About Us Old

Overview

Founded in November 2019, XCITE is UCR’s first campus-wide center for teaching and learning. We are a unit within the Division of Undergraduate Education.

Mission
People
Services
Location
Contact Us

Mission

MISSION STATEMENT

XCITE Center for Teaching and Learning partners to create innovative and impactful teaching, learning, and research solutions that drive academic and inclusive excellence.

GUIDEPOSTS

The following guideposts are critical to XCITE’s long-term strategies and meaningful investments in people and resources.

ENGAGEMENT

Foster accessibility and interpersonal contact between faculty and students and encourage challenging and rigorous learning experiences.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Increase the relevance, measurement, and redundancy for successful teaching and learning.

FACULTY AND STUDENT SUCCESS

Advocate for initiatives, approaches, and strategies to improve the learning experiences of UCR students, and the teaching experiences of UCR’s Instructors and Teaching Assistants.

RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP

Foster research, scholarship, and creative work, especially in relationship to XCITE’s teaching and learning mission.

DEGREE COMPLETION

Increase opportunities for gaining credit by reducing artificial barriers to degree completion within a four-year time frame.

People

XCITE Directors

Instructional Design and Faculty Development

Teaching and Learning Initiatives

XCITE Information Design and Data Visualization

XCITE Studios

XCITE Research and Support

What Can We Do For You?

More than Technology

UCR Instructors have an expanding array of options for engaging students in learning opportunities. Enhance your engagement with course design, healthy and inclusive pedagogy, academic learning software, video production, and graphic information design.

Faculty Development is Professional Development

XCITE helps faculty at every stage of their careers with improving portfolios and rounding out skills.

Expert Help When You Need It

UCR Instructors are experts in their fields and know what information is essential for their students to succeed. XCITE specialists are experts in assisting instructors through each stage of course development by helping to:

brainstorm instructional activities to deepen student learning opportunities
identify the best educational technology to assist in delivering the learning experience
apply research-based best practices in pedagogical design
make your content come alive with graphics, video, and sound

Our XCITE Teams

Instructional Design/Faculty Development – design courses for greater student engagement

XCITE Studios – see what video and audio production can do for your online content Teaching & Learning Initiatives – Classroom of the future software, tools, AR/VR Visualizations – information and data made more accessible through graphic arts Research – evidence-based exploration of cutting edge best practices

For a personal consultation in any of these areas, use this easy form

Locations

XCITE is located in two areas of the Rivera Library: The Commons (Rm. A0101A) and the Sandbox (Rm. 133, the old Interlibrary Loan office).

The Commons

Located to the left of the main library entrance and lobby. Seating capacity: 30 people. This “classroom of the future” contains a space large enough for presentations, classes, Lunch & Learns, and workshops. Equipped with zoom technology, cameras, large screens, and sound.

The Commons also houses “The Hive,” an interactive High Visualization Wall that was co-sponsored by NASA. At 27 feet wide, this touch screen has three optional work zones, or can be viewed as one room-wide screen. It allows several people to create on the screen at once.

The XCITE Studio in Rm. A0101E, in the Commons has a permanent green screen facility. Professional video and audio production take place in the Studio.

The Sandbox

Located at the end of the long hallway next to the elevators on first floor of Rivera Library. Seating capacity: 15-20 people. This space is suited for small groups and has a large-screen easy to use Zoom meeting set up. The seating is casual and comfortable with couches, easy chairs, and connections for laptops. State of the art cameras follow the speaker and capture the entire room so remote participants feel like they are part of the group.

XCITE specialists will help you set up your meetings and get familiar with the equipment. You can also order catering for either venue.

To reserve your next meeting or workshop in either the Commons or the Sandbox, use this reservation form.