91����Ƶ

Facilitating Across Difference: IGD Tools for Everyday Teaching

Date: Friday, February 6, 2026 (noon-1:00 p.m.)
Location: Merrill House 
Facilitator(s): April Baptiste and Carolyn Hsu

In 2014, Intergroup Dialogue was first introduced at 91����Ƶ and since then, has been dynamically engaged by faculty, staff, and students at curricular and co-curricular levels. Intergroup Dialogue (IGD), founded in the early 1990s at the University of Michigan, is “a face-to-face sustained and facilitated dialogic methodology that asks participants to listen deeply across difference, to bravely share their own stories and to commit to taking action to create a world where all can fully realize their humanity.” This teaching table will open a conversation about IGD pedagogy in curricular courses, drawing on the facilitators’ experiences of incorporating IGD to build dialogue in their classrooms, as well as the unique experience they created through a co-taught course with extended study abroad. The facilitators will share some advice about how to weave IGD into a syllabus and to implement activities to foster an environment for dialogue through systemic awareness.

Reflective Writing for Learning

Date: Monday, February 9, 2026 (noon-1:00 p.m.)
Location: Lathrop Hall, 107 Conference Room
Facilitator(s): Jenn Lutman and Emilio Spadola

Research in Writing to Learn (WTL) consistently demonstrates that reflective writing can support students’ learning in multiple ways. This teaching table will review examples of and highlight two approaches from the presenters.

Jenn Lutman, Director of University Writing, will share an assignment she calls students’ “WRDs” (writing, reading, and discussion reflections), an in-class practice in which students handwrite responses to prompts designed to help them clarify each day’s learning outcomes. These entries accumulate in a graded journal, offering insight into students’ engagement and creating a record of how their thinking evolves across the semester. Emilio Spadola, Associate Professor of Anthropology, and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, will discuss his recently developed “reflection and response journal” or RRJ assignment, a cumulative document of weekly entries in which students respond to assigned texts and complete mini-research exercises paired to the week’s key theme or theory. Having introduced the RRJ in Spring ’25 with introductory anthropology students and revised it for 200/300-level courses in Fall ’25, Emilio will describe the practicalities and positive outcomes of the assignment as well as course-specific adjustments made and recommendations for continued use in the AI age.

The Attention Economy and Reclaiming Cognitive Sovereignty

Date: Friday, February 13, 2026 (12:15-1:15 p.m.)
Location: Lathrop Hall, 107 Conference Room
Facilitator: Doug Johnson

Modern digital infrastructure is optimized for capturing attention from moment-to-moment as well as providing algorithmic recommendations and instant responses. Yet deep reading, writing, and learning are inherently difficult; they require cognitive friction, ambiguity tolerance, and sustained attention. This disconnect is creating a challenge for educators and learners, where students increasingly view the struggle of learning as a system error rather than a feature.

Drawing on the history of the “attention economy” (Herbert Simon 1971), this Teaching Table invites faculty from all disciplines to discuss how we can help students cultivate cognitive sovereignty, which we will define as the agency to control their own attention. We will explore how to build “attention-aware” pedagogies, how to address the “continuous partial attention” driven by mobile tech, and how to create classroom environments that protect the time and space required for rigorous scholarship. We look forward to having you join us for this session.

Learning, Coursework and AI: Communicating What We Do (and Why)

Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026 (noon-1:00 p.m.)
Location: Lawrence Hall, 105 Ho Lecture Room

In the college classroom students and faculty alike recognize a range of common and expected practices: shared readings, class discussions, writing assignments and exams. These are accepted as so normal, that their absence in a course would be seen as surprising. However, perspectives about the use of AI technologies in coursework is far from being normalized. Students receive mixed messages about how AI can impact their learning while engaging in commonly accepted educational practices. At the same time, faculty would likely agree that there are certain things they want students to do where AI is simply not involved! How do students perceive faculty guidance about the ways in which AI can directly undermine learning? What might it look like to normalize non-AI use as a common practice, and an expected part of certain learning experiences? How can faculty and students co-create language to support shared expectations for cognitive development? Please join colleagues for a brainstorming session to consider these and other questions.

