Tea for Teaching

Instructional designers have played an increasingly important role in supporting instruction in all modalities. In this episode, Safary Wa-Mbaleka and Gianina-Estera Petre join us to discuss a new resource describing effective instructional design practices in a global context. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Tenure is an employment protection threatened by changes in the labor market as well as declining public attitudes toward higher education and expertise. In this episode, Deepa Das Acevedo joins us to discuss the history of tenure, the value proposition of tenure, and what the cost to society and higher education would be if it were eliminated. Deepa is a legal anthropologist at Emory Law, the Editor of PoLAR: Political and Legal Anthropology Review, a past Trustee of the Law & Society Association, and has held leadership positions in the Association of American Law Schools, the American Anthropological Association, and the Association for Political and Legal Anthropology. Deepa has published extensively in scholarly journals. She is the author of The War on Tenure, which will be released in September 2025 by Cambridge University Press. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Imagine exploring alternative teaching methods in a classroom focused on learning and not grades. In this episode, Russell Marcus joins us to discuss how this occurs in a two-week philosophy summer program. He is the Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Professor of Philosophy at Hamilton College. Russell specializes in the philosophy of mathematics and the pedagogy of philosophy. He is a Past-President of the American Association of Philosophy Teachers. Since 2018, Russell has been running a philosophy summer camp at Hamilton College designed to help faculty develop more effective teaching practices while also benefiting students. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Imagine having the ability to create personalized web applications that address your individualized needs. In this episode, Dave Ghidiu joins us to describe how you and your students can create such tools using a vibe coding process using free generative AI platforms. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Colleges and universities have survived many challenges. In this episode, Ian McNeely joins us to discuss how public higher ed institutions continued to thrive despite the challenges of the Great Recession, low-quality online diploma mills, and the COVID pandemic. Ian is a Professor of History and Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, He specializes in German history and the history of knowledge. Ian is the author of The University Unfettered: Public Higher Education in an Age of Disruption, which examines how modern research universities responded to the disruptions in higher education between the Great Recession and COVID-19 and the lessons learned from these experiences. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

New faculty often begin their teaching careers by emulating the teaching methods that they have observed, but these practices are often not consistent with evidence on how students learn. In this episode, Chris Hakala joins us to discuss the role that educational developers can play in shifting faculty focus from presenting to teaching. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

In past podcasts, we’ve often explored faculty concerns about student use of generative AI. In this episode, Kaija Hoyt joins us to discuss the evolution of her AI use. Kaija graduated from SUNY Oswego in May 2025 with a major in Human Resource Management and a minor in Mathematics. After graduation, Kaija provided a presentation on this topic to Oswego faculty and staff during an AI symposium. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Microaggressions interfere with the learning process and damage class community. In this episode, Kaija Hoyt joins us to provide a student’s perspective on microaggressions and strategies to address them. Kaija graduated from SUNY Oswego in May 2025 with a major in Human Resource Management and a minor in Mathematics. She completed an honors thesis on “Mitigating Microaggressions in the Workplace.” and recently provided a workshop presentation on microaggressions to SUNY-Oswego faculty and staff. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Critical thinking skills are important in an environment where misinformation flourishes. In this episode, Linda Elder joins us to explore strategies higher ed institutions can use to encourage the development of critical thinking skills to improve the quality of life for students and faculty. Linda is an educational psychologist and a leading authority on critical thinking. She is the President of the Foundation for Critical Thinking and the Executive Director of the Center for Critical Thinking. Linda is the author or co-author of 6 books on critical thinking. Her most recent book is Critical Thinking Therapy: For Happiness and Self-Actualization. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Since the pandemic, universities have focused attention on student mental health. In this episode, Rebecca Pope-Ruark and Lee Skallerup Bassette join us to discuss faculty and staff mental health and wellbeing. Rebecca is the Director of Faculty Professional Development at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She has 17 years of experience teaching undergraduates and is a Certified Scrum Master and design thinking workshop facilitator, an ICF-certified coach, and the host of The Agile Academic podcast. Rebecca is the author of Unraveling Faculty Burnout: Pathways to Reckoning and Renewal and the coeditor of Redesigning Liberal Education: Innovative Design for a Twenty-First-Century Undergraduate Education. Lee is the Assistant Director of Digital Learning at Georgetown University and is a regular contributor to Inside Higher Ed, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and ProfHacker. She is also the editor of Affective Labor and Alt-AC Careers and co-hosts the All Things ADHD podcast. Rebecca and Lee are editors of: Of Many Minds: Neurodiversity and Mental Health Among University Faculty and Staff, which is scheduled for release later this summer. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Updates to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act regulations require public colleges to increase their efforts to ensure that digital content meets accessibility standards. In this episode, Sean Moriarty joins us to discuss strategies to foster a culture of access across an institution. Sean is the Chief Technology Officer at SUNY Oswego. Sean and Rebecca have worked collaboratively on digital accessibility initiatives at SUNY Oswego since 2017 A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Technological change affects all aspects of our lives and our instructional practices must evolve to prepare students for their futures. In this episode, Loy Gross joins us to discuss strategies that she uses to prepare students for an industry that is evolving with digital tools. Loy is an online learning specialist and an adjunct technology instructor at SUNY Genesee Community College. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Most books and resources devoted to professional development focus on strategies that faculty can use to create a positive learning environment for our students, but generally assume that everything will work as expected. In this episode, Jessamyn Neuhaus joins us to discuss her new book, Snafu Edu, which acknowledges the reality that everything does not always work as we hope that it will, and suggests strategies for addressing common situations in which things go wrong. Jessamyn is the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence and Professor in the School of Education at Syracuse University. She is a historian and the editor of Teaching History: A Journal of Methods. Jessamyn has published extensively in scholarly publications in the areas of history, pedagogy, and cultural studies. She is a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Teaching. Jessamyn is the author of Geeky Pedagogy: A Guide for Intellectuals, Introverts, and Nerds Who Want to be Effective Teachers, and the editor of Picture a Professor: Interrupting Biases about Faculty and Increasing Student Learning. Her newest book, Snafu Edu: Teaching and Learning When Things Go Wrong in the College Classroom will be released shortly by the Oklahoma University Press series on Teaching, Engaging, and Thriving in Higher Education, edited by James Lang and Michelle Miller. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Generative AI can increase efficiency and support student learning, however students can also use it as a substitute for learning. In this episode, Nathan Pritts joins us to discuss ways in which generative AI tools can improve course design and strategies to encourage students to use AI tools ethically and responsibly. Nathan Pritts is a Professor and Program chair for First-Year Writing at the University of Arizona Global Campus. Nathan’s recent work has been focused on the relationship between AI and human teaching. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Faculty are faced with the need to adjust instructional strategies in response to AI. In this episode, Racheal Fest and Stephanie Pritchard join us to discuss a professional development initiative for faculty involving six campuses. Racheal is a Pedagogy Specialist at the Faculty Center for Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship at the State University of New York at Oneonta. She also teaches writing courses in the English Department. Stephanie is the Coordinator of the Writing Center, the Coordinator of Writing and Ethical Practice, and an instructor for classes in poetry and English composition here at SUNY Oswego. Racheal is the Principal Investigator and Stephanie is one of the campus coordinators on a SUNY multi-campus grant focused on faculty development related to AI. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

