Pedagogy Pulse: A Podcast About Teaching Innovation at Northwestern

Jaz Thomasian

Welcome to Pedagogy Pulse, a podcast where we talk with Northwestern University instructors—from grad students to tenured faculty—about innovative teaching practices they're implementing in their classrooms and course design.

Episodes

  1. 06/30/2025

    Episode 7: Reggie Jackson & David Noffs: UDL in Course Design and Staying Current in Teaching and Learning

    This, our seventh and final episode, is a joint interview with David Noffs, Senior Learning Designer in Distance Learning, and Reggie Jackson, Director of Teaching Excellence at the Medill School of Journalism and Lead Learning Engineer with Teaching and Learning Technologies. We began this podcast series with snapshots of Northwestern's TEACHx conference, where educators come together to discuss current projects, theories, learning technologies, and evidence-based approaches to teaching. We'll round out the series by hearing from Reggie and David about their Universal Design for Learning (UDL)-based course design, as well as their methods for remaining up-to-date with current pedagogical trends and innovations. (While David and Reggie teach in an online context, many of their learning activities and advice can transfer to in-person teaching contexts, as well!) Key topics in this episode include: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) • course design • accessibility • online teaching • flexibility in course design • conferences • collaboration Here are some resources related to this episode: Reggie Jackson (Northwestern short bio; scroll down to his name): https://sps.northwestern.edu/masters/information-design/faculty.html David Noffs (Northwestern bio): https://sps.northwestern.edu/distance-learning/about-us/david-noffs.html Northwestern's Universal Design for Learning Open Educational Resource (OER): https://searle.northwestern.edu/resources/our-tools-guides/udl-oer.html TEACHx webpage: https://teachx.northwestern.edu/

    26 min

  2. 07/24/2024

    Episode 6: Gerpha Gerlin & Robert Cloutier: Accessibility and Collaborative Course Design (Part 2)

    This, our sixth episode, is the promised second edition of our interview with Gerpha Gerlin last fall. Our earlier interview focused on the Mental Health and the Media course Gerpha was preparing to teach at Stateville Correctional Center during the winter 2024 quarter. One of the unique aspects of this course was Gerpha’s decision to include her teaching fellow, Robert (Bobaloo), in the course design process, as well as inviting him to take more of a leadership role in the overall course than your typical TA. For our follow-up interview, we were lucky enough to get to hear how the course went from both Gerpha and Bobaloo! Using an asynchronous interview process, we'll address some of the successes and learning moments of the course, especially around sharing power in the classroom, teaching heavy topics through a trauma-informed lens, and building relationships that can act as safety nets in moments that require adaptability. You can find the transcript at this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AXmN4UV51eE3rZ7ivKqXjNC9dnQQNOm3nf3gKBgrhpo/edit?usp=sharing Key topics in this interview include: collaborative course design • sharing power in the classroom • trauma-informed pedagogy • teaching in a prison environment Here are some resources related to this episode: Gerpha Gerlin (academic profile): https://sites.northwestern.edu/npep/gerpha-gerlin/ Northwestern Prison Education Program (NPEP) (website): https://sites.northwestern.edu/npep/

    34 min

  3. 05/22/2024

    Episode 5: Veronica Berns & Katie Gesmundo: Alternative Grading in a Large-Enrollment STEM Course

    In this, our fifth episode, I will be speaking with Veronica Berns and Katie Gesmundo. Veronica is an Associate Professor of Instruction, and Katie is an Assistant Professor of Instruction, both in the Chemistry department at Northwestern. Katie and Veronica are also the Co-Directors of the General Chemistry Labs. In this episode, we'll be discussing some radical changes Veronica and Katie made to their General Chemistry course, first in response to a switch to remote learning during the lockdown period of the pandemic, and then as an attempt to more closely align their assessment strategies with their teaching values. Topics in this episode: alternative grading in a large-enrollment STEM course collaborative course design redesigning a lab course for remote learning seeking support when making significant changes to course design or curriculum Transcript coming soon!

