{"id":55107,"date":"2026-04-27T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/?p=55107"},"modified":"2026-04-27T08:31:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:31:00","slug":"academic-innovation-takes-center-stage-during-educational-excellence-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/academic-innovation-takes-center-stage-during-educational-excellence-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Academic Innovation Takes Center Stage During Educational Excellence Week"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2014 Tarleton State University faculty and staff exchanged fresh ideas and innovative instructional solutions during Educational Excellence Week April 20-24, hosted by the Center for Educational Excellence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Professional development presentations on technology and pedagogy explored topics ranging from artificial intelligence (AI) in the classroom to counseling services and educational best practices. As emerging technologies shift the academic landscape, insights shared during Educational Excellence Week encouraged Tarleton State faculty and staff to meet the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEducational Excellence Week allowed faculty time to sharpen their teaching practices, explore new instructional strategies, and connect with colleagues who are tackling similar challenges,\u201d said Program Specialist Sidney Cogburn. \u201cThis week reinforced our shared commitment to innovation and student\u2011centered learning, helping faculty bring fresh, research\u2011informed ideas back into their classrooms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout the week, faculty and staff addressed relevant practices and techniques before an audience of peers. Wednesday\u2019s highlights included a technology showcase hosted by Innovative Technology Solutions, while Friday carried a wellness-centered note. Keynote speaker Drew Myers emphasized self-care and fulfillment, and Benefits Specialist Mary Canales informed employees about how to maximize their resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. James Lang, Professor of Practice at the University of Notre Dame, delivered a keynote speech during Tuesday\u2019s lunch. Tuesday evening was highlighted by Professor of Public Health and Co-Director of the Center for Rural Resilience Dr. Subi Gandhi\u2019s \u201cLast Lecture\u201d on the strength of collaboration and shared purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Innovation in AI and higher education were recurring themes throughout Educational Excellence Week. Presenters and attendees were eager to explore new ideas, a reflection of Tarleton State\u2019s pursuit of and investment in continuous professional development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2014 Tarleton State University faculty and staff exchanged fresh ideas and innovative instructional solutions during Educational Excellence Week April 20-24, hosted by the Center for Educational Excellence. Professional &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1084,"featured_media":55120,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":425,"footnotes":""},"categories":[425,421],"tags":[430,431,442,456],"class_list":["post-55107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community","category-featuredstories","tag-academic-affairs","tag-administration","tag-community-events","tag-stephenville"],"acf":{"image":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"jdouglas","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/author\/jdouglas\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2026\/04\/IMG_9758-1-300x200.jpeg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/campus-community\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Campus &amp; Community<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/featuredstories\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Featured Stories<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Campus &amp; Community<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Featured Stories<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/featuredstories\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Academic Affairs<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/featuredstories\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Administration<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/featuredstories\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Community Events<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/featuredstories\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Stephenville<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Academic Affairs<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Administration<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Community Events<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Stephenville<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 6 hours ago","modified":"Updated 8 hours ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on April 27, 2026","modified":"Updated on April 27, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on April 27, 2026 10:00 am","modified":"Updated on April 27, 2026 8:31 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1084"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55107"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55107\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55108,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55107\/revisions\/55108"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}