TALKS on May 7 (Zoom)

How do higher education professionals tread forward when, in these times, our work is hard, at best, and at worst, bleak? How do we practice caring, humanizing, and transforming within our daily practices to sustain our communities? In this joint keynote address to Michigan State University’s T.A.L.K.S. and Student Success Summit, I draw on the dual positioning of university educators and student success professionals to advocate for humanizing rituals– small, transformative everyday practices that create thriving connection and caring conditions for all. I bring together thinkers who challenge the academy to move past survival and toward abundant living. Alongside these insights, I share experiences in teaching centers, classrooms, and student success spaces to offer lessons in smallness drawn from breadmaking– a series of deliberate rituals that when repeated, create pathways for abundant living. The ritual of breadmaking (assembly, proofing, stretching, pausing, and making) illustrates how small humanizing actions can sustain alternative, more generous ways of being in higher education– one that maintains that when higher education professionals thrive, students thrive. I offer practical takeaways for higher education professionals to showcase the transformative impact of ritual. Through ritual, I argue, we can create the conditions for a university rooted in care, love, and sustaining one another.

Nick Sanders (he/him) is an assistant professor of Writing and Rhetoric at Oakland University. He earned his Ph.D. in Writing and Rhetoric from Michigan State University in 2023, his M.A. in English with a concentration in Composition Pedagogy from the University of Maine Orono in 2018.

Sanders is also a certified teacher-consultant for the National Writing Project. Sanders is a queer scholar-practitioner committed to justice-centered institutional change through antiracist and queer approaches to writing pedagogy, campus leadership and public and professional writing.

Sanders has taught undergraduates, graduates and faculty members at a variety of open-access institutions and research-focused universities. He has taught courses such as first-year writing, research writing, writing center theory and practice, antiracist writing pedagogies, digital writing, gender studies and community literacy studies. Sanders’ teaching practice centers un/learning to invite students to interrogate their identities, diversify their academic and professional skill sets, and participate in multiple genres to engage authentic audiences and contexts.

His research examines the intersections of antiracism, professional and community writing, and queer and feminist rhetorics. Sanders’ research appears in College Composition and Communication, Technical Communication Quarterly, The Peer Review, The Writing Center Journal, and MLA Profession. Sanders is co-editing a special issue for The Journal of Multimodal Rhetorics, titled “Composing at the Intersections: Queer, Transgender, and Feminist Approaches to Multimodal Rhetorics.” He is currently drafting pieces on critical qualitative research traditions in writing studies, neo-abolitionist literacies, and rhetorical constructions of permission structures in state-level legislation.

Sanders has held various leadership roles where he commits to cultivating an engaged campus that honors and uplifts the teaching of writing. At his former institution, Sanders served as Director of the Center for Teaching, where he identified and led campus-wide teaching and learning initiatives, and served as Director of University Writing, where he led first-year writing, writing across the curriculum, and the writing center. At Michigan State, Sanders served as Assistant Director of the Writing Center and led the center’s graduate student support initiatives, internal staff development program, assessment, and writing across campus workshop programs. Sanders is also the founding coordinator of Michigan State’s community writing center, a partnership between East Lansing Libraries and Michigan State, hosting open consulting hours and youth and adult writing workshops and contest. He also served as a co-Principal Investigator on a National Endowment of the Humanities grant to support community involvement in five branches of the Lansing library system.

• Leticia Cherchiglia, Antoinette Tessmer, and Nkadi Onyegegbu
• Abstract: This panel session will showcase COIL activities developed as part of the COIL Faculty Fellows Program-Africa during Summer/24 and Fall/24. Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is a pedagogy that supports curriculum internationalization in an inexpensive, accessible, highly collaborative, engaging, and highly experiential manner. COIL activities will be presented by their faculty leaders from MSU and from universities in Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, and Uganda (affiliated with MSU’s Alliance for African Partnership). Faculty leaders will share insights related to the design and actual implementation of their COIL projects, focusing on any challenges they might have encountered, and any lessons learned from such an experience. Topics to be explored during this panel session include (but are not limited to) how to create meaningful shared learning goals, which virtual tools/technologies can be used to support students’ engagement and intercultural collaborations, how to navigate uncertainties and/or anticipate challenges, and COIL-related assessment.
• Keywords: Curriculum internationalization, COIL fellowship, COIL best practices, experiential teaching pedagogies

