Intentional Teaching, a show about teaching in higher education

Derek Bruff

Intentional Teaching is a podcast aimed at educators to help them develop foundational teaching skills and explore new ideas in teaching. Hosted by educator and author Derek Bruff, the podcast features interviews with educators throughout higher ed. (Intentional Teaching is sponsored by UPCEA, the online and professional education association.)

  1. Reimagining Grading with Sharona Krinsky and Robert Bosley

    3D AGO

    Reimagining Grading with Sharona Krinsky and Robert Bosley

    This past December, I had the honor of being a guest on the Grading Podcast ("reimagining grading as a tool for student success") hosted by Sharona Krinsky and Robert Bosley. We had such a great conversation that I thought I would return the favor and invite Sharona and Boz on my podcast. Sharona Krinsky is the executive director of the Center for Grading Reform, a non-profit that hosts an annual conference on grading, among other things. She’s also a math instructor at California State Los Angeles. Robert Bosley, better known as Boz, is director of programming for K12 at the Center for Grading Reform and an instructional coach in the Los Angeles Unified School District.  In our conversation, Sharona and Boz share why they named their podcast the Grading Podcast and not the Alternative Grading Podcast. They also share the state of the grading reform movement here in 2026 and talk about the barriers that teachers face when trying to adopt alternative grading practices. And they have advice for centers for teaching and learning on supporting grading reform on their campuses. Episode Resources The Grading Podcast The Center for Grading Reform The Grading Conference Derek’s appearance on the Grading Podcast Support the show Podcast Links: Intentional Teaching is sponsored by UPCEA, the online and professional education association. Subscribe to the Intentional Teaching newsletter: https://derekbruff.ck.page/subscribe Subscribe to Intentional Teaching bonus episodes: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2069949/supporters/new Support Intentional Teaching on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intentionalteaching Find me on LinkedIn and Bluesky. See my website for my "Agile Learning" blog and information about having me speak at your campus or conference.

    48 min
  2. Student-Designed AI Chatbots with Windy Frank and Sarah Gibson

    FEB 10

    Student-Designed AI Chatbots with Windy Frank and Sarah Gibson

    When I heard my friend Windy Frank, an adjunct faculty at Lipscomb University here in Nashville, talk about an assignment of hers in which students designed custom AI chatbots, I was very interested. Windy teaches in the College of Bible at Lipscomb, and she asked her students to create AI chatbots based on figures in the Old Testament. Students then engaged their chatbots in conversation, asking the prophet Jonah about his biggest failure or Daniel to make up some names for the lions he famously encountered. Today on the podcast, I talk with Windy Frank and with Sarah Gibson, faculty fellow for AI and professor of communication at Lipscomb about Windy’s assignment in particular and about Lipscomb’s approach to generative AI more generally. They share what led to the Lipscomb faculty pushing its administration to provide AI tools for the entire campus, and the kinds of objections that students have had to AI-integrated assignments—including religious objections from students at this faith-based university.  Episode Resources Sarah Gibson’s faculty page, https://lipscomb.edu/directory/gibson-sarah Sarah Gibson’s website, https://professorgibson.com/ Windy Frank on the Lipscomb University College of Bible and Ministry podcast BoodleBox Support the show Podcast Links: Intentional Teaching is sponsored by UPCEA, the online and professional education association. Subscribe to the Intentional Teaching newsletter: https://derekbruff.ck.page/subscribe Subscribe to Intentional Teaching bonus episodes: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2069949/supporters/new Support Intentional Teaching on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intentionalteaching Find me on LinkedIn and Bluesky. See my website for my "Agile Learning" blog and information about having me speak at your campus or conference.

    44 min
  3. Students and AI Literacy with Annette Vee

    JAN 13

    Students and AI Literacy with Annette Vee

    Annette Vee is an associate professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh and co-author (with Marc Watkins and your podcast host) of the forthcoming book The Norton Guide to AI-Aware Teaching. Annette and I met through this writing project, and I invited her on the podcast to get to know her better.  Annette and I cover a lot of ground in our conversation: how computational literacy is changing in light of AI, whether there is such a thing as “AI literacy,” what she has learned from talking to hundreds of students about AI, and why AI needs to be on the college curriculum.  Episode Resources Annette Vee’s faculty website Annette Vee on LinkedIn Annette Vee’s Computation & Writing newsletter AI & How We Teach, a Norton newsletter for AI-aware teachers The Norton Guide to AI-Aware Teaching, forthcoming by Annette Vee, Marc Watkins, and Derek Bruff “How Are Students Using AI? A Research Toolkit for Faculty” webinar recording “What Past Education Technology Failures Can Teach Us about the Future of AI in Schools” by Justin Reich Support the show Podcast Links: Intentional Teaching is sponsored by UPCEA, the online and professional education association. Subscribe to the Intentional Teaching newsletter: https://derekbruff.ck.page/subscribe Subscribe to Intentional Teaching bonus episodes: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2069949/supporters/new Support Intentional Teaching on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intentionalteaching Find me on LinkedIn and Bluesky. See my website for my "Agile Learning" blog and information about having me speak at your campus or conference.

