Let's Talk Teaching

Let's Talk Teaching episodes:

• 05.24.2024

  Ep. 090: From Good to Scholarly Teaching

  Are you a scholarly teacher? Chances are you may be... at least a little. In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Friberg joins Jim to help define the differences between good teaching and scholarly teaching. They explore the link between evidence-based practice,...

  
• 04.26.2024

  Ep. 089: Faculty Support for Student Care and Discipline

  University instructors say both student behavioral and mental health concerns have increased sharply in the last few semesters. This can be challenging for faculty and academic staff, who often find themselves as the primary point of contact for students who...

  
• 03.29.2024

  Ep. 088: Beware "Best Practices"

  We've all heard the phrase "best practices" in regards to teaching... but how, exactly, do we define what "best" means? In this episode, Dr. Jen Friberg, the Center's director of scholarly teaching, joins Jim Gee to unpack that phrase and...

  
• 02.27.2024

  Ep. 087: Early Alert Grades

  Mid-semester means midterm grade reporting-- a task that some instructors view with mixed emotions, at best. But timely feedback to students is critical for their learning. And the grade submission process can help academic support staff intercede when students...

  
• 12.08.2023

  Ep. 086: Canvas Conversation

  Instructors officially adopted Canvas at Illinois State this fall. It replaces ReggieNet, which served students and teachers for more than a decade. As we wrap up the first semester of instruction with Canvas, Jim Gee sits down with Allison...

  
• 11.10.2023

  Ep. 085: A.I. and You 2

  The pace of AI development and innovation shows no signs of slowing, and the only thing for sure is that the academy will never be the same. We follow up on our conversation from earlier this year with Dr. Jennifer...

  
• 08.11.2023

  Ep. 084: Professional Development for New Faculty

  Dr. Jennifer Friberg joins Jim Gee to explore how instructors new to Illinois State University can get started developing their teaching and other skills, while still balancing all of their new obligations. They talk about the challenges of course design...

  
• 08.01.2023

  Ep. 083: A Look Ahead to Fall 2023

  As summer break winds down, we pause and take a glance behind to get a sense of the road ahead. Dr. Jennifer Friberg, the Center's director of scholarly teaching and the Cross Endowed Chair in the Scholarship of Teaching and...

  
• 02.02.2023

  Ep. 082: A.I. and You

  New teaching tool or machine menace? ChatGPT and other A.I.-generated content services have been in the hot topic of discussion in academia in the start of 2023. Our director of scholarly teaching, Dr. Jennifer Friberg, and our coordinator for scholarly...

  
• 09.28.2022

  Ep. 081: Support for Graduate Teaching Assistants

  Like any successful public university, Illinois State relies on a corps of graduate teaching assistants as a part of its overall mission of teaching and learning. In this episode, Jim is joined again by David Giovagnoli, the Center's Coordinator for...

  
• 08.26.2022

  Ep. 080: Queer Allyship

  We often talk about respecting our diverse student population and creating a welcoming, inclusive learning environment. But sometimes, as instructors, our own fear of looking stupid or out-of-touch can cause us to stumble upon the path. In this episode, Jim is...

  
• 08.16.2022

  Ep. 079: Classroom Climate and Culture

  We plunge into a new academic year, taking a deep dive through classroom climate and culture, one of the dimensions which makes up the Framework for Inclusive Teaching Excellence. A positive classroom culture isn't only about fostering respect in students...

  
• 06.15.2022

  Ep. 078: New Name, New Opportunities

  The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology is transforming, and with its new mission comes a new name… and new opportunities for instructors at Illinois State University. CTLT is now the Center for Integrated Professional Development, a hub which combines...

  
• 05.04.2022

  Ep. 077: Summer Institute 2022

  Dr. Jennifer Friberg and Dr. Dana Karraker join Jim to preview CTLT's Summer Institute 2022. They talk about design workshops, including some new opportunities centered on the scholarship of teaching and learning. They also discuss this year's Teaching Scholars-in-Residence and...

  
• 04.19.2022

  Ep. 076: Picking the Next LMS

  A large group of faculty, staff, and students are picking Illinois State's next learning management system. In this episode, Dr. Yojanna Cuenca-Carlino and Dr. Rosie Hauck join Jim to talk about the process of replacing ReggieNet.

  
• 03.03.2022

  Ep. 075: The Road to a New CTLT

  The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology is on a journey of change. It's been a long road, and there's still more road ahead, but soon, a lot of behind-the-scenes planning will come to the forefront for the entire Illinois...

