Introduction by Dr. Ellen Skilton, faculty director of the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Mentoring (CTLM):

I’ve had an interesting relationship over the past two weeks with the word “radical.” Two colleagues used it to describe the kind of teaching CTLM is espousing  – once as something to be afraid of and once as something to embrace. It got me thinking: Is what we are working on to make our pedagogies more inclusive and antiracist radical? 

It’s not the word I’d choose to describe the kind of pedagogy that CTLM and colleagues at Arcadia are engaged in: pedagogy that puts people – students, faculty, and teaching staff – and their experiences and concerns at the center and works to disrupt systems that don’t allow us to be our full selves. 

The Oxford Dictionary uses the word radical to describe a change or action “relating to or affecting the fundamental nature of something; far-reaching or thorough.”  When I read that definition, I think that it IS what we’re doing. We are working together to effect the fundamental nature of pedagogy in higher education, to envision it not as a sorting mechanism for “traditional” students–celebrating a few winners and the rest losers—but as a liberatory kind of engagement that responds to and engages with who and where students are to create opportunities for transformation. It’s wonderful to see this work is happening on campus in such meaningful and diverse ways (and, as always, there is so much more to do). 

I’m not sure anyone would call the work described in this newsletter as radical, but it is work that at its best is radically responsive to the people in this community and increasing our capacity to create the kind of world we want to live in. Many thanks to all of you who have participated in this work in Fall 2024 and a warm welcome to join us in some way in 2025. 

With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the world, there also comes a rise of students and instructors who are interested in understanding and teaching it in a way that is beneficial and fruitful to all: instructors and students alike. In the CTLM, students, and staff have both pursued a path in understanding AI usage among instructors and students. Student fellows working with the CTLM organized projects with the goal of obtaining feedback from students on their AI usage. These projects have included on-campus interviews conducted by Joshua Neely, Keuther Gurra, and Besan Alhaj (visit the CTLM Instagram page to see the reel of interviews) and a table set up in the Chat for students to approach and answer a few questions conducted by Simran Bhaskar and Joshua Neely. In addition to this, Faculty Fellows Marianne Miserandino, Tom Berendt, and Leigh Ferrier, as part of an AI Initiative, have created and facilitated workshops on creating robust assessments with AI in mind, as well as plans to offer future workshops on AI Literacy and Ethics. At one of these workshops, Kathleen Fortier, assistant professor of Physical Therapy, reported on how they are using AI for students to practice diagnostic interviewing, and Chris Binkley, associate professor of Biology, talked about how his students used AI to compile and visualize data they collected in an aquatic biology class. Rob Miller, adjunct professor of Physics, talked about how to combine Large Language Models ( LLMs) to do even more in the classroom. For more AI resources, check out the AI@AU website as well as this AI Course for Educators, which has a free 2-hour course in AI literacy for teachers. Stay tuned for watch parties in the spring on AI literacy and more!

At the heart of everything the CTLM does is this sense that the traditional hierarchies that define so much of higher education limit our abilities to problem solve and, inevitably, end up reproducing the inequities that plague society at large. Perhaps no program better embodies this ethos than our Student Pedagogical Consulting (SPC) program. 

In this program, a faculty member and a student are paired to work together for the semester on a single course (of the faculty’s choosing) in the hopes of improving some aspect of it. If that sentence—which I wrote & re-wrote & re-wrote—feels frustratingly vague to you, well then back off, it’s the end of the semester and we’re all tired. Jk. It is vague. Because each pair has the freedom to 1) determine their goals 2) design & implement their own working schedules & strategies and 3)  adjust & revise those goals & attendant strategies as they see fit throughout the semester, the work becomes incredibly idiosyncratic (and, consequently, difficult to describe in an end-of-semester wrap-up). 

We had six pairs this semester, working in courses in Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Psychology, Sociology, and the Honors College! Some pairs focused on reimagining assessment methods to maximize inclusivity & accessibility. Others tested new approaches to student engagement & active learning. While others focused on finding ways to diversify course curriculum. 

Dr. Sudha Moorthy worked with Tevah Nesvisky this semester in BI209: Foundations in Cell and Molecular Biology and noted that “when students take ownership of their education, engagement and participation increase dramatically. This semester, CTLM’s Student Pedagogical Consultant Program allowed me to involve students in the process of course development of a new course and understand how students’ and my own expectations could meet without compromising learning outcomes. Our work built students’ confidence to offer both positive and negative feedback. Now at the end of the semester, I feel my students and I communicate so much better.”

