2025 Program

A college class can be a peak human experience – a group of motivated, curious human beings working together on shared goals that enliven the mind and enrich the soul. It is also a rare example of human striving that has a clear beginning, a satisfying end, and the development of community in between. Indeed, a well-run college class represents all of the building blocks of subjective well-being: positive emotions, autonomy, competence, belongingness, and satisfaction with life. Unfortunately, this ideal is often not realized due to internal and external forces – distracting stressors weighing on instructors and students alike, poor institutional support, and a lack of inclusion. In this interactive keynote, Sarah Rose Cavanagh presents research from both the science of well-being and the study of learning to argue that teaching can (and should) be a joy, then shares practical ways that instructors and institutions can support faculty and student well-being.

• Jennifer Lawrence, Assistant Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning, School of Architecture, UVA
• Phoebe Graham, Graduate Student, Master of Urban and Environmental Planning, School of Architecture, UVA
• Anna Meyer, Graduate Student, Master of Urban and Environmental Planning, School of Architecture, UVA
• Jordan Murphy, Graduate Student, Master of Urban and Environmental Planning, School of Architecture, UVA
• Genesis Rodgers, Graduate Student, Master of Urban and Environmental Planning, School of Architecture, UVA

Acknowledging power/knowledge relations in the classroom and society, zine pedagogy enacts what bell hooks calls a ‘pedagogy of hope’, an approach to learning oriented toward possibility and futurity. This panel brings together faculty and students from Urban and Environmental Planning whose normative orientation to planning acknowledges the need to address complex socio-ecological challenges with openness, possibility, and also with an aim to disrupt unequal power relations to invite the possibility of more just, equitable, and sustainable futures. Panelists will reflect on their teaching and learning through zine pedagogy and will collectively facilitate a hands-on zine-making opportunity.

• Sara Rimm-Kaufman, Professor, Education Leadership, Foundations & Policy, School of Education and Human Development, UVA
• Lily Fowler, Undergraduate Student, School of Education and Human Development, UVA
• Hannah Lipinski, Undergraduate Student, School of Education and Human Development, UVA
• Drew Seidel, Undergraduate Student, School of Education and Human Development, UVA
• Amy Tran, Undergraduate Student, School of Education and Human Development, UVA

Efforts to support undergraduate students’ character virtues (e.g., curiosity, open-mindedness, discourse across differences) can be beneficial. However, faculty with the best intentions to cultivate character can fall short if they are out of touch with their students’ needs. This student-led presentation provides a framework for integrating character development. The students examine four topics: moral breakdown, academic rigor, increasing equity through character, and building relational classrooms. For each topic, the students will lead practical discussions on ways of implementing character-enhancing practices supplemented by dialogic activities bringing theory into practice.

• Matthew Lazzara, Professor, Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, UVA
• Dorothe Bach, Associate Director & Professor, Center for Teaching Excellence, UVA

For many of us, teaching approaches are informed primarily by our experiences as students. We build on these experiences to create instructional models, typically in an isolated manner that misses opportunities to learn from faculty colleagues. This presentation will describe a model for overcoming this “pedagogical solitude” by forming “Teaching Triangles.” Triangles are comprised of three faculty who make one observation of each other’s classes and have their class observed in return. Triangle members make and share short written reflections at a culminating group lunch. The method for implementing Teaching Triangles will be shared, followed by brief Q&A.

• April Salerno, Associate Professor of Education, Curriculum, Instruction & Special Education, School of Education and Human Development, UVA
• Anne Jewett, Assistant Professor of Education, Curriculum, Instruction & Special Education, School of Education and Human Development, UVA

In this short best practices-focused session, we share tips for encouraging positive and productive interactions in online discussion posts. This session will help instructors both of fully online courses and of in-person courses that use Canvas's discussion feature outside of class. By helping students use appropriate tone in discussions even when emotions run high, we can help build spaces where all students can feel safe sharing their opinions.

