- Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences (PDT)

“Do I belong here?” People often ask themselves this question when they are in new or unfamiliar environments. As instructors, we can take actions to promote a course atmosphere so that students can answer "Yes". Positive learning experiences during a course can encourage students to persist in their majors and […]

Generative AI is here to stay, but it poses some profound questions about how to teach writing-based classes. This "workshop" is intended to be a discussion for graduate students and postdocs who teach courses where students frequently write - whether it's final papers, short reflections, or discussion forum posts. We'll […]

Backward design is a key tool for designing effective learning experiences, and it's commonly used across many educational contexts to ensure your day-to-day teaching aligns with your goals. The approach moves from desired outcomes to assignments and activities, which makes it a powerful framework for centering the key learning you […]

So, you’ve heard the terms scholarly teaching, SoTL, TAR, and DBER but what do they mean? How are they related? In this workshop for graduate students and postdocs, we will define various modes of pedagogical research and discuss similarities and differences between them. Participants will also learn about qualitative and […]

How can I support student wellness? What should I do if I'm worried about a student? This workshop, co-facilitated with staff from Health Promotion Services at the Student Health Center, will demonstrate how to put the principles of student wellness into action, how to recognize students in distress, respond via […]

Students who are motivated learn more and learn better than those whose interests, attention, and self-esteem lag during the semester. In this workshop, we'll examine the various factors which shape student motivation in the classroom. We'll then consider potential strategies for motivating students to stay engaged throughout the term and […]

As AIs and instructors, we dedicate many hours each semester to commenting on and evaluating student writing, but is this feedback helping students to improve their writing and critical thinking skills the way that we want it to? In this workshop, we'll draw on writing pedagogy scholarship to confront the […]

Research experiences can significantly benefit students by providing career support, a sense of belonging, and access to graduate programs and other research positions. This workshop will help mentors design productive mentoring relationships. Participants will learn more about evidence-based benefits of mentoring, identify ways to implement effective communication strategies with their […]

Understanding how students learn is an important part of being an effective instructor. In this workshop, participants will examine how to translate three principles from cognitive science to their teaching: 1) retrieval practice—deliberately recalling information from memory, 2) spacing—returning to a concept over time, and 3) interleaving—switching between learning about […]

While the classroom can be a space for open, respectful discussion of sensitive or controversial topics, facilitating such discussions can be a challenging prospect. This workshop provides the opportunity for participants to develop strategies for fostering critical thinking, open-mindedness, and civil discourse in the classroom. We'll engage with strategies for […]

Enhance your teaching practices by exploring the strategic integration of artificial intelligence and educational technology tools. Learn to evaluate and select digital resources that align with your pedagogical goals while discovering practical applications to streamline course preparation and student engagement. Through guided demonstrations and interactive exercises, explore both AI and […]

Reflecting on feedback about your teaching provides you with the opportunity to recognize what is working well and to make plans to address what could be improved. In this workshop, we will start by discussing why feedback is important to your teaching beliefs and valuable for your students’ learning. Then […]

In this workshop, we’ll explore how instructors can use interactions with AI as a lens to: 1) Transform our thinking about the needs of neurodivergent learners, 2) Strengthen our instructional skill set, and 3) Improve experiences for all students. After reviewing an example of this process, participants will have the […]

Backward design is a key tool for designing effective learning experiences, and it’s commonly used across many educational contexts to ensure your day-to-day teaching aligns with your goals. The approach moves from desired outcomes to assignments and activities, which makes it a powerful framework for centering the key learning you […]

This workshop is intended for graduate students or postdocs who participated in Backward Design I. If you didn't participate in the workshop this fall but are familiar with the framework, please reach out to Elina Salminen to inquire about participating.   Registration  

So, you’ve heard the terms scholarly teaching, SoTL, TAR, and DBER but what do they mean? How are they related? In this workshop for graduate students and postdocs, we will define various modes of pedagogical research and discuss similarities and differences between them. Participants will also learn about qualitative and […]

Students who are motivated learn more and learn better than those whose interests, attention, and self-esteem lag during the semester. In this workshop, we’ll examine the various factors which shape student motivation in the classroom. We’ll then consider potential strategies for motivating students to stay engaged throughout the term and […]

What should I do if I’m worried about a student? How can I support student wellness? This workshop, co-facilitated with staff from Health Promotion Services at the Student Health Center, will demonstrate how to put the principles of student wellness into action, how to recognize students in distress, respond via […]

While the classroom can be a space for open, respectful dialogue, it can also feel isolating or even hostile for student learners. What can an instructor do to promote a space for positive, fruitful collaboration? What does it take to create a truly inclusive classroom climate? In this workshop, participants […]