Tea for Teaching

Online classes provide opportunities for students not served by traditional in-person classes, but asynchronous experiences can seem isolating for both students and instructors. In this episode, Flower Darby joins us to discuss ways to make online instruction more joyful for both students and faculty. Flower is an Associate Director of the Teaching and Learning Center at the University of Missouri. Prior to this position, she se...

This podcast is a recording of a panel session featuring three online learning leaders, that was presented at the SUNY Online Learning Summit on Wednesday, February 25, 2026. The panelists are Yakut Gazi, Marina Amini, and Van Davis. Yakut is the Vice Provost for Learning Innovation and Digital Education at Duke University. Marina is the Executive Director of the California Virtual Campus, and Van is the Executive Director of WCET ...

Students planning to major in STEM fields, especially students from groups historically underrepresented in these fields, are often deterred by their experiences in introductory courses. In this episode, Sarah Rose Cavanagh joins us to discuss an NSF-funded initiative designed to enhance student success in introductory Biology classes.

Sarah is a psychologist and the author of four books related to teaching and learning. She is the...

Academic freedom in the U.S. is increasingly under attack. In this episode, Kent Kauffman joins us to discuss the legal and contractual origins of, current threats to, and the social benefits resulting from maintaining academic freedom. Kent is an Associate Professor of Business Law and MBA Programs Faculty Liaison in the Department of Economics and Finance at Purdue University. He is also the author of Navigating Choppy Waters: Ke...

In challenging times, it is very easy for educators to be distracted from what we value most in our work. In this episode, Roberta Schnorr joins us to discuss how mindfulness practice can help us bring our authentic selves to our classrooms. 

 Roberta was, until her retirement, one of our colleagues at SUNY Oswego. Her professional career spanned 40 years, including nearly a decade in public schools, over 25 years directing a gradu...

Students can use AI tools to support or short-circuit their learning. In this episode, Tim Curry joins us to discuss how he uses AI tools to support students with diverse prior knowledge in a carefully curated framework. 

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 Ap...

In an increasingly globalized and networked economy, it is important to help students develop intercultural competence. In this episode, Josh McKeown and Christina Lee join us to discuss how two institutions are working together on a grant-funded collaborative exchange experience involving STEM students and faculty in the U.S., South Korea, and Taiwan.

Josh is the Associate Provost for International Education and Programs and the D...

Each student brings individual strengths and challenges to our classroom communities. In this episode, Karen Costa joins us to discuss ways to help students with ADHD thrive.

Karen is a faculty development facilitator specializing in online pedagogy, trauma-aware teaching, and supporting ADHD learners. Karen holds graduate degrees and certificates in education and education leadership; trauma and resilience; trauma-informed organiz...

The widespread adoption of and the rapid evolution of generative AI platforms have created substantial challenges for faculty in how we assess student learning. In this episode, Lew Ludwig and Todd Zakrajsek join us to discuss a new resource they have created that is designed to help faculty use AI to efficiently support teaching practices based on the science of learning.

Lew is a Professor of Mathematics at Denison University, wh...

Ideally, college classrooms provide students with a comfortable but challenging environment in which diverse ideas and viewpoints are openly exchanged; the reality they experience, though, is often quite different. In this episode, David Laibson joins us to discuss how Harvard University is attempting to identify and address barriers to this ideal.

David is the Robert I. Goldman Professor of Economics and a Faculty Dean of Lowell H...

Teamwork skills are highly valued by employers but most faculty have not been trained to create effective team projects. In this episode, Tim Franz and Lauren Vicker join us to discuss a resource they developed to help faculty create more effective team assignments and projects.

Tim is a Professor in the Psychology Department at St. John Fisher University and Lauren is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Media and Communicat...

Student use of AI tools presents challenges for faculty teaching writing. In this episode, Anna Mills joins us to discuss when and how AI tools can be used to help students develop their writing skills.

Anna has been a leader in exploring effective strategies for integrating AI into higher education in a manner that fosters the development of student critical literacy. Anna serves on the MLA Task Force on Writing and AI and as a l...

The rapid evolution of AI tools provides a challenge for educators exploring educational applications. In this episode, José Antonio Bowen joins us to discuss ways in which faculty and institutions can better prepare students for their future lives and careers in a world in which AI tools are ubiquitous. 

José has a joint PhD in musicology and humanities, served for several years as President of Goucher College, and is the author a...

Students are motivated to learn when they have autonomy and see the purpose in what they are learning. In this episode, Tara Chklovski joins us to discuss a curriculum in which students use AI tools to solve challenging problems in their communities. Tara is the founder and CEO of Technovation, a nonprofit developer of a curriculum used in over 160 countries and reaching over 400,000 students, to prepare young women for careers in ...

To understand what a concept is, we must also understand what it is not. In this episode, Bill Goffe joins us to discuss his study of the effect of the use of negative examples on student learning outcomes.

Bill is a Teaching Professor in the Economics Department at Penn State.  He had previously been one of our colleagues here at SUNY Oswego. Bill is very well known in the profession for his Resources for Economists on the Intern...

Disney is a common shared cultural experience. In this episode, Jill Peterfeso joins us to discuss how Disney’s pixie dust can hook students and provide opportunities for critical examination in a variety of disciplines. Jill is the Eli Franklin Craven and Minnie Phipps Craven Professor of Religious Studies at Guilford College. She is the author of Womanpriest: Tradition and Transgression in the Contemporary Roman Catholic Church a...

Antagonistic relationships with students are not uncommon—there is a history of faculty distrust of students. In this episode Michelle Miller joins us to discuss a same-side approach where faculty and students work together in support of student learning. 

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 Effect...

Women faculty of color in higher ed generally receive little training to prepare them for the challenges, unrelated to their teaching quality, that they experience in their careers. In this episode, Chavella Pittman joins us to discuss her new book, Empowered: A Woman Faculty of Color’s Guide to Teaching and Thriving, a resource she created to address these challenges and to help female faculty of color thrive.

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It’s easy to become discouraged and disconnected in today’s higher ed climate. In this episode, Kelvin Thompson joins us to discuss his new project designed to provide us with a lift in challenging times.

Kelvin is the Vice Provost for Online Strategy and Teaching Innovation at the University of Louisville. Kelvin developed the BlendKit Course open courseware as part of the Blended Learning Toolkit which he developed while at the ...