Student Perspectives on AI (Session with Writing and Speaking Center Consultants)

Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2026 (noon-1:00 p.m.)
Location: Lawrence Hall, 105 Ho Lecture Room

As a continuation of some conversations sparked during the recent UnConference on AI, the CLTR is organizing a series of panel-style discussions focused on student perspectives around the use of AI in education. These panels will feature students serving in peer-facing roles (e.g., Writing Consultants, DLMC Media Mentors, and Academic Tutors), who will reflect on how AI is showing up in their work with fellow students. We hope these conversations will foster a supportive and respectful environment in which students and faculty can engage in meaningful dialogue about the ways they see the use of AI having an impact on teaching and learning. Each session will begin with a set of framing questions, followed by open Q&A among all participants. Please join us at our first session, hosted by the Writing and Speaking Center Consultants.

Student Perspectives on AI (Session with Digital Learning and Media Center - Media Mentors)

Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2026 (noon-1:00 p.m.)
Location: Lawrence Hall, 105 Ho Lecture Room

As a continuation of some conversations sparked during the recent UnConference on AI, the CLTR is organizing a series of panel-style discussions focused on student perspectives around the use of AI in education. These panels will feature students serving in peer-facing roles (e.g., Writing Consultants, DLMC Media Mentors, and Academic Tutors), who will reflect on how AI is showing up in their work with fellow students. We hope these conversations will foster a supportive and respectful environment in which students and faculty can engage in meaningful dialogue about the ways they see the use of AI having an impact on teaching and learning. Each session will begin with a set of framing questions, followed by open Q&A among all participants. Please join us at our next session, hosted by the Digital Learning and Media Center - Media Mentors.

Student Perspectives on AI (Session with Academic Tutors)

Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 (noon-1:00 p.m.)
Location: Lawrence Hall, 105 Ho Lecture Room

As a continuation of some conversations sparked during the recent UnConference on AI, the CLTR is organizing a series of panel-style discussions focused on student perspectives around the use of AI in education. These panels will feature students serving in peer-facing roles (e.g., Writing Consultants, DLMC Media Mentors, and Academic Tutors), who will reflect on how AI is showing up in their work with fellow students. We hope these conversations will foster a supportive and respectful environment in which students and faculty can engage in meaningful dialogue about the ways they see the use of AI having an impact on teaching and learning. Each session will begin with a set of framing questions, followed by open Q&A among all participants. Please join us at the next session, hosted by our Academic Tutors.

Peeling Back the Curtain: Making “Invisible” Skills Visible at 91����Ƶ

Date: Friday, April 17, 2026 (noon-1:00 p.m.)
Location: Lathrop Hall, 107 Conference Room
Facilitator: Jessica Murray

We often tell students what to learn, but how much time do we spend discussing how they learn? Metacognition is a cornerstone of academic success, yet it often remains an “invisible” skill with no designated space for explicit practice or instruction. This session is designed as a collaborative open forum “temperature check” for faculty and staff to discuss the metacognitive climate of our campus. We will share real-world observations of student behaviors, trade strategies for “peeling back the curtain” on the learning process, and consider where our students excel—and where they struggle—to take ownership of their intellectual growth. Please come join us for food, conversation, and an engaging experience as we explore the ways we support student success together.

First@91����Ƶ: First-Generation Student Transitions and Integration at 91����Ƶ

Date: Wednesday, September 3, 2025 (12:15-1:15 p.m.)
Location: ALANA Cultural Center, Multipurpose Room 
Facilitator(s): Anne Bair ’26 and Jessica Murray

First-generation college students often face distinct challenges as they transition into and navigate collegiate life. In this session, Anne Bair ’26 and Jessica Murray, assistant director for student success at CLTR, will share findings from a recent study exploring how 91����Ƶ’s first-generation students experience the transition from high school and how they integrate socially and academically into campus life. After presenting the results, we will invite attendees into a broader conversation about how these insights can inform classroom practices and institutional strategies to better support first-generation students at 91����Ƶ.

