Program Resources: Hard without Hardship

Reading Group: Teaching with AI| Fall 2024

Session 1, September 17: Amanda Barnett and Amy Birkhead (Teaching and Learning Technologies) facilitated our discussion of Part 1: Thinking with AI. In this session, we discussed

  • our initial thoughts on the use and integration of AI and teaching
  • the role AI currently plays in our classrooms/disciplines and how we see that role evolving over time
  • our individual experiences with AI in our personal lives, our scholarly work, and our teaching
  • our own AI literacy and our confidence in helping students increase their AI literacy

Read more here.

Session 2, October 17: Rhonda Humbert and Seth Tyger (Digital Learning) facilitated our discussion of Part 2: Teaching with AI.

Reading Group: Improving Learning and Mental Health in the College Classroom | Fall 2024

Session 1, September 11: In this session, we discussed the ways that we talk about mental health in the classroom and strategies for helping students feel supported; themes from the small group discussions are summarized here. Click here to browse various goals to address mental health or wellbeing that participants set for themselves after the session.

Session 2, October 9: In this session, we discussed the ways that we connect our course content to real-world issues and to bigger questions about students' purpose; we also shared strategies for demonstrating high levels of concern or providing high levels of support for students in our courses. To view summaries of this discussion, including specific strategies to implement in your courses, click here. Feel free to contribute to our collaborative document by adding your own goals related to connection or support.

Session 3, November 3: In this session, participants discussed ideas for departmental initiatives to foster community and belonging among students. We also talked about ways that instructors can incorporate wellness-related practices into their courses to create a supportive learning environment. Themes and suggestions from the small group discussions are outlined here. Feel free to contribute to our collaborative document by adding your own goals related to fostering a class environment that supports wellbeing and learning.

Pedagogical Sciences in Practice: Research Showcase | 18 October 2024

Sandy Parsons (Psychological Sciences): Student Attitudes Towards AI in the Classroom & Proposed AI Usage Scale
Beth Beason-Abmayr (BioSciences): Leveraging Assessment to Drive Student Engagement and Success
Rodrigo Ferreira (Computer Science): Co-Creative Futures: Gen AI in New Materialist Pedagogical Theory and Practice

Teaching Award-Winners Showcase | 18 October 2024

Carl Caldwell (History): On Posing the Right Questions
Geoff Wehmeyer (Mechanical Engineering): Making Assignments "SCARY" (in a good way)
Colette Nicolaou (Psychological Sciences): Aristotle's Triangle: How a Clinical Psychologist Turns a Lecture into a Conversation

Pedagogical Sciences in Practice: Introduction to the IRB | 5 September 2024

In this session, Catherine Barber (Associate Director and Assistant Teaching Professor, CTE) gave an overview of the umbrella IRB process and explained how you can join the protocol to conduct teaching and learning research in your classes. Access the Powerpoint slides for the event here.

New Faculty Orientation | 21 August 2024