In higher ed, like in most fields, learning continues after employment. In this episode, Tolu Noah joins us to discuss strategies to design and facilitate effective workshops and professional development. Tolu is an educational developer with 16 years of teaching experience in higher ed and K-12. She received the 2019 Teaching Excellence Faculty Award at Azusa Pacific University and was named by EdTech Magazine as one of the 30 Higher Ed IT Influencers to Follow in 2023. Tolu’s work has been published in EDUCAUSE Review, Edutopia, and Faculty Focus. She is the author of Designing and Facilitating Workshops with Intentionality: A Guide to Crafting Engaging Professional Learning Experiences in Higher Education, published by Routledge, Taylor and Francis A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

While the Americans with Disabilities Act has long required digital content to be accessible, specific technical requirements were recently defined in updates to Title II of the ADA. In this episode, Mark Greenfield joins us to discuss the new regulations and what that means for public colleges and universities as the April 2026 deadline approaches. Mark retired as the University at Buffalo's Web Accessibility Officer after 35 years of service at the institution. He continues to consult on digital accessibility and serves as a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (or ACM) U.S. Technology Committee, which educates and informs Congress, the Administration and courts about digital technology developments and how they may impact public policy in the US. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

The Universal Design for Learning (or UDL) framework is based on research on how students learn. In this episode, Tom Tobin, Lillian Nave, and Jennifer Pusateri join us to discuss the most recent evolution of the UDL guidelines. Tom is a founding member of the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Mentoring at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the author of the forthcoming book, UDL at Scale: Adopting Universal Design for Learning across Higher Education, as well as Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education and several other works related to teaching and learning. Lillian is the Faculty and Educational Development Specialist for the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for Student Success at Appalachian State University’s Hickory Campus, a senior lecturer in first-year seminar, and the host of the ThinkUDL podcast. Jennifer is the Senior Universal Design Consultant at The University of Kentucky and has served as the co-chair of the international UDL in Higher Education Network. She is a member of the CAST National Faculty and is the author of Transform Your Teaching with Universal Design for Learning: Six Steps to Jumpstart Your Practice. Tom, Lillian, and Jennifer often serve as keynote speakers on UDL and other issues. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Generative AI tools are challenging traditional models of college instruction. In this episode, Camille Huggins, Yolanda Carlos, and Orlando Saiz join us to discuss how Pacific Oaks College is working to use these tools to more effectively support student learning. Camille, Yolanda, and Orlando were participants in an AI Institute offered at Pacific Oaks College this year. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Faculty often struggle to reduce equity gaps and to foster a sense of belonging and inclusion in their classes. In this episode, Courtney Plotts joins us to discuss course design strategies to increase transparency and to allow students to express and share their own cultural identities as part of an inclusive class community. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.