Supporting Undergraduate Research: Reflections from the Lab and Field

Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2025 (12:15-1:15 p.m.)
Location: Lathrop Hall, 107 Conference Room 
Facilitator: Amy Leventer

Conducting research with undergraduates can be one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching, but it doesn’t always unfold as smoothly as we hope or plan. In this session, Amy Leventer, professor of earth and environmental geosciences — and CLTR Faculty Fellow — will facilitate a conversation focused on mentoring undergraduate students in research. Drawing on a wide range of personal experiences, Amy will offer reflections on what she’s learned, while inviting participants to share their own successes, challenges, and lessons along the way. Together, we’ll work toward building a shared roadmap for more positive and productive mentoring experiences.

The Graduate School Access Fund

Date: Thursday, November 6, 2025 (11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.)
Location: Merrill House
Facilitator(s): Teresa Olsen, Alexis Racioppa, and Brenda N. Sanya

Since 2020, the Graduate School Access Fund (GSAF) has provided advising and financial support for students who identify as low-income, first-generation, or historically excluded backgrounds who seek to pursue graduate education. This teaching table discussion will focus on the pivotal role faculty have played in helping to identify, refer, and support more than 110 GSAF fellows. Data will also be shared that demonstrates the program’s impact on students’ self-efficacy and admissions strategies. Participants can look forward to a robust discussion centered around the GSAF’s three key areas: assisting students to establish nurturing partnerships with faculty, effectively articulating postgraduate plans during the admissions process, and promoting a culture of peer support. We will conclude the session with a conversation of how to join more than 130 91����Ƶ faculty — particularly those involved in student research — to support students to apply to the program or participate in the GSAF cohort discussions. We look forward to hearing suggestions and ideas from attendees regarding strategies to enhance the faculty-GSAF collaboration.

Enhancing Moodle Course Design: The Student Perspective

Date: Friday, November 14, 2025 (12:15-1:15 p.m.)
Location: Lathrop Hall, 107 Conference Room
Facilitator(s): Sarah Cross and students

Interested in learning how students navigate your Moodle course site? Which design features help them engage with content and where they encounter challenges? Join us for a session introducing the Moodle Design Corps, a group of students who are working with Instructional Designers to evaluate the usability and accessibility of Moodle course sites. Throughout the fall semester, these students have gathered feedback from their peers and developed a student-driven walkthrough that provides actionable, formative insights. Leave the session with practical strategies to enhance the organization, navigation, and accessibility of your Moodle course—creating a better experience for both faculty and students.

Reading and Attention FSEMs: Preliminary Observations

Date: Thursday, December 11, 2025 (11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.)
Location: Lathrop Hall, 107 Conference Room
Facilitator: Constance “Connie” Harsh

This semester seven faculty have been teaching FSEMs that pay particular attention to the challenges to deep learning students face today. Join Connie Harsh and the other members of the cohort (Nick Albertson, Meghan Brankley Abbas, Michael Coyle, Alison Koleszar, Margaret Maurer, and Jennifer Tomlinson) for a preliminary report on our experiences this term.

Faculty Teaching Fellow Session on Reading and Attention
Date: Friday, January 31, 2025 (12:15-1:15 p.m.)
Location: McGregory Hall, 101A Conference Room
Facilitator: Constance “Connie” Harsh

Constance Harsh, Professor of English and Rebecca S. Chopp Chair in the Humanities, will serve as the inaugural CLTR Teaching Fellow. In this role, Connie is leading a collaborative project focused on exploring strategies to strengthen students’ capacities for deep reading and comprehensive reflection. The hope is that faculty can think about how to support students as they seek to extend their attention span in a world full of distractions. In the Spring 2025 semester, we’ll host several conversations to pursue this project. The first conversation will take place on January 31. This will provide an opportunity for faculty to learn more about the project, and consider a plan for the semester that will have two chief aims: understanding the obstacles to reading deeply and paying sustained attention; developing methods for chipping away at those obstacles. Please signal your interest in this project by completing the registration form. You will also have the opportunity to request a copy of Gloria Mark’s Attention Span, which has much relevant material. Each conversation will likely be of general interest and will be individually announced to the community. But we are also hoping that a few faculty might collaborate as they develop their fall 2025 classes to implement some of the strategies we identify.