• “Student Perceptions of Generative AI Tools”
  • Adan Quan
  • Abstract: The increasing use of generative AI tools in higher education has sparked important conversations about their role in student learning, academic integrity, and pedagogical strategies. This talk presents findings from exploratory research of student perceptions of ChatGPT and similar AI tools in coursework. The presentation incorporates insights from structured surveys and analysis of student reflections concerning a Generative AI-assisted assignment in an undergraduate social science course at Michigan State University. This research represents an initial effort to understand how students interact with generative AI tools, what benefits they perceive, and what concerns they raise, including issues related to bias, reliability, and academic integrity. The study also experimented with different methods to assess student attitudes, providing insights into the strengths and limitations of these approaches. This snapshot of how students currently use these tools will help attendees reflect on their own experiences with this issue. Finally, the talk aims to inspire ideas for future research directions and potential strategies for supporting critical, reflective, and ethical use of AI in the classroom.
  • Keywords: Generative AI, ChatGPT, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), User-Centered Educational Research, AI Literacy, AI Ethics, Pedagogical Strategies
• “Micro-Credentialing Alternative Learning Experiences”
  • Sarah Gretter and Tyler Lawrence
  • Abstract: MSU offers a 10-month non-credit program offered with MSU in Detroit, in partnership with a worldclass tech company. The program focuses on access to tech education in the city. It serves 250 learners yearly ranging from 18-76 years old from a variety of educational backgrounds and professional experiences. While these programs exist worldwide, most are on college campuses and operate as capstone experiences for enrolled students. The Detroit program distinguishes itself by its intersection with workforce development, apprenticeship models, and higher education—which creates a complex opportunity space for MSU to assess learning and produce alternative ways to recognize outcomes. This presentation is a reflection on a micro-credentialing/digital badge pilot with Credly to address that challenge. Presenters will share data collected from the pilot, and its connection to larger state-wide initiatives around alternative credentials, certification, and credits for prior learning.
  • Keywords: Tech education, micro-credentials, alternative pathways, workforce development

• Sewwandi Abeywardana, Seth Hunt, Antonio White, Alyssa LaBerge, Stefanie Baier, Rique Campa, and Hima Rawal
• Abstract: In recent years, the topic of students as partners has become of interest in the higher education context. Cook- Sather’s (2014) definition captures this partnership as ‘a collaborative, reciprocal process through which all participants have the opportunity to contribute equally, although not necessarily in the same ways, to curricular or pedagogical conceptualization, decision making, implementation, investigation, or analysis’ (pp. 6–7). Simon & Pleshova (2021) recognize graduate students as significant partners in academic development. These partnerships have been utilized by faculty and staff in multiple ways, and more recently teaching offices and academic programs at Michigan State University have started to value the perspectives and contributions graduate students make in this context. In this presentation graduate students with teaching experience and their academic partners from various disciplinary backgrounds will share how they collaborate with faculty and staff in curriculum development, about their significant conversations, and the curricula they have impacted and co-developed. First, the concept and foundation of students as partners will be introduced, along with a discussion of its benefits. Next, three ongoing partnerships between academic staff and graduate students at MSU’s campus will be explored. Finally, the presenters will share insights on areas for improvement based on their experiences.
• Keywords: Graduate Students as partners, curriculum development, effective learning experiences, student centered teaching

• “Supporting Student Learning through Student Success Workshops”
  • Jennifer Freitas
  • Abstract: Student Success Workshops are a student learning support development that the College of Natural Science (CNS) Student Success Team has created for the NatSci Student Success Program. Workshop opportunities are a requirement for students on academic probation in CNS for supporting academic skill building during the semester in the program. Student Success Workshops have a central topic of academic skill, including effective time management, study and review strategies, goal setting, note-taking and other good classroom habits, use of the help rooms on campus, and test-taking. The session will highlight various aspects of the workshop design process, including a data analysis of student-identified “key factors” which lead to ASUS student academic difficulty (an overview of four consecutive semesters); creating workshop content that addresses student academic skill building needs with specific actionable tools and strategies; and various successes and “works in progress” of past and future workshop sessions. Participants are encouraged to offer their experiences working with ASUS student populations and various interventions tried and tested and learn about one college program’s creative initiatives for supporting student academic skill growth.
  • Keywords:  undergraduate student success, academic skills, workshops, supporting student learning, academic probation/ASUS
• “Reimagining Community Engagement: An Anti-Racist Learning Journey”
  • Stephanie Brewer and Michelle Snitgen
  • Abstract: Community-engaged learning (CEL) is a powerful strategy for integrating meaningful community partnerships with instruction and critical reflection to enrich student learning, foster civic and social responsibility, and strengthen communities. However, translating anti-racist principles into CEL practice remains a challenge. This session explores how a faculty learning community at Michigan State University (MSU) engaged in a process of self-study to deepen their understanding of anti-racist community engagement and apply key insights to their own pedagogical and partnership practices. The session will highlight how faculty and staff examined Anti-Racist Community Engagement (Santana et al., 2023) through shared reading, critical reflection, and dialogue, ultimately working to produce a collaborative self-study paper to inform future teaching and engagement efforts. This session will engage participants through discussion and interactive reflection, inviting them to consider how these insights can shape their own work. By bridging theory and practice, this session aims to advance the field of community-engaged learning through an intentional focus on anti-racist pedagogy and practice.
  • Keywords: Anti-racist community engaged learning, self study, learning community
• “Bridging the Gap: Faculty-Librarian Partnerships to Advance Doctoral Student Success in Literature Synthesis”
  • Jessica Sender and Jackie Iseler
  • Abstract: The MSU College of Nursing Doctor of Nursing Practice program emphasizes the development of a comprehensive literature review and synthesis, as a cornerstone of scholarly inquiry. Despite course-integrated instruction by a dedicated librarian, an overwhelming number of student questions created a bottleneck for both faculty and librarian. To address this challenge, a collaborative initiative was launched to streamline the literature synthesis process and better support students. Through an informal needs assessment of students' questions, the librarian and faculty identified critical pain points. The resulting solution included a series of structured tutorials and knowledge checks designed to guide students through essential preparatory steps, such as developing research questions, crafting search strategies, and conducting initial analyses. Covidence, a literature synthesis management tool, was introduced as an integral component to enhance organizational efficiency. Early results, both anecdotal and observational, suggest significant improvements. Students are completing their literature syntheses with greater efficiency and higher quality, while faculty and librarians report a reduced workload and increased engagement at multiple stages of the process. This innovative partnership highlights the value of cross-disciplinary collaboration in addressing common academic challenges, ultimately enhancing doctoral student success.
  • Keywords: Literature synthesis, doctoral student support, librarian and faculty partnerships, student success, student support

