Tea & Teaching is an informal weekly conversation around all things teaching hosted by Jenevieve DeLosSantos, Director of Special Pedagogic Projects in the Office of Undergraduate Education. This is a casual space for discussion and Q&A with different weekly guests.
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Upcoming Tea & Teachings
Tea & Teaching will be back bi-weekly starting June 4th.
Past Tea & Teachings
May 7th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Susan Lawrence
A conversation with Susan Lawrence, Vice Dean of Undergraduate Education and Associate Professor of Political Science. After a year and a half of remote learning conditions, Susan will share with us her perspectives on this year in review. Together we will explore some of her biggest takeaways and reflect on both the challenges and new perspectives learned during this time of incredible difficulty.
April 23rd: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guests Mary Labrada and Dena Novak
A conversation with Mary Labrada and Dena Novak, Senior Instructional Designers from Teaching and Learning with Technology on using the Canvas Groups feature. Mary and Dena will share a brief overview of the Groups feature on Canvas, including how to set up, manage, and assign work and discussions to student groups, as well as how to grade student submissions. Together, we'll discuss best practices for using Groups in Canvas and ways to facilitate effective collaboration to increase engagement and support equitable participation. We hope you'll join us for this informative conversation.
April 16th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Pauline Carpenter
A conversation with Pauline Carpenter, Instructional Design and Technology Specialist. Pauline will share with us some key elements of “Design Justice” a framework that can be applied to course design that prioritizes individuals traditionally marginalized in higher education. Together we’ll discuss how to build inclusive classroom communities, how to involve students in the course building process, and how to provide useful feedback to enhance student learning. Whether you’re thinking about your current course or planning for next fall.
April 9th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Christina Chisholm
A conversation with Christina Chisholm, Director of the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program. Christina will tell us more about the McNair program's efforts to support low-income, first-generation college students and students from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups in pursuing graduate education. Together, we'll discuss what she's learning about advising students through the graduate application process during the pandemic, ways that we can best advise students interested in pursing doctoral degrees, and how we can encourage students to pursue their educational goals by examining a multitude of potential career paths.
March 26: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Dena Novak
A conversation with Dena Novak, Senior Instructional Designer and Faculty Development Coordinator, from Teaching and Learning with Technology on Canvas Assignments. Dena will share a brief overview of the Assignment feature on Canvas, including key settings, how to create and publish different types of assignments, and the relationship between the Assignments and Gradebook tools. Together, we'll discuss best practices on how to frame assignments in ways that increase student engagement and support student learning.
Resource:
https://help.canvas.yale.edu/m/55452/l/914647-anonymous-grading
March 12th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Teresa Politano
A conversation with Teresa Politano from the Office for Faculty Development about her office’s resources to support Part-Time Lecturers. Teresa will share specifics about the PTL advancement process and discuss workshops, writing support, and other professional development offerings provided by her office.
Resources
For more information about the Professional Development Fund:
https://academicaffairs.rutgers.edu/part-time-lecturer-support
March 5th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Alec Walen
A conversation with Alec Walen, Professor of Law and Philosophy, and Director of the Program in Criminal Justice about his experience teaching with podcasts. Alec will discuss how his assignment of creating a podcast supported students in achieving course learning goals and encouraged them to engage deeply with research in ways distinct from the traditional research paper. Together, we will discuss both the practical aspects of implementing such an assignment and listen to snippets of Alec’s reflective “meta-podcast” that features both student interviews and portions of their own work.
Resources
To listen to Alec's Metapodcast click here:
https://anchor.fm/alec-walen/episodes/Metapodcast-teaching-with-podcasts-eqfdau
Rutgers Library Podcast Resources: https://libguides.rutgers.edu/fordham/podcast
Links for free music for podcasting:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/blog/free-music-for-podcasts
https://soundscrate.com/
https://freesound.org/
February 19th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Rob Scott
A conversation with Rob Scott, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Undergraduate Director, about ways he employed the tool VoiceThread in his Xenoanthropology course last fall. Rob will share how he leveraged the tool to foster student engagement and facilitate active learning and student-student interaction.
