
Teaching in Higher Ed
Thank you for checking out the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. This is the space where we explore the art and science of being more effective at facilitating learning. We also share ways to increase our personal productivity, so we can have more peace in our lives and be even more present for our students.
Latest episodes

Apr 9, 2020 • 44min
Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto
Kevin Gannon shares about his book – Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto on episode 304 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.
Quotes from the episode
Hope is embodied in practice.
-Kevin Gannon
Because I have hope, I cannot abide by the status quo because I know what could be, not just what should be.
-Kevin Gannon
“I had to realize that treating all students equally was not the same thing as treating all students equitably.”
-Kevin Gannon in Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto
Free speech is often weaponized against marginalized groups.
-Kevin Gannon
Resources Mentioned
Locus of Control
Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto, by Kevin Gannon
Kevin Gannon on Episode 112 of Teaching in Higher Ed: Radical Hope
Kevin Gannon on Episode 52 of Teaching in Higher Ed: Respect in the Classroom

Apr 2, 2020 • 37min
Critical Pedagogy in STEM
Rissa Sorensen-Unruh and Sean Michael Morris discuss critical pedagogy in STEM on episode 303 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.
Quotes from the episode
Critical pedagogy sort of insists on a human connection in teaching and learning.
-Sean Michael Morris
Active learning and critical pedagogy have a lot of overlap.
-Rissa Sorensen-Unruh
I’ve always felt that critical pedagogy itself is very flexible and has to be able to grow and change with the times, with technology, with audiences, and with our new awareness of social justice.
-Sean Michael Morris
Learning is really their journey. We can go together and I can be part of that…. But in the journey, itself, I’m a bystander.
-Rissa Sorensen-Unruh
Resources Mentioned
Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead), by Susan D. Blum*
Steely Dan
Muddiest point
Laura Gogia
Maha Bali
Digital Pedagogy Lab
Paulo Freire
bell hooks
Fracturing the Real-Self↔Fake-Self Dichotomy: Moving Toward “Crystallized” Organizational Discourses and Identities, by Sarah J. Tracy, Angela Trethewey
Henry Giroux
The Human Work of Higher Education Pedagogy, by Jesse Stommel
Virtually Connecting

Mar 26, 2020 • 38min
OpenEd and EdTech Reflections
Tannis Morgan reflects on OpenEd and EdTech on episode 302 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.
Quotes from the episode
I think it’s important to approach things as fun.
-Tannis Morgan
What is your purpose to migrate towards open?
-Tannis Morgan
If you want open ed practices, you need open tools.
-Tannis Morgan
It is not the outcome, it is the doing part.
-Tannis Morgan
Resources Mentioned
UDG Agora
Mural UDG
Exploration in the EdTech World
2 Minute Tools
femedtech
IndigenousX
OpenETC
Goodreads
Tannis’ Paintings in Her Year in Review Post

Mar 19, 2020 • 38min
Positive Work-Life Spillover
Andrew Stenhouse shares about positive work-life spillover on episode 301 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.
Quotes from the episode
We spend more of our waking hours at work than we do anyplace else.
-Andrew Stenhouse
There is always a fine line between engagement and burning ourselves out.
-Andrew Stenhouse
When we have control over our rhythm, that is where we tend to thrive.
-Andrew Stenhouse
If we are more engaged at work, we bring that positive energy, dedication, and sense of accomplishment back into our family life.
-Andrew Stenhouse
Resources Mentioned
Life-Design Counseling Manual, Mark L. .Savickas
The Happenstance Learning Theory, John D. Krumboltz
Prof Michael Leiter
Christina Maslach
How work spills over into the relationship: Self‐control matters
Examining the “Neglected Side of the Work-Family Interface”: Antecedents of Positive and Negative Family-to-Work Spillover
Elianne F. Van Steenbergen
Daphne Pedersen Stevens
Krista Lynn Minnottee
Susan E. Mannon
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi*

Mar 12, 2020 • 35min
A Curious Milestone
Bonni Stachowiak celebrates a curious milestone on episode 300 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.
Quotes from the episode
When you burn to know what comes next, you are feeling curious.
-Sara Rose Cavanagh in The Spark of Learning
Curiosity is an essential part of the way human beings learn and it always has been.
-Josh Eyler in How Humans Learn
Everybody has this hidden desire to want to do something meaningful in the world.
-Karina Garbezi in Episode #246
Resources Mentioned
Digital Pedagogy Lab
Resources Page for Tarleton State University Keynote
The Productive Online and Offline Professor
Dave Stachowiak’s High School Chemistry Teacher
Joe Hoyle’s Accounting Mysteries and Puzzles
Meeting Owl Pro
Zoom
The spark of learning energizing the college classroom with the science of emotion, by Sarah Rose Cavanagh for West Virginia University Press*
How Humans Learn: The Science and Stories behind Effective College Teaching , by Josh Eyler for West Virginia University Press*
Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning, by James Lang for Jossey-Bass*
Solar Warriors: Cal State East Bay Solar Suitcase Program Partners with Native American Tribes, Organizations Nationwide, by Natalie Fuelner for EastBayToday
Lighting up the night one solar suitcase at a time, by Darin Moriki for The Mercury News
Episode 135: The Spark of Learning with Sarah Rose Cavanagh
Episode 204: The Spark of Learning Reprise with Sarah Rose Cavanagh
Episode 16: Biology, the Brain, and Learning with Josh Eyler
Episode 231: How Humans Learn with Josh Eyler
Episode 164: Setting Up Students for Success from the Start with Joe Hoyle
Episode 66: Making Challenging Subjects Fun with Ainissa Ramirez
Episode 42: Mixing It Up in Our Teaching with Bonni Stachowiak
Episode 246: Teaching STEM for Social Impact with Karina Garbesi and Erik Helgren
How Teddy Svornous Uses MindNode to Plan Classes