• “Career and professional development in an undergraduate science laboratory course” 
  • Erica Wehrwein and Hanna Peterson
  • Abstract: Employers and professional schools stress the need for undergraduate training in professional skills such as teamwork, critical thinking, and communication. Developing these non-technical skills for interviews, professional school, and career success is essential. The capstone laboratory course for the physiology major applies physiology content from the undergraduate curriculum with firsthand human physiology activities, but also includes activities on career and professional skills. Each weekly homework assignment for the course includes a professional development activity, including self-assessments and reflections on teamwork, leadership style, grit, conflict management, and other key career skills including a values assessment with career matching. Approximately 10% of course points are professional development. Effective lay communication skills are developed with “Physiology in the News” reports and a patient plan for complementary and alternative medicine therapy. The last project of the semester is “Career Next Steps” where students get professional feedback on their resume, personal statement, LinkedIn profile, mock interview, or other relevant materials. All 12 skills assessed on surveys had significant improvement (p<0.001) when comparing pre- and post-semester responses. Student feedback commonly states they would not have worked on professional skills preparation on their own time, either because they were unaware of the tools available, or they did not see the relevance in the current stage of their career. Overall, students perceive improvement in their professional skills by completing in-class assignments. In conclusion, it is feasible and desirable to incorporate professional skills into courses to best prepare students for a successful career.
  • Keywords: professional skills, career development
• “Implementation of Time Management in an introductory Microbiology Course” 
  • Heather Murdoch and Philip Delekta
  • Abstract: MGI 301 (formerly MMG 301) is an upper-level microbiology course focused on the molecular biology of bacteria and viruses, designed to prepare students for careers in research or healthcare. The course employs a flipped classroom model, where students are expected to self-regulate a significant portion of their learning outside the classroom, compared to traditional lecture-based courses. Instructors of MGI 301 have observed that students who struggle in the course often do not utilize formal time management strategies. This observation led us to explore whether these challenges are related to students’ inability to effectively manage their time while learning outside the classroom. Our study aims to determine whether teaching students formal time management strategies can improve their performance in a flipped classroom. Additionally, we seek to identify which time management methods are the most effective. We also examined other factors, such as whether a student’s background influences their choice of time management strategy. The time management strategies we explored included Microsoft Planner, Pomodoro, Priority Matrix, Paper Planner, and Time Blocking. In our study, we first provided students with an online lecture about the benefits and types of time management strategies. We then periodically surveyed students about their use of time management techniques and apps. We believe that teaching time management skills in a flipped classroom setting will not only enhance course outcomes but also provide an essential skill for students’ career development, benefiting their future workplace success.
  • Keywords: Flipped, time, management, strategies, background

• Casey Henley, Caitlin Kirby, Rachel Barnard, Andrea Bierema, Valerie Hedges, Casey McArdle, Amanda Sorensen, and Imari Cheyne Tetu
• Abstract: Blended and hybrid pedagogy offers instructors the flexibility to meet diverse student needs and adapt to various teaching contexts. In this panel, experienced faculty from different disciplines will share their unique approaches to designing and implementing blended/hybrid courses. From small seminars to large lectures, introductory to advanced undergraduate levels, panelists will discuss how they tailored their teaching methods to fit their course goals, student populations, and institutional settings. This session aims to demystify the process of transitioning to blended/hybrid modalities, focusing on practical strategies rather than prescriptive outcomes. Panelists will candidly share lessons learned, challenges faced, and creative solutions that have empowered them and their students. Whether you're new to blended/hybrid teaching or looking to refine your practice, this session will provide actionable insights and encouragement to help you integrate flexible pedagogical approaches into your courses.
• Keywords: Blended learning, hybrid, hyflex, faculty experiences, course design

