The Teaching and Learning Excellence Series (TALES) began in 2017 as video podcasts featuring students discussing their university experiences, interviews with faculty and graduate students who received UCSB teaching awards and/or who were using innovative educational strategies. In 2018 and 2019 it grew to include live events, such as invited presentations from faculty who received teaching awards, and the Graduate Teaching Symposium. TALES was put on hold from 2020-2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, production of digital materials for the Teaching Guides websites, and the department’s reorganization into the Office of Teaching and Learning. As from 2024, TALES partners with student support departments and the Library to create social media for students, newsletters for instructors, and new events focused on making the "hidden curriculum" more apparent to students and instructors.