Welcome | Dr. Anny Morrobel-Sosa, Vice President of the Office of Academic and Student Affairs, UW System

Joshua R. Eyler, Ph.D.

Director of Faculty Development, Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning, University of Mississippi

Friday, April 9
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – Fireside Chat

It is a significant understatement to say that the last year has been hard. The pandemic has changed so much about the landscape of higher ed in such a short time, and we are only now finding ourselves in a position where we can reflect on what has happened and what it means for colleges and universities. Of all the areas on this front that we might explore, student learning has emerged as a focal point in an important way. In this talk, I will reflect on the recent changes that have taken place in the discourse about students, and the ways in which this connects with what we know about the science of learning, by exploring intersections between anthropology, psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and educational research that can yield important insights into student learning–particularly in terms of curiosity, sociality, emotion, authenticity, and failure.

Biography

Dr. Josh Eyler is Director of Faculty Development and Director of the Thinkforward Quality Enhancement Plan at the University of Mississippi. He previously worked on teaching and learning initiatives at Rice University, Columbus State University, and George Mason University. His research interests include the biological basis of learning, evidence-based pedagogy, and disability studies, and he is the author of How Humans Learn: The Science and Stories behind Effective College Teaching (West Virginia UP, 2018).

Readings

“Q&A with Joshua Eyler on How Humans Learn” by John Warner in Inside Higher Ed

“5 Teaching Tips from How Humans Learn” by Beckie Supiano in the Chronicle of Higher Ed (with free subscription)

(L-R) Dr. Kelly Hogan and Dr. Viji Sathy; Courtesy of Travis Dove, The Chronicle

STEM Teaching Professor
Associate Dean of Instructional Innovation, College of Arts & Sciences

VIJI SATHY, PH.D.

Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
Special Projects Assistant to the Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education

Teaching strategies that emphasize structured active learning can create more equitable classrooms and improve learning for all students. Educational technologies make it possible for instructors to use a variety of inclusive teaching techniques online, such as supporting universal design, creating asynchronous videos, and facilitating synchronous discussions in which everyone participates equitably. After providing a framework for inclusive teaching, Professors Kelly Hogan and Viji Sathy of the University of North Carolina will draw upon their own teaching experiences and educational research to model various technology-based strategies that can be readily implemented with any discipline or class size to help all students achieve their potential in both online and face-to-face formats.

Workshop Objectives

• Explain the inequities that arise in an unstructured learning environment
• Describe techniques that add structure and equity to a classroom
• Brainstorm ways to reduce the inequities in your own courses

Pre-workshop Reading

Advice piece from the Chronicle is an excellent summary of Drs. Hogan and Sathy’s philosophy combined with helpful suggestions. Other readings are located here (scroll to bottom).

Biography

Dr. Kelly Hogan and Dr. Viji Sathy are award-winning instructors with a combined 25+ years in the classroom at the University of North Carolina. They are passionate about student success, equity, and inclusion in the classroom. They have expertise with inclusive techniques and active learning in any size crowd (online and face-to-face), because both teach courses routinely with hundreds of students. On their campus, they lead innovative classroom and diversity administrative initiatives that benefit all students, faculty, and staff. Both are leading the campus in curriculum reforms, bringing course-based undergraduate research experiences and makerspace courses to all disciplines. Kelly and Viji have shared their work with faculty through hands-on workshops at numerous types of institutions. Both are active in the scholarship of teaching and learning in their respective disciplines of biology and statistics, and their work has been featured in a number of national publications such as The Chronicle of Higher Education and the New York Times. They are currently writing a book together.

Social Media:

Twitter: @vijisathy @DrMrsKellyHogan #inclusiveteaching #inclusiveclassrooms

Pronouns and Pronunciation:

Both Drs. Hogan and Sathy use the pronouns she, her, and hers

Dr. Sathy’s name is pronounced Viji (rhymes with Pidgey) Sathy (rhymes with Cathy). You can listen to this audio pronunciation

Dr. Kaye Whitehead
Photo courtesy of Afro

Associate Professor of Communication, and African and African American Studies
Founding Director, Karson Institute for Race, Peace, and Social Justice
Loyola University Maryland
President, National Women’s Studies Association

Friday, April 23
9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.

2020: a year that tried but did not break us | Afro

2020 has been a very difficult year, where Black Lives Matter met
Black Covid Stories and conversations have been reignited
around the country about anti-blackness and anti-racism,
policing, and justice. As we move forward, questions remain
about what the long-term impact will be on our society and the
ways in which we can reimagine our way forward. It is also a
moment where we must stop and think about where we are in
our research and in our lives, who we are in the field, and who we
want to be. This is a moment when we must turn from research
to mesearch. Dr. Karsonya (Kaye) Wise Whitehead will facilitate a conversation about The Joys of MeSearch and how one leans into a moment of struggle and finds courage and the ability to resist.

Biography

Dr. Karsonya (Kaye) Wise Whitehead is a three-time New York Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker and the award-winning radio host of Today with Dr. Kaye on WEAA 88.9FM. Her scholarship examines the ways race, class, and gender coalesce in American classrooms as well as in political and social environments. Her work and her scholarship in activism, race, and African American history have garnered national attention and awards, including the Gilder Lehrman Preserve America Maryland History Teacher of the Year Award (2006), the Gilder Lehrman Fellowship in American History (2012), and the Collegium Visionary Award (2019); she has won several prestigious honors for her scholarly and activist work as the @blackmommyactivist, #blackmommyactivist.