  
• 02.18.2022

  Ep. 074: The 2022 Teaching Scholars-in-Residence

  Share your passion for teaching while learning the ins and outs of faculty professional development. Dr. Jen Friberg joins us to discuss CTLT's 2022 Teaching Scholar-in-Residence program. This unique opportunity will bring up to three Illinois State faculty members on...

  
• 02.16.2022

  Ep. 073: Faculty Success through NCFDD

  Tenured and tenure-track faculty at Illinois State can take advantage of an exciting opportunity from the Office of the Provost and the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity. NCFDD's Faculty Success Program is an intensive, twelve-week online experience which...

  
• 02.07.2022

  Ep. 072: COACHE Survey for Faculty

  It's survey season... but if there's one survey you do take this spring, be sure to check out COACHE. Illinois State has partnered with the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education, based in the Harvard Graduate School of Education,...

  
• 12.02.2021

  Ep. 071: Building a Relationship-Rich Campus

  Connections can make all the difference when it comes to student success. Evidence shows that authentic learning, and authentic assessment of learning, can be achieved more successfully when there's a rapport between teacher and learner, between learners, and between learners...

  
• 11.22.2021

  Ep. 070: Quality Online Courses

  What does it take to create a truly powerful online learning experience for our students? A year of remote instruction thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic has left many more of us in a position to better appreciate that question. For...

  
• 08.11.2021

  Ep. 069: Mask Up!

  We return to face-to-face classroom instruction at Illinois State for the fall of 2021, but with a twist. Students and instructors will have to wear face coverings. How do we make masks work? Jim is joined by CTLT's director,...

  
• 01.26.2021

  Ep. 068: Communicating in Asynchronous Courses

  Students don't have to feel like they're "teaching themselves" when taking an online, asynchronous course. Dr. Hulda Black, an associate professor in the College of Business, joins us to highlight ways to make communication work through course design, establishing habits,...

  
• 12.11.2020

  Ep. 067: Civic Engagement in Extraordinary Times

  We talk a lot about civic engagement as a core value at Illinois State University. But what does it look like when practiced in our courses? We explore that question in this episode, a preview of the 2021 University-Wide Teaching...

  
• 12.02.2020

  Ep. 066: Fall 2020 Student Check-in

  As an extraordinary semester wraps up, we check in with three undergraduate students from Illinois State about their experiences learning in the age of COVID-19. They highlight what's worked in their classes this semester, what instructors have done to...

  
• 11.18.2020

  Ep. 065: Divisive Discourse

  Tackling tough social issues is often a minefield in which few instructors wish to tread… and for good reason. From political polarization to the isolation of the global pandemic, a multitude of forces are shaping, and sometimes stifling, our ability...

  
• 10.16.2020

  Ep. 064: Cybersecurity

  We speak with Dan Taube, Illinois State University's Chief Information Security Officer, about how to keep ourselves and our students safe as we teach and learn online. As college instructors, we don't usually think about our teaching in terms of...

  
• 09.04.2020

  Ep. 063: COVID-19 - Students Speak

  To say the Fall 2020 semester has been a challenge is to undersell it. But still, students say they're having positive learning experiences despite the global pandemic and all it means for higher education. In this episode, we talk with...

  
• 09.03.2020

  Ep. 062: Working Through Student Absences

  Communication is key to coping with the extraordinary challenges to learning brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. That's the number one conclusion we came to in this special edition of our podcast. We sat down with three faculty members to...

  
• 08.05.2020

  Ep. 061: Recruitment and Retention - Fall 2020 Edition

  It takes more than just an ace team of enrollment managers to meet students' needs on a campus like ours. Faculty play a role in students' choices to come to, or return to, Illinois State. Dr. Jana Albrecht, Associate Vice-President...

  
• 04.02.2020

  Ep. 060: Instructional Design for Future Faculty

  Dr. Julie-Ann McFann returns to our podcast, this time to discuss a special summer-long professional development opportunity for Illinois State graduate students. Learn how Instructional Design for Future Faculty helps to prepare the next generation of university level instructors by...

  
• 03.27.2020

  Ep. 059: Keep Calm and Carry Online

  It's week one of completely online teaching at Illinois State University in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Claire and Jim reflect on this extraordinary shift in teaching and learning. They discuss how the new reality has forced us all to...

  
• 11.18.2019

  Ep. 058: Conferencing with Confidence

  Conferences can be an important part of one's growth as a college teacher... or even as a professional developer. Conferences can also be expensive. How do you get the most developmental bang for your buck? In this episode, Claire and...

  
• 09.30.2019

  Ep. 057: The Importance of Midterm Grades

  Reporting midterm grades may seem like just more paperwork, but it can be vital to our students' success. In this brief episode, Claire and Jim unpack the uncertainty students sometimes have about their grades and kick around some strategies for...

