Episodes

Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
Fumble Forward
Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
Preconceptions and biases often interfere with productive discussions and interpersonal interactions. In this episode, Donna Mejia joins us to discuss strategies that she has developed to address these preconceptions and to humanize classroom interactions. Donna is the Chancellor’s Scholar in Residence at the Renee Crown Wellness Institute and an Associate Professor of Theatre and Dance at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is the author of a chapter in Picture a Professor, edited by Jessamyn Neuhaus.
A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Collaborative Rubric Construction
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Students may not immediately trust faculty who they perceive as being different from themselves. In this episode, Dr. Fen Kennedy joins us to discuss how collaborative rubric construction can be used as a strategy for building and maintaining trust. Fen is an assistant professor of dance at the University of Alabama and the author of a chapter in Picture a Professor, edited by Jessamyn Neuhaus.
A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
Reflect to Deflect
Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
Students experiencing difficulty in challenging courses will sometimes blame their professor, especially when their professor’s identity does not align with the student’s cultural stereotype of who is a professor. In this episode, Melissa Eblen-Zayas joins us to discuss how she uses metacognitive reflection exercises to address student biases.
Melissa is a Professor of Physics in the Department of Astronomy and Physics at Carleton College. Melissa has served as a Director of a teaching center, and has published extensively on a wide variety of topics such as STEM education, student metacognition, and diversity, equity and inclusion. One of her most recent publications is a chapter in Picture a Professor, edited by Jessamyn Neuhaus.
A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Wednesday Sep 28, 2022
Sharing Our Stories
Wednesday Sep 28, 2022
Wednesday Sep 28, 2022
Students do not always recognize the expertise of faculty who do not match their cultural stereotype of what a professor looks like. In this episode, Sarah Mayes-Tang joins us to discuss how she has used personal narratives to address these student biases. Sarah is an Assistant Professor in the Mathematics Department at the St. George Campus of the University of Toronto. She is also the author of a chapter in the Picture a Professor project, edited by Jessamyn Neuhaus.
A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Wednesday Apr 07, 2021
Gender and Groups
Wednesday Apr 07, 2021
Wednesday Apr 07, 2021
When we sort students into cooperative learning groups, we often attempt to create balanced groups that reflect the diversity of the students in our classes. In this episode Olga Stoddard joins us to discuss her recent research that suggests that this approach can be harmful for female students in classes in which a majority of the students are male.
Olga is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Brigham Young University, a Research Fellow at IZA (the Institute of Labor Economics), and the Research Director at the Science of Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, and the Co-Director of the Gender and Civic Engagement lab at BYU.
A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Wednesday Jan 29, 2020
Biases in Student Evaluations of Teaching
Wednesday Jan 29, 2020
Wednesday Jan 29, 2020
A growing body of evidence suggests that student evaluations of teaching are subject to gender and racial bias. In this episode, Dr. Kristina Mitchell joins us to discuss her recent study that examines these issues. After six years as the Director of Online Education at Texas Tech University, Kristina now works for a science curriculum publishing company and teaches part time at San Jose State University.
A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Wednesday Jul 10, 2019
Teaching About Race
Wednesday Jul 10, 2019
Wednesday Jul 10, 2019
Class discussions of race and racism can be difficult for all participants. In this episode, Dr. Cyndi Kernahan joins us to discuss ways of building a classroom climate in which these issues may be productively explored.
Cyndi is a psychology professor and Assistant Dean for Teaching and Learning at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls. She's the author of Teaching about Race and Racism in the College Class: Notes from a White Professor, which will be available from West Virginia University Press in Fall 2019. The book will be part of the Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Series edited by James Lang.
A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Wednesday Dec 19, 2018
Inclusive teaching
Wednesday Dec 19, 2018
Wednesday Dec 19, 2018
Are your class conversations dominated by a small number of voices? In this episode, Dr. Danica Savonick joins us to discuss a variety of class activities that support an inclusive learning environment and promote equity in participation while increasing student learning. Danica is an Assistant Professor of Multi-Ethnic Literature at SUNY Cortland, and a recipient of the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders award, a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship in Women's Studies, and a Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship.
A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Wednesday Apr 11, 2018
Gender Bias in Course Evaluations
Wednesday Apr 11, 2018
Wednesday Apr 11, 2018
Have you ever received comments in student evaluations that focus on your appearance, your personality, or competence? Do students refer to you as teacher or an inappropriate title, like Mr. or Mrs., rather than professor? For some, this may sound all too familiar. Kristina Mitchell, a Political Science Professor from Texas Tech University, joins us in this episode to discuss her research exploring gender bias in student course evaluations.
A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.