Teaching in Higher Ed

Matthew Mahavongtrakul, a first-generation, multilingual educator with a PhD in epigenetics, shares practical productivity and neuroscience-informed teaching strategies. He discusses the Eisenhower matrix, time-boxing and triage tactics. Conversation highlights asking for help, iterating systems until they become habit, and simple tools for breaking down tasks to protect our future selves.

They explain how RSS cuts through algorithm noise to deliver the content you choose. They compare aggregators and readers and name practical tools for collecting and reading feeds. They share clever feed ideas—from journals to quirky sites—and ways to handle paywalls and newsletters. They also touch on using peer instruction to spark curiosity before teaching.

Marc Watkins, director of the AI Institute for Teachers and lecturer in writing and rhetoric, discusses balancing skepticism and curiosity about AI in teaching. He covers faculty anxiety and inconsistent AI policies, the need for clear institutional guidance, risks to online learning from agentic AIs, and assessment redesigns like embodied tasks and layered strategies to preserve human-centered education.

Lynn Meade, a teaching associate professor at the University of Arkansas who builds bridges between academics and career readiness, discusses ePortfolios as curated, reflective collections of student work. She explains focusing on audience and purpose. She highlights using portfolios for competencies, goal setting, authentic student voice, and making work portable after graduation.

Danny Mann, leader at UC Irvine’s Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation with a Ph.D. in cognitive science. He discusses why peace, joy, and community matter in teaching. He outlines reflective exercises to discover purpose. He talks about creating space for student sharing, handling tough conversations with norms, and pausing to reduce hierarchy and build trust.

Mike Cross, a chemistry and forensic science professor who once enrolled undercover as a student, describes immersive teaching experiments and creative, student-centered assignments. He recounts tiny experiments that reshape classrooms. He talks about playful labs, publishing students’ children’s science books, and designing applied forensic courses to boost engagement and evidence-based thinking.

Theresa Duong, a pedagogical wellness specialist at UC Irvine who bridges wellness, pedagogy, and faculty development. She explores what it means to create classroom conditions for student flourishing. Short practical practices, mentorship’s role in academic wellbeing, campus-level initiatives, and building communities of practice are highlighted.

Sheila Tabanli, educator and researcher on inclusive math teaching and cognitive apprenticeship. She explains the novice-to-expert perception gap and why trying a course as a beginner is eye-opening. She discusses balancing rigor with compassion, cognitive apprenticeship and interleaved practice, building classroom community, and practical study habits like retrieval practice and chunking.

Josh Brake, associate professor at Harvey Mudd and writer on technology and human flourishing, uses an e-bike ride to explore AI as augmentation. He compares pedal-assist versus replacement, warns about speed enabling unreflective choices, discusses copyright and appropriation risks, and urges community checks and intentional purpose when adopting AI tools.

Karen Costa, a faculty development facilitator and author of "An Educator’s Guide to ADHD," discusses reshaping views on ADHD in education. She emphasizes that students with ADHD are assets, not burdens, and critiques the problematic romanticization of ADHD as a superpower. Karen shares methods for creating supportive learning environments, like high expectations paired with flexibility, and highlights the importance of strong instructor presence in online settings. She also offers practical tools like checklists and external memory aids to aid students' success.