Higher education is feeling the pressure—from shifting student expectations to mounting demands for proof of impact. But real change rarely comes with a crash of cymbals. Sometimes, it sneaks in quietly—with the right tools, small shifts in teaching practice, and a mission everyone can rally around. 

In this episode, we explore how one university quietly orchestrated a 11.5% reduction in course withdrawals. Guests Derek Bruff, Gina Londino-Smolar, and Sue-Mun Huang show us why the right tech doesn't just support teaching, it shapes it. And how aligning technology decisions to mission and values can get every section of the orchestra playing from the same score.

Guest Bios

Derek Bruff is the associate director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Virginia. The author of Intentional Tech and Teaching with Classroom Response Systems, Derek is also the host of the Intentional Teaching podcast. 

Gina Londino-Smolar is a teaching professor and Director of the Forensic & Investigative Sciences program at Indiana University. She was recently awarded the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Technology. 

As Director of Product, Sue-Mun Huang leads the charge in building web and mobile solutions that make teaching and learning better. A champion of responsible tech, she’s on a mission to turn good ideas into everyday practice. 

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Higher ed may be going through stormy weather, but in this soul-nourishing episode, we’re choosing joy. Psychologist, author, and happiness researcher Sarah Rose Cavanagh joins us to explore the science (and the magic) of cultivating happiness—even when times are tough.

From the chorus of spring peepers in New England wetlands to building resilience, Sarah shows us why collective effervescence isn’t just a beautiful phrase—it’s a survival strategy. We talk about why emotion is the secret sauce of learning, how to bring more curiosity and play into your classroom, and what “compassionate challenge” really looks like in practice.

Oh—and keep an ear out for our very first feline guest: Sarah’s cat, Rogue, who drops in with impeccable timing.

Whether you’re feeling discouraged or just need a dose of inspiration, this episode is your permission slip to lean into what makes you—and your students—feel alive.

Guest Bio

Sarah Rose Cavanagh is a psychologist, professor, and Senior Associate Director for Teaching and Learning at Simmons University, where she teaches classes on affective science and mental health, researches the intersections of emotion, motivation, and learning, and provides educational development for faculty. She’s the author of several books, including The Spark of Learning: Energizing the College Classroom with the Science of Emotion and Mind Over Monsters: Supporting Youth Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge. Her essays are featured regularly in Psychology Today and The Chronicle of Higher Education. 

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What if the biggest barrier to innovation in our teaching isn’t time or training—but fear? And what if the antidote isn’t a full course redesign, but a single courageous step?

In this episode, we sit down with teaching fellow, serial risk-taker and unshakable optimist, Damien Hommel to unpack what it means to be brave in the classroom. From small nudges to bold experiments, Damien argues that finding the courage to change is both more necessary—and more doable—than we think. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?

Guest Bio

Demian Hommel is an associate professor and teaching fellow at Oregon State University. The recipient of Top Hat’s Most Innovative Educator Award, Demian is an advocate for place-based and experiential education, service learning and evidence-based instruction. When he’s not engaging his students (and boy does he ever), Demian shares his insights on teaching and learning in Faculty Focus and Harvard Business Publishing Education. 

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Have you ever talked with students about study skills? Did they lean in with unbridled enthusiasm? Or did your intuition suggest this might not be the right approach? Dr. Saundra McGuire, a leading expert on student learning, has some helpful advice. 

Together we tackle the metacognitive equity gap—that unseen divide between students who have been taught how to think about their learning and those who haven’t—and why talking about metacognition—not just study tips—could be the shift we need to get students to engage in real learning. 

Guest Bio

Dr. Saundra McGuire is an internationally-acclaimed speaker, Professor Emerita of Chemistry, and Director Emerita of the Center for Academic Success at Louisiana State University. She is the author of the best-selling books Teach Students How to Learn and Teach Yourself How to Learn. Her successful mentoring of underrepresented STEM students earned her the 2006 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering.

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Cheating feels like an unavoidable reality—but what if the antidote isn’t stricter policies or plagiarism checkers, but emotion? Neuroscience tells us that students are more likely to invest in what they find meaningful. The question is, how do we help them care?

