Eberly Center › Faculty Series on Teaching and Learning

Faculty Series on Teaching and Learning

Adapting to Generative AI in the Classroom

Wednesday, August 7, 12:00-1:00 p.m. - remote via Zoom
Tuesday, August 13, 9:00-10:00 a.m. - remote via Zoom

Generative artificial intelligence seems to pose many new challenges to educators as it significantly transforms the tools we can use to write text, code, and create images. These tools have some definite uses and some significant drawbacks. Grounded in recent research on generative AI, participants will evaluate whether generative AI is appropriate for various educational tasks, like proofreading essays, brainstorming ideas, or coding exercises. The goal is to see how the limitations and affordances of these tools align with common tasks that we ask students to do.

Incoming Faculty Orientation

Monday and Tuesday, August 19-20, 8:30-4:00 p.m., Tepper Quad 4242

This two day workshop is an opportunity to meet other new faculty and explore what CMU has to offer. Programming includes a welcome from senior leadership, details about and support for in person teaching for Fall, guidance on teaching and learning techniques, information on supporting student well-being, opportunities for small group discussion, and more.

More information and registration here

Facilitating Difficult Dialogues

Monday, September 9, 12:00-1:00 p.m., Tepper Quad 1308

Race, politics, religion, gender equity, and many other controversial topics are all sources of tension in American culture, and these issues can arise in class conversations—even if the course is not explicitly focused on these topics. When students engage in passionate disagreement or even resort to personal attacks, it is our responsibility as instructors to proactively address this conflict, both in the moment and afterwards. In this seminar, we will consider ways to make these “difficult dialogues” productive for both students and instructors. Participants will consider the pedagogical rationale for creating an inclusive environment in the classroom, discuss the reasons students may or may not participate in difficult dialogues, and generate strategies for managing “hot moments” in the classroom. These dialogues can have a considerable impact on individual student learning and, consequently, have a positive impact on classroom and campus climate.

8th Annual Teaching and Learning Summit

Friday, October 4, 12:30-4:30 p.m., Rangos Ballroom

This highly interactive event is designed to...

foster dialogue, networking, and collaboration within and across disciplines.
showcase the transferable, evidence-based, and innovative teaching strategies employed by CMU instructors of all types.
disseminate the educational research of CMU instructors and learning scientists.

REGISTER: Sign up to attend the Teaching & Learning Summit! The event is drop-in style, meaning that you do not need to attend the entire event—register once and select the sessions you intend to attend.

SUBMIT A PROPOSAL: Are you interested in sharing your teaching and learning experiences with your colleagues at this event? Submit your proposal to share your ideas in one of the Showcase Sessions. Proposals are due on Monday, August 5th, at 9:00 a.m. ET.

Coming Soon! Recurring Signature Eberly Center Programs

Instrumented, Technology-enhanced, Active Learning Classrooms

Proposal due date: TBD

Program duration: up to one semester of class sessions

The Eberly Center provides two instrumented technology-enhanced, active learning classrooms in the Tepper Quad. These rooms are designed to capture rich data on classroom interactions and behaviors that can be used for (a) formative feedback on your teaching and your students’ learning, (b) exploring the effect of a new technology or pedagogy you wish to incorporate in your course, (c) conducting educational research in a real class setting, and more! Faculty work closely with Eberly colleagues to design and implement their proposed use of an instrumented classroom as well as to collect, interpret, and apply any data collected.

For more info: see examples of use cases and the classroom request form

Teaching as Research Institute:
Can generative AI tools enhance student learning?

Are you wondering how generative AI tools might enhance student learning and equity in CMU courses? Join a community of instructor-scholars brainstorming how to apply generative AI tools in their teaching AND measure the impacts on student learning! Prior experience with AI or educational research is NOT required.

This 4-session program will help you generate ideas for teaching innovations AND prepare to study them in your own CMU course, with tangible Eberly Center support from start to finish. Participants will:

- Design a generative AI teaching intervention to implement and investigate,
- Identify data sources to measure student learning,
- Design a study to conduct in your course, and
- Exit with an action plan, including Eberly support, that you could submit as a Teaching as Research Fellowship proposal.

Teaching as Research Fellowship: Generative AI

Generative AI Teaching as Research (GAITAR) Fellows receive a $5000 award and copious in-kind support from a team of Eberly Center colleagues to:

implement a teaching innovation using a generative AI tool in a Spring or Fall 2024 CMU course;
measure the impacts of the innovation on student learning; and
disseminate findings at CMU and beyond.

Fellows also participate in a special interest group of instructor-scholars meeting several times per semester to discuss their successes, challenges, and lessons learned teaching with generative AI tools.

Prior experience with generative AI or educational research is NOT required.
All CMU instructors of record are eligible to apply.

Wimmer Faculty Fellowship for the Development of Teaching

Wimmer Fellowships provide resources and Eberly Center support to junior faculty designing or redesigning a course by innovating course materials and/or pedagogical approaches. Each Fellow works in close collaboration with Eberly Center colleagues to design, implement, and assess the impacts of their innovations.

See more information on the Wimmer Fellowship here...