with respect to the TEK Student Learning Outcomes. 

* TEK Skills courses may be offered in any modality for which the course is approved. 


 

Eligibility

The TEK Faculty Fellows program seeks regular full-time faculty (e.g. tenure-track, tenured, lecturers, clinical) who are interested in: 

Track 1: 

  • Collaborating with other Faculty Fellows during the Fall 2026 semester to develop a new undergraduate course in partnership with a co-instructor from another discipline. The course shouldthat engages students in exploring critical problems, topics, or opportunities important to Kentucky (and beyond) while engaging with community and workforce partners 
  • Experimenting with a variety of teachings methods, technologies, and processes that engage students in exploring multiple viewpoints, communicating, reflecting, and collaborating 

Track 2: 

  • Collaborating with other Faculty Fellows during the Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 semesters to develop and implement approaches in existing undergraduate courses to build transdisciplinary skills 
  • Experimenting with a variety of teachings methods, technologies, and processes that engage students in exploring multiple viewpoints, communicating, reflecting, and/or collaborating in teams. 

Criteria for selection

The TEK Faculty Fellows program aims to build cohorts of faculty representing a wide range of disciplines in teaching and learning environments at UK. In addition, we are looking for applications that can provide the following:


Track 1:

  • Commitment and ability to develop and teach a section of a TEK-prefixed course: Discover or Engage: during the Spring 2027, Summer 2027, or Fall 2027 semester
  • A clear sense of how the course will be co-developed and team taught with one or more colleagues from different disciplines (You will need to identify collaborators in your application). A clear idea of the critical problem or opportunity important to Kentucky (and beyond) that the course will investigate from a transdisciplinary perspective 
  • An identified community and/or workforce partner
  • Alignment between curricular design and TEK Student Learning Outcomes (e.g., topics, skills, learning activities, assessments)
  • Alignment with the required characteristics of Discover and Engage courses as outlined in the table above
  • Strong potential for student interest and enrollment, across disciplines
  • Statements of support* from (1) the applicant’s department chair or school director and (2) college dean that states their support for the faculty participating in TEK and confirms the faculty had a satisfactory performance designation at their last faculty performance review across all areas of assigned activity as recorded in the DOE agreement

Track 2:

  • Commitment and ability to target a specific undergraduate course section(s) that will be taught during the Spring 2027, Summer 2027, or Fall 2027 semester
  • Meaningful integration of one or more of the TEK skills (multiple viewpoints, reflection, communication, collaboration) in the course content and assignments
  • Alignment between curricular design (e.g., topics, skills, learning activities, assessments) and
    the chosen TEK skills 
  • Strong potential for student interest and enrollment
  • Statements of support* from (1) the applicant’s department chair or school director and (2) college dean that states their support for the faculty participating in TEK and confirms the faculty had a satisfactory performance designation at their last faculty performance review across all areas of assigned activity as recorded in the DOE agreement


* Statements of support will not be used to distinguish between applications.

Compensation

Track 1 TEK Faculty Fellow teams will receive a combined $14,000 that will be divided between team members (e.g. $7,000 each for 2 faculty members) during the semester the Discover or Engage course is taught (up to one semester per academic year).


Track 2 TEK Faculty Fellows will receive a combined $3,500 (That will be divided between faculty if the course is team taught) that will be evenly divided across two semesters (e.g. one payment of $1,750 distributed over the fall semester and one payment of $1,750 distributed over the semester the course is taught).


Fellows in both tracks will have the option to receive their payment through payroll or a departmental budget transfer.

Assessment requirements

Faculty selected to participate in the TEK Faculty Fellows program will be expected to assign and collect course assessments through Canvas. Additionally, Fellows will score a sampling of student work as part of the TEK assessment process. Support and training for TEK assessment will be included in the TEK Faculty Fellows program. Assessment will occur upon completion of the Fellow teaching the course. Faculty Fellows will commit to participating in TEK assessment each time the course is taught for up to five years.

Identifying a faculty collaborator

SCHOLARS@UK is a database of research expertise from colleges, departments, disciplines, and centers & institutes at UK. Maintained through UK Research, SCHOLARS@UK allows you to explore unit research output (publications, creative work), sponsored grants & contracts, and individual scholar profiles. SCHOLARS@UK is a great place to start when identifying a faculty collaborator.

If you need assistance identifying a collaborator for a TEK course, please reach out to uk.tek@uky.edu with details on a possible course topic and discipline partner. 

Faculty Testimonials

Sarah Vos, 2024-2025 TEK Faculty Fellow

 “TEK provides a space to think intentionally about what we are doing in the classroom and how we can help students develop their skills and talk about them. It's helped me intentionally talk to my students about why we do what we do and how it relates to their futures in the workforce. In addition, I've been able to redesign assignments that help my students focus on those skills in context. And the students love it when they see how what we do in the classroom relates to their future in the workforce."

Thomas Cochell, 2023-2024 TEK Faculty Fellow

“The TEK program gave me space to improve my course by incorporating opportunities for students to practice reflection and engineering communication. Learning from and with instructors from across campus helped me to generate new activities and assignments, which has led to my students being more engaged than ever."

Lou Hirsch, 2023-2024 TEK Faculty Fellow

"The TEK Faculty Fellows program promotes an open and honest learning environment where faculty can come together and collaborate. I am really excited about the fellowship because I am making connections with great teachers at UK and allowing myself the time I need to make my class better, all under the guidance of great pedagogical mentors."

Winter Phong, 2023-2024 TEK Faculty Fellow

“My TEK cohort and teaching partners have provided me with a valuable learning community and developed my capacity for how I can continue to develop my teaching practice. As we took this partnership into the classroom, it became evident that we were deepening the meaning of transdisciplinary perspectives in reimagining how faculty, staff and students at UK can have a lasting impact on the Commonwealth.”