February 12th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Justin Kalef
A conversation with Justin Kalef, Assistant Teaching Professor of Philosophy and Director of Teaching Innovation about strategies he employs to promote student autonomy and interaction in his online Logic course. Justin will share how he uses a collaborative flipped classroom model to allow students a self-paced way through the course with ample opportunity for teamwork and cooperation. Together, we will explore how his newly designed grading-scheme and highly interactive course design help encourage student learning.
February 5th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guests Donna Gustafson & Amanda Potter
A conversation with Donna Gustafson, Interim Director, Curator and Director of Academic Programs and Amanda Potter, Curator of Education and Interpretation at the Zimmerli Art Museum. While the museum remains physically closed, it is virtually available to you and your students! Together, we will explore interdisciplinary ways to use the museum’s collection as a teaching resource, as well as highlight ongoing virtual programs and ways for you and your students to be involved, especially their new Student Guide Program.
Resources
January 29th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Michael Weingart
A conversation with Michael Weingart, Teaching Professor of Mathematics, about his experience last fall using mastery based grading, a technique that gives students incentives and opportunities to correct mistakes and work toward clear understanding of whole topics. Reflecting on last semester’s experience, Michael will share with us his main takeaways from employing this approach including, how to best define grading benchmarks, how to incorporate learning goals directly into assessment, the effects of individualized feedback on student success, and the ways in which this practice helps to create a more equitable learning environment for students
Resources
Course Site: https://sites.rutgers.edu/michael-weingart/resources/
January 22nd: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Eliza Blau
Start the new semester off with a conversation with Eliza Blau, Instructional Design and Technology Specialist, about the six best practices for organizing your course in Canvas. Eliza will share with us a model course template and together, we will explore some of Canvas’s key features, as well as pitfalls to avoid!
December 11th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Jakora Holman
A conversation with Jakora Holman, Director of the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, about ways to support students and promote equity and inclusion in our classes. In her work directing what is widely recognized as one of the first Black college campus cultural centers in the United States, Jakora will share with us what she's learning from the students in her community about their experiences both in and out of the (virtual) classroom.
December 4th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Beth Tracy
A conversation with Beth Tracy, Senior Director, Rutgers Office for Faculty Development on the timely topic of faculty and instructor burnout. Beth will share with us some of the common experiences she encounters in her work, as well as strategies to help manage the stress and exhaustion we face at the end of the semester, particularly in our isolating, remote conditions.
Resources
PTL support: https://academicaffairs.rutgers.edu/part-time-lecturer-suppor
Other Writing support: https://academicaffairs.rutgers.edu/writing-support
Home page: Rutgers Office for Faculty Development
Postdoc office (not part of Office for Faculty Development, but both report to EVPAA) https://postdocs.rutgers.edu/
November 20th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Chris Drue
A conversation with Chris Drue, Associate Director of Teaching Evaluation, Center for Teaching Advancement & Assessment Research about Student Instructional Rating Survey (SIRS) course evaluations. Together we will discuss both ways to encourage student engagement and increase completion rates, especially in our remote environment, and ways to use the results to inform your teaching for next semester. Join us with your questions and concerns.
November 13th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Chaz Ruggieri
A conversation with Charles (“Chaz”) Ruggieri, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, Department of Physics and Astronomy, on his use of open educational resources (OERs) in lieu of the standard textbook in introductory physics courses. Together we will discuss the student-centered rationale for making such a change, including findings from Chaz’s recent study on student attitudes toward both textbook and online resources. Regardless of discipline, come and bring your questions about how to implement similar resources in your own class and as always.
Resources
Students’ use and perception of textbooks and online resources in introductory physics
November 6th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Jennifer Lenahan Cleary
A conversation with Jennifer Lenahan Cleary, Director of the Career Explorations in Arts and Sciences Initiative in the Office of Undergraduate Education, on how to help guide students as they think about life after Rutgers. Together, we’ll discuss strategies to encourage students to think broadly about potential career paths, especially in light of the complicated pandemic-job market and ways to make sure that our guidance is supportive, inclusive, and transparent. Just in time for next week’s Career Week and Major/Minor fair, bring your tea and join us for this important discussion on how to support your students.
