Tea for Teaching

A growing body of research indicates that asking questions about concepts students have not yet studied increases learning. In this episode, Steven Pan and Judith Schweppe join us to discuss how generative AI can facilitate this technique by generating prequestions. 

Steven is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Learning Sciences Lab at the National University of Singapore whose research focuses on evidence-based teaching approaches. Judith is a Professor of Educational Science with a focus on teaching with digital media at the University of Erfurt. Her research focuses on working memory, long-term memory, and learning.

A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Shortly before the start of the spring semester, Tim Curry joined us for an episode discussing his ambitious plan to create structured learning experiences for students using chatbots. In this episode, we check back to see how this experiment developed. Tim is a lecturer in the Department of Health Sciences at Northern Arizona University. He is developing AI applications for autism research and tribal health service while building Northern Arizona University’s Applied Health Analytics program. He’s also working on the completion of his PhD degree in health equity technology.

A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Imagine having a virtual clone of yourself to assist your students whenever they need help and would track where students are struggling. In this episode, Joshua Gans joins us to discuss an attempt at creating an AI platform that accomplishes this.

Joshua is a Professor of Strategic Management and Jeffrey S. Skill Chair of Technical Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management with a joint appointment in the Department of Economics. His work focuses on the economics of innovation, entrepreneurship, and artificial intelligence. He has authored numerous scholarly articles on the economic impact of generative AI and, with Ajay Agrawal and Avi Goldfarb, of Prediction Machines and Power and Prediction, two books that have helped shape public understanding of the economic implications of AI.  Joshua has been thinking deeply about what generative AI means for higher education: how it can support teaching and learning, how colleges should prepare students for AI-augmented careers, and how AI may reshape labor market opportunities for today’s students. At the University of Toronto, he and Kevin Bryan developed an AI teaching assistant, All Day TA, which has been used to provide students with support outside traditional class hours.

A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

With the rise of AI, institutions are scrambling to provide guidance and policies for students and faculty. In this episode, Kathleen Landy and Joshua Foster join us to discuss a collaborative approach involving student government, administration, and faculty.

Kathleen is the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Genesee Community College. Prior to this, Kathleen has served in leadership roles at teaching centers at Cornell University, Queensborough Community College, and Mercy College. She has taught in multiple modalities and also has extensive K-12 teaching experience. Kathleen also served on the Pod Network Core Committee from 2022 through 2025 and currently serves as a co-chair of the SUNY Council on Assessment. Joshua is the Vice President for Academic Affairs for the Student Government Association at Genesee Community College.

A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

The “One Big, Beautiful Bill” contains a provision eliminating federal loan availability for programs in which past graduates had early career earnings that fall below a designated threshold. In this episode, Debbie Furlong joins us to discuss the statistical measures used to determine federal loan eligibility. 

Debbie has served for over 30 years doing applied higher education policy analysis at public comprehensive universities, most recently as the Director of Institutional Research at SUNY Oswego. Prior to her arrival at Oswego, she worked and taught at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay, St. Norbert College in Wisconsin, and the American University in Washington, DC, where she had completed her PhD degree in international relations.

A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.