A Conversation about Grading and Learning
Date: Monday, February 3, 2025 (12:15-1:15 p.m.)
Location: Lathrop Hall, 107 Conference Room
Facilitator(s): Teo Ballvé and Aaron Gember-Jacobson

How do our grading practices align with the learning goals we set for our students? What challenges do we face when balancing fairness, transparency, and motivation in assessment? How can grading approaches support students in becoming reflective learners? In what ways might rethinking traditional grading practices lead to deeper engagement and equity? Join us for an open discussion about the relationship between grading and learning. This teaching table offers a space to explore diverse perspectives on grading strategies, feedback, and the ways assessment can support (or hinder) student growth. Facilitated by 91����Ƶ faculty, the conversation will provide an opportunity to exchange practical ideas and reflect on the impact of grading practices on both teaching and learning.

Group Work that Works
Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2025 (12:15-1:15 p.m.)
Location: McGregory Hall, 101A Conference Room
Facilitator(s): Catherine “Cat” Cardelús and Regina Conti

How can we design group work that fosters meaningful collaboration and equitable participation? What strategies effectively manage group dynamics and address challenges like uneven workload distribution? Join us for this teaching table, facilitated by two 91����Ƶ faculty members with thoughtful insights on creating and managing group learning experiences that truly work – for both students and instructors. After brief presentations to spark ideas, we’ll open the floor for conversation, inviting colleagues to share experiences, challenges, and strategies. Together, we’ll explore practical approaches to structuring group projects, fostering accountability, and assessing collaborative efforts. Whether you’re new to group work or looking to enhance your approach, this session promises fresh perspectives and supportive dialogue.

Faculty Teaching Fellow Session on Reading and Attention
Date: Tuesday, March 4, 2025 (8:15-9:30 a.m.)
Location: Lathrop Hall, 202 Conference Room
Facilitator: Constance “Connie” Harsh

Professor Constance Harsh will lead discussion of pedagogical strategies for encouraging deep reading. Copies of the readings are available from CLTR. No advance registration is necessary. Coffee and pastries will be served. This is part of a CLTR program dedicated to understanding problems with reading deeply and paying sustained attention. If you have questions about the project or wish to receive notice of future sessions, please contact Connie or the Center for Learning, Teaching, and Research (cltr@colgate.edu).

Considering Disclosure and Openness in AI Use
Date: Tuesday, March 25, 2025 (12:15-1:15 p.m.)
Location: Lathrop Hall, 107 Conference Room
Facilitator(s): Jenn Lutman and Jeff Nugent

The educational use of AI is an increasingly varied and nuanced landscape. Many faculty members issue blanket bans on AI use, while others may invite specific or limited use in coursework. While such differing views may be productive, they also mean that students must navigate contrasting messages about what constitutes appropriate or inappropriate use of AI, leaving them with questions about how they should (or should not) disclose AI use to instructors. In this session, we’ll consider the potential of openness as a guiding principle for AI use in the classroom, exploring whether clear expectations for disclosure and dialogue can potentially serve both to uphold academic integrity and support student learning and engagement. What could be the benefits of teaching transparency as a practice that applies not only to citing sources, but to the use of new technologies? What new models or frameworks exist that faculty may find useful in thinking about practices of disclosure and transparency? Join us for this teaching table for some dialogue about these and other questions.

Writing Assignments, Assessment, and AI
Date: Tuesday, April 1, 2025 (12:15-1:15 p.m.)
Location: Lathrop Hall, 107 Conference Room
Facilitator(s): Jenn Lutman and Stacy Kastner

As generative AI tools like ChatGPT proliferate, will writing assignments remain an effective way for students to learn and a reliable means of assessing their learning? Join us for a conversation about whether and how we can ensure that writing assignments and assessments remain meaningful, even as AI tools like Jasper, Claude, and ChatGPT can assist with every stage of the process—from researching and summarizing to brainstorming, drafting, editing, and even responding to and assessing writing.

Structuring Effective Peer Review
Date: Tuesday, April 3, 2025 (noon-1:00 p.m.)
Location: McGregory Hall, 101A Conference Room
Facilitator: Jenn Lutman

Effective peer review of writing can support the writing process, improve the quality of students’ work, build community, and even save instructor time. Thoughtful guidance and preparation helps ensure that students engage meaningfully. This 1-hour workshop will explore strategies and resources for structuring peer review to increase student engagement and improve the quality of peer-to-peer feedback.

