Month: April 2026

Spring 2026 UConn ECE Statistics Workshop

On April 21st, 2026, our team of ECE Statistics Instructors met virtually to share insights on useful classroom methods and programmatic updates. Additionally, they were able to engage in a keynote address which focused on Using Large Language Models (LLMs) on Opera Audience Survey Data. The speaker was Alan F. Karr, a Professor of Statistics, Operations, and Data Science in the Fox School of Business at Temple University. More information about Professor Karr’s address can be found below:

In audience survey data collected by Opera Philadelphia, there are open-ended questions, which must be summarized. How can we do this using Large Language Models (LLMs)? Our research describes a trajectory for doing this. We begin in naivete regarding variability in the model responses to the same or similar prompts. This gives us significant insights into that variability. We also gained insights into systematic workflows within the LLM development, and this enabled us to deliver useful, defensible insights to the client.

ECE extends our thanks to our guest, as well as faculty coordinator Nalini Ravishanker, Ph.D., for their efforts to make this event successful!

UConn STAT courses offered through Early College Experience.

Spring 2026 UConn ECE Italian Workshop

This past Friday, April 24th, our community of ECE Italian Instructors enjoyed a morning on the UConn Hartford Campus for their annual professional development experience. The guest speaker for the event was Martina Di Florio, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer in Italian Studies at Trinity College. Dr. Di Florio’s work explores modern and contemporary Italian literature and cinema, with a strong focus on migration — from postcolonial and migrant writing in Italy to Italian diaspora narratives. She has published articles on Italian cultural and literary studies and is the co-editor of Longing for the Future: Mal d’Afrique and Afro Optimism in Perspectives on Somalia (Routledge, 2024) and co-author of Migrazioni Contemporanee: Testi e Contesti (Farinelli, 2017). The discussion topic for the event was Italian Identity and American Life in the Pages of La verità (Connecticut 1926-1946). 

ECE extends our sincere thanks to our guest, as well as faculty coordinator Tina Chiappetta-Miller, Ph.D., for their efforts to make this event successful!

UConn ILCS (Italian) courses offered through Early College Experience.

Spring 2026 UConn ECE EDLR/EDCI Workshop

On Friday, April 10th, instructors certified to teach all three of our currently offered ECE Education Courses (EDCI 1100: If You Love It, Teach It, EDLR 1162: Health & Education in Urban Communities, and EDLR 2001: Contemporary Social Issues in Sport) convened on the UConn Storrs campus for a collaborative professional development experience! The keynote session, “Building Dialogic Classrooms: Strategies and Practice for Inclusive Dialogue”, was conducted by Tanya Williams, founder of Authentic Coaching and Consulting. We encourage you to learn more about Tanya’s transformative and vital work by visiting her website (https://tanyawilliams.org)!

We love when our instructors are given the opportunity to engage with peers from different disciplines, and we extend our sincere thanks to faculty coordinators Danielle DeRosa, Ed.D (EDLR), Michele Back, Ph.D. (EDCI), and Thomas Levine, Ph.D. (EDCI), for the incredible work they did to make this day possible!

UConn EDLR & EDCI (Education) courses offered through Early College Experience.

Spring 2026 UConn ECE Communication Workshop

Our first April workshop of the year was an in-person workshop for our certified ECE Communication instructors. Designed and facilitated by faculty coordinator Svetlana Kalnova, Ph.D., this event allowed instructors the opportunity to discuss best teaching practices for COMM 1100 with Associate Professor-in-Residence Dr. Thomas Meade, and to engage in a hands-on activity surrounding dialogic classroom principles. Additionally, they were able to discuss recent general education curriculum changes and their impacts on COMM 1000 instruction with Associate Professor-in-Residence Dr. Stephen Stifano. It was a meaningful day for all involved, and we area already looking forward to the next workshop! Thank you to all guest contributors and attendees.

UConn COMM courses offered through Early College Experience.