October 30th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guests Karen Harris and Marian Passannante
A presentation on “Rituals and Rubrics.” Together, they will explore how to craft and implement effective rubrics for individual assignments, at both the course and program level. We will discuss tips and tricks to make the process effective, efficient, and not a Halloween horror story!
October 23rd: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Marc Muniz
A conversation with Marc Muniz, Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology on how to craft effective multiple-choice questions that elicit critical thinking and support your course learning goals. Together we will discuss how to design questions with both equity and academic integrity in mind, as well as how to reflect on student responses as a valuable form of feedback.
October 16th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guests Justin Kelley and Halston Fleming
A conversation with Justin Kelley, Assistant Dean of Students for Advocacy and Outreach and Halston Fleming, Case Manager in the Office of the Dean of Students on what steps to take when you identify students in need of additional support, particularly in our remote environment. With plenty of time for Q&A we hope you will join us for this important discussion.
October 9th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Demetri Lallas
A conversation with Demetri Lallas, Assistant Director, Writing Program on facilitating asynchronous participation and conducting remote peer review. Demetri will explore strategies to encourage student engagement in online discussion forums and detail ways to structure productive and encouraging peer reviews, while reinforcing standards of academic integrity. Together we can brainstorm ways to translate these practices in our own classrooms.
October 2nd: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Christie Lutz
A conversation with Christie Lutz, New Jersey Regional Studies Librarian and Head of Public Services at Rutgers University Libraries. Christie will discuss the multi-disciplinary holdings of the Special Collections and University Archives (SC/UA) and ways to feature their materials in your courses. She’ll also share with us some specific assignments that illustrate how to enrich your classroom using primary sources. Together, we can discuss how to make use of this resource even in our current remote conditions.
September 25th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Michael Weingart
A conversation with Michael Weingart, Teaching Professor of Mathematics on his use of mastery-based grading, a technique that gives students incentives and opportunities to correct mistakes and work toward clear understanding of whole topics. Together we will explore how he has implemented this practice and discuss how it maintains high standards, encourages a growth mindset, and helps students remain engaged with challenging content.
September 18th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and special guest Tatiana Rodriguez
A conversation on teaching with multi-media materials. She will share both strategies to incorporate more multi-media elements in your courses including using tools like Voice Thread and PlayPosit, as well as, assignments she employs like mediated speeches and “teach-backs.” Together we will explore ways to enliven your courses with various forms of media.
September 11th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guest Justin Kalef
A conversation on online team-based, active learning strategies with Justin Kalef, Assistant Teaching Professor of Philosophy and Director of Teaching Innovation. Together we will discuss strategies for incorporating teamwork in online courses, as well as his experience using immersive experiences online. We hope you will join us for a productive conversation
September 4th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and Special Guests Christine Altinis-Kiraz, Mary Kate Schiff, & Mason Ameri
A special conversation with three members of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education’s academic integrity working group: Christine Altinis-Kiraz, Chemistry, SAS; Mary Kate Schiff, SAS Office of Advising and Academic Services; and Mason Ameri, Rutgers Business School. Together we will discuss new resources available to faculty to help address issues of academic integrity and strategies to discourage cheating, particularly in the remote environment.
August 21st: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and special guest Corinne Castro
A special conversation with Corinne Castro, Senior Director for Faculty Diversity & Inclusion within the Division of Diversity, Inclusion & Community Engagement. Together we will discuss the disparities in access within our Rutgers community that recent events have brought to light.
August 14th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and special guest Joseph Yankus
A special conversation with Joseph Yankus about best practices for managing asynchronous online courses. Together we will discuss tools, tips, and strategies to facilitate student engagement and deliver course content asynchronously.
August 7th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and special guests Christina Bifulco and Chris Drue
A conversation with Christina Bifulco, Associate Director for Teaching and Learning Analytics and Chris Drue, Associate Director of Teaching Evaluation, from the Center for Teaching Advancement & Assessment Research about best practices in administering, designing, and grading online exams and assessments. Together we will discuss both tools and strategies to administer exams online as well as discuss ways to craft open-book assignments and creative alternatives.
