Coffee Break Classroom: Brewed for Higher Ed

Coffee Break Classroom: Brewed for Higher Ed
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Welcome to Coffee Break Classroom: Brewed for Higher Ed, where teaching meets good vibes! Join Ben and Amanda—two higher ed pros who love their work, their students, and, most importantly, a good laugh. This isn’t your typical academic deep dive (no dry lectures here!). Instead, we blend real classroom experiences, educational research, and practical pedagogy with plenty of humor and friendly banter. Whether you’re a seasoned professor, a new instructor, or just curious about what really happens behind the syllabus, we’ve got you covered.

  1. FEB 17

    24. Don't worry, Mom, I got this! Informal Learning Environments

    Don’t skip the intro on this one, folks. Amanda’s story is a wild one and the perfect lead into an episode on informal learning environments. From their own experiences to working with students, they unpack why they think informal learning is so valuable and what makes a good informal learning experience. Join them in brainstorming ways to create space for learning to happen beyond what is just required in the classroom. Informal learning - it’s practical, personal experience, and just a good time! This episode is hosted by Amanda Colosimo and Benjamin Schermerhorn. Music for the opening and closing of the episode was mixed by Clayton Behlok.

    47 min

  2. FEB 3

    23. Designing for Significant Learning in the Age of AI

    How can A.I. help us as faculty with designing a course for significant learning? Will Amanda get any help hanging her new TV? Grab your favorite beverage and settle in. After catching up from the holiday, Amanda and Ben get back to work talking about backward design – course design that starts with what we want students to know at the end. As they discuss how this approach has influenced their courses, they delve into the areas of significant learning and naturally A.I. If we can offload design for foundational knowledge, what does that leave us to do? Ben and Amanda’s answer: The most important part of being an educator. This episode discusses principles of backward design as written in Designing for Significant Learning by L. Dee Fink and Understanding by Design by G. Wiggins & J McTighe. This episode is hosted by Amanda Colosimo and Benjamin Schermerhorn. Music for the opening and closing of the episode was mixed by Clayton Behlok.

    53 min

  3. JAN 20

    22. Office Hours V- It's the AI-nd of the world

    AI is just the theme of the month it seems. In this episode, Ben and Amanda look at how other instructors think about AI. Ben brings five different posts from the darkness of r/Professors that span dealing with cheaters, fighting AI use in the classroom, and using AI as an instructor to turn the tables on the lazier AI users. Tune in to see what others are saying and get the latest of Amanda’s reaction track. This episode is hosted by Amanda Colosimo and Benjamin Schermerhorn. Music for the opening and closing of the episode was mixed by Clayton Behlok.

    54 min

  4. JAN 5

    21. Co-create, don't abdicate: Dave Ghidiu & AI in the Classroom

    New year, new you... as long as you aren't a product of Nano Banana Pro... Ben and Amanda cannot put it off any longer. It’s time to talk about AI in education, so they sit down with David Ghidiu, a community college educator working on the ethical integration of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. This episode unpacks the landscape of AI and discusses how to incorporate it into the classroom in ways that support learning and empower students.This episode is hosted by Amanda Colosimo and Benjamin Schermerhorn, with guest Dave Ghidiu. Music for the opening and closing of the episode was mixed by Clayton Behlok.

    1h 1m

  5. 12/23/2025

    20. The Christy Woods Holiday Special: Alternative Academic Careers

    She knows when you are working. She knows when you are not. She knows if enrollment is bad or good so keep it good for goodness sake. This is not Santa that Ben and Amanda are talking about - it's their dean. In this episode Ben and Amanda talk with the magnanimous Christine Woods about her pathway into and through academia, from industry to teaching to serving as president on the state's Faculty Council of Community Colleges and then finally to academic dean. What happens in all of those roles? What options are available to faculty in their academic careers other than teaching? In this episode we unwrap some answers to these questions and enjoy the presents of wisdom Christy Woods has to deliver. Aww, all I got is coal in my stocking.

    53 min

  6. 12/09/2025

    19. Playing Favorites

    Parents love to say that they don’t have favorites, but we all know the truth. It is at least slightly less problematic when a teacher says it - slightly. Ben and Amanda share some of their most enjoyable interactions with students and why bus trips should count as a high-impact practice. This is some time to reflect on why the student that skipped the exam to go rock climbing is actually one of the best or how if you make a student on of your favorites, years later they will someday use their audio mixing skills to record a new opening track for your podcast. These two teachers’ pets unpack what makes a student a 'main character' and how we can find that feeling with all our students.   This episode is hosted by Amanda Colosimo and Benjamin Schermerhorn. Music for the opening and closing of the episode was mixed by Clayton Behlok.

    54 min

  7. 11/25/2025

    18. Grading Papers, Dodging Burnout

    Amanda and Ben get together to record on a Sunday afternoon to talk about exactly the work-life balance. They could possibly cut this episode to 5-minutes because Amanda tells us right off the bat that balance isn’t possible. Still, they spend the episode talking about how they keep to-do lists, set intentions for each day, and carve out a little bit of time to fill their own cups. In this episode, they mention the article: “The math doesn’t work” published in April 2013 on Inside Higher Education and written by Nate Kreuter.

    56 min

  8. 11/11/2025

    17. Connecting Content with Prior Knowledge

    In this episode, Ben and Amanda talk about the ways they leverage the knowledge their students already have, whether it is from a previous day of class, a whole other course, or just everyday life. Amanda talks about how cookies and rocks are basically the same. Ben makes some Excel jokes and does his best to briefly talk about quantum mechanics without talking about quantum mechanics. So, you know, just some good old-fashioned fun with these two. Grab a beverage of your choice, take a break, and let’s talk teaching.

    49 min
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About

Welcome to Coffee Break Classroom: Brewed for Higher Ed, where teaching meets good vibes! Join Ben and Amanda—two higher ed pros who love their work, their students, and, most importantly, a good laugh. This isn’t your typical academic deep dive (no dry lectures here!). Instead, we blend real classroom experiences, educational research, and practical pedagogy with plenty of humor and friendly banter. Whether you’re a seasoned professor, a new instructor, or just curious about what really happens behind the syllabus, we’ve got you covered.

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