Welcome to the Teaching and Learning Complex!

This page features information about the Teaching and Learning Complex (TLC), The Teaching and Learning Complex Series, TLC Tech, and the resources specific to the TLC and active learning.

About the Teaching and Learning Complex

The TLC has approximately 2000 seats and is a general assignment classroom building with design, environmental, and technological features that support instructors in the implementation of active learning strategies that promote high levels of student engagement and interactivity. There are 20 rooms with flexible seating, natural lighting, and enhanced connectivity. More about the TLC can be found here: https://dcm.ucdavis.edu/projects/teaching-learning-complex. View the TLC's room configurations here. 

The Registrar designated several general assignment classrooms as "interactive" on the Davis campus, including two new classrooms in Walker Hall (Rooms 1320 and 1330). Authentication may be required to access the general assignment classroom list.

Teaching and Learning Complex Series

The Center for Educational Effectiveness is excited to announce the 5-part Teaching and Learning Complex (TLC) Series. The TLC Series is designed to support instructors who are, will be, or would like to be teaching with active learning strategies in the new building, which features flexible classrooms designed and equipped to enhance instructors’ ability to facilitate active learning and maximize student engagement. The five-workshop series discusses interactive teaching strategies, learning technologies, techniques for managing groups, and team-based and collaborative assessments. In addition, CEE will share several evidence-based, equity-focused, and practical resources, strategies, and tools instructors can immediately apply when teaching in the TLC classroom (as well as other flexible learning spaces on campus). 

Faculty from the 2022-2023 cohorts found the series to be valuable. Here are a few excerpts from their evaluation of the series: 

• “Collaborating with other instructors and sharing/exchanging ideas. It was incredibly inspiring.” 
• “Getting to interact in the space like a student and see how activities could be used.”
• “Practical strategies for engaging students in the active learning classroom.”
• "Examples, references to literature, exchange of experience with colleagues from different fields."
• "(The most useful aspects were)...doing the activities themselves, as a way of learning the strategies, as well as hearing from fellow instructors."
  
                                               
                           Applications for the Winter 2024 Series will open in November, 2023

• What are the components of the TLC Series?
• Participate in all five workshops and participate in the TLC Canvas Community Site.  Participants are also encouraged to seek a Mid-Quarter Inquiry (MQI) survey. MQI feedback will help inform plans to teach in the rooms or inform future teaching plans for those already teaching in the building.
• Who can enroll in the TLC Series and how do I apply?
• Fall 2023 applications are now closed. Winter 2024 applications will open in November, 2023.  
  
  Participation in the TLC Series is open to UC Davis faculty, graduate student instructors and TAs. Faculty will receive priority if space becomes limited. 
  
  Participation in the series is voluntary and not a requirement for teaching in the TLC. 
• What topics will be covered?

• Workshop Topics

  Introduction to the Teaching and Learning Complex

  Leveraging Educational Technologies in Flexible Teaching Spaces

  Facilitating Student Interaction in the Active Learning Classroom

  Managing Student Groups in the Active Learning Classroom

  Assessing Student Learning in the Active Learning Classroom

• What are the topic descriptions?

• 
  Introduction to the Teaching and Learning Complex
  This session is designed to orient instructors to the TLC, its features, and opportunities to engage students through active learning in the building’s flexible spaces. We will discuss an array of common challenges and introduce strategies to address them.

  Leveraging Educational Technologies in Flexible Teaching Spaces
  Join ATS instructional designers for a rapid primer on the technologies available in the TLC’s flexible classrooms to facilitate active, engaging learning activities. We will share recommended practices, demo different tools, and answer your questions about making the most of UC Davis’ newest teaching spaces.

  Facilitating Student Interaction in the Active Learning Classroom
  In this session, participants will explore ways to leverage the TLC’s unique design features to maximize active learning and increase student engagement.  We will discuss the role of interaction in active learning, examine frameworks for structuring collaborative activity in the active learning classroom, and experience activities that both promote equitable learning and foster student engagement.

  Managing Student Groups in the Active Learning Classroom
  In this session, participants will consider how group work can support their course learning objectives and explore strategies for facilitating group activities in ways that are equitable and productive. We will discuss strategies for assigning groups, fostering collaboration, and monitoring group dynamics.

  Assessing Student Learning in the Active Learning Classroom
  In this session, participants will explore ways to effectively assess student learning in the TLC’s learning spaces. We will examine a variety of collaborative and equitable assessments that can support collaborative learning, as well as examples of formative and summative assessments that work well in active learning classrooms.

• What is a Mid-Quarter Inquiry (MQI) survey?
• Mid-Quarter Inquiries (MQIs) provide instructors with formative feedback that they can use to modify a course they are currently teaching before the end of the term. MQIs are available to full- and part-time faculty. More information about MQIs can be found here: https://cee.ucdavis.edu/learning-and-teaching-consultations 
• When will sessions be held?

• All sessions are held in-person in TLC Teaching and Learning Lab (TLC 1211/1213)
  
  Winter 2024 Series dates will be announced in November, 2023.

• How many seats are available in the Series?

• Each series will have up to 20 seats per quarter.

• Who can I contact with questions?

• TLC Series Coordinator: Dr. Patricia Turner (pturner@ucdavis.edu), CEE Education Specialist

TLC and Active Learning

The resources below were developed for teaching with active learning strategies in flexible learning spaces, like the TLC and Walker Hall.