    37 min

  4. 02/29/2024

    Episode 4: Ilya Mikhelson: Multiple Means of Assessment

    In this, our fourth episode, I will be speaking with Ilya Mikhelson, Associate Professor of Instruction in Electrical and Computer Engineering, about the multiple-modality midterm and final assessments he designed for his Introduction to Electrical Engineering course.

    39 min

  5. 01/31/2024

    Episode 3: Stephanie Knezz: Vulnerability in the Classroom

    In this, our third episode, we'll hear from Dr. Stephanie Knezz, Associate Professor of Instruction in Chemistry and faculty at Northwestern since 2017. Key topics in this interview include: the place of identity in STEM classrooms • the power of instructor vulnerability to create inclusive, welcoming learning environments • the necessity of diverse voices in STEM research • a small (time/energy) practice with huge impact You can find a transcript for this interview here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1awwYyfMYNI-Rem-URSUZisVHrJkL-_DMVxc1yxUZxWo/edit?usp=sharing Here are some resources related to this episode: More about Dr. Stephanie Knezz: Academic Profile (Northwestern): https://chemistry.northwestern.edu/people/lecturer-faculty/stephanie-knezz.html Faculty Spotlight (interview): https://chemistry.northwestern.edu/about/newsletter/2022-newsletters/fall2022-newsletter/teaching-faculty-spotlight-stephanie-knezz.html Writing Portfolio: https://knezzportfolio.weebly.com/writing Her initial article about coming out to her classes: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00846

    32 min

  6. 11/27/2023

    Episode 2: Gerpha Gerlin: Accessibility and Collaborative Course Design

    In this, our second episode, we hear from Gerpha Gerlin, a PhD student in Anthropology who is co-designing a winter-quarter Mental Health and the Media course, as part of Northwestern' Prison Education Program (NPEP). You can find a transcript for this episode here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VhdhQ-cXxRhW7FrLw7YhhLi5X_HhSxO2upRnCxTaDZ0/edit?usp=sharing Key topics in this interview include: collaborative course design • sharing power in the classroom • UDL & accessible course design • NPEP-specific pedagogical and process-based considerations Here are some resources related to this episode: Gerpha Gerlin (academic profile): https://sites.northwestern.edu/npep/gerpha-gerlin/ Northwestern Prison Education Program (NPEP) (website): https://sites.northwestern.edu/npep/ NPEP Graduation News Article (webpage): https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2023/11/northwestern-prison-education-program-students-first-incarcerated-people-to-graduate-from-a-top-10-university/ CAST: About Universal Design for Learning⁠ (webpage): https://www.cast.org/impact/universal-design-for-learning-udl

    34 min

  7. 10/26/2023

    Episode 1: TEACHx 2023

    In this, our very first episode, we go on a jaunt through the TEACHx 2023 conference, interviewing educators and other teaching technology practitioners about their roles in contributing to more inclusive, accessible classrooms and course design. Episode 1 Transcript Links from this episode: Bryan Dewsbury (academic profile) Science Education and Society Research Program (website) Norton Guide to Equity-Minded Teaching (book by Isis Artze-Vega, Flower Darby, Bryan Dewsbury and Mays Imad) "Inclusive Teaching" (article by Bryan Dewsbury and Cynthia J. Brame) "Structure Matters: Twenty-One Teaching Strategies to Promote Student Engagement and Cultivate Classroom Equity" (article by Kimberly D. Tanner) Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom (book by Kelly A. Hogan and Viji Sathy) Principles of Inclusive Teaching (Northwestern Searle Center webpage) CAST: About Universal Design for Learning (webpage) Addressing Evolving Needs with Universal Design for Learning (open educational resource) Media and Technology Innovation Team (Northwestern webpage) Brandon Taylor (LinkedIn profile) Jennifer Lin (personal website) Erika Nadile (academic profile) Jim Stachowiak (academic profile) Mission: Accessible Challenge (Northwestern webpage) Bea Jimenez (LinkedIn profile) Northwestern Canvas Hall of Fame (Northwestern webpage)

    27 min
  • 7 Episodes

About

Welcome to Pedagogy Pulse, a podcast where we talk with Northwestern University instructors—from grad students to tenured faculty—about innovative teaching practices they're implementing in their classrooms and course design.

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