Tea for Teaching
Tea for Teaching
John Kane and Rebecca Mushtare
Informal discussions of effective practices in teaching and learning.
Transformative Coaching
Higher ed has become an increasingly complex and challenging environment to work in. In this episode, Susan Hrach and Kitty Maynard join us to discuss the role trained coaches can play in supporting agency, resilience, and career growth for college employees. Susan is the author of Minding Bodies: How Physical Space, Sensation, and Movement Affect Learning. She’s served as a Fulbright Canada Distinguished Research Chair, and recently appeared on the TEDx stage in Columbus, Georgia. Kitty is the Director of the Teaching and Scholarship Hub at the University of Richmond. Her higher ed career began as a Professor of French Studies, and she has taken on leadership roles in faculty development at Washington College and Virginia Commonwealth University before moving to the University of Richmond. She is the author of Reveries of Community: Epic in the Age of Henri IV and co-editor of Polemic and Literature Surrounding the French Wars of Religion. Susan and Kitty have both received training from, and are members of, the International Coaching Federation. They are also two of the editors of Transformative Coaching for Faculty and Staff in Higher Education. Kristin Croyle, a psychologist and the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Engineering, fills in for Rebecca in this episode. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.
Jul 22
49 min
Designing Impactful College Courses
Student motivation is enhanced when the framework of self-determination theory is used to design courses that support student autonomy. In this episode, Daniel Guberman and Chantal Levesque-Bristol join us to discuss a new resource designed to assist in the development of such courses. Daniel and Chantal have leadership roles at the Center for Instructional Excellence at Purdue University. Chantal is the Executive Director and Daniel is the Assistant Director for Student-Centered Pedagogy.  They are the authors, with Emily Bonem, of Designing Impactful College Courses: Applying Self-Determination Theory to Unleash the Potential of Autonomy Supportive Learning Environments, which was recently released by Routledge. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.
Jul 15
49 min
Prequestions and AI
A growing body of research indicates that asking questions about concepts students have not yet studied increases learning. In this episode, Steven Pan and Judith Schweppe join us to discuss how generative AI can facilitate this technique by generating prequestions.  Steven is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Learning Sciences Lab at the National University of Singapore whose research focuses on evidence-based teaching approaches. Judith is a Professor of Educational Science with a focus on teaching with digital media at the University of Erfurt. Her research focuses on working memory, long-term memory, and learning. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.
Jul 8
36 min
Revisiting A Curated AI Framework
Shortly before the start of the spring semester, Tim Curry joined us for an episode discussing his ambitious plan to create structured learning experiences for students using chatbots. In this episode, we check back to see how this experiment developed. Tim is a lecturer in the Department of Health Sciences at Northern Arizona University. He is developing AI applications for autism research and tribal health service while building Northern Arizona University’s Applied Health Analytics program. He’s also working on the completion of his PhD degree in health equity technology. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.
Jul 1
33 min
All Day TA
Imagine having a virtual clone of yourself to assist your students whenever they need help and would track where students are struggling. In this episode, Joshua Gans joins us to discuss an attempt at creating an AI platform that accomplishes this. Joshua is a Professor of Strategic Management and Jeffrey S. Skill Chair of Technical Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management with a joint appointment in the Department of Economics. His work focuses on the economics of innovation, entrepreneurship, and artificial intelligence. He has authored numerous scholarly articles on the economic impact of generative AI and, with Ajay Agrawal and Avi Goldfarb, of Prediction Machines and Power and Prediction, two books that have helped shape public understanding of the economic implications of AI.  Joshua has been thinking deeply about what generative AI means for higher education: how it can support teaching and learning, how colleges should prepare students for AI-augmented careers, and how AI may reshape labor market opportunities for today’s students. At the University of Toronto, he and Kevin Bryan developed an AI teaching assistant, All Day TA, which has been used to provide students with support outside traditional class hours. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.
