Teaching: Cultivating Trust, Honesty, and Disclosure in the Age of AI

Missed our recent Teaching Matters discussion on “Cultivating Trust, Honesty, and Disclosure in the Age of Gen AI”? We had a great turn out of folks who came together to share their ideas and experiences. Here are just some of the highlights:
  • Looking to adapt your writing assignments for the AI era? Regina Martin suggested thinking through the component parts of our writing assignments as we reframe our learning goals and assessment strategies.

Continue Reading

Teaching: Experimenting with AI Disclosure

Thursday (11/21/24) from 11:45-1:00, I am hosting a Teaching Matters session entitled “Cultivating Trust, Honesty, and Disclosure in the Age of Gen AI.” It is an opportunity to share our experiences with student-use of AI for our writing assignments and to generate ideas around helping students make better decisions about how and when to use generative AI to complete assignments.

Continue Reading

Teaching: Ending on a high note

Congratulations! You’re almost there- the end of the semester is in sight! As we near the last week of classes, there is an opportunity to wrap up with impact and purpose. Too often, December’s frenzied deadlines leave us rushing through those final moments, but as Kristi Rudenga shares in 7 Ideas to Perk Up Your Last Day of Class, a well-designed closing can amplify everything students have learned.

Continue Reading

Teaching: Small Group Discussions

This week, we’re highlighting an engaging teaching strategy used by Dr. Kelsi Morrison-Atkins in her Religion 108 class, Bible, Gender, Sexuality. Julie Dalke, who is auditing the course, writes:

Each day Kelsi’s class begins with a simple yet impactful check-in that sets the tone for the day’s learning. Students break into small groups of 3-4 for about 10 minutes to discuss their thoughts, questions, or insights from the reading.

Continue Reading

Teaching: Why do we need inclusive teaching if everyone learns in the same way?

Some of you may recall when Stephen Chew, a cognitive psychologist and contemporary of Frank Hassebrock, visited campus to discuss Improving Classroom Performance by Challenging Student Misconceptions About Learning (don’t worry if not, it’s been awhile).

In this recent Teaching Professor piece, Stephen addresses a really intriguing question: Why Do We Need Inclusive Teaching if Everyone Learns in the Same Way?

Continue Reading

Teaching: A Three Question Approach to Feedback

Doug Swift (Visiting Assistant Professor in English/Journalism) caught Jack Shuler (Professor & Director of Journalism) in the act of some great teaching. Doug writes:

Jack and I have offices across the hall from each other. We often shout ideas back and forth, often loudly. Sometimes, an idea is so good, it’s worth a meander across the hall.

Continue Reading

Tidbit: Have you heard this?

Through your Denison Google account, you can now access Google NotebookLM, an experimental AI research assistant that enhances document analysis and study. Among its many reported capabilities, it can create summaries, answer questions, and generate study aids. It can even turn articles into podcasts! For a more in-depth look at how this technology is being used, check out the Chronicle article, “Those Voices On the Podcast?

Continue Reading

Teaching: Do we need to teach students how to use gen AI?

This student guide to AI has been circulating widely in the past few months. It begins with a provocative quote by an economist: “AI won’t take your job. It’s someone using AI who will take your job.” The jury is obviously still out on this claim, but students are hearing it loud and clear, and I imagine their parents are as well.

Continue Reading

Teaching: Timeless Advice for Thriving at a Small College

Ashwin Lall recently shared this excellent article with me, “What to Expect in Your First Year of Work at a Small College,” in the hopes that our colleagues in the Denison Teaching Seminar (DTS) may benefit. While it aims to help recent hires from large PhD programs transition to small liberal arts colleges, the advice and suggestions reach far beyond this target audience.

Continue Reading

Teaching: How Knowing Useless Stuff Helps Me Learn

I know a lot of seemingly useless stuff. The name of Aragorn’s adopted horse? Brego- Old English for “chief or leader.” For a superior French omelet, opt for carbon steel over a non-stick pan. Building a deck? Position the boards so they cup upwards, not down- counterintuitive, isn’t it? 

Why is this important? As our friends in psychology will tell you, the more prior knowledge you have, the easier it is to learn.

Continue Reading