In an effort to encourage teaching excellence at USA, the Division of Academic Affairs created the Program for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (PETAL). The program offers a variety of instructional events aimed at improving teaching, as well as individual assistance to faculty. PETAL sponsors the following activities throughout the academic year:

• Faculty development seminars promote the employment of sound instructional and learning principles across disciplines.
• Seminars, roundtables, and brown bag lunches provide an open forum for discussion of challenging educational issues as well as sharing of teaching expertise.
• The New Faculty Orientation Program provides first-year faculty with the basic principles of solid teaching.
• Computer workshops and multimedia resources facilitate integration of modern technology into the curriculum.
• Newsletters provide information on teaching practice and publicize the best teaching practices on campus.
• Custom designed evaluation and consultation services provide individualized assistance to faculty seeking to improve their teaching.
• The PETAL web site (http://www.southalabama.edu/petal) provides University faculty and administrators access to online teaching resources and reviews of effective teaching practices.