Resources
Options for Giving Remote Final Exams Workshop (must sign in to Canvas to view)
Writing Exam Questions that Measure Student Learning Workshop (must sign in to Canvas to view)
July 31st: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and special guest Joseph Yankus
A conversation with Joseph Yankus, Senior Instructional Designer, Teaching and Learning with Technology about best practices for managing synchronous online courses. Together we will discuss tools, tips, and strategies to facilitate student engagement and deliver live lectures and group discussions. We will also explore tools which can enhance the synchronous learning experience, including Google Docs and Kahoot... and have some tea!
July 24th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and special guest Megan Lotts
A conversation with Megan Lotts, Art Librarian, about resources and strategies to help support undergraduate research during this period of remote instruction. Learn more about what the libraries are offering for fall semester and ways you can incorporate library resources into your courses.
Resources
July 17th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and special guest Crystal Akers
A conversation with Crystal Akers, Assistant Teaching Professor and Online Coordinator in the Department of Linguistics, about strategies she employs to create an effective instructor presence in her online courses. Together, we will explore ways to communicate instructor presence through the online platform.
July 10th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and special guest Ileana Naschescu
A conversation with Ileana Nachescu, Teaching Instructor and Assistant Undergraduate Director, Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies about her experience engaging students with multi-media resources and assignments, more specifically, with podcasts!
June 26th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and special guest Rachel Kremen
A conversation with Rachel Kremen, Teaching Instructor of Journalism and Media Studies about how she uses active learning techniques like games and quizzes in her courses! Together, we will brainstorm ways to facilitate exercises like this in your own courses.
Resources
June 19th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and special guest Geraldine Cochran
A conversation with Geraldine Cochran, Assistant Professor, Office of STEM Education and Department of Physics and Astronomy about equity in teaching and course design. Together, we will discuss strategies to create a more equitable learning environment for all students.
June 12th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and special guests Helen Buettner and Waheed Bajwa
A conversation with Helen Buettner, Professor and Chair, Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, and Waheed Bajwa, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering about flipping the classroom. Together, we will discuss the benefits of a flipped classroom format and brainstorm ways to translate this to a remote environment.
Resources
pdf Article on On “Flipping” a Large Signal Processing Class (2.22 MB)
June 5th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and special guests Ariel Leget and Krystyne Savarese
A conversation with Ariel Leget, Assistant Director for Living-Learning Communities and Academic Initiatives, and Krystyne Savarese, Senior Director of Residence Life for Campus Communities about ways to build community among our students. Together we will brainstorm the best ways to create a sense of community both in person and in the remote environment
May 29th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and special guest Kathryn Loder-Murphy
A conversation with Kathryn Loder-Murphy, Assistant Director of the Office of Disability Services along with some of her colleagues about the experiences of our students with accommodations requests during remote instruction this Spring. Together we will discuss what worked, what didn’t, and best practices to consider for next semester.
May 22nd: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and special guests, Nicole Houser and Nela Navarro
A conversation with Nicole Houser, Director of the Rutgers English Language Institute (RELI) and Nela Navarro, Director of Graduate English Language Learner & International Teaching Assistants Program about strategies to make the remote-classroom setting more inclusive, not just for multi-lingual students, but for all students. Together we will brainstorm ideas for next semester.
May 15th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and special guests, Barbara Cooper and Chuck Keeton
A conversation with Barbara Cooper, Professor of History and Chuck Keeton, Academic Dean of the Honors Program and Professor of Physics & Astronomy about some of positive outcomes from remote teaching this semester and how to incorporate these benefits next semester and beyond. Take a break from grading to share with us what you've experienced this semester
May 8th: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and special guests, Christy Beal and Richard Serrano
A conversation with Christy Beal, Assistant Teaching Professor in the Division of Life Sciences and Richard Serrano, Professor of French and Comparative Literature and Chair, Department of French about grading and its challenges during the pandemic. Take a break from grading to share your thoughts about grading this semester
May 1st: Tea and Teaching with Jenevieve and special guests from OAAS Catrina Gall and Madison-Edwards Bednar
A conversation with Catrina Gallo and Madison Edwards-Bednar of the SAS Office of Advising and Academic Services. Come join us in a casual space for discussion of all things teaching and Q&A with our guests!