Book Club for Busy Lives is hosted by JT Torres, the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Quinnipiac University, and by Karen Majeski, an Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy. This trailer is narrated by David Majeski, produced by Grace McGuire, and is a product of the Quinnipiac University Podcast Studio. The music is Rue Severine by Blue Dot Sessions.

In this episode, hosts Karen Majeski and JT Torres are again joined by Michael Ben-Avie along with guest Kate McConnell.

Dr. Kate  McConnell is the Vice President for Curricular and Pedagogical Innovation and Executive Director of the Value Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education Institute for the American Association of Colleges and Universities. An educational psychologist by training, Dr. McConnell has written extensively on the reliability and validity of the VALUE approach to assessment. Her work also focuses on using course-embedded assessments to improve teaching and learning while also addressing accountability and accreditation requirements; aligning pedagogy with assessment efforts and faculty development; and leveraging the learning sciences in teaching, assessment, and evaluation. 

Dr. Ben-Avie is the Senior Director of Learning Assessment and Research at Quinnipiac University and a past AAC&U senior fellow. He has co-edited six books on educational change and youth development with colleagues at the Yale Child Study Center. Dr. Ben-Avie conducts longitudinal cohort studies of students’ learning and development to discern the impact of higher education, and develops predictive models to inform the design of initiatives to promote students' persistence, academic achievement, and graduation.

In episode 1, hosts Karen Majeski and JT Torres start exploring the themes of this season's book, What We Value: Public Health, Social Justice, and Educating for Democracy. This book examines issues in medical ethics and public health surrounding free speech and inclusion on college campuses and the value of liberal education. They are joined by the book’s author Lynn Pasquerella and Quinnipiac University faculty Michael Ben-Avie.

Lynn Pasquerella has been the president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities since 2016. Dr. Pasquerella is a philosopher whose work combines teaching and scholarship with local and global engagement. She has written extensively on medical ethics, metaphysics, public policy, and the philosophy of law. 

Our second guest Dr. Michael Ben-Avie is the Senior Director of Learning Assessment and Research at Quinnipiac University and a past AAC&U senior fellow. Dr. Ben-Avie conducts longitudinal cohort studies of students’ learning and development to discern the impact of higher education, and develops predictive models to inform the design of initiatives to promote students' persistence, academic achievement, and graduation.

In the final episode of this season, hosts Karen Majeski and JT Torres are joined by Dr. Miklos Fogarasi and Anna Noreen Carlson.  

Anna Norene Carlson is an Associate Clinical Professor of Occupational Therapy at Quinnipiac University. Her clinical career includes 28 years of community-based practice in homecare and hospice where Norene served as an advocate for safely aging in place and the value of occupational therapy interventions for end-of-life care.

Norene is also co-chair of the American Occupational Therapy Association Palliative Care Community Practice and has presented nationally on Occupational Therapy’s role in end-of-life care and the Legacy Project.

Dr. Miklos Fogarasi is an Associate Professor of Medical Sciences at the Frank H. Netter School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University. Dr. Fogarasi received his Medical Degree from Semmelweis University School of Medicine in Budapest, Hungary and completed a research fellowship and residency at UMASS-Memorial Campus as well as a Hematology/Oncology fellowship at Yale University. 

 Following a fifteen-year private practice career in hematology and oncology Dr. Fogarasi joined the Quinnipiac University medical school in 2015 where he is involved in creating and teaching cancer related events. Dr. Fogarasi's Cancer Survivorship Elective offers a multi-professional small-group learning experience. He is also co-director for the Y2 Hematology/Oncology and the Gastroenterology/Endocrinology blocks and serves as a capstone mentor, student group advisor and career advisor. Dr. Fogarasi was awarded the Excellence in Medical Sciences Teaching Award in 2023.

In the final episode of the season, hosts Dr. J.T. Torres and Dr. Karen Majeski discuss topics raised in the book WHAT INCLUSIVE INSTRUCTORS DO with Dr. Donald Sawyer III, Quinnipiac University’s Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and the Chief Diversity Officer at Quinnipiac University and Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Anthropology.

Hosts Dr. J.T. Torres and Dr. Karen Majeski continue their exploration of topics from the book WHAT INCLUSIVE INSTRUCTORS DO with a student from Quinnipiac University, Junior Jenelle Miller, as they explore the student perspective of creating inclusive environments in higher education.

Hosts Dr. J.T. Torres and Dr. Karen Majeski continue their exploration of topics raised in the book WHAT INCLUSIVE INSTRUCTORS DO with Senior Teaching Instructor Michael Vieth from Qunnipiac’s Department of Biological Sciences who shares findings from a recent survey relating to inclusive initiatives in teaching.

Hosts Dr. J.T. Torres and Dr. Karen Majeski explore the book WHAT INCLUSIVE INSTRUCTORS DO by Tracie Marcella Addy, Derek Dube, Khadijah A. Mitchell, and Mallory SoRelle. This book is a thoughtful investigation of insights into issues instructors in higher education encounter in creating inclusive classroom environments. In this episode, Dr. Torres and Dr. Majeski speak with the book’s co-author Tracie Addie.

Book Club for Busy Lives is hosted by JT Torres, the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Quinnipiac University, and by Karen Majeski, an Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy. This trailer is narrated by David Majeski, produced by Grace McGuire, and is a product of the Quinnipiac University Podcast Studio. The music is by Free Music Archive.