• Sasson Rafailov, Lecturer & PhD Candidate, School of Architecture, UVA

Architecture represents one of our society’s most significant material investments, yet architects are often disconnected from the sources of the materials they use to design buildings. This presentation outlines a curricular innovation intended to mend that gap in the form of a “material sourcing assignment,” and will discuss the impact of this innovation on a class of 100 first-year architecture students. By encouraging students to see material stewardship as part of the design process, this assignment aims to help students establish emotional connections with their surroundings and inspires them to take responsibility for the future of the places they inhabit.

• Tim Ball, Professor, Communication Studies, James Madison University

How can we help develop college students’ AI literacy, even when we ourselves are not experts in AI? In this short presentation, participants will be introduced to an AI literacy framework that articulates key AI competencies for educators and their students. They will then explore a set of classroom activities that support students’ AI literacy development within that framework. Participants will have the opportunity to consider how they can engage their students in conversations and activities related to AI in ways relevant to their own teaching contexts and in alignment with their goals for student learning.

• Leyf Starling, Lecturer, First Year Engineering Center, School of Engineering and Applied Science, UVA
• Esther Tian, Associate Professor, First Year Engineering Center, School of Engineering and Applied Science, UVA

Is GenAI scary or exciting? Does it feel okay to use it even if a professor allows it in the course? If so, is this technology trustworthy? As we explore the implications of using GenAI tools in the classroom, we will present current activities designed to engage first year engineering students in developing and understanding analytical approaches to using GenAI tools. Through analyzing these activities and student responses to reflection questions, we will further explore how integrating meaningful reflections about technology use and relevant applications in course content impacts students and their experience in class.

• Kiera Allison, Assistant Professor, McIntire School of Commerce, UVA

Change in higher education evokes a range of emotions. This session explores how educators are navigating the impacts of artificial intelligence, centering the results of a multi-institutional study that asks how instructors are adapting to AI, and how they feel about the changes. By surfacing the voices of writing-focused instructors at various stages of confronting, embracing, adapting to, or resisting the disruptions of GenAI, and by grounding those responses within theories of social and technological disruption, the session offers participants a framework for planning their own classroom AI policies as well as for making sense of their own and their colleagues’ choices.

CTE's Undergraduate Student Teaching Consultants invite you to a facilitated faculty-student lunch conversation. Together, we will explore how emotional awareness can help us work together to deepen learning and engagement.

• Rachel Wahl, Associate Professor, Education Leadership, Foundations & Policy, School of Education and Human Development, UVA
• Natasha Heny, Associate Professor, Education Leadership, Foundations & Policy, School of Education and Human Development, UVA
• Jennifer Pease, Associate Professor, Curriculum, Instruction & Special Education, School of Education and Human Development, UVA
• Annie Rappeport, Instructor and Academic Program Officer, Education Leadership, Foundations & Policy, School of Education and Human Development, UVA
• Beverly Sweeney, Assistant Professor, Education Leadership, Foundations & Policy, School of Education and Human Development, UVA

Eliciting emotion can be a powerful tool for enhancing learning experiences, however strong emotions also have potential for detracting from learning. Such emotions can occur when students feel their own beliefs are under attack or devalued, an which can produce emotional reactions that undermine openness to other views. In this interactive session, faculty will demonstrate activities that help create classroom environments that encourage kindness, curiosity and intellectual humility, which can help support students in discussions that may elicit strong emotions such as regarding differences of opinion on matters of human development, policy, culture and politics.

• Marian Coleman, Part-Time Instructor, FBI National Academy, School of Continuing and Professional Studies, UVA

This interactive workshop is designed to explore the intersection of integrating EI into adult learning models and practices to foster growth mindset and effective learning. This approach emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, empathy, emotional regulation, and social skills for educators. By using critical reflection viewed through the lens of EI, educators can continuously evaluate and adjust teaching methods and instructional strategies to meet the needs of students. Improving educators' responsiveness to students' emotions can further enhance the learning environment empowering educators and students alike to create supportive and engaging classrooms that enhance learning outcomes.