  
• 08.30.2019

  Ep. 056: Let's Talk... Moving

  We take a break from teaching tips and expert advice to talk about the next big change coming to the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology. Find out what our move to Williams Hall... and, eventually, to destinations beyond... means...

  
• 08.16.2019

  Ep. 055: New Student Technology Training

  We're excited to be joined by Stacy Ramsey, Associate Director for Enrollment Management at Illinois State, about a new program to help ease students into the their complex digital life on campus.

  
• 08.09.2019

  Ep. 054: Claire's Top 5 - Starting Your Semester

  A new semester is close at hand-- get excited and inspired to teach. CTLT Director Dr. Claire Lamonica shares her top five tips for starting your semester off successfully. She and Jim explore advice about your syllabus, classroom space, breaking...

  
• 08.01.2019

  Ep. 053: Reclaiming Our Spaces

  Dana Karraker joins Claire and Jim to discuss the 2020 University-Wide Teaching & Learning Symposium. They begin by unpacking the theme, Intentional Technologies: Reclaiming Our Spaces. They draw connections to the works of the 2020 the keynote speaker: educator, musician,...

  
• 07.24.2019

  Ep. 052: Adventures in Co-Teaching

  Co-teaching can bring a potent combination of unique expertise and diverse perspectives to a course, affording students to a rich, deep learning environment. Dr. Jen Friberg is the Endowed Cross Chair in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at...

  
• 07.16.2019

  Ep. 051: Rubrics Come To ReggieNet

  CTLT's Charles Bristow returns with good news about the next update to ReggieNet, Illinois State University's customized learning management system... including the debut of a long-awaited new feature! Charles and Jim take a look at the new Rubrics tool, discuss...

  
• 07.11.2019

  Ep. 050: That Active Learning Thing

  We celebrate our 50th episode with a discussion about THAT phrase… the buzz word of buzz words in the college teaching profession: active learning. We always hear about it, we often talk about it… but are we really doing it?...

  
• 05.06.2019

  Ep. 049: Endgame

  Dreading all of that grading at the end of the semester? Wish you could snap your fingers and make it all go away? Claire and Jim explore how much feedback your students really need after those final exams and projects...

  
• 03.12.2019

  Ep. 048: Let It Go!

  Claire is teaching a new graduate course this semester, and she says her fresh approach to it is "life changing." She's shifted her methods so her students replace her at the center of their learning. We'll discuss what she's doing...

  
• 02.04.2019

  Ep. 047: Researching Midterm Chats

  What are your students really thinking? In this episode, we discuss CTLT Director Claire Lamonica's new research into Midterm Chats, also known as Small Group Instructional Diagnoses. She provides a preliminary look at how faculty members at Illinois State believe...

  
• 12.06.2018

  Ep. 046: Contemplative Teaching

  We take a first look at the theme for the 2019 University-Wide Teaching & Learning Symposium, Contemplative Teaching: Connecting Meaning, Purpose, and Values. Dana Karraker joins us to talk about this wide-ranging approach to making teaching a first-person act. We...

  
• 11.05.2018

  Ep. 045: Critical Thinking - Beyond the Buzzwords

  We take a deep dive into the concepts surrounding critical thinking. What is it and how do you know it when you see it? And just how do you get your students to do it? Jeff Rients, Senior Teaching and...

  
• 09.27.2018

  Ep. 044: Days of Future ReggieNet

  We kick off our Fall 2018 season with a look at ReggieNet, Illinois State University's customized learning management system. Instructional Developer Charles Bristow joins Jim Gee to discuss new features like the Attendance and Commons tool, introduced in the latest...

  
• 06.12.2018

  Ep. 043: Interrupted Case Studies with Bill Anderson

  Dr. Bill Anderson, an associate professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, is one of the 2017 Outstanding University Teaching Award winners. In this jam-packed episode, Bill and Jim explore the power of interrupted case studies-- a way...

  
• 05.23.2018

  Ep. 042: Organizing Students' Experiences

  Jim and Julie-Ann continue their conversations exploring ways to organize student experiences, including through the use of storytelling. They discuss the importance of moving students from behavior to cognition, and Julie-Ann introduces a new way for students to learn with...

  
• 05.09.2018

  Bonus Episode: 2018 Summer Reading Challenge

  Learn about a new summer reading program for faculty, staff, and graduate students at Illinois State University. In this brief bonus episode, Claire and Jim discuss how this new initiative, in partnership with Milner Library, challenges participants to move a...