Mar 5, 2020 • 33min
Growing Up Open
Amanda Coolidge talks about open education and growing up open on episode 299 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.
Quotes from the episode
There is nothing ever static, it is always growing or building or changing.
-Amanda Coolidge
Change builds resilience in people.
-Amanda Coolidge
What we are trying to do is create a more equitable society.
-Amanda Coolidge
Resources Mentioned
I’ve Been Everywhere | Johnny Cash
Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes, by William Bridges
Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change, by William Bridges
The Way Of Transition: Embracing Life’s Most Difficult Moments, by William Bridges*
Blackbird | The Beatles
Imagine | John Lennon
Jesse Stommel
Code Switch Podcast: Books for Your Mind, Belly, and Soul
Sabia Prescott
BCcampus OpenEd

Feb 27, 2020 • 42min
Restoring a Love of Reading
David Peña-Guzmán discusses how to help rediscover the joy of reading on episode 298 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.
Quotes from the episode
It all began with a realization that it was not just my students, but also me who were struggling with reading.
-David Peña-Guzmán
I began to notice the extent to which my own reliance on technology was getting in the way of my reading.
-David Peña-Guzmán
My students’ lives are infinitely more complex than I could ever imagine.
-David Peña-Guzmán
Resources Mentioned
Move Over, Laptop Ban.
The Reading Experiment

Feb 20, 2020 • 40min
Transformative Learning Experiences for Teachers and Students
Christina Zambrano-Varghese and Marcus Flax shares about transformative learning experiences on episode 297 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.
Quotes from the episode
You can get burnt out but when you get into a classroom where it is more of a community feeling, it is a lot easier to participate, think, and do your best.
-Marcus Flax
I was engaging with the information rather than just trying to study it.
-Marcus Flax
I’ve come to see how critical the first day of class is.
-Christina Zambrano-Varghese
I think about the main takeaway I want my students to get out of a class.
-Christina Zambrano-Varghese
Resources Mentioned
ACUE
Black Doctoral Network
Social media, addiction, and the fear of missing out
Changemakers: Rutgers University–Newark Leading the Way for Student Success
Rutgers University-Newark Faculty Receive National Credential in Teaching Excellence
The P3 Collaboratory at Rutgers University-Newark

Feb 13, 2020 • 38min
Toward Cruelty-Free Syllabi
Matthew Cheney describes Cruelty-Free Syllabi on episode 296 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.
Quotes from the episode
A lot of my work, a lot of my career, and a lot of the moments that were most tense were moments where I had forgotten to trust students.
-Matthew Cheney
Respect students as human beings.
-Matthew Cheney
Students don’t enter a classroom immediately trusting a teacher.
-Matthew Cheney
We get used to a bureaucratic academic language that we oftentimes just inherit .
-Matthew Cheney
Resources Mentioned
David Rhoads – hyflex learning
Jesse Stommel
Opening a Syllabus
Cruelty-Free Syllabi
Radical Open Syllabi
Why My Students Design the Syllabus #fight4edu, by Cathy Davidson
Extreme Makeover: Pedagogy Edition, by Robin DeRosa
Ungrading Workshop Resources
Sara Goldrick-Rab

Feb 6, 2020 • 37min
Online Engagement Through Digital PowerUps
Travis Thurston shares how to engage learners with digital powers on episode 295 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.
Quotes from the episode
The virtual classroom doesn’t necessarily signal to students how the interaction is going to take place.
-Travis Thurston
It is really important for our learners to know why we are having them engage in something.
-Travis Thurston
Resources Mentioned
Digital PowerUps Scaffolds and Hashtags to Empower Higher-Order and Humanized Student Engagement in Online Discussions, By Travis N Thurston
5-minute Recap of Travis’ 2017 Presentation on Digital PowerUps
Pumpin’ Up with Hans & Franz – SNL
Renegade Leadership, by Brad Gustafson
Young Girl-Old Woman Illusion
Everything is a Remix
Everything is a Remix: Part 3 – The Elements of Creativity
Sample PowerUps
Sample Discussion PowerUp Prompt
Sample Digital PowerUp Discussion Post
Sample Student Post with Create