Teaching in the CTEI CTEI

Establishing and maintaining a culture of trust in the classroom isn't easy and the advent of generative AI has made this task all the more challenging for teachers at every level.

In this episode, Angela and guests, Nadine Lerret, Wendy Zajack, and Laura Dumin discuss their strategies for building and maintaining trust in their classrooms in the age of AI. While emphasizing ethical, responsible, and transparent use by both teacher and student, guests reflect on to what degree they use AI in their teaching and allow students to use it in their learning. Concrete steps for building trust, as well as positive and negative experiences and how to overcome them are also discussed.

A big thank you to our guests for their insights and for leading the way in this emerging field!

Episode ⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠.



Nadine Lerret: Dr. Nadine Lerret obtained her PhD in Immunology from RUSH University in 2011.  She is currently an associate professor and the program director for the Medical Laboratory Science program here at RUSH University.  Her position as a passionate educator and director in the underrepresented field of medical laboratory science enables her to spread enthusiasm and knowledge while serving as a mentor for the next generation.  

Dr. Lerret has been exploring the use of AI alongside her students in the classroom and also as an administrator in higher education and recently gave a talk at the 2024 Clinical Laboratory Science Educators Conference titled “Elevating Education: Harnessing ChatGPT and Generative AI for MLS Educators and Program Directors”.  She is also giving a RUSHU Tedx talk next month focused on the use of AI in healthcare education.   



Wendy Zajack: With more than 20 years of experience in public relations, marketing, media relations and internal communications, Dr. Wendy Zajack thrives on working to make complex topics easy to understand, exciting and relevant to broad audiences. She spent her corporate career working for large, global organizations building messaging for multiple audiences and using a variety of marketing channels. She now spends her time thinking about the intersection of education, communications and technology and how to thoughtfully deliver tailored, personalized and impactful curriculum to adult learners.

She is a faculty director and associate professor of the practice for a master’s level Integrated Marketing Communications and a Design Management Communications program in the School of Continuing Studies. She is an active blogger and enjoys speaking at industry conferences and universities about the power of branding and communications, personal branding, salary negotiation, business marketing trends, importance of ethics, online education, education technology as well as educating millennials and GenZs.



Laura Dumin: Dr. Laura Dumin obtained her PhD in English from Oklahoma State University in 2010. She is a professor in English and Technical Writing at the University of Central Oklahoma. She has been exploring the impact of generative AI on writing classrooms and runs a Facebook learning community to allow instructors to learn from each other https://www.facebook.com/groups/632930835501841

When she is not teaching, Laura works as a co-managing editor for the Journal of Transformative Learning, directs the Technical Writing BA and advises the Composition and Rhetoric MA program, and was a campus SoTL mentor. She has created four micro-credentials for the Technical Writing program and one for faculty who complete her AI workshop on campus.

In this episode, Angela and guests, Stephanie Richter, Melody Buckner, and Laura Ramp discuss the value of university centers for teaching and learning (CTLs). While they may go by many different names and acronyms, CTLs are vital resources for faculty, offering among other things, instructional, curricular, and LMS support, and as always, a sympathetic ear.

Our guests, all leaders at their respective institutions, reflect on the variety of services provided by their centers and how CTLs can support faculty especially in times of change or difficulty. Also discussed are suggestions for how CTLs can demonstrate their value at their institutions.

We are so thankful to our guests for their participation and insights and for the work they do to support faculty and students!

Stephanie Richter serves as the Director of Teaching Excellence and Support in the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning at Northern Illinois University.

Melody Buckner serves as the Associate Vice Provost of Digital Learning and Online Initiatives for the University Center for Assessment, Teaching, and Technology (UCATT) at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.

Laura Ramp serves as Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at PennState Harrisburg.

Episode transcript.

In Part 2 of this series, Angela continues this important conversation with three new guests: Drs. Tomeka Dowling, Caleb Simmons, and Darlene Ritz. Building upon topics discussed in Part 1 , Angela and guests reflect on the often unseen emotional labor of teaching. Topics discussed include managing student issues and needs and societal norms around emotion in the classroom. Guests offer suggestions for how to cope with these often unwritten expectations.

TW: This episode contains a discussion of domestic violence. Please listen with care and contact the Nation Domestic Violence Hotline if you need help.

CTEI extends a big thank you to our guests for their participation!

Dr. Tomeka Dowling is an Assistant Professor and Director of DNP Curriculum and Operations at Rush University College of Nursing. As director of a nationally ranked DNP program, she is focused on ensuring standardized processes within the program, college, and university that promote educational equity, inclusive learning environments as well as integrate instructional strategies for diverse learners. Dr. Dowling has a passion to move beyond the rhetoric of inclusion and diversity to integrating strategies that promote inclusion in, and resilience beyond, the classroom.

Dr. Caleb Simmons is the Executive Director of Online Education overseeing Arizona Online, UArizona's online campus serving over 9,000 students. He is also Professor of Religious Studies, and Faculty Director of the Interdisciplinary Studies Program. He specializes in digital and online learning and religion in South Asia, especially Hinduism. He has recently been named a Center for University Education Scholarship (CUES) Distinguished Fellow for his research on online pedagogy.

Dr. Darlene C. Ritz is Higher Education Product Specialist for Beyond Campus Innovation and is dedicated to improving the student experience in online learning. Darlene has been in the classroom for two decades and understands that education is a transformational process, and requires a holistic approach.



Episode transcript.

In this episode, Angela speaks with guests about a topic not often discussed in higher education or faculty development, the emotional side of teaching. Guests Maggie Ervin, Autumn Cartagena, and Stephanie Blaher reflect on what it means to consider the emotional labor involved in teaching, how to manage it and support your students in the process. Topics include the emotional challenges of teaching college students, the social and relational elements of teaching and learning, and how emotion can and should be built into existing processes, faculty training and support.