We catch up with renowned speaker, author, and educator Flower Darby to explore the link between emotion and learning—and how fostering connection, and even embracing our own likeability can nudge students to do the work that learning requires.

Guest Bio

An internationally-renowned instructor, author, and speaker, Flower Darby inspires educators to bring an equity-minded lens to enhance their teaching practices. As Associate Director of the Teaching for Learning Center at the University of Missouri, she draws on 28+ years of teaching across diverse subjects and modalities. Darby’s work empowers faculty to create inclusive learning experiences, and her publications include The Norton Guide to Equity-Minded Teaching (2023) and Small Teaching Online (2019).

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Many students arriving at college seem to be less able and less willing to read. It’s left faculty frustrated and anxious, with some wondering, are we witnessing the end of reading? According to Donna Battista, a 20 year veteran of higher education publishing, where there's a crisis, there’s also opportunity—to rethink and reimagine what we ask students to consume. With new tools, a pragmatic approach, and an eye to affordability, we might just be able to reclaim a love of reading after all. 

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At a time when AI offers students the easy button, how do we motivate them to do hard things? And how do we help students reclaim the sense of purpose, agency, and self-confidence vital to a meaningful, productive life. Who better to ask than Dr. Kevin Yee, Director of the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Central Florida and a lead organizer of the university’s wildly successful Teaching with AI conference. Dr. Yee gives us his take on our promethean moment in a conversation equal parts practical and philosophical. 

 

00:00: Navigating AI in Higher Education

09:09: Enhancing Evidence-Based Teaching With AI

22:01: Implications of AI on Assignments

25:24: Navigating the Future of Higher Ed

35:23: Revolutionizing Student Engagement With AI

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Is grading doing us or our students any favors? Or do grades short circuit the rich, messy human interactions that are so important to meaningful learning? For Jesse Stommel, author of Undoing the Grade: Why We Grade and How to Stop, breaking our addiction to grades may be easier than you think. Jesse shares why he’s never put a grade on student work and why ‘ungrading’ might be the just the thing we need to move beyond the transactional to get students invested in learning.  

00:00: Rethinking Grades in Higher Education

10:35: Moving Towards Ungrading

19:25: The Impact of AI

23:56: Risks in Education Promotion

28:55: Transforming Assessments

40:29: Enhancing Student Engagement

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Belonging is like WI-FI: you don’t notice it until you don’t have it, and then nothing seems to work right. That’s especially true for student persistence in higher education. But it’s become such a buzzword, it begs the question, what does belonging really mean? How do you measure it? And, most importantly, how do you ensure students feel it? In this episode, we speak with Dr. Terrell Strayhorn, a leading authority on belonging, to understand what we can do to foster the human connection so vital to student success and wellbeing.

00:00: The Meaning and Impact of Belonging

09:05: Creating a Culture of Belonging

15:39: Enhancing Belonging in Education Settings

23:49: Fostering Belonging

38:05: Maximizing Interactive Learning With Top Hat

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This episode's guest's latest book is selling light hot cakes—for good reason. It’s been called a “veritable lifeline” for any educator looking to wrap their heads around the potential of AI to enhance their teaching practice. Buckle up as we sit down with the tireless José Antonio Bowen, distinguished academic and the author of Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to A New Era of Human Learning, for some sage advice on what AI can and cannot do for you and your students.

00:00: Teaching With AI

11:21: Navigating AI in Higher Education

22:44: Teaching Integrity and Empathy With AI

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Post COVID trauma. Learning loss. A growing student mental health crisis. The past few years have left many faculty feeling burned out. Then some bright light in Silicon Valley thought, hey, now seems like the perfect time to add a little AI to the mix. It’s been a lot. So how can we recapture our joie de vivre? Dr. Brad Cohen discusses the power of play in taking on new challenges, upping our teaching game, and opening our minds to AI and … you heard this right … forest bathing. 

0:00: Introducing Higher Listenings

8:58: Nurturing Evidence-Based Practice With Play

15:10: Embracing Play and Technology in Teaching

24:32: Exploring Traditional and Emerging Educational Practices

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