See our full episode notes at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/student-scholar-perspectives-on-mentoring-relationships/.

In this episode, guests Azul Bellot and Tiffanie Grant, both Center for Engaged Learning Student Scholars at Elon University, share how mentorship has shaped their confidence, sense of belonging, and academic journeys. Through their experiences, we explore the balance of responsibility between students and faculty, the difference between transactional and transformational mentorship, and how open, authentic relationships can empower growth on both sides. Azul and Tiffanie remind us that students aren’t just recipients of mentorship – they’re active contributors to the process, offering lessons that can benefit both students and their mentors.

This episode was hosted and edited by Matt Wittstein, and produced by Matt Wittstein in collaboration with Elon University’s Center for Engaged Learning, an international research center.

Themes and music composed and produced by Kai Mitchell, Elon University Music Production and Recording Arts class of 2024. Kai produces music and releases it across streaming platforms with the producer’s name KVI. You can follow Kai on Instagram @theofficial_kvi.

Show art was created by Jennie Goforth and Nolan Schultheis.

The Center for Engaged Learning uses Rev.com to create transcripts for each episode.

See our extended episode notes at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/how-scholarship-shapes-our-mentoring-past-and-future/

What can the research on mentoring teach us about building stronger, more equitable learning environments? In this episode, guests Ashley Finley, Jane Greer, and Jessie Moore unpack the scholarly roots of mentoring in higher education from foundational studies to the newest approaches shaping the field today.

They discuss how theories from psychology, feminist practice, and relationship-rich education inform mentoring across disciplines, and why understanding mentorship as both an individual experience and a systemic force matters now more than ever. Along the way, they explore key questions about intentionality, equity, and what it means to study mentoring not just as an act of support, but as a catalyst for institutional change.

This episode was hosted by hosted and edited by Matt Wittstein, and produced by Matt Wittstein in collaboration with Elon University’s Center for Engaged Learning.

Themes and music composed and produced by Kai Mitchell, Elon University Music Production and Recording Arts class of 2024. Kai produces music and releases it across streaming platforms with the producer’s name KVI. You can follow Kai on Instagram @theofficial_kvi.

Show art was created by Jennie Goforth and Nolan Schultheis.

See our extended episode notes at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/not-just-a-cup-of-coffee-why-mentoring-matters/

In this kickoff to our new season, we explore the heart of mentorship in higher education. Guests Titch Madzima, Sabrina Perkins, and Maureen Vandermass-Peeler share personal stories of the mentors who shaped their paths and reflect on what mentoring really means beyond a casual conversation over coffee.

Together, they discuss why mentoring is central to student and faculty success, the challenges institutions face in making it accessible, and why “mentoring constellations” may be the future of more inclusive and supportive academic communities. From authenticity and reciprocity to the barriers of availability and representation, this episode highlights how intentional mentoring can transform both individuals and institutions.

This episode was hosted, produced, and edited by Matt Wittstein in collaboration with Elon University’s Center for Engaged Learning.

Original music: Kai Mitchell

See our full episode notes at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/higher-education-is-worth-fighting-for/.

Since January 20, 2025, a plethora of political activity and announcements have created instability and concern across the U.S. higher education sector, with ripple effects in the international landscape. In this episode, Denise Bartell, Senior Associate Vice President for Regional System Faculty and Student Success at Kent State University, Amy Johnson, Assistant Vice President for Academic Success at Old Dominion University, and Jessica Riddell, holds the Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chair of Undergraduate Teaching Excellence at Bishop’s University and author of Hope Circuits: Rewiring Universities and Other Organizations for Human Flourishing, join the show to have an open conversation about how higher education is being impacted by the political climate. Our conversation includes the battles around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, why higher education is worth fighting for, and seeds of hope to help us write a yet unwritten future with optimism.

This episode was hosted and edited by Matt Wittstein, and produced by Matt Wittstein in collaboration with the Center for Engaged Learning. 

Artwork: Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash (locker)  

Original music: Kai Mitchell 

See our complete episode notes at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/ai-as-friend-or-foe-in-computer-science-2/.

Last month, we talked with student guests about artificial intelligence use in their computer science education. This month, we continue the conversation with Robert Duvall (Duke University) and Nisha Talagala (AIClub and AIClubPro) who share professional and faculty wisdom about AI in the classroom and eventually the workplace. Robert and Nisha wrestle with the tension between product and process and share some ways that incorporating AI into even the introductory computer science curriculum will be essential in preparing future developers. We wrap with our guest, Ryan Mattfeld, Associate Professor of Computer Science at Elon University, to continue exploring how an unrestricted AI course could shift goals and outcomes for student learning.

This episode was hosted and edited by Matt Wittstein and produced by Olivia Taylor in collaboration with the Elon University Center for Engaged Learning.

