Centering Centers

"Why not be kind?" In this episode of Centering Centers, we talk with Cate Denial from Knox College about how kindness shows up in teaching, leadership, and everyday interactions, and how it can shape the ways we respond to challenges and change. She reflects on kindness not only as a pedagogy, but also as a practice and a discipline, and reminds us that kindness isn’t just for students, but for all of us working and learning together in higher education.

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In this first bite-sized installment of PodBites, Adam Barger chats with Mike Blum from William & Mary about practical strategies for engaging faculty. In under five minutes, Mike shares five quick, creative approaches, ranging from consistent, personal communication to partnering with faculty and valuing their expertise, that can help educational developers strengthen relationships and spark meaningful collaboration.

This episode was edited and produced by Roy W. Petersen.

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What does it mean to bring curiosity back into the classroom? In this episode of Centering Centers, we talk with Bethany Lisi from the University of Massachusetts Amherst about her upcoming book on curiosity in higher education. She shares why curiosity matters now more than ever, the variables that spark it (novelty, surprise, complexity, and ambiguity) and how faculty can design classrooms that make space for risk-taking, wonder, and even play. Along the way, Bethany offers concrete strategies and examples and reminds us that curiosity isn’t just for students—it's also for faculty rediscovering the joy of teaching.

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Centering Centers, Episode 71

In this episode of Centering Centers, we talk with Anna Santucci (University of Virginia), Barbara Bird (Ohio Wesleyan University), and Jayln Parker (Colorado Technical University) about their roles in launching and leading the new POD Perspectives Conference Reporters initiative. Anna, who guided the transition from POD Speaks! to POD Perspectives, shares the vision behind reimagining this publication as a platform for multiple voices in educational development. Barb reflects on serving as Lead Reporter for a team of five at the 2024 POD Conference, while Jayln describes her first POD experience as a Reporter and how it helped her find belonging in the field. Together, they highlight how the initiative both amplifies conference insights for broader audiences and creates meaningful entry points for new and seasoned members alike.

• Explore the POD Perspectives page to read the most recent Conference Reporters special edition.

• Learn about opportunities to contribute to POD Perspectives—anyone can sign up to be a reviewer and/or submit a proposal for a future paper.

• Keep an eye on the page for the upcoming call for 2025 Conference Reporters (to be posted soon).

Anna Santucci

• Associate Professor and Associate Director, Center for Teaching Excellence, University of Virginia

• Senior Lecturer, Teaching and Learning Enhancement, Centre for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL), University College Cork, Ireland

Anna has very recently joined the University of Virginia’s Center for Teaching Excellence. Her international collaborations and research interests include intercultural teaching and learning, participatory arts pedagogies, trans-disciplinarity, and educational development for higher education transformation grounded in principles of love, hope, equity, justice, reflection, relational co-creation, and dialogue.

Barbara Bird, PhD, is Director of Teaching, Learning, and Innovation at Ohio Wesleyan University. She is the inaugural Director of Teaching, Learning, and Innovation at OWU. In the newly endowed position, Bird oversees the strategic design and implementation of faculty support programs, grants, and services on teaching effectiveness, engaged learning, and curricular innovation at Ohio Wesleyan.  At the 2024 POD Conference, she served as Lead Reporter for a team of five POD journalists.

Jayln Parker (she/her), MA Learning Sciences, is a Faculty Development Facilitator in the Teaching & Learning Center at Colorado Technical University, where she designs and implements professional development programs that advance evidence-based practices, foster inclusive teaching, and support faculty in their scholarly and professional growth. Her interests include advancement of faculty scholarship, writing, and exploring the role of podcasts in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Jayln attended her first POD Conference in 2024, serving as a POD Reporter.

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This episode of Centering Centers explores how educational developers are responding to the rise of generative AI in higher education. The conversation touches on faculty creativity, student learning, ethical tensions, and the importance of building AI literacy across disciplines. It’s a thoughtful look at how AI is reshaping teaching, learning, and the work of educational development itself.

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What happens when we stop focusing on grades and start focusing on learning? In this episode of Centering Centers, we explore the practice of ungrading in higher education. Our guests reflect on how traditional grading systems can undermine motivation and share insights into alternatives like specifications grading, feedback-centered approaches, and project-based learning. Along the way, they discuss the challenges and opportunities of shifting mindsets and systems toward more meaningful, learner-driven education.

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This episode explores the transition from faculty member to educational developer, highlighting how past experiences as students and instructors shape approaches to faculty support. They share insights into the challenges of course design, the value of community, and the ongoing learning required in their new roles. The conversation emphasizes how educational development work can help faculty reconnect with the purpose and joy of teaching.

This episode is part of our series elevating the voices of New Educational Developers. It was recorded in July, 2024 as part of the Institute for New Educational Developers hosted by Temple University.

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Today’s episode features Elizabeth Dickens (University of Virginia) and Nausheen Shafiq (University of British Columbia) in discussion of a manuscript on curriculum developers in educational development, which is under review at To Improve the Academy. 

This is the fifth episode of the partnership between To Improve the Academy and Centering Centers. We hope to pull back the curtain on the journal for our listeners, especially about our authors' research and experiences publishing in our journal. We look forward to bringing you regular conversations with our authors, reviewers, editorial team, and board members.

Visit us at TIA: https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/tia/

Today’s episode was co-hosted by Liz Norelland Megan Robertson, who serve as co-editors of To Improve the Academy. It was recorded during the “Making Change, Taking Space” virtual gathering organized by disabled educational developers in June 2024.

Today’s episode features Bill Pilny, Benjamin Brock, and Stephanie Laggini Fiore in discussion of their recent To Improve the Academy article, “Impacts of campus disruption on educational developers’ role-identity and teamwork.” The authors apply the Dynamic Systems Model of Role Identity (or DSMRI) to the work of educational developers during the disruption of COVID-19 on our campuses. They present case studies of educational developers during that time and distill themes across the cases. 

This is the fourth episode of the partnership between To Improve the Academy and Centering Centers. We hope to pull back the curtain on the journal for our listeners, especially about our authors' research and experiences publishing in our journal. We look forward to bringing you regular conversations with our authors, reviewers, editorial team, and board members.

Visit us at TIA: https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/tia/

And the article we discuss today at: https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/tia/article/id/4263/

Today’s episode was hosted by Liz Norell, associate director of instructional support at the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at the University of Mississippi. Liz is co-editor-in-chief of To Improve the Academy, along with Megan Robertson (Simon Fraser University) and four assistant editors: Ebony Aya (Macalester College), Anna Bostick Flaming (University of Iowa), Will Hennessy (Algonquin College), and Jessi Hill (Worcester Polytechnic Institute).

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Dr. Kim Case, Senior Advisor for Organizational Culture to VCU's Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President for Inclusive Excellence. Dr. Case is a tenured professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and previously served as VCU's inaugural Director of Faculty Success in the Office of the Provost. Dr. Case’s work blends her roles as a social justice educator, faculty developer, and mentor with a passion for inclusive pedagogy and anti-racism training. She’s also the author of several books on teaching about privilege and intersectionality. In this interview, she shares her insights on how social justice scholars navigate and transform academia.

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