Teaching in the CTEI

We're back! After an extended hiatus, Teaching in the CTEI has returned with a 3-part episode series on AI in higher education. We're so happy to be back and have lots to discuss in the coming months! This first episode welcomes Dr. Elle Corvette, Dr. Felicitas Hartung, and Professor Chris Friend to the conversation, and attempts to tackle the big questions about AI's role in teaching...

In this first episode of a two-part series, Angela leads a panel discussion on the role generative AI can play in helping faculty complete their many tasks and responsibilities. Panel experts discuss ways generative AI can be used to create and modify course materials, refine individualized feedback to students, and save time with common, but time-consuming tasks, such as writing emails and letter...

In this episode of Teaching in the CTEI, we explore the nuances of team-based learning with Dr. Trevion Henderson, Dr. Tara Mason, and Dr. Robin Fowler. Our guests discuss power dynamics in student teams, strategies for creating inclusive group environments, and methods for teaching effective collaboration skills. From managing diverse perspectives to addressing systemic inequities, this conversat...

After a brief hiatus, Teaching in the CTEI is back! We're excited to return with a two-part series on an equal parts challenging and potentially transformative cooperative learning strategy, group work. In this episode, Angela and guests, Lindsay Wheeler, Lynn Mandeltort, Chris Hamstra, and Prabhani Kuruppumullage discuss the ins and outs of organizing, facilitating, and assessing group work. All...

Now that we've hit our 3-year anniversary (woohoo!), we are due for a little hiatus. But, don't worry, we'll be back with new and exciting episodes soon. In the interim, we are revisiting our greatest hits. By far, our most popular episode is #13 from August 2022: What Does an Instructional Designer Do? Looks like so many of you want to know, so let's jump right in! In this episode...

Establishing and maintaining a culture of trust in the classroom isn't easy and the advent of generative AI has made this task all the more challenging for teachers at every level. In this episode, Angela and guests, Nadine Lerret, Wendy Zajack, and Laura Dumin discuss their strategies for building and maintaining trust in their classrooms in the age of AI. While emphasizing ethical, responsib...

In this episode, Angela and guests, Stephanie Richter, Melody Buckner, and Laura Ramp discuss the value of university centers for teaching and learning (CTLs). While they may go by many different names and acronyms, CTLs are vital resources for faculty, offering among other things, instructional, curricular, and LMS support, and as always, a sympathetic ear. Our guests, all leaders at their respec...

In Part 2 of this series, Angela continues this important conversation with three new guests: Drs. Tomeka Dowling, Caleb Simmons, and Darlene Ritz. Building upon topics discussed in Part 1 , Angela and guests reflect on the often unseen emotional labor of teaching. Topics discussed include managing student issues and needs and societal norms around emotion in the classroom. Guests offer suggestion...

In this episode, Angela speaks with guests about a topic not often discussed in higher education or faculty development, the emotional side of teaching. Guests Maggie Ervin, Autumn Cartagena, and Stephanie Blaher reflect on what it means to consider the emotional labor involved in teaching, how to manage it and support your students in the process. Topics include the emotional challenges of teachi...

It's likely that many of us have experienced or practiced traditional lecturing where all or the majority of class time is spent with the instructor giving a lecture and the students passively absorbing it. You may have heard it described as the "sage on the stage" approach, and we all know how that often goes, in one ear and out the other. Know that if you're doing this, you&#39...

Have you experimented with ChatGPT, Google Bard, or DALL-E, also known as generative AI tools, but are feeling overwhelmed by the sheer pace with which these tools are transforming education and society at large? Since AI is rapidly evolving, as educators, it's hard to know where to begin and how or if to utilize Generative AI in our teaching. In this episode, Angela and guests, Emily Rush, Ma...

Are you a new college faculty looking to develop your teaching skills and confidence in the classroom? Or, perhaps you are an experienced professor who wants to level up your skillset? In this episode, Angela speaks with Dr. B. Jean Mandernach, Dr. Eileen O'Brien, and Rush's own Peg Checchi about how faculty can increase confidence in their teaching and improve their skills. Practical and...

