Early February Newsletter

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Trust the (learning) process. Inspired by Adrienne Wallace’s address at the Faculty Awards Convocation yesterday, I have been reflecting on the messiness of learning, the challenges inherent in creating and sustaining learning environments, and the ways in which GV faculty commit to walking alongside students on their learning journeys. While it certainly is hard, hard work (especially in our current moment), I would worry if it all felt too easy. The process of learning only works if we (instructors and students) put ourselves out there, make mistakes, lean on one another for support, and, frankly, commit to sticking with it and figuring out what works. Several pieces that I encountered recently speak to paying closer attention to the humans in the room (virtual or otherwise). The first is a quick read, The lonely classroom and what to do about it. The next is an open-access book, Inclusive Teaching Online that provides practical approaches to mitigating “pedagogical absenteeism” in online courses and ensuring the foregrounding of instructor presence, student engagement and interactivity, and personalized feedback. I also savored every idea in the recent Alexandra Mihai blog post, Slow learning. It offers another timely reminder of what really matters.

Actual intelligence. Released in conjunction with the AAC&U Annual Meeting last month, this report serves as a helpful reminder that we are not alone in our perspectives, deliberations, and concerns: The AI Challenge: How College Faculty Assess the Present and Future of Higher Education in the Age of AI. Not surprisingly, critical thinking came up a lot in this report. To that end, I recommend reviewing Cate Denial’s collection of resources, Against Generative AI. I encourage you to pull a few of the links to discuss with colleagues and/or students. I also learned a fabulous term, non-disposable assignments. As we seek new ways to engage students and assess learning (in the age of AI...), I offer two practical guides to designing impactful assignments that challenge the notion that student work is for our eyes only: (1) an eBook, Beyond the Traditional Essay: Increasing Student Agency in a Diverse Classroom with Nondisposable Assignments and (2) an article, A Conceptual Framework for Non-Disposable Assignments: Inspiring Implementation, Innovation, and Research.

Finding inspiration in my inbox. The latest stream of emails have brought some measure of grounding and hope. I offer just a few nuggets for your consideration:

From the Black Heritage Academy’s February 2026 Liberation Calendar: “I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its malevolence…chaos contains information that can lead to knowledge — even wisdom. Like art. This is precisely the time when artists go to work.” –Toni Morrison
From the recent AAC&U Annual Meeting Opening Night Forum (keynote recordings are now publicly available): “Because it has always been necessary for the project of a multiracial democracy to be grounded in educational opportunity” –Maya Wiley
From the National Equity Project, instructional framing and considerations for teaching about implicit bias and structural racialization
From Southern Poverty Law Center, Let’s Talk: Facilitating Critical Conversations with Students

Take good care of yourself and those in your sphere-

-Christine Rener

Are you interested in bringing high impact, global learning to your courses without leaving campus? Join us for an upcoming informational session on International Virtual Exchange, an innovative pedagogy in which GVSU faculty and students partner with their peers at international universities on a sustained, online collaboration. Experienced GVSU faculty will lead the session, providing an introduction to virtual exchange, answering your questions, and describing support available to help you find an international teaching partner.

The virtual informational session will take place Wednesday, March 4, from 3-4pm.

Please email Ellen Shupe at shupee@gvsu.edu if you have questions or would like more information.

Are you interested in building a stronger foundation for classroom discussions regarding current legal, political and cultural struggles? Are you interested in a deeper understanding of the historical context surrounding pieces of American inequality?

We warmly invite you to engage in a rigorous and reflective learning experience exploring the history of systemic oppression in the United States. Through a series of thoughtfully designed online modules created by Grand Valley State University faculty, paired with facilitated in-person discussions, participants will critically examine the histories and lived experiences of diverse peoples, groups, and communities over the past two centuries.

Participants will complete 11 interdisciplinary modules developed by GVSU scholars, alongside opportunities for guided reflection and dialogue. The course includes three required Zoom meetings, as well as curated resources to support deeper independent study.

The program will begin with an introductory session that outlines the course framework, key themes, and learning objectives. A second meeting will center collaborative discussion and reflection on insights gained, with attention to integration across modules. The experience will culminate in a final capstone conversation synthesizing major ideas and implications for scholarship and practice. These zoom sessions will be co-facilitated by Dr. Patty Stow Bolea and Dr. Janelle Brandt Ashbaugh. Course content is hosted on Blackboard. The total time commitment is 15-20 hours over 9 weeks.

Zoom Discussion Meeting Dates are:

March 5th from 11 AM-12 PM
March 30th from 1-2 PM
April 28th from 1-2 PM

Each module invites participants to thoughtfully engage with historical narratives that illuminate the structures, policies, and cultural forces that have shaped inequity in the United States over the past 200 years.

The Pew FTLC offers the Mid-Semester Interview about Teaching (MIT).

The Mid-Semester Interview about Teaching, or MIT, is a mid-semester evaluation technique that provides instructors useful feedback from their students about their learning in a course. A consultant visits your class and interviews your students about their learning experience, gathering information about the course strengths and potential improvements. Conducted during the 4th to 9th week of the semester, the MIT takes just 30 minutes of class time!

February 23rd, 2026 is the last week a MIT can be conducted for the Winter semester.