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ArCA Cost and Funding Options: What You Need to Know

Submitted by: Leslie Coger, lcoger1@uca.edu on 03/18/2026

Date: Friday April 17, 2026
Time: Noon to 12:30 PM
Location: Zoom

Ƶ the Webinar
Join us for a 30-minute virtual session where we’ll walk through the cost of the program, payment plans, and funding opportunities like the Ƶ Workforce Challenge Scholarship. We’ll leave time at the end to answer your questions.

What You’ll Learn
A breakdown of the ArCA program and its cost
Payment plan options available to students
Funding opportunities, including the Ƶ Workforce Challenge Scholarship
Next steps for applying and enrolling

Who Should Attend
Prospective ArCA students who want a clear understanding of payment plans and financial options before applying
Individuals who want guidance on how to finance training for a career in technology

Reserve Your Spot Today!

Brightspace Migration Training Now Open!

Submitted by: Jennifer Brewer, jbrewer1@uca.edu on 03/18/2026

Split image showing a cluttered course interface with broken items, outdated announcements, and incorrect dates on the left, and a clean Brightspace course with organized modules, updated content, and completed checklist items on the right, overlaid with the text ‘Let’s clean up!’

Brightspace Migration Training – April Sessions Open!

Your migrated course is in Brightspace, and you’re wondering, “Okay…now what?”

You’re not alone – and we’ve got you covered. Join the Brightspace Faculty Trainers and CETAL this April for Brightspace Migration Training sessions designed to help you clean up and confidently move forward with your course. We’ll walk through a practical, step-by-step cleanup process to get everything organized, aligned, and ready for students.

Each session is one hour, with additional time afterward for individual questions and hands-on help so you can get real work done during the session.

We’ll help you:

  • Fix your gradebook setup and categories
  • Review rubrics
  • Clean up quizzes, assignments, and discussions
  • Organize your course content and remove clutter
  • Update announcements
  • Adjust dates and visibility settings
  • Do a final “view as learner” check before teaching

👉 Save your spot:

Bring your course, bring your questions, and we’ll work through it together. You don’t have to figure this out on your own because we’re here to help!

ArCA’s Take on AI: Briefing with our Director

Submitted by: Leslie Coger, lcoger1@uca.edu on 03/18/2026

Artificial Intelligence is no longer a future technology—it’s already reshaping how developers work.
In this 30-minute webinar, the Ƶ Coding Academy will share how we approach AI fluency and why it must be integrated into modern tech education. Instead of treating AI as a novelty or shortcut, we teach students to use it strategically, responsibly, and with strong technical foundations.
This session will explore how students will learn to work alongside AI as the lead architect of their tools, not simply rely on them.
This webinar is free to attend, but registration is required.

What You’ll Learn in the Webinar
What AI fluency actually means and it’s becoming a baseline skill in tech careers
Why having a strong technical foundation still matters in an AI-driven workflow
How ArCA integrates AI into their real-world application based curriculum and how it prepares graduates to contribute from day one

Reserve Your Spot Today!
Join us for a quick look at how AI is changing the expectations of developers—and how ArCA is preparing students for the modern tech workforce.

Cubs on the Hunt

Submitted by: Angela Jackson, angelaj@uca.edu on 03/17/2026

Calling all UCA “cubs” to the Old Main Lawn/Alumni Circle on Saturday, April 4th at 1:00 p.m.
The Office of Student Advocacy and Community invites you to bring the children in your life out to enjoy an afternoon of fun. The event will feature an egg hunt, face painting, arts & crafts, and more!

 

UCA Awarded IDEAS Grant to Increase Study Abroad Capacity

Submitted by: Leah Horton, lhorton@uca.edu on 03/17/2026

Dr. Leah Horton (Honors College), Dr. Adam Frank (Honors College), Dr. Lesley Graybeal (Academic Outreach), and Dr. Crystal Harris(School of Language and Literature) were awarded an IDEAS grant through the U.S. Department of State. The grant, “Stepping Stones Abroad: Accessible Arts-Based Approaches for Mental Health and Wellbeing in North America”, seeks to grow study abroad participation among early career, low-/middle-income students at UCA, increase Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) in the Living Learning Communities, and develop a robust global learning assessment plan for UCA. These efforts are taking place in collaboration with the Center for Global Learning and Engagement.

The $35,000 award will be used to develop two new week-long, lower cost study abroad programs to Montreal, Canada, and Merida, Mexico. The first iteration of the Montreal program will be led by Dr. Horton and Dr. Harris and will occur in May 2027. Dr. Frank and Professor Kayla Gowin will lead the Merida program in May 2028.

The U.S. Department of State’s IDEAS Program awarded grants to 31 U.S. colleges and universities across 24 states to develop international programming for U.S. students that contributes to career readiness and supports American competitiveness, national security interests, and international engagement.

IDEAS Program grantees implement projects that expand U.S. study abroad opportunities while advancing key foreign policy goals, including strengthening economic growth, innovation, and industry and promoting freedom and democracy through international academic partnerships. These initiatives prepare U.S. students to contribute to their communities and future careers in ways that support national security and long-term economic prosperity. IDEAS grants support programming in 37 destinations across all world regions, including in Ecuador, India, Japan, Kenya, United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan, strategically expanding the destinations where U.S. students study abroad. To learn more about the 2025 IDEAS grant recipients and explore resources designed to expand study abroad opportunities, visit www.studyabroadcapacitybuilding.org.

For further information about study abroad resources and exchange programs offered by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, please contact ECA-Press@state.gov and visit www.state.gov/eca. The IDEAS Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State supported in its implementation by World Learning.

Bear Biographies Event

Submitted by: Lori Hunt, Vhunt1@uca.edu on 03/17/2026

The UCA Library invites you to attend our upcoming Bear Biographies Event. The event will be in the Torreyson Library (2nd floor) on Tues, April 7th, 2026 from 12-4pm. UCA students and community members have volunteered as Books (with a story to tell) to engage with participants with the purpose of helping them overcome prejudices and stereotypes.

Bear Biographies is designed to build a positive framework for conversations that can challenge stereotypes and prejudices through dialogue. It is a place where real people are on loan to readers– a place where difficult questions are expected, appreciated, and answered.

People volunteering as “human books” will be available for individual, 20-minute conversations with participants interested in learning more about their stories.