Are you looking for new ways to assess your students, especially those that have shown to boost retention, foster peer-to-peer interaction, and reduce test anxiety? Then, collaborative testing may be for you! In this episode, Angela speaks with Dr. Maureen Rutherford, Associate Professor of Psychology at Indiana University Northwest, about her experience introducing collaborative testing into her...

The world of higher ed. is all abuzz with the word "ungrading". You may have heard of the term, also referred to as "alternative grading", but what does it mean exactly? How can the practice of ungrading transform your teaching and your students' learning? In this episode, Angela and distinguished guests, Susan Blum, Katie Lee Bunting, Kasey Edwardson, and Jesse Stommel dem...

What is a proctored exam? What does it mean to give an assisted online proctored exam vs. a monitored exam? What is the evidence surrounding the efficacy and equitability of these various testing modalities and what are faculty and administrators' attitudes toward them? The answers are more complicated than you might think! In this episode, Peg Checchi, CTEI Instructional Designer, and esteeme...

In this first episode of season three, Peg Checchi, an Instructional Designer with CTEI, speaks with Dr. Patrice Torcivia Prusko, MBA, PhD, Director, Learning Design, Technology and Media in the Teaching and Learning Lab at Harvard Graduate School of Education about how to recognize and reduce biased language in our teaching and course design. In addition to defining biased language and identifyin...

In this final episode of season two, Angela talks with CTEI's new Instructional Technologist, Daniel Martin. In addition to his many talents in digital media and educational technology, Daniel is a pro when it comes to all things video production. Among other topics, Angela and Daniel discuss best practices around video creation, but more importantly, the value of imperfection, authenticity, and t...

What is neurodivergence? How does it relate to education? Chances are you've heard it referenced in teaching and learning communities, but you may still be unsure about its meaning. In this episode, Angela speaks with Megan Kohler , Lecturer and Learning Designer at the John A. Dutton e-Education Institute at Penn State about neurodivergence, what it is and how educators, fellow students, and inst...

In this episode, Angela speaks with a handful of Instructional Designers working at Rush and various universities throughout the country about their profession. Among other topics, these designers share their passion for their work and the many, often surprising ways they support faculty, from simply helping to lighten the workload when getting a course off the ground to offering insight into crea...

In this episode, Angela speaks with Aleen Shah, MS, PA-C , Assistant Professor in the Department of PA Studies, and Kenya Johnson, PT, MA, CHC , Manager of Student, Professional & Career Development for Undergraduate Studies, about their work in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the College of Health Sciences (CHS) at Rush University. Aleen also serves as the Chair of the CHS Dive...

In this episode, Angela speaks with Rush University faculty about their experiences taking CTEI's fully online, five-week teacher training course, Online Teaching and Course Design (OTCD). Among other topics, faculty discuss their motivations for taking OTCD, how it helped them with their teaching, and their favorite parts of the course. The key takeaway: make time for OTCD! It's worth it, it...

In this episode, Angela speaks with Rush University and guest faculty about how to embrace vulnerability and overcome fear in your teaching practice. With the dizzying rate of change faculty and students have experienced since COVID began, many of us have been forced to rethink how we teach, often by quickly adapting to new technologies or teaching strategies in an effort to connect with and engag...

In this first episode of our second season, Angela speaks with two of CTEI's Instructional Designers, Peg Checchi and Laura Smith. They discuss some of the unusual ways they've assisted faculty with their course design and teaching, as well as what they'd like to do to help faculty. Among other topics, a couple of CTEI's relatively new tech tools are discussed, H5P and Canvas Studio , both of whic...

In this final episode of our first season of Teaching in the CTEI, Angela speaks with Dr. Emily Rush, the newest member of CTEI's Instructional Design team. In addition to sharing her wealth of experience in teaching and instructional design, Emily offers some practical recommendations on creating social presence and impactful student learning experiences with minimal faculty effort. Are you looki...

How well do you know what is and isn't working for your students in your course? What changes could you make now to improve your students' learning experiences in this and future semesters? In this episode, Angela speaks with Dr. Yasmin Cavenagh, Assistant Professor in the Department of Women, Children and Family Nursing, College of Nursing, and Dr. Evguenia (Jenny) Popova, Assistant Professor in...