Professor Constance Harsh will be leading two upcoming discussions exploring pedagogical strategies for encouraging deep reading. This is part of a CLTR program dedicated to understanding problems with reading deeply and paying sustained attention. If you have questions about the project or wish to receive notice of future sessions, please contact Connie or the Center for Learning, Teaching, and Research (cltr@colgate.edu).

Conversation with Student Panel
Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2025 (8:15-9:30 a.m.)
Location: Lathrop Hall, 212 CORE Classroom
Facilitator: Constance “Connie” Harsh

Closing Conversation and Reflections
Date: Friday, April 25, 2025 (12:15-1:30 p.m.)
Location: Lathrop Hall, 107 Conference Room
Facilitator: Constance “Connie” Harsh

Symposium on Teaching and Learning: Small Teaching

Date: Wednesday, August 29, 2018 (10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.)
Location: Case-Geyer, 560 Batza Room
Guest Speaker: James M. Lang, Author of Small Teaching, Professor of English and Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Assumption College

Research from the learning sciences and from a variety of educational settings suggests that a small number of key principles can improve learning in almost any type of college or university course, from traditional lectures to flipped classrooms. Professor Lang will present a general talk and an interactive workshop to introduce some of those principles. He will offer practical suggestions for how these principles might foster positive change in higher education teaching and learning, and guide faculty participants to consider how these principles might manifest themselves in their current and upcoming courses.

CLTR Community Discussion

Date: Thursday, September 13, 2018 (12:15-1:15 p.m.)
Location: Case-Geyer, 560 Batza Room 
Facilitator(s): Frank Frey, Karen Harpp, Doug Johnson, and Margaret Maurer

How can you be a part of this teaching and learning wave? Join us for the next installment in our ongoing conversation about teaching at 91����Ƶ. The CLTR will co-host an “unpanel” community discussion.

Healing Justice with Loretta Pyles (SUNY Albany)

Date: Wednesday, October 10, 2018 (8:00-9:00 a.m.)
Location: Benton Hall, 213 Clifford Commons
Guest Speaker: Loretta Pyles is a professor in the School of Social Welfare at SUNY Albany, a certified yoga teacher, and an expert on social activism, community organizing, and holistic self-care. Her latest book is Healing Justice: Holistic Self-Care for Change Makers (Oxford University Press, 2018). For her one-page “Healing Justice: A Manifesto” from that book, please click Healing Justice A Manifesto.

How can academic faculty and athletic coaches help students (and themselves) cope with the pressures of a performance-driven environment, but also transcend that situation towards a cultivation of holistic well-being of body, mind, and (physical and social) environment, including social justice? And what can we learn from each other’s experiences and aspirations?

Reflections on Teaching

Date: Thursday, October 11, 2018 (12:15-1:15 p.m.)
Location: Case-Geyer, 560 Batza Room 
Facilitator: Lourdes Rojas-Paiewonsky

An informal conversation with Lourdes Rojas-Paiewonsky, from the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, as she reflects on her teaching career at 91����Ƶ.

Supporting First-Year Students

Date: Thursday, October 25, 2018 (12:15-1:15 p.m.)
Location: ALANA Cultural Center, Multipurpose Room
Facilitator(s): Sarah Courtney, Frank Frey, Angela Marathakis, and Suzanne B. Spring

This teaching table will bring together a cross-section of campus that works closely with students to discuss commonly asked questions by first-year 91����Ƶ students. Participants are encouraged to share their own insights or ask questions about supporting first-year students.

The Evaluation of Teaching at 91����Ƶ

Date: Thursday, November 8, 2018 (12:15-1:15 p.m.)
Location: Benton Hall, 213 Clifford Commons

Please join the CLTR and the Dean of the Faculty’s office for the final installment of the CLTR’s Teaching and Learning Symposium. Christopher Vecsey, Chair of 91����Ƶ’s Department of Religion and the Harry Emerson Fosdick Professor of the Humanities and Native American Studies, will talk with us about the evaluation of teaching at 91����Ƶ.