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Rice University's Eleventh Annual Symposium on Teaching and Learning:
The Future of General Education at Rice

hosted by the Center for Teaching Excellence and the General Education Committee
sponsored by Scientia and the CTE

Date: Friday, January 5, 2024
Time: 9:00AM-6:00PM
Location: McMurtry Auditorium and Brockman Hall

Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumnae/i are welcome to attend.

9:00 AM	Opening remarks, Provost Amy Dittmar McMurtry Auditorium
9:15 AM	Elizabeth Loizeaux, Special Advisor to the Provost, Boston University McMurtry Auditorium What For? Liberal Education and Why It Matters How can we best educate our undergraduate students in and for a fractious world, a world of deeply-entrenched inequities laid bare by a deadly pandemic and a long-overdue racial reckoning, fractured democratic institutions and frayed democratic norms, an existential planetary climate emergency, a mental health crisis affecting all ages, deep divides over the limits of free speech in a democratic society, and increasing distrust of higher education as a personal, let alone a public, good? This session argues that a purposeful, coherent liberal education--at the core of which are the general education requirements you now have an opportunity to revisit--can best equip our students with the knowledge, skills and habits of mind, the courage and hope, to address such challenges with nuanced understanding and creativity. Liberal education goes beyond the essential goal of near-term workforce readiness to empower students for citizenship, life and work throughout their lifetimes. What is liberal education? What does it look like in the 21st century? How do we ensure all students benefit from it?
10:45 AM	Paul Hanstedt, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Innovation, University of Minnesota Rochester McMurtry Auditorium Exploring the Trends in 21st-Century Gen Ed Design This session picks up on the last by going into detail about the kinds of curricular models we're seeing emerge in the early 21st Century. How are universities in the U.S. and elsewhere choosing to respond to the challenge of educating students in a rapidly changing world? This session will provide both generalized approaches to gen ed and some specific models adopted by universities and colleges in recent years.
12:00 PM	Lunch Martel Hall
1:15 PM	Ashley Finley, Vice President for Research and Senior Advisor to the President, American Association of Colleges and Universities McMurtry Auditorium Future-Proofing General Education Through High-Impact Practices At a time of enormous change in higher education and the world, general education holds more promise than ever in preparing students to navigate a future steeped in uncertainty and complexity. But the foundation of general education is not only about outcomes, it also about the experiences that enable students to apply those outcomes and, in the process, learn about themselves. It is this blend of cognitive and affective development through experiential learning that will enable students to flourish in their lives, careers, and communities. But simply labeling an experience as “high-impact” does not make it so. This session will invite participants to ask important questions about purpose, quality, and equity as the means for intentionally unlocking the efficacy of high-impact practices, rather than assuming it. Through an examination of research and best practices, we will explore what it means to leverage high-impact practices to future-proof general education.
2:45 PM	Rice faculty panel: Innovative Teaching Strategies Brockman Hall 101 Experiential Learning \| Lesa Tran Lu, Executive Director of the Institute for Biosciences and Bioengineering; Associate Teaching Professor Global Experiences \| Nia Georges, Professor of Anthropology Big Questions \| Fay Yarbrough \| Associate Dean of Humanities; William Gaines Twyman Professor of History Analyzing Diversity \| Alex Byrd, Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Associate Professor of History
3:45 PM	Break-out sessions and discussion Brockman Hall 101
5:00 PM	Reception Brochstein Pavilion

Please see Past Event Resources for a recording of the Symposium.