We thank our wonderful guests for their vulnerability, humility and excellent suggestions!


Maggie Ervin is the Specialist for Alternative Credit and Credentials at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.  Prior to her current position, she worked as an Assistant Professor in the Education and English Departments of Greenville University.  Maggie’s teaching experience spans almost twenty years, twelve of which were spent teaching high school.


Autumn Cartagena is a staff member in the Ivy College of Business at Iowa State University where she coordinates accreditation, facilitates faculty training, and supports course design.  She is also an adjunct instructor and former online program director in the Department of Psychology at Waldorf University.


Stephanie Blaher is a Collegiate Associate Professor at University of Maryland Global Campus. She specializes in the Program and Career Exploration courses (PACE), working with both students and adjunct faculty to ensure students are prepared for a successful academic and professional career. She has worked in online education for over 10 years, supporting students and faculty in both first-year and information technology courses.



Episode transcript.

It's likely that many of us have experienced or practiced traditional lecturing where all or the majority of class time is spent with the instructor giving a lecture and the students passively absorbing it. You may have heard it described as the "sage on the stage" approach, and we all know how that often goes, in one ear and out the other. Know that if you're doing this, you're not alone. Many of us start by teaching how we were taught, and lots of us were taught through traditional lecture. Are you interested in making a change and looking for other ways to teach, approaches that engage your students with the material and move them from passive to active learners? If so, you've come to the right place!

In this episode, Angela and honored guests, Ashley Tharpe, Branka Manojlovic, Chris Ferrigno, and Mike Bradaric discuss alternatives to the traditional lecture and reflect on their own experiences learning and teaching using active learning strategies. They offer practical advice on how to reserve in-class time for discussion, application, and group work, while still allowing time for lecturing as needed, and the pedagogical reasons for doing so. They also discuss how faculty can get help implementing these changes.

CTEI extends a big thank you to our guests and their valuable contributions to this discussion!

Dr. Ashley Tharpe is an Online Chair in the School of Business and Associate Professor for the Department of Public & Community Health at Liberty University. She holds an EdD in Educational Leadership, Master of Public Health, MA in Human Relations, a MS in Health Sciences, and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. She is currently serving as the past-president of the Virginia Public Health Association (VPHA) and serves on several health-related committees with ImmunizeVA, VPHA, and the Northeastern Distance Learning Association board of directors. Dr. Tharpe is passionate about online education, supporting faculty, and the optimal health of people and communities.

Branka Manojlovic is an Instructional Designer (ID) at the Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation at Rush University. Branka has been working in the field of Instructional Design for the past 10 years. Prior to coming to CTEI, Branka worked as an ID at Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies and Indiana University Northwest Center for Innovation and Scholarship in Teaching and Learning.

Dr. Chris Ferrigno is an assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology. Prior to coming to Rush in 2011, he was a Physical Therapist. He completed his PhD in Anatomy and Biomechanics at Rush University in 2015, and subsequently joined the Rush faculty. He teaches courses in gross anatomy and neurobiology for the medical, nursing, and health sciences colleges at Rush. His clinical research interests are in the areas of knee osteoarthritis and gait analysis, as well as anatomy education.

Dr. Michael Bradaric is an associate professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and the current Director of Pharmacology for Rush Medical College. Mike has a PhD in pharmacology and was a cancer researcher specializing in gynecologic malignancies. Prior to his position at Rush, he taught integrated pharmacology for Chicago State College of Pharmacy, where he researched anticancer compounds from marine sources.



Episode transcript

Have you experimented with ChatGPT, Google Bard, or DALL-E, also known as generative AI tools, but are feeling overwhelmed by the sheer pace with which these tools are transforming education and society at large? Since AI is rapidly evolving, as educators, it's hard to know where to begin and how or if to utilize Generative AI in our teaching. In this episode, Angela and guests, Emily Rush, Matt Swagler, Kerry O'Grady, and Claudia Martinez discuss how they've used generative AI in their teaching and professional practices and what their student responses have been to the advent of these tools. As early adopters, they also share their advice on how to incorporate AI in classroom activities, assignments, and what they've learned in the process. They also reflect on how AI has forced them to reconsider their teaching and design practices as a whole. The big takeaway: to paraphrase Brent Anders, it doesn't have to be all or nothing with AI. Being intentional about if, how, and when we use it is key!

Thank you to all guests for your valuable insights and your impressive leadership in the realm of AI and education!

Dr. Emily Rush is an instructional designer for CTEI at Rush, where she assists instructors with course design and faculty development. She also brings to her role prior experience as a university-level instructor in the humanities. Emily is passionate about putting learning science into practice and is a self-described AI enthusiast.

Dr. Matthew Swagler is an Assistant Professor of History at Connecticut College, where he also teaches in the Africana Studies, American Studies, and Gender, Sexuality and Intersectionality Studies programs. Matt was previously a faculty member at Williams College and worked at the Baruch College Writing Center. 

Dr. Kerry O’Grady is an Associate Professor of Public Relations and Corporate Communications. Kerry has been teaching at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels for 14 years and is currently on the Pre-College teaching support team at Columbia University, as well as a faculty affairs and curriculum consultant at The Rochester Institute of Technology. Threads: @DrOGrady 

Claudia G. Martinez, MA, is a faculty member in the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences program at Rush University, where she is teaching Professional Writing this summer. Martinez is also an award-winning published writer of several books for young readers.



Episode title suggested by Claude.ai

Episode transcript