• Samara Chamoun, T.J. Mesyn, Qi Huang, Amie Musselman, Stefanie Baier, and Hima Rawal
• Abstract: The MSU Graduate School currently funds several Teaching Cohort Fellowship programs with various foci, but with the intent to prepare them for a career in academia as faculty, educational developers, or other positions in and outside academia that require educational development skills. One of these programs is the GREAT Fellowship Program in which teaching-focused graduate students design projects that support, empower, and highlight Graduate students as educators through creative ways. Five GREAT fellows took on projects that emerged out of conversations with current graduate students and graduate student educators. Over the course of two semesters, they worked with each other, faculty, staff, and teaching experts to design innovative practices for holistic educator development. On this panel, GREAT fellows will share about the development and motivation for their projects, the impact they intend to have and what their visions are for supporting graduate students who are also educators. The attendees of this session will have the opportunity to ask questions about the fellowship experience, the challenges and opportunities they see in their work and how they envision the sustainability and continuation of their projects. Furthermore, this panel is an opportunity for those interested in engaging with graduate students about ways the educator identity of graduate students can be elevated, celebrated, and their expertise shared with the broader campus community.
• Keywords: Graduate students, holistic educator development, teaching resources, graduate student support

• Garth Sabo, Laura Smith, Seven Mattes, and Stephen Thomas
• Abstract: The MSU 2030 Strategic Plan acknowledges that, as an institution, “we have not collectively acknowledged the connection between land-grant universities and the systematic seizure and dispossession of land from Native Americans as well as the role the federal government’s support for agriculture played in relentless westward expansion.” The text of the 2030 plan notes that the impact of MSU’s founding on Indigenous peoples “was not only indirect” and cites a map showing “a Native encampment by the Red Cedar River” when the school was opened. Interestingly, different resources around MSU seem to identify the location of this seasonal encampment at different places around campus, which further speaks to the complexity of acknowledging and navigating the connection between land-grant universities and the communities dispossessed by them. This is not solely a matter of historical curiosity either; as the defacement of the message painted on the MSU Rock for Indigenous People’s Day in October 2024 shows, this is a poignantly contemporary issue to consider as MSU educators. This panel is organized as a reflection of the role that MSU’s general education curriculum plays in enacting our institutional history and values. We invite presenters to share their experience and recommendations for engaging with Indigenous content and perspectives in their general education courses, with the hope that modeling these pedagogies may contribute to the strategic plan’s mission to address this institutional legacy and lack of collective acknowledgment.
• Keywords: general education, belonging, pedagogy, strategic plan, DEIB, Indigeneity

• Jon Stoltzfus, Corey Monks, Jen Saldanha, Joe Riedy, Katie Krueger, and S. Kevin McCormick
• Abstract: BioSci courses serve over 1500 unique students each semester and are the prerequisites to over 75 upper-level courses. Over the past five years BioSci faculty have worked to align all sections of the same BioSci course and to build connections across different BioSci courses. This effort has been guided by Three-dimensional Learning which focuses on combining scientific practices, core ideas, and cross-cutting concepts in instructional design and assessment. One item that emerged from this effort is the use of the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) framework to support scientific argumentation (a scientific practice) across different BioSci courses. Based on cross-course collaborations and multiple rounds of implementation, evaluation of student responses, and revision, all courses in BioSci now use the CER framework as part of major summative assessments. This allows students to strengthen their argumentation skills as they move through the BioSci curriculum, with each course building on what students learned in previous courses. In this roundtable, we will review the CER framework, BioSci faculty will briefly share how they are using the CER framework in specific BioSci courses with examples of assessments and student work, and we will engage with participants as they share how they use argumentation in their course. The goal of the roundtable is to better understand how students will use argumentation in their upper-level courses and work collectively to create a framework that will guide further curriculum development in BioSci.
• Keywords: Three-dimensional learning, argumentation, claim – evidence – reasoning framework, curriculum alignment

• Sharon Ladenson
• Abstract: Teaching and learning have become central to the work of academic librarians. The emphasis on instruction has provided an impetus for generating research on librarian-teacher identity. Studies illustrate that academic librarians value their teaching activities and increasingly identify as teachers. The focus on teaching in academic libraries has also led instruction and liaison librarians to explore, develop, and utilize inclusive teaching methods. While the library literature focuses on various areas of inclusive teaching in theory and practice it does not fully explore the factors that shape why academic librarians adopt inclusive teaching techniques or how they identify as inclusive teachers. This study is designed to fill that gap by exploring the following research questions: In what ways do academic librarians view inclusive teaching as part of their professional identity? What factors do academic librarians describe as influencing their practice as inclusive teachers? For the purposes of this exploratory qualitative study, inclusive teaching is defined as a student-centered educational approach that considers diverse learning preferences and aims to cultivate a culture of empathy, humility, and care within the classroom and beyond. The goal for this research project is to affirm and advance equitable teaching practices by highlighting the lived experiences of academic librarians who view inclusive teaching as part of their professional identity and practice. During the spring of 2024, the researcher conducted 17 semi-structured interviews with librarians employed by U.S. academic institutions who self-identified as having practiced inclusive teaching approaches and methods. This poster will share key themes and findings from the study.
• Keywords: inclusive teaching, academic libraries