    38 min
  4. Teaching for Deep Learning with Ken Bain

    12/16/2025

    Teaching for Deep Learning with Ken Bain

    Ken Bain was the author of What the Best College Teachers Do, a book that has helped many college educators apply the science of learning to their teaching practice. He was also the founding director of the Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching, which is why I interviewed him in 2023 for an oral history I was producing about the CFT. Ken Bain passed away in October 2025, and I wanted to honor his legacy by sharing my full interview with him from 2023. In this episode, Ken talks about his work starting the teaching center at Vanderbilt and how that work helped faculty at Vanderbilt and elsewhere develop teaching strategies for deep learning. I was honored to talk with him that day in 2023, and I've always been honored to follow in his footsteps in faculty development. Episode Resources Ken Bain’s obituary Jim Lang’s post about Ken’s passing What the Best College Teachers Do An Oral History of the Vanderbilt Center for Teaching Photos from the CFT’s 35th Anniversary   Support the show Podcast Links: Intentional Teaching is sponsored by UPCEA, the online and professional education association. Subscribe to the Intentional Teaching newsletter: https://derekbruff.ck.page/subscribe Subscribe to Intentional Teaching bonus episodes: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2069949/supporters/new Support Intentional Teaching on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intentionalteaching Find me on LinkedIn and Bluesky. See my website for my "Agile Learning" blog and information about having me speak at your campus or conference.

    52 min
  5. Every Student an Entrepreneur with Jeff Meade

    12/02/2025

    Every Student an Entrepreneur with Jeff Meade

    What if your college or university decided that every undergraduate student there would be an entrepreneur, not just studying entrepreneurship but doing it? That’s exactly the decision made a few years ago by the leadership at Paul Quinn College in Dallas, Texas. Paul Quinn is an HBCU with a small student body, just 700 students. This year, the college has launched a new program called Every Quinnite Is an Entrepreneur. The goal? Every student, regardless of major, launches and operates a real venture before graduation. On the podcast today, I talk with Jeff Meade, founding director of Every Quinnite Is an Entrepreneur. Jeff came to Paul Quinn last year with 20 years experience growing companies and advising businesses. We talk about his institution’s bold approach to preparing students for life after college and what venture-based learning looks like as this new program gets moving. Episode Resources Jeff Meade on LinkedIn Paul Quinn College Every Quinnite Is an Entrepreneur Support the show Podcast Links: Intentional Teaching is sponsored by UPCEA, the online and professional education association. Subscribe to the Intentional Teaching newsletter: https://derekbruff.ck.page/subscribe Subscribe to Intentional Teaching bonus episodes: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2069949/supporters/new Support Intentional Teaching on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intentionalteaching Find me on LinkedIn and Bluesky. See my website for my "Agile Learning" blog and information about having me speak at your campus or conference.

    38 min
  6. Take It or Leave It with Michelle Beavers, Leo Lo, and Sara McClellan

    11/18/2025

    Take It or Leave It with Michelle Beavers, Leo Lo, and Sara McClellan

    I’m back with another “Take It or Leave It” panel! This one is a little different. On October 2nd, in my role as associate director of the UVA Center for Teaching Excellence, I hosted a virtual panel titled “Take It or Leave It: AI’s Role in Online Learning” featuring three fantastic UVA colleagues. The conversation went very well, and the panelists and the CTE gave me permission to share the audio from the panel here on the Intentional Teaching podcast.  The panelists for this edition of Take It or Leave It are all at the University of Virginia. Michelle Beavers is associate professor and coordinator of the Administration and Supervision Program in UVA’s School of Education and Human Development. Leo Lo is dean of libraries and university librarian, advisor to the provost on AI literacy, and professor of education. Sara McClellan is assistant professor of professional studies and program coordinator of the Public Administration Certificate Program at UVA’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. You’ll hear me briefly describe five recent op-eds on teaching and learning in higher ed. For each op-ed, I’ll ask each of our panelists if they “take it,” that is, generally agree with the main thesis of the essay, or “leave it.” This is an artificial binary that I’ve found to generate rich discussion of the issues at hand.  Episode Resources ·       Michelle Beavers’ faculty page ·       Leo Lo’s LinkedIn page ·       Sara McClellan’s website ·       Essay 1: “Are You Ready for the AI University?”, Scott Latham, April 4, 2025 ·       Essay 2: “AI Risks Undermining the Heart of Higher Education,” Zahid Naz, April 21, 2025 ·       Essay 3: “Urgent Need for AI Literacy,” Ray Schroeder, April 30, 2025 ·       Essay 4: “Sometimes We Resist AI for Good Reasons,” Kevin Gannon, September 24, 2025 ·       Essay 5: “On AI, We Reap What We Sow,” Chad Hanson, September 10, 2025 Support the show Podcast Links: Intentional Teaching is sponsored by UPCEA, the online and professional education association. Subscribe to the Intentional Teaching newsletter: https://derekbruff.ck.page/subscribe Subscribe to Intentional Teaching bonus episodes: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2069949/supporters/new Support Intentional Teaching on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intentionalteaching Find me on LinkedIn and Bluesky. See my website for my "Agile Learning" blog and information about having me speak at your campus or conference.

    52 min

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Intentional Teaching is a podcast aimed at educators to help them develop foundational teaching skills and explore new ideas in teaching. Hosted by educator and author Derek Bruff, the podcast features interviews with educators throughout higher ed. (Intentional Teaching is sponsored by UPCEA, the online and professional education association.)

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