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.

Transcript of the Episode