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| Trust is a peculiar thing. It is not unique to humans—I think my dog trusts me—but it is clearly something that chatbots do not possess. In his recent piece in The Chronicle, ‘Why We Should Normalize Open Disclosure of AI Use‘ Marc Watkins aptly notes that “Teaching is all about trust, which is difficult to restore once it has been lost.” |
CfLT Newsletter
The posts below are from the CfLT newsletter which includes curated, research-based digital resources to support ongoing faculty development and pedagogical engagement. As of August 2025, CfLT Director Karen Spierling oversees the content. Posts from July 2020-May 2025 were compiled by previous Director Lew Ludwig.
Tidbit: First Day of Class
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| Preparing for the first day of class, I always revisit Lang’s four key things to set the right tone: curiosity, community, learning, and course expectations. This one-page newsletter gives a brief summary as well as a link to the more comprehensive article.
I am going to be particularly vigilant this semester not just for the first day but for the first two weeks. |
Tech: Canvas, Reproducibility, and Gemini
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| Canvas Updates and Support ETS created a page on My Denison to share tips for using the new Canvas template, so you can ensure your courses are student-friendly! Check it out to find important information, such as posting your syllabus in the most effective location and how to get more support. Reproducibility Using RStudio for Teaching and Research |
Teaching: Your Syllabi
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As my head slowly comes out of summer mode and I look toward the fall, it’s time to review and refine my syllabi. Our friend, Kevin Gannon, has updated his Chronicle piece, “How to create a syllabus,” with a handy table of contents link and a section on artificial intelligence. Gannon talks about the importance of workshopping—collaboratively reviewing and refining – your course syllabus with input from peers or experts. |
Teaching: Your fall classes and AI
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Tidbit: Celebrating our graduates!
The Center for Learning and Teaching (CfLT) is excited to announce the first graduating cohort of the Denison Teaching Seminar (DTS). The cohort includes Leksa Lee from Global Commerce and East Asian Studies, Stacey Truex from Computer Science, Tim Attalah from Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Amanda Arnold from Health, Exercise, and Sport Studies. These four joined the DTS in the fall of 2021, pioneering this community of practice.
Tech: Summer course prep-What you need to know
Canvas has a sleek new template coming, thanks to the feedback from over 100 faculty/students. The new template will launch in May- check out this 30-second sneak peek!
OER resources: As you think about course content this summer, this LibGuide for Affordable Content & OER makes an excellent starting point. If you are interested in learning more about affordable content practices, the Open Education Resources Initiative has a streamlined, self-paced Canvas course worth exploring.
Teaching: Take a break
In conversations at our last Denison Teaching Seminar, I would casually ask, “Any interesting summer plans?” After about three of these queires, I had to pivot to, “Any non-work-related interesting summer plans?” You see, my original intent was to see what travel plans or other fun activities my junior colleagues were planning. Instead, like many of us, they reverted to the guilt-ridden ‘this has to be a productive summer or else’ mode.
Down the AI Rabbit Hole: Dumbledore’s Army
In this week’s ‘Down the AI Rabbit Hole’ I share some great resources from the Mollicks at the Wharton School of Business. I also make a revelation about my AI journey as it related to Denison and beyond.
Listen to Down the AI Rabbit Hole: Dumbledore’s Army
This week’s tip:
In the last few weeks we got two influential resources from Ethan Mollick of the Wharton School of Business, a leading innovator in generative AI.
Tidbit: How to escape grading jail
Yes, it’s that time of year again. You promised yourself you wouldn’t end up here, but here you are, preparing to enter the all-too-familiar “grading jail.” As we revisit the article “How to Escape Grading Jail,” Kevin Gannon offers long-term strategies for “next time.” However, he also provides practical tips for leveraging technology to streamline our grading processes.