• Lucy Bassett, Professor, Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, UVA

This presentation will share results of scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) research on the benefits of community-engaged projects. The research looked at how students integrate their experience and learning beyond UVA in a lasting way and what makes these courses appealing to and valuable for community organizations. Starting with some context, I will describe the course, which partnered with a local Charlottesville school and an international organization, and summarize the research methodology. Then I’ll present key findings and some strategies for instructors to maximize impact – both for students and participating organizations – through community engagement in their courses.

• Wen Guo, Lecturer, East Asian Languages, Literatures and Cultures, UVA

This presentation explores how integrating artistic practices into diverse educational contexts fosters transformative learning experiences. Through activities such as calligraphy, painting, storytelling, and other forms of creative expression, students engage more deeply with content, moving beyond passive learning to active meaning-making. This multimodal approach supports emotional engagement, cultural exploration, and embodied understanding across disciplines. Drawing on real student reflections and classroom experiences, the session illustrates how art can enhance critical thinking, personal connection, and intercultural awareness. Attendees will gain adaptable strategies for incorporating creative, inclusive, and interdisciplinary practices into their teaching to foster engagement and intercultural competence.

• Yanbin Li, Assistant Professor, Psychology, James Madison University
• Feixue Mei, Assistant Professor, Art Design & Art History, James Madison University

We propose a conceptual framework and practical strategies for interdisciplinary teaching and learning from the perspectives of psychology and visual communication. Grounded in scaffolding theory and Woods’ (2007) Interdisciplinary Communicative Competence framework, we propose a model that incorporates three principles: (1) Mutual mentor-mentee collaboration, (2) High challenge and high support, and (3) Critical interdisciplinary awareness. We will discuss six step-by-step teaching strategies that foster interdisciplinary collaboration, enhance student learning outcomes, and promote creativity. Attendees will gain insights into applying these strategies in their own classrooms.

• Jelena Samonina, Assistant Professor, Chemistry, UVA
• Uyen Tran, Undergraduate Student, Chemistry, UVA

In the high-stakes pre-health track courses, competition often hindered collaboration and peer learning. This project restructured Biochemistry discussion sessions, replacing large-group discussions with small, role-based teams to foster cooperation and accountability. Active learning strategies including problem sets, case studies, and mock exams enhanced comprehension and reduced test anxiety. By shifting from competition to teamwork, students improved both academic performance and essential collaborative skills for their future careers. Impact assessments through surveys, peer evaluations, and performance comparisons provided insights for refining and expanding this approach.

• Mariana Teles, Associate Professor, Psychology, UVA

This presentation reports findings from a pilot project that established a Learning Hub for first-year students. Drawing on cognitive science principles, the program implemented evidence-based learning strategies focused on note-taking, complex text comprehension, active reading, exam preparation, among others. Using a randomized controlled design with 40 students, the intervention comprised six sessions integrated with students' coursework. Preliminary results demonstrate the effectiveness of applying cognitive science research to enhance learning outcomes. The presentation will share practical implementation strategies and lessons learned from this initiative.

• Emily Kable, Graduate Student, Chemistry, UVA

To support instructor’s adoption of student-centered instructional strategies, efforts have explored different factors that influence adoption. Instructors’ emotions experienced in the classroom has been associated with their adoption of instructional strategies; however, there is a need to understand what emotions instructors are experiencing. This study characterizes emotions that 125 physics and astronomy instructors describe feeling during a previous teaching experience and reasons connected to those described emotions. These findings will be explored to support instructors in normalizing the emotions instructors may feel in the classroom and how to grow from these experiences.

• Molly Nichols, CTE Intern and PhD Candidate, English, UVA
• Sarah Rose Cavanagh, Senior Associate Director for Teaching and Learning, Center for Faculty Excellence, Simmons University; 2025 Summit Keynote Speaker

Do you want to create an engaging learning environment for your students? Wondering what roles emotions play in such a classroom? In The Spark of Learning, author and educator Sarah Rose Cavanagh demonstrates how emotions influence cognition and offers practical strategies for educators to harness emotional dynamics in order to enhance teaching effectiveness.

Join this session to meet the author and discuss her book and takeaways from her keynote presentation.