• Michael Martel, Emily Ostrowski, and Sara Somerville
• Abstract: Effective management of blood glucose levels requires a collaborative approach between healthcare professionals, particularly nurses and dietitians (RDNs). This project aimed to enhance interdisciplinary collaboration by creating an educational video that demonstrates the process of blood glucose monitoring and outlines how nurses and dietitians can work together to improve patient outcomes. The video was developed as a collaborative effort between nursing and dietetic faculty at Michigan State University (MSU) to ensure accuracy and relevance for both disciplines. It was then presented to university dietetic students as part of their curriculum to highlight the critical role of teamwork between dietitians and nurses in patient care. The video provided a clear, step-by-step guide on how to check and monitor blood glucose levels. The roles of both disciplines were shared and the importance of communication between nurses and dietitians in managing patients with diabetes was emphasized. Feedback from dietetic students showed increased confidence in understanding the role of blood glucose monitoring and the value of interdisciplinary collaboration. This initiative highlights the importance of fostering teamwork among healthcare professionals in delivering comprehensive patient care and supports the integration of practical skills training across disciplines.
• Keywords: Blood glucose monitoring, nursing, dietetics, collaboration, interprofessional education, healthcare training

• Jeya Amantha Kumar, Hala Sun, Natalie Vandepol, and Jeremy Van Hof
• Abstract: The Midsemester Feedback for Actionable Course Transformation (MidFACT) Report is designed to bridge the gap between student experiences and instructional decisions. Traditional end-of-semester evaluations often come too late for instructors to make meaningful changes that benefit current students. MidFACT addresses this challenge by providing structured midsemester feedback, allowing faculty to understand how students are engaging with the course and where adjustments might enhance their learning experience. This poster introduces MidFACT as a tool that helps instructors make sense of student feedback in a practical and meaningful way. Therefore, by gathering student perspectives on course clarity, engagement, instructor support, and available learning resources, the report provides faculty with a clearer picture of what is working well and what could be improved. This feedback gives instructors the opportunity to refine their teaching approaches, strengthen student-instructor connections, and foster a more supportive learning environment. MidFACT is not just a report; it is an opportunity for faculty to listen, reflect, and act in ways that enhance both teaching and learning. Hence, integrating MidFACT into faculty development creates a culture where student voices matter, and instructional growth is continuous. This poster aims to introduce MidFACT as a resource that empowers faculty and institutions to engage with student feedback in ways that lead to genuine improvements in learning experiences and teaching effectiveness.
• Keywords: Midsemester Feedback, Student Learning Experience, Teaching Effectiveness, Course Improvement

• Lara Dixon, Rick Stiggins, and Gail Richmond
• Abstract: Rick Stiggins, MSU graduate, renowned author, and founder and retired president of the Assessment Training Institute (ATI), will share his latest research on the power of student-involved classroom assessment for learning, and how providing a platform for students to believe in themselves as confident capable learners can help alleviate the post-pandemic hopelessness that has swept our schools. Gail Richmond and Lara Dixon, MSU CED faculty members, will share examples of implementing these practices to further MSU future teachers and school leaders’ ability to create, support, and inspire intentional practice of personalized, reflective assessment and achievement that builds confidence and ensures growth.
• Keywords: confident learners, focused instruction, personalized feedback, co-lead assessment, empowered collaboration

• “Centering Student Voices in Teaching: Adapting Student Feedback” 
  • Jonathan Choti
  • Abstract: Michigan State University utilizes the online Student Perceptions of Learning Survey (SPLS) forms to collect feedback from students in all courses at the end of each semester. Three goals inform this process: (a) to provide instructors, graduate teaching assistants, and teaching units with feedback on their instructional practices; (b) to contribute to instructor retention, promotion, tenure, and salary decisions; and (c) to provide students with information to guide decision-making related to course selection. Therefore, the data gathered via SPLS provides important feedback that benefits all stakeholders, i.e., faculty, teaching assistants, unit leaders, MSU administrators, and students. SPLS gives students a voice; it asks students to rate their instructors along a wide range of criteria such as expectations, organization, atmosphere, expanded understanding, demonstrated understanding, and interest. There are also additional criteria given by departments and/or colleges, including engagement, design of course and assignments, quality of instruction for teaching award, and course workload compared to other courses of similar credits. In this talk, the author will demonstrate how they collected, interpreted, and incorporated student feedback on SPLS forms to improve their instruction in subsequent semesters. This talk will show the author’s pedagogical practices, including areas of success and failures as revealed in student reviews. In addition, this work highlights the significance of student voices in teaching and learning and the need for regular training events for faculty to share best practices in university teaching. TALKS exemplifies such training events for faculty.
  • Keywords: SPLS, student voices, student feedback, success and failures, improve instruction, enhance learning
• “Peer Dialogues: An Approach to Feedback and Observation”
  • Jay Loftus and Natalie Vandepol
  • Abstract: Peer dialogues is a structured procedure whereby educators receive feedback and the opportunity to improve an area of pedagogical practice. Participants work with a peer or colleague who can offer feedback and an opportunity to have a discussion (i.e. dialogue) with the aim at improvement of instructional practice. The process requires the self-identification of an area of improvement such as instructional skills, course design, assessment design, or student feedback. The peer dialogues process is not a formal evaluation, rather an opportunity to improve on an area derived from course evaluations and reflective feedback. This discussion will outline a plan for implementing peer dialogues at MSU. A review of available resources, supports, opportunities, and challenges will be presented. The goal is to introduce peer dialogues as an ongoing mechanism to support the instructional practice of educators, and improve the learning experience of students.
  • Keywords: Peer Observation, Peer Dialogue, Instructional Skills, Feedback, Observation
• “Fostering Critical Thinking Through Structured Debates in Large Classes” 
  • Andrea Bierema and Saroopa Taylor
  • Abstract: Structured debates foster dialog, critical thinking, teamwork, and scientific argumentation. This session will describe the implementation of two debate formats in general education biology courses with 180 students: periodic debates conducted within teams and a single debate conducted across teams. Both formats utilized permanent teams, scaffolded worksheets, and reflective prompts to engage students in collaborative problem-solving, evidence-based reasoning, and meaningful dialog among peers. Attendees will learn how structured debate strategies can promote active learning, reinforce course content, and ensure equitable participation in large classrooms. Participants will also receive adaptable resources, including debate instructions and worksheets, that can be implemented in courses of various sizes and disciplines. By incorporating structured debates, educators can help students enhance their critical thinking, communication skills, and ability to engage thoughtfully in discussions—skills essential for navigating academic and societal challenges.
  • Keywords: Debate, Dialog, Scientific Argumentation, Teamwork