Past Symposia

2023 Symposium Schedule: Rice University's Tenth Annual Symposium on Teaching and Learning

Friday, January 3, 2023
11:00 AM – 1:30 PM
Brockman Hall 101

11:00 AM

Welcome and Introduction

11:10 AM

"Talk Matters: Investigating the Nature of Non-Content Classroom Language – Instructor Talk – that May Mediate Student Inclusion, Engagement, and Learning"

Dr. Kimberly Tanner
Professor of Biology | San Francisco State University

Through the language they use, instructors create classroom environments that have the potential to impact learning by affecting student motivation, resistance, belonging, and self-efficacy. However, despite the critical importance of instructor language to the student experience, little research has investigated what instructors are saying in undergraduate classrooms. We systematically investigated instructor language that was not directly relate to content and defined this as Instructor Talk and identified five robust categories of Instructor Talk that can characterize ~90% of non-content language found in over 60 courses: 1) Building Instructor/Student Relationships, 2) Establishing Classroom Culture, 3) Explaining Pedagogical Choices, 4) Sharing Personal Experience, and 5) Unmasking Science. The remaining ~10% of instances of Instructor Talk in these settings were categorized as negatively-phrased or potentially discouraging in nature. Attention to Instructor Talk in undergraduate classrooms may be key for instructors to create inclusive learning environments and promote student learning.

12:00 PM

Lunch and Workshop
2022 Symposium Schedule: Rice University's Ninth Annual Symposium on Teaching and Learning

Friday, January 7, 2022
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Zoom

11:00 AM

Welcome and Introduction

11:10 AM

"Moving Beyond Diversity to Create Inclusive, Affirming, and Equitable Learning Environments”

Dr. Frank Tuitt
Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer | University of Connecticut

Despite best efforts to advance diversity, postsecondary institutions around the world have found themselves in the midst of campus protests. Arguably, at the heart of increased activism on college campuses around the world is the failure of postsecondary institutions to create more inclusive, affirming, and equitable learning environments where minoritized students can experience teaching that suggest their lives and their lived experiences really matter. Accordingly, this presentation explores how predominantly White institutions can move beyond diversity to promote inclusive, affirming, and equitable learning environments both in and outside of the classroom.

12:25 PM

Q&A

12:55 PM

Closing Remarks
2021 Symposium Schedule: Rice University's Eigth Annual Symposium on Teaching and Learning

Friday, January 15, 2021
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Zoom

10:00 AM

Welcoming Remarks

10:15 AM

Keynote Address: “The Science of Learning: Evidence-based Approaches to Create Contexts where Learners Thrive”

Creating educational environments where students can thrive has never been more challenging than it is today. Nonetheless, the basic tenets of how people learn remain the same, regardless of how content is delivered (online, in-person, or a bit of both). This talk will review the science of learning, with a focus on evidence-based principles for enhancing student engagement and learning.

Margaret Beier
Professor, Psychological Sciences | Rice University

Talk Matters: Investigating the Nature of Non-Content Classroom Language – Instructor Talk – that May Mediate Student Inclusion, Engagement, and Learning

Margaret Beier is a Professor of Psychology at Rice University in Houston, TX. Margaret’s research examines lifelong learning and she has published on the interaction between person-factors such as age, gender, abilities, and motivation and learning contexts in educational and workplace environments. She was a member of the National Academy of Sciences; Science and Practice of Learning Committee, which produced the 2018 report, How people learn II: Learners, contexts, and cultures. She is a fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychologists (SIOP) and a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (APS).

11:00 AM

Panel Discussions with Rice Faculty: Lesson Learned Teaching in 2020

The keynote address will be followed by four concurrent panel discussions with Rice faculty. At the time of registration you will be asked to select one panel discussion.

“Building Connection with Students”
Jonathan Homola, Assistant Professor, Political Science
Carrie McNeil, Lecturer, Chemistry
Molly Morgan, Lecturer, Anthropology
Sandy Parsons, Associate Teaching Professor, Psychological Sciences

“Creating Community Across Modalities”
Sabia Abidi, Lecturer, Bioengineering
Margarita M. Castromán, Assistant Professor, English
Burke Nixon, Lecturer, Program in Writing and Communication
Ray Simar, Professor in the Practice, Electrical & Computer Engineering

“Adapting Assessments and Feedback”
Don Johnson, J.S. Abercrombie Professor Emeritus, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Kristi Kincaid, Associate Teaching Professor, Chemistry
Natasha Kirienko, Assistant Professor, BioSciences
Paul Treacy, Lecturer, Policy Studies