In addition to the work being done on the ground to push this program forward, I had the great pleasure to co-author—with Leigh Ferrier, graduate Student Fellow (and soon-to-be Arcadia faculty member!) & Dr. Ellen Skilton (the faculty director of the CTLM)–an essay for the journal Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education about the history of our program and how it represents one way in which the CTLM is trying to dismantle hierarchy. Please check out our essay and be on the lookout for a call to get involved with this program in a future semester!

The above quote was at the start of a call for TLCs – Teaching and Learning Circles, an initiative of CTLM. A TLC is designed to create space for colleagues to come and work together on questions of practice. This fall there are four TLCs running, two “in-house”, and two where faculty (and in some cases students) gather to discuss the shared practice of teaching and learning. The two “in-house” TLCs are centered around Title III work and the Student Pedagogical Consulting Program at the CTLM. The other two TLCs are:

Pedagogical Scholarship (facilitated by Katherine Moore, associate professor of Psychology):

The purpose of this TLC is to come together to discuss and collaborate on the scholarship of teaching. Participants come to each session with a scholarship idea in mind or an interest in trying out scholarship on pedagogy in the future. The TLC provides scholarly support and feedback to each other, as well as the possibility of collaboration on scholarship projects, depending on shared goals. One of the participants in the TLC, Jen Matisoff had this to say about the experience, “The most rewarding part so far has been connecting with colleagues who are also interested in pedagogical research, getting feedback and suggestions on our possible research projects, seeing where we can help each other as we conceptualize and organize projects, and the possibility of engaging in cross-disciplinary pedagogical research.”

Global Antiracist Teaching and Learning Practices (facilitated by Freya Irani, assistant professor of Historical and Political Studies; Allyson McCreery, associate director of the International Peace and Conflict Resolution Center; Jennifer Riggan, professor of Historical and Political Studies; and Hilary Dick, associate professor of International Studies):

This TLC explores how faculty might adopt global antiracist teaching and learning practices. The group will discuss how we can draw connections between racism in the United States, and global histories of colonialism and white supremacy that continue to shape an array of issues including geopolitics, global inequality, immigration policy, forced displacement, the effects of climate change, and human rights.  The first meeting of this group took place on Dec. 9 and it will continue through the Spring semester.

Are you interested in joining one of these TLCs or proposing a new TLC for the Spring? Email CTLM at auctlm@arcadia.edu!

As we conclude the semester, we wish to take a moment to reflect on the Faculty and Staff Wellness Initiative, a project developed by the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Mentoring (CTLM) to enhance collective well-being. 

While we know that wellness is a concern of many departments across our community, the CTLM team felt there were places we could contribute to the effort. Specifically, we noticed that wellness is often posed as something each individual is trying to achieve. But what about community wellness? Systemic wellness? How do we recognize the ways that our individual attempts at personal wellness are undermined by external circumstances? This is the lens we are seeking to look at this topic through.   

The initial launch of this initiative offered a diverse range of activities tailored to accommodate varying schedules and preferences. Below is a summary of the organized efforts for this semester:

Despite how busy everyone is on campus, people are making time for these activities and really reaping the benefits of them! Nancy Woehrle, Medical Science Operations Coordinator, called the Walk and Talks “a great way to get to know people at a casual activity. We had a mixed group (student, faculty, staff, faculty/staff). It was a small group. I can see this activity working well with a larger group as well because you have the ability to drop back and talk with different people/groups. Love the CTLM initiatives! I also participated in a Friendly 5 Lunch and hope to schedule more.” 

The Faculty and Staff Wellness Initiative is a vital first step in enhancing wellness and creating an environment where faculty and staff can connect, recharge, and prioritize what is most important. As we transition into the next semester, we are eager to continue this important work and explore innovative methods to support the well-being of our community

Arcadia University’s Center for Teaching, Learning, and Mentoring (CTLM) hosts multiple Lunch and Learn sessions per semester, designed to foster collaboration, innovation, and professional growth within the University community. 

These informal sessions provide a welcoming space for faculty and staff to engage in meaningful discussions about teaching strategies, learning techniques, and mentorship practices, all while enjoying a shared meal from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Dining Complex’s Faculty Dining Room.

Each Lunch and Learn session centers on a specific topic that relates to the semester’s centralized theme, ranging from incorporating technology in the classroom and designing inclusive syllabi to fostering student engagement and navigating challenges in mentoring relationships. Facilitated by experienced educators and guest speakers, the sessions encourage interactive dialogue and the exchange of ideas, offering practical tools and insights participants can immediately apply to their work.