• Stefanie T. Baier, Hima Rawal, and Qi Huang
• Abstract: Graduate school presents numerous challenges, including academic workload (teaching, research, coursework), work-life and financial pressures (Cornwall et al., 2019) and Mental health concerns, particularly depression, among graduate students are prevalent (Levecque et al., 2017). International graduate students and postdoctoral scholars face additional challenges, such as navigating unfamiliar institutional cultures and limited social support (Brunsting, 2021), and they are less likely to seek help than domestic students (Clarke, 2023). To address these challenges, the IN!SPIRES (International Needs! Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Relational, Emotional Support) Wellness Ambassador Program was developed (Promoting Holistic Wellbeing). This program empowers advanced graduate students through a six-part workshop series that enhances awareness of institutional resources and equips them to advocate for the wellbeing and support of international graduate students and postdocs. In this workshop IN!SPIRES leads will share key findings and insights, provide recommendations for faculty and academic staff on how to support international graduate students and postdocs as educators and researchers and global citizens who provide unique learning opportunities to the campus community. Participants will gain practical tools to: (1) intentionally building inclusive communities (2) integrating culturally responsive communication practices (active and non-judgmental listening and expectation setting), (3) mentoring and collaborating (validating diverse lived experiences), and (4) providing spaces for and encourage peer support to foster holistic wellbeing and belonging. The attendees of this workshop will walk away with practices and tools to help explore and promote support for international graduate students’ and postdocs’ diverse needs in spiritual, physical, intellectual, relational, and emotional (SPIRE) wellbeing (Ben-Shahar, 2021).
• Keywords: DEI, belonging, educator wellbeing, culturally responsive practices, international educators

• “Flip Instruction with H5P Interactive Activities to Increase Learner-Content Engagement” 
  • Wenying Zhou
  • Abstract: Engagement plays an important role in learning because it helps learners increase their attention and leads to higher quality work and better achievement in courses. How to efficiently engage students in learning has been instructors' major task when it comes to course design. I started to create and used H5P interactive activities to engage my students in content learning. Student feedback indicated that positive results have been found, including (1) increased attention and engagement; (2) deeper understanding of content; and (3) immediate feedback which is helpful to their learning. In the session, I would also like to share my failures in using the tool so that other instructors would not repeat them.
  • Keyword: engagement
• “Case Studies as a Teaching Method: Lessons and Challenges” 
  • Jeta Rudi Polloshka
  • Abstract: In a new course, Economics and Business of Food Safety, students from different backgrounds are exposed to issues of food safety outbreaks and recalls via case studies. The case studies used include in-depth information about the food safety issue, including the industry involved, consumer response, and policy response if any. Students are then asked to analyze the case and provide feedback, for (1) industry, (2) consumers, (3) policymakers. This talk explores in more depth the utilization of case studies in the classroom, for new courses and/or courses taken by a diverse set of students. It will also include lessons learned and challenges encountered.
  • Keywords: case studies, new course
• “Co-creating conversation with students: Hospital Writing Assessment practices” 
  • Ann Burke
  • Abstract: This Educator Talk will share real strategies and reflections from an educator who has used Hospitable Writing Assessment (HWA) to rethink assessment and ways in which we gather with our students during the writing process. HWA disrupts the inequities of traditional grading, inviting educators to leave the proverbial kitchen table with stacks of essays to grade and to instead, co-create equitable learning experiences with their students. The presenter will share work relevant to her teaching at MSU and the collaborative work she’s done with colleagues from other institutions to develop HWA together (see Building and Maintaining Sanctuary Spaces through Face to Face Writing Assessment by Austin et al. 2021). The presenter will also share how HWA demystifies the grading process, develops the classroom community, and brings about meaningful inquiry about writers’ own skills and practices. During this session, participants will be invited to write and reflect on their own practices, how they might already be practicing elements of HWA, and ways in which HWA might help them create more equitable spaces for students. Zamora and Bali (2022) encourage us to see this intersection as a “hospitable space for each participant to join and participate on their own terms. The dialogic nature of HWA moves us away from seeing students as numbers, letters, and comments in the margins and instead as humans. The presenter hopes to continue a crucial conversation about how HWA can help us to create equitable, student-centered, and hospitable learning environments. While HWA was developed between colleagues who teach writing, this Educator Talk welcomes attendees in all disciplines to consider how HWA can be practiced across disciplinary contexts.
  • Keywords: assessment, co-creating with students, feedback, reflection, writing

