Tea for Teaching

During the past decade, public confidence in education has been declining. In this episode, SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. joins us to discuss his new book that provides a compelling narrative of the value of education in transforming lives. Chancellor King  has a long history of involvement with education. After graduating from Harvard, he acquired a Master's degree from Teacher’s College at Columbia University and taught high school social studies. He later co-founded Roxbury Preparatory Charter School and served as a co-Director for five years. Under his leadership, students in this school attained the highest scores of any urban middle school in the state and closed the racial achievement gap. After acquiring his doctoral degree from Columbia and a law degree from Yale, Dr. King served as New York State’s Education Commissioner from 2011 to 2014. He left NY for a while to work in the Obama administration as Deputy Secretary of Education from 2015 to 2016 and joined Obama’s Cabinet as Secretary of Education from 2016 to 2017. Following his work in the Obama Administration, Dr. King continued to advocate for increased educational equity and access as President and CEO of the Education Trust. He now serves as Chancellor of the State University of New York. We’re interviewing Dr. King in his role as the author of his new book and not in his role as the SUNY Chancellor. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

One of the challenges facing faculty, staff, and administrators is keeping up with the continuous flow of email. In this episode, Robert Talbert joins us to discuss strategies to efficiently handle email so we can allocate time to other essential tasks.  Robert is a Professor of Mathematics at Grand Valley State University and the author of Flipped Learning: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty and a co-author of Grading for Growth: A Guide to Alternative Grading Practices that Promote Authentic Learning and Student Engagement in Higher Education. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Student feedback is important to improving teaching, but may not be aligned with evidence-based teaching practices. In this episode, Lauren Barbeau and Claudia Cornejo Happel join us to discuss a midterm student feedback instrument focused on critical teaching behaviors, an AI-assisted tool for analysing the feedback, and strategies for debriefing with students.  Lauren is the Assistant Director for Learning and Technology Initiatives at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Claudia is the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Lauren and Claudia are the authors of Critical Teaching Behaviors: Defining, Documenting, and Discussing Good Teaching as well as a whole series of other resources related to this book. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Undergraduate math courses, as traditionally taught, often serve as barriers to entry into many STEM disciplines. In this episode, Aris Winger joins us to discuss strategies that can increase student success and reduce equity gaps in student outcomes in these classes. Aris is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Georgia Gwinnett College. His current areas of interest include equity in mathematics education, culturally responsive teaching, and social justice mathematics. He is a co-author of the book series Advocating for Students of Color in Mathematics and is the Executive Director of the National Association of Mathematicians. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Student use of generative AI tools as a substitute for learning has led to increased concerns about academic dishonesty. In this episode, Tricia Bertram Gallant and David A. Rettinger join us to discuss why students might use these tools and strategies instructors can use to encourage academic integrity. Tricia is the Director of the Academic Integrity Office at UC San Diego and Board Emeritus for the International Center for Academic Integrity. David is an Applied Professor and Undergraduate Program Director in the Psychology Department at the University of Tulsa. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Mary Washington, where he directed Academic Integrity Programs and the Center for Honor, Leadership, and Service. David is also President Emeritus of the International Center for Academic Integrity. Tricia and David are the authors or co-authors of numerous articles, books, and book chapters on academic integrity. Their most recent book, The Opposite of Cheating: Teaching for Integrity in the Age of AI, was recently released as the 4th volume in the Teaching, Engaging, and Thriving in Higher Ed series at the University of Oklahoma Press, edited by James Lang and Michelle Miller. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Primary sources can often feel irrelevant and difficult to navigate for students. In this episode, Jessamyn Neuhaus joins us to discuss how student-created photographs can provide a personalized learning experience and foster a deeper connection to history and the university archives.  Jessamyn is the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence and Professor in the School of Education at Syracuse University. Prior to this, she served as Director of the SUNY Plattsburgh Center for Teaching Excellence and was also a Professor in the History Department at SUNY Plattsburgh. Jessamyn is the author of Geeky Pedagogy: a Guide for Intellectuals, Introverts, and Nerds Who Want to be Effective Teachers and the editor of Picture a Professor: Interrupting Biases about Faculty and Increasing Student Learning. See is also the editor of Teaching History: A Journal of Methods. Jessamyn also regularly serves as keynote speaker and workshop facilitator. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Throughout human history, we have relied on technology to make our work easier. In this episode, Michelle Miller joins us to discuss how to foster students’ critical thinking skills in the age of AI. Michelle is a Professor of Psychological Sciences and President’s Distinguished Teaching Fellow at Northern Arizona University.  She is the author of Minds Online: Teaching Effectively with Technology, Remembering and Forgetting in the Age of Technology: Teaching, Learning, and the Science of Memory in a Wired World and A Teacher’s Guide to Learning Students’ Names: Why You Should, Why It’s Hard, How You Can. Michelle is also a frequent contributor of articles on teaching and learning in higher education to a variety of publications including The Chronicle of Higher Ed. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Many students use generative AI tools to complete writing assignments. In this episode, John Warner joins us to discuss what may be lost when they do so. John has twenty years of experience teaching college writing at five different institutions and is the author of 8 books encompassing a wide variety of topics including political humor, short stories, and a novel, including Why They Can’t Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities. He writes a weekly column on books for the Chicago Tribune and an associated newsletter, The Biblioracle Recommends. John is also a contributing writer to Inside Higher Ed. His most recent book is More than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Writing is often perceived as a solitary activity, but this may lead to a sense of isolation. In this episode, Rachael Cayley, Fiona Coll, and Dan Newman join us to discuss the benefits of writing in community. Rachael is an Associate Professor in the Graduate Centre for Academic Communication at the University of Toronto. Before joining the University of Toronto, she worked as an editor at Oxford University Press. Fiona is an Assistant Professor at the Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education & Practice and at the Graduate Centre for Academic Communication. Fiona had earlier been one of our colleagues at SUNY-Oswego. Dan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English and the Director of Graduate Writing Support in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, also at the University of Toronto. Rachael, Fiona, and Dan  are the editors of Writing Together: Building Social Writing Opportunities for Graduate Students, which was recently released by the University of Michigan Press. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Most faculty receive limited information on legal issues associated with their role. In this episode, Kent Kauffman joins us to discuss a new resource he created to help educate faculty on their legal rights, responsibilities, and liabilities. Kent is an Associate Professor of Business Law and MBA Program’s Faculty Liaison in the Department of Economics and Finance at Purdue University. He is also the author of Navigating Choppy Waters: Key Legal Issues College Faculty Need to Know. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.