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| In July 2026, Sarah Supp (DA) participated in the Generative AI and Data Analysis: implications for data science curriculum and pedagogy workshop sponsored by the Alliance to Advance Liberal Arts Colleges (AALAC) and held at Wesleyan University from June 19-22, 2026. The group (26 participants) has produced this excellent read, now making its way to publication. |
Teaching Tips
Articles and resources to empower your teaching experience.
Rethinking Precision in College Grading
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| This week, when grading is top of mind for both students and faculty, Christopher Morales’s “When an 89.4 Becomes a Crisis: Rethinking Precision in College Grading” is worth a read. We can’t snap our fingers and remove all the external pressures that cause student anxiety around grades, but Morales poses some thoughtful questions and suggestions for our ongoing discussions about how we might adjust our grading practices to communicate more effectively with our students about their learning process and accomplishments. |
Only Connect
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| In this week after fall break, I have two words on my mind: Only Connect.
Many of you may recognize this as the title of Bill Cronon’s classic (1998) essay, “‘Only Connect…’ The Goals of a Liberal Education,” which may have reached a point of overexposure a few years ago. But now, if you find yourself in need of recentering after submitting midterm grades and before diving into the next round of assignments, I’d recommend revisiting his reflections. In |
Pedagogy of Kindness & The Score
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| Last, but not least, we finish our summer book group takeaways with two interesting reads.
Pedagogy of Kindness by Catherine Denial
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Why and How to Teach Teamwork
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| Check out this 2021 essay from the Chronicle on setting up your students to navigate the challenge of team communication. Our favorite tip:
Have students practice how not to cooperate in a group. …Internal conflict derails many a group project and students don’t always know how to manage a troublemaker. So give them practice. Have groups meet in class to do a short task related to their project. |
Teaching Hacks That Save Time
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From Gatekeeper to Waymaker: Reframing Rigor Through Empathy
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| As we wade into midterm season, it can be helpful to remind ourselves of the importance of structuring our classes and assignments in ways that clearly communicate our expectations rather than creating obstacles to students’ full engagement with the intellectual work we want them to be doing.
Crystal Donlan writes: “Rigor is about cognitive demand, not obscurity. |
The Science of Learning Meets AI
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| The group who met to discuss The Science of Learning Meets AI by Todd Zakrajsek and our own Lew Ludwig (MATH) reported that they took away a lot of practical suggestions and strategies. One participant wrote that “the book was very helpful in creating various on-ramps so that novices and experts (or skeptics and enthusiasts) all found useful ideas.” |
Teaching Controversial Topics when Information is Incomplete
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| The speed at which information comes at us in 2026 primes us–and our students–to react rather than reflect. Ahlam Lee’s essay is a helpful reminder that “Because digital platforms reward speed and reaction, classrooms should model slower inquiry.” The author lays out simple strategies for teaching our students (and reminding ourselves) to pause and think through context and complexity instead of focusing on emotional hot-takes. |
Cultivating Engagement, Curiosity, & Joy in the Classroom
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Last Thursday at the first Teaching Matters lunch of the year, we explored different strategies for fostering student engagement in ways that add joy to learning and teaching for our students and ourselves. Andy McCall (BIOL) talked about having students observe and then draw a plant specimen and how he emphasizes the value–and pleasure–of trying things (like drawing), even if we’ve been told long ago that we weren’t good at them. |