• Opal Leeman Bartzis and Luna Lu
• Abstract: The Spartan Global Learning Initiative: Sharing Classroom Techniques round table will engage participants in a collaborative conversation focused on easily achievable strategies for global teaching and learning. The co-facilitators, Assistant Dean for Global Learning and Innovation Opal Leeman Bartzis, EdD, and Senior Innovation Officer Luna Lu, will begin the session with a brief overview of the Spartan Global Learning Initiative, MSU’s unprecedented commitment to global learning, and frame the ensuing discussion with references to research that connects engagement in global learning with student success. Attendees will share their experiences with global pedagogies and will collectively explore easily acquired additional methodologies, such as building a global classroom through partnering with diverse student groups, incorporating global guest speakers, adding global readings, and promoting student sharing of global perspectives through reflection, sharing, and generally disrupting the canons of our academic disciplines through openness to underrepresented scholarship. The co-facilitators will provide campus resources for further engagement in the topic of global pedagogies and encourage participants to think of one another as a new community of support, to continue beyond the round table. This session will be relevant to those who are new to the concept, as well as those who are experienced global educators. Attendees will leave the session with increased understanding of the Spartan Global Learning Initiative and its promise for graduating global Spartans, increased confidence in the value of global learning, and at least 2-3 actionable ideas for the easy incorporation of global perspectives into their classrooms.
• Keywords: global learning, global pedagogy, student success, Spartan Global Learning Initiative

• “Breaking borders between Michigan and Malawi through virtual learning” 
  • Jennifer Marcy and Zione Kalumikiza-Chikumbu
  • Abstract: Graduate students in Michigan and Malawi used the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) methodology to co-create donor pitches on topics addressing food and nutrition insecurity challenges in Malawi. The COIL methodology promotes global learning by leveraging technology and intentional curriculum design and enhances cross-cultural competence by creating multicultural learning environments that connect university courses from different countries. COIL enables the creation of co-equal learning environments wherein instructors work together to generate a combined learning experience, emphasizing experiential and collaborative student learning while broadening participant perspectives and generating intercultural learning outcomes. Themed Pitch-4-Health, the COIL partnership and project designed by MSU and Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) in Malawi increased cultural awareness, fostered international ties, and stimulated interest in global exchange. Participants, close to 7,000 miles apart and separated by a 7-hour time difference, were connected in a virtual space without the additional cost of travel. The COIL project allowed global learning and connections across spaces involving people with a different culture and set of challenges and experiences. COIL is an innovative methodology that holds promise for building bridges and addressing barriers to learning. Future COIL designers need to consider the context and exercise flexibility in developing and implementing projects while keeping to the project goals. Students will remain central to improving the outcomes of future COIL projects.
  • Keywords: Collaborative Online International Learning; student success; intercultural competence; campus internationalization
• “International Insights in Education: Autoethnographic Reflections” 
  • Xinqiang Li
  • Abstract: This study examines diverse teaching traditions by documenting the experiences of several educators from around the world, both in their home countries and in the United States. The researcher employed collaborative autoethnography inquiry and gathered participants' teaching experiences, which utilizes self-observation techniques to enhance teaching practices and examine their sociocultural background (Chang et al., 2013). Through analyses of the participants' experiences, the researcher identified various patterns in their local teaching practices. Among them, there are explicit comparisons between local and American teaching methods, and the participants' teaching strategies based on their own learning experiences which indicate common practices and connecting points across different teaching cultures. Notably, class activities are a common concern among the participants and serve as a shared value across different cultures. Furthermore, the participants provided national and institutional contexts that have influenced their pedagogical approaches. All these teaching experiences draw on international perspectives, enriching teaching innovation through shared experiences and deepening our understanding of the value of different educational traditions, which in turn suggests avenues for further research.
  • Keywords: International, Education, Autoethnography
• “Highlighting Diversity in STEM: Teaching with Historical Storytelling” 
  • Elia Hefner
  • Abstract: How can we engage highly focused pre-health and STEM students in recognizing the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the sciences? One effective approach is through storytelling—showing students how they themselves benefit from DEI practices. What began as brief mentions in prerecorded lecture videos grew into a successful Catalyst grant from the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation (CTLI). This funding supported the creation of a short video series highlighting the societal and historical contexts that shaped major scientific figures and their groundbreaking contributions. This presentation will explore the development of this initiative, detailing how storytelling is integrated into my teaching practices. I will share examples of student responses and explain the setup of my research into how these DEI-focused videos impact students' perspectives on diversity and their science identities. Additionally, I will discuss my goals for expanding this project and creating more content to further integrate DEI themes into STEM education. By demonstrating the connection between DEI and scientific progress through storytelling, students gain a deeper understanding of the vital role diversity plays in their field. This approach not only enhances their learning experience but also fosters a more inclusive scientific community.
  • Keywords: storytelling, DEI, science identity

