UVA Acts - Testimonials
In 2022-2023, UVA Acts reached an audience of 791 participants through 13 micro-workshops (“appetizers” or “teasers”) and 31 full-length workshops, using both in-person and virtual modalities (Spring 2023 saw a major shift to almost all in-person bookings). In 2023-2024, the program reached an additional 750 participants through 30 total workshops. Our workshops were booked by the following UVA stakeholders over the past two years:
- Batten School of Public Policy
- Biocomplexity Institute*
- Center for Teaching Excellence – Course Design Institute
- Center for Teaching Excellence – SPARK teaching orientation
- Center for Teaching Excellence – Teaching as Graduate Students~
- Facilities Management*~
- Faculty Affairs, staff retreat
- Institute of World Languages*
- Leadership and Academic Matters, alumni
- LGBTQ+ Faculty and Staff Committee
- McIntire School of Commerce
- New Faculty Orientation*
- NSF funded conference: Disclosing Failure~
- Provost Office, staff retreat
- School of Architecture*
- School of Education & Human Development, online graduate course*
- School of Education & Human Development, faculty retreat
- School of Engineering, department of biomedical engineering
- School of Engineering, department of engineering & society, faculty retreat
- School of Engineering, new faculty orientation
- School of Medicine, department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
- School of Nursing
- Undergraduate Research/ Citizen Scholar Mentors~
- UVA Library, Archives Leadership Institute
- UVA Library, Library Residents Summit
- UVA Library, managers~
- Women's Center
“Surprisingly delightful. I got a lot out of the improv exercises. It's been so long since I've done anything like that. I think it's the perfect antidote to working so much via email and zoom! Non verbal physical improv!”
“We get asked to do a lot not just by our department chairs/deans, but also by students. It was good that these different sources of requests were addressed.”
"[I was most surprised by] how viscerally people engaged with it - a very useful tool for engagement and reflection."
“[I liked] the time to digest and discuss with others in the room, followed by group processing and discussion.”
“This program actually teaches people how to intervene and allows them to practice intervention. It was a safe environment. It really felt like a learning experience… Excellent training!”
“Provided with ideas and strategies for how to speak up.”
“I appreciated the example of a subordinate doubling down to make sure their feedback upward was heard. It's helpful to have mental examples!”
“This program displayed a relatable scenario to start a dialogue about potential conflict within teams. It was a tool to help us reflect on how we would like to be heard and how we can better hear others.”
“During that whole workshop, I was thinking about my students and how I might make the space I share with them more welcoming and affirming… made me feel so much what those students were feeling that I teared up realizing how much my child must have been feeling last year and just didn’t have the words to express that.”
“This was a great experience and very helpful! I appreciate the real-world scenarios and examples. I left with many tangible items/elements to implement on day 1 of class.”
“A short, lively, and enjoyable blast of helpful insights.”
“Performative representation of the hiring process; better than listening to a traditional seminar.”
“Entertaining! A fun way to learn more that isn’t listening to a lecture or training.”
“I loved the snippet format. Just enough to be thought provoking and not overwhelming. A great add to a meeting!”