See our full episode notes at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/ai-as-friend-or-foe-in-computer-science/.

The use of artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT has become the topic of serious discussion in higher education. Ryan Mattfeld, associate professor of computer science at Elon University, shares with us some of his challenges in the introductory computer science classroom and the potential negative effects AI has in training future computer scientists. He also asks what could be possible in a course where students have very few restrictions on AI use. In this first part of a two episode series, we explore student perspectives with Anna David, a first-year computer science and robotics student at Carnegie Mellon University, and graduating computer science major, Arav Patel, from the University of Maryland. Anna and Arav share insights about AI use, as well as ideas of what is really most important to students in early computer science courses. The conversation sets the stage to learn about the faculty perspective in our next episode.

This episode was hosted by Matt Wittstein and produced by Matt Wittstein and the Elon University Center for Engaged Learning, with editing and production support by Olivia Taylor. 

Episode art created by Matt Wittstein and Olivia Taylor.

Original music by Kai Mitchell.

See our full episode notes at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/deepening-engagement-in-a-first-year-seminar/.

The first-year seminar is a challenging, yet impactful, space to introduce habits of mind that lead to long-term student success. In this episode, Adam Keul, Associate Professor of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Plymouth State University, discusses how he employs democratic practices in his first-year seminar course. He hopes to instill the power of agency and advocacy within an educational context that will allow his students to be critical thinkers and engaged citizens. He’s found that his students seem to prefer being told what to do and not having choices in their own education. Our panel – Sophia Abbot from the University of Rhode Island, Riley Alkove, an Elon University first-year economics major, and Anine Kelly, from the University of Cincinnati – share ideas about how to form better personal connections with first year students and the implications of co-creation at an early developmental stage for college students.

This episode was hosted by Matt Wittstein, edited by Olivia Taylor and Matt Wittstein, and produced by Olivia Taylor and Matt Wittstein in collaboration with the Elon University Center for Engaged Learning.

See our full episode notes at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/asynchronous-hyflex-and-live-oh-my/

By necessity, ATI Physical Therapy uses elements of online, in-person, synchronous, and asynchronous learning in its residency programs. Jackie Davenport, Clinical Development Program Lead and Residency Director for ATI Physical therapy, is interested in learning more about developing her network of clinical educators to be prepared to create and sustain engagement with their students. asynchronous and how it could fit into the continuing education courses that ATI offers. Host Matt Wittstein shares Jackie’s context with Jesse Stommel from University of Denver, Dale Munday from the University of Central Lancashire, and Eric Mulford a senior Nursing major at Elon University. Their conversation considers different teaching modalities, hard versus soft rules (or policies versus social contracts) in the classroom, and how technology can be leveraged to enrich connection in this setting.

This episode was hosted by Matt Wittstein, edited by Olivia Taylor and Matt Wittstein, and produced by Olivia Taylor in collaboration with the Elon University Center for Engaged Learning.

See our full episode notes at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/engineering-education-maintaining-rigor-fostering-empathy/

Matt Wittstein hosts Blake Hament from Elon University and Siobhan Oca from Duke University. Both are early career faculty teaching engineering courses and are considering ways to be empathetic while still maintaining the high expectations of engineering coursework. Our panel included Dr. Kay C. Dee, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Associate Dean of Learning and Technology, Dr. Bryan Dewsbury, Associate Professor of Biology at Florida International University and Director of the STEM Transformational Institute, and Tiffanie Grant, a third-year Exercise Science student and Center for Engaged Learning Student Scholar at Elon University. They share their experiences and philosophies on rigor, difficulty, empathy, authenticity, and developing resilience, and they provide some strategies to help balance rigor and empathy.

This episode was hosted and edited by Matt Wittstein and produced by Matt Wittstein in collaboration with the Elon University Center for Engaged Learning.

See our full episode notes at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/transferring-mindsets-from-design-based-environments/

Dhvani Toprani hosts this month’s episode with her longtime colleague, Saadeddine (Saad) Shehab from the University of Illinois’ Siebel Center for Design. As the Director of Assessment and Research for the Siebel Center, Saad wants to identify strategies for near- and far- term assessment of the transfer of learning and mindsets in participants in their center’s workshops. Our panel included Sarah Bunnell, Director of Elon University’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, Adam Kanowitz, a senior Entrepreneurship and Innovation student at Elon University, and Dawan Stanford, President and Founder of Fluid Hive, a consultancy for using human-centered design for innovation. The panel discusses the challenges associated with measuring transfer and offer some ways to align assessment with goals.

This episode was hosted by Dhvani Toprani, edited by Matt Wittstein, and produced by Matt Wittstein in collaboration with the Elon University Center for Engaged Learning.