• Joyce Meier, Bree Straayer, Cheryl Caesar, David Medei, and Grace Walter
• Abstract: Presenters share stories and artifacts from the First-Year Writing Conference, a robust twice-yearly event through which some 400+ first-year writing students present the multimodal works they have made in our classes. Framing this event as a site of learning for both faculty and student participants, we discuss how it has strategically changed over time, as we adapted to different challenges (and students); such changes reflect our goal of providing space for first-year students to learn in a low-stakes setting. Sharing various forms of assessment (surveys, feedback from teachers, etc.) that contributed to these changes, we demonstrate how this event supports student learning and enhances their sense of belonging. Our post-event student surveys taught us, for example, that conference participants appreciated not just the opportunity to hone their presentation skills, but to learn about one another’s cultures and experiences. In our roles as conference organizers / moderators, we will each highlight a different aspect of this event: i.e., how students are strategically placed within panels to reinforce their learning across lines of difference; how the event builds on and is closely aligned with program learning goals; how it encourages cross-cultural and other learning; how high school student visitors are skillfully woven into the event each spring; and what even the participating teachers garner from this special opportunity to see our five core projects and shared learning goals enacted from “the inside out.”
• Keywords: strategic student event planning, student learning, multimodality, intercultural learning, DEIB, accessibility, inclusive teaching

• “Rethinking Exams: Using Revisions and Reflections to Support Learning” 
  • Valerie Hedges
  • Abstract: Incorporating exam revisions and reflections into undergraduate courses provides a meaningful way to enhance student learning, foster metacognition, and promote equity. In my introductory neuroscience courses, students have the opportunity to revise their exam answers and average their original and revised scores. This method transforms exams into learning tools, encouraging students to engage deeply with feedback and address gaps in understanding. Many students report that the process strengthens their grasp of foundational concepts, providing a solid foundation for future coursework. By prioritizing growth and understanding over punitive grading practices, this approach creates a supportive learning environment where all students, regardless of their prior preparation, can build confidence and can promote a sense of belonging in their field of study. This presentation will outline the design, implementation, and impact of this approach, including student feedback and examples of how the process facilitates deeper learning. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for integrating exam revisions and reflections into their own courses, helping students identify and address learning gaps while promoting metacognitive growth and equitable success across diverse populations. The session will be particularly relevant for educators looking to design inclusive, learner-centered practices that can be applied in any discipline.
  • Keywords: Exam Revisions, Reflection, Inclusive Teaching, Equitable Pedagogy, Undergraduate Education, Learner-Centered Practices
• “Teaching Engineering Ethics Using a Model from Public Health” 
  • Susan Masten
  • Abstract: Teaching ethics extends beyond learning and applying a Code to develop good judgement with application to policy. An ethical framework from the Bioethics Institute at Johns Hopkins University was developed for making decisions regarding opening society in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and was used here. Students in a year-four environmental engineering course were asked in 2021 and 2023 to read a framework analysis for policymakers regarding opening society in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The framework focuses on well-being, liberty, justice (including equity), and legitimacy. Students evaluated the university’s COVID-19 policy for the semester and developed an alternative health and safety plan. Later in the year, the same groups of students (without an explicit mention of the earlier assignment) were asked to discuss the societal benefits of their semester-long design project for a water treatment plant. Second year students were asked to use this framework to evaluate options for fluoridation of drinking water and hazardous site remediation in Spring 2025. This approach allowed for reflection on the impact of the framework both immediately and in terms of deeper learning. Students were receptive to the use of the framework, engaged strongly, and were able to better assess the impacts of a proposed health and safety policy through its use. However, in 2021 and 2023, the students' class did not demonstrate clear evidence of internalizing this development of ethical judgment unprompted in the later design project. The approach provided students with a context to evaluate engineering decisions and make recommendations, along with a framework from which to consider tradeoffs, and develop engineering judgment. Additional educational support is needed to better internalize this development process, which was provided in 2025.
  • Keywords: Ethics, justice, well-being, engineering decision-making
• “When to Tell Students What They Need to Know” 
  • Isola Brown
  • Abstract: Effective classroom instruction involves the appropriate and timely sharing of course information in a way that maximizes student awareness, while avoiding information overload. The release of assignment or assessment instructions should allow students enough time to prepare and complete assignments effectively, in order to maximize their course performance. This session explores the relationship between student performance on a written assessment and the timing of instruction release, in the context of a graduate-level online asynchronous course. After the presentation of analyzed data, session attendees will be guided to consider the timing of information release in their own courses and prompted to investigate the pedagogical foundations guiding those timing choices.
  • Keywords: Pedagogy, syllabus, information sharing, gatekeeping