This semester’s unifying theme is “Start Where You Are: Continuing Conversations in Teaching and Learning,” and featured the following three sessions:

The initiative reflects Arcadia’s commitment to continuous improvement in education and its emphasis on building a supportive learning environment. By bringing together individuals from diverse disciplines and roles, the Lunch and Learn series strengthens the campus community and empowers participants to enhance their teaching and mentoring practices.

Sometimes “inclusivity” feels like one of those AI-generated images—in that the more you stare at it, the less it makes sense. I think that’s because to be genuinely inclusive is to differentiate pedagogical approaches to meet each student where they are (and, increasingly, they are in very different places). 

Part of the University’s current Title III-funded work aims to approach inclusivity by re-imagining some of our approaches in first-year courses with higher instances of dropping, withdrawing, and failing. In September, the CTLM welcomed two new cohorts of faculty participants (16 in total) engaging in this work: one composed of faculty from various Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields, and one composed of faculty from the First-Year Seminar (FYS) program. 

Each group has been participating in a Teaching & Learning Circle (TLC) where they meet to consider more inclusive approaches to curriculum & pedagogy, including re-imagining assessment methods, sharing classroom engagement strategies, and discussing the various communication methods they use to acculturate first-year students to collegiate life. Jess Derr, adjunct professor of English and one of the FYS participants, compared her experience in the TLC to the joys she experienced as a student: “I always enjoy the opportunity to be a student again and learn from my colleagues and what they’re accomplishing in their own First-Year seminars in hopes of applying these strategies to my own class.”

This TLC work is then supplemented by a Canvas course (designed by the CTLM’s Molly Pooler!) that both describes and enacts some of the pedagogical choices that the groups read & discuss. 

As a participant in the FYS cohort, this work has felt incredibly meaningful to me. Not only because it provides yet another mechanism through which to test & refine approaches to inclusive pedagogy, but also because it has allowed for the emergence of a community of first-year student instructors. For myriad reasons—from the death of monoculture to the very real & diverse ways in which the pandemic disrupted different K through 12 experiences—our first-year students are coming in with unique learning experiences and expectations, and something our cohort has been able to discover (and commiserate over) is that, as faculty, we are increasingly needing to check the assumptions built into our syllabi & assignments.  

After two years of planning and program development, the Praxis for Teaching Race (PTR) Program began rolling this semester. Currently, eleven Arcadia members of the faculty/staff community have begun the DIY Starter Kit, a self-led learning module that supports participant exploration into the personal and pedagogical elements of teaching race, as well as opportunities to practice with colleagues in real-time. Next semester, the Peer-to-Peer Learning Module will be made available, and teams of three instructors will work together to infuse their courses with antiracist pedagogies. 

It was essential to the mission of this collaborative effort between CTLM and CASAA that it practice equity, and thus we are excited that participants are being compensated for their effort, either as part of their service commitment or in the form of a stipend, depending on their position. This investment in the teaching, learning, and practice of racial awareness and equity conveys ongoing institutional commitment and will ultimately serve to boost our CABR efforts, retention goals, and hopefully, begin to attract a more diverse pool of applicants to join our teaching community. 

We want to acknowledge the efforts of several students who have been instrumental to the development and roll-out of the program: Phoebe Day, Bunny Figueroa, Anayah Frazier, and Rayna Keele, as well as Jaisy Omollo, our program partner. Each semester, we will be adding more elements of the program – we hope that more and more community members will take advantage of this new resource!  

Faculty Director 

Ellen Skilton, Professor of Education

Inclusive Excellence Programs Support Specialist

Monica Day, Adjunct Faculty, School of Education

Artificial Intelligence Fellow

Marianne Miserandino, Professor of Psychology 

Faculty & Staff Fellows & Project Partners

Lisa Akselrad, Assistant Professor and Academic Director of Advising and Mentorship for the Physician Assistant’s Program

Tom Berendt, Adjunct Professor of Religion

Ryan Hiemenz, Public Relations Coordinator for University Relations

Chris Mullin, Assistant Professor of Media & Communication 

Jaisy Omollo, Assistant Director of Civic Global Engagement

Daniel Pieczkolon, Adjunct Professor of English

Molly Pooler, Adjunct Professor of Math

Jennifer Smull, Director of Disability Support Services

Rhianon Visinsky, Adjunct Professor of English 

Student Fellows

Besan Alhaj ’28 

Simran Bhaskar ’27MA  

Leigh Ferrier ’22, ’25MFA

Bunny Figueroa ’25

Keuther Gurra ’28 

Rayna Keele ’28

Ryland McGinniss ’25 

Josh Neely ’26