Jun 24
35 min
Collaborative AI Guidance
With the rise of AI, institutions are scrambling to provide guidance and policies for students and faculty. In this episode, Kathleen Landy and Joshua Foster join us to discuss a collaborative approach involving student government, administration, and faculty. Kathleen is the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Genesee Community College. Prior to this, Kathleen has served in leadership roles at teaching centers at Cornell University, Queensborough Community College, and Mercy College. She has taught in multiple modalities and also has extensive K-12 teaching experience. Kathleen also served on the Pod Network Core Committee from 2022 through 2025 and currently serves as a co-chair of the SUNY Council on Assessment. Joshua is the Vice President for Academic Affairs for the Student Government Association at Genesee Community College. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.
Jun 17
41 min
Student Access and Earnings
The “One Big, Beautiful Bill” contains a provision eliminating federal loan availability for programs in which past graduates had early career earnings that fall below a designated threshold. In this episode, Debbie Furlong joins us to discuss the statistical measures used to determine federal loan eligibility.  Debbie has served for over 30 years doing applied higher education policy analysis at public comprehensive universities, most recently as the Director of Institutional Research at SUNY Oswego. Prior to her arrival at Oswego, she worked and taught at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay, St. Norbert College in Wisconsin, and the American University in Washington, DC, where she had completed her PhD degree in international relations. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.
Jun 10
53 min
AI-Aware Teaching
While there is substantial debate over the appropriate role of generative AI in higher education, one area of agreement is that AI cannot be ignored. In this episode, Annette Vee, Marc Watkins, and Derek Bruff join us to discuss what faculty need to know to be AI-aware in their teaching. Annette is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh where she has been actively involved with AI initiatives. She is the author of Coding Literacy: How Computer Programming is Changing Writing and is co-editor of TextGenEd: Teaching with Text Generation Technologies. Marc is a Lecturer in Writing and Rhetoric and an Assistant Director of Academic Innovation at the University of Mississippi, where he directs the AI Institute for Teachers. Derek Bruff is an Associate Director at the University of Virginia’s Center for Teaching Excellence, where he supports faculty in integrating generative AI in their teaching. He is the author of Intentional Tech: Principles to Guide the Use of Educational Technology in College Teaching and Teaching with Classroom Response Systems: Creating Active Learning Environments. He is the host and producer of the Intentional Teaching podcast. Annette, Marc, and Derek frequently serve as keynote speakers at academic conferences and write frequently about AI and higher education on their blogs. Annette, Marc, and Derek are the co-authors of The Norton Guide to AI-Aware Teaching. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.
Jun 3
55 min
UDL at Scale
The Universal Design for Learning framework is often adopted by individual faculty for particular courses. In this episode, Tom Tobin joins us to discuss the potential benefits associated with an institution-wide adoption of this framework. Tom is an internationally recognized scholar, author and speaker on technology mediated education, especially copyright, evaluation of teaching practices, academic integrity, accessibility, and universal design for learning, which is a topic we'll be talking about today. He helped found the University of Wisconsin Madison Center for Teaching, Learning, and Mentoring. Tom is on Ed Tech Magazine's Influencers Dean's List, and has been honored with the Wagner Leadership Award in Distance Learning Administration, and he is one of EduFlow’s global top 100 learning influencers. Tom serves on the boards of Advances in Online Education, The Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, and the Oklahoma University Press: Teaching, engaging and thriving in higher ed series. We're very glad that he's made time to be with us with all these activities. His books include Evaluating Online Teaching, The Copyright Ninja, Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: UDL in Higher Education, Going Alt-Ac: A Guide to Alternative Academic Careers, Implementing UDL in Irish Further Education and Training, and what we'll be talking about today, UDL at Scale: Whole-Campus Universal Design for Learning, which is coming out this summer. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.
May 27
49 min
Teaching Neurodivergent College Students
Neurodivergent students experience challenges in traditional lecture settings. In this episode, Jennifer Pusateri joins us to discuss strategies to reduce these challenges while supporting and leveraging the strengths that neurodivergent students bring to our classrooms. Jennifer is the Senior Universal Design Consultant at The University of Kentucky and has served as the co-chair of the international UDL in Higher Education Network. She is a member of the CAST National Faculty and is the author of Transform Your Teaching with Universal Design for Learning: Six Steps to Jumpstart Your Practice. Her newest book, A Practical Guide to Teaching Neurodivergent College Students has recently been released by Harvard Education Press. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.
May 20
26 min
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