“Balancing Flexibility, Expectations, and Rigor”
Beth Beason-Abmayr, Teaching Professor, BioSciences
Alex Byrd, Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Associate Professor, History
David Li, Lecturer, Bioengineering
Kasey Leigh Yearty, Instructor, Chemistry
2020 Symposium Schedule: Rice University's Seventh Annual Symposium on Teaching and Learning

Friday, January 10, 2020
11:00 AM – 1:30 PM
Brockman Hall 101

11:00 AM

Welcoming Remarks

11:10 AM

"The Promise and Practice of Inclusive Teaching"

Dr. Bryan Dewsbury
Assistant Professor | University of Rhode Island

Success broadly defined in courses in general is determined by a number of diverse variables including the degree to which the student is socially connected to classroom experience and discipline. As key stakeholders in the education community, we can play a critical role in constructing an environment that promotes equity and prepares each individual for transformative engagement in the academic experience. Transformation involves expanding our pedagogy to be inclusive pedagogy through a critique of our cultural assumptions about students, self, and others remaining from our childhood perspectives. The keynote address will highlight the results of five years of an inclusive approach to an introductory biology course, and make suggestions for those interested in embarking on inclusive pedagogies for their own contexts. The subsequent workshop will help participants confront the complexity that is the social difference, and discuss how that difference can be either be a hindrance or strength depending on how we allow it to impact the classroom experience.

12:30 PM

Lunch and Workshop
2019 Symposium Schedule: Rice University's Sixth Annual Symposium on Teaching and Learning

Friday, January 4, 2019
11:00 AM – 1:30 PM
Brockman Hall 101

11:00 AM

Welcoming Remarks

11:10 AM

“Reframing the Lecture as a Pedagogy of Engagement”

Dr. Claire Major
Professor | University of Alabama

Educators today would be hard pressed to identify a teaching technique more heartily maligned than the lecture. Critics have called lectures boring, obsolete, old-fashioned, overused, and even unfair. Scholars have declared lectures the losers of the pedagogical cage match with active learning. The criticisms, however, often are leveled at one type of lecture: the full-session, transmission-model lecture. Moreover, researchers have most often compared full-class transmission lectures to lectures interspersed with active learning strategies, and it is the latter that is the more effective approach. Interactive lecturing is a model for combining lectures and active learning techniques in a way that can engage students and improve their learning.

12:30 PM

Lunch and Workshop
2018 Symposium Schedule: Rice University's Fifth Annual Symposium on Teaching and Learning

Friday, January 5, 2018
11:00 AM – 1:30 PM
Brockman Hall 101

11:00 AM

Welcoming Remarks

11:10 AM

"Why Won't They Talk: Using Discussion to Facilitate Learning"

Dr. Jay Howard
Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Acting Dean, College of Communication
Professor of Sociology | Butler University

Faculty often wish to engage students in class discussion, but sometimes our efforts fall flat and we give up. Why should we seek to engage students? What classroom norms sometimes undermine students’ participation? Which students are most likely to participate and to choose not to participate? How can an instructor manage both the dominant talkers and the quieter students? We will engage each of these questions utilizing a review of the research to identify ways to structure class discussion to engage students and maximize learning.

12:30 PM

Lunch and Workshop
2017 Symposium Schedule: Rice University's Fourth Annual Symposium on Teaching and Learning

Friday, January 6, 2017
11:00 AM – 1:30 PM
Brockman Hall 101

11:00 AM

Welcoming Remarks from Paula Sanders, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

11:10 AM

"Powerful But Invisible: Psychological Process Shaping Student Success"

Dr. Geoffrey Cohen
James G. March Professor of Organizational Studies in Education and Business
Professor, Department of Psychology
Professor of Organizational Behavior (by courtesy) | Stanford Graduate School of Business

Thematic Focus on Inclusive Teaching

12:30 PM

Lunch and Workshop
2016 Symposium Schedule: Rice University's Third Annual Symposium on Teaching and Learning

Friday, January 15, 2016
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall

10:00 AM

"Inside the Undergraduate Classroom: Instructor Practices and Barriers to Implementing Active Learning Strategies at Rice"

Margaret Beier
Professor, Psychological Sciences | Rice University

11:15 AM

Lunch and Roundtable Discussions

12:15 PM

"Teaching for Learning: Evidence-Based Strategies Designed to Help Students Learn Difficult Material"

Todd D. Zakrajsek
Executive Director, Academy of Educators
Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine | University of North Carolina
2015 Symposium Schedule: Rice University's Second Annual Symposium on Teaching and Learning

January 16, 2015
10:00 AM – 3:30 PM
McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall

10:00 AM

Welcome and Introduction

George McLendon
Howard R. Hughes Provost
Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry, & Cell Biology | Rice University

Joshua Eyler
Director, Center for Teaching Excellence
Adjunct Associate Professor, Humanities | Rice University

10:15 AM

Faculty and Student Roundtable Discussions

Anthony Bosman
Ph.D. Student in Mathematics | Rice University

Kimberly Reichel
Ph.D. Student in Applied Physics | Rice University

Jennifer Bulcock
Ph.D. Student in Philosophy | Rice University

Sarah Schwettmann
Computational and Applied Mathematics, Cognitive Science
Class of 2015 | Rice University

Matthias Henze
Professor of Religion | Rice University

Scott Solomon
Professor of BioSciences | Rice University

Trent Navran
Executive Vice President, SA, Rice Education of the Future
Class of 2015, Cognitive Science | Rice University

Nick Thorpe
Political Science, Policy Studies
Class of 2015 | Rice University

Barbara Ostdiek
Senior Associate Dean for Degree Programs
Associate Professor of Finance & Statistics
Jones Graduate School of Business | Rice University

11:30 PM

Lunch in Martel Hall

12:45 PM

Keynote Address and Workshop

Ed Prather
Associate Professor of Astronomy
Executive Director of the Center for Astronomy Education | University of Arizona
2011 Recipient, David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching
American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT)

2:15 PM

Teaching Demonstrations

Justin T. Denney
Associate Professor of Sociology | Rice University

John Hutchinson
Dean of Undergraduate Studies
Professor of Chemistry | Rice University

Joshua Eyler
Director, Center for Teaching Excellence
Adjunct Associate Professor, Humanities | Rice University

Lesa Tran
Wiess Instructor of Chemistry | Rice University
2014 Symposium Schedule: Rice University's First Annual Symposium on Teaching and Learning

January 17, 2014
11:00 AM – 3:30 PM
McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall

11:00 AM

Welcome and Introduction

George McLendon
Howard R. Hughes Provost
Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry, & Cell Biology | Rice University

Joshua Eyler
Director, Center for Teaching Excellence
Adjunct Associate Professor, Humanities | Rice University

11:15 AM

Interactive Roundtable: Effective Teaching Across the Disciplines

Karim Al-Zand
Associate Professor of Music | Rice University

Jason Hafner
Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy | Rice University

Lisa Balabanlilar
Associate Professor of History | Rice University

Ann Saterbak
Professor of Bioengineering | Rice University

Jeffrey Fleisher
Associate Professor of Anthropology | Rice University

12:15 PM

Lunch in Martel Hall

1:30 PM

Keynote Address "The View from the Shoulders of Giants"

Eden B. King
Associate Professor of Psychology | George Mason University

2:30 PM

Roundtable Reflections: Our Roles as Teacher-Scholars

Mikki Hebl
Professor of Psychology | Rice University

Kathy Matthews
Stewart Memorial Professor of BioSciences | Rice University

John Hutchinson
Dean of Undergraduates
Professor of Chemistry | Rice University

Ron Sass
Professor Emeritus of BioSciences | Rice University

Stephen Klineberg
Professor of Sociology | Rice University

Jack Zammito
John Antony Weir Professor of History | Rice University

3:25 PM

Closing Remarks

John Hutchinson
Dean of Undergraduates
Professor of Chemistry | Rice University