Sponsored and hosted by The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE)
The Annual Spring Teaching Summit is an opportunity for Bryant faculty and staff to gather together in celebration of the completion of the academic year, engage in collaborative discussion about the latest pedagogical topics, and learn about innovations and evidence-based teaching techniques from both external and internal partners.
The Teaching Summit is hosted and sponsored by The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE).
Stepan Grand Hall
This year's summit focused on the importance of connecting practical experience with student engagement, development, and long-term success. The opening keynote drew on decades of cognitive and learning science based research to examine how educators can guide students towards deeper thinking, greater self-efficacy, and persistence. Breakout sessions invited participants to step into the role of the learner by attending teaching sessions led by colleagues, fostering peer observation, collaboration, and critical reflection. A cross-disciplinary panel discussion highlighted the transformative impact of experiential learning on student engagement and skill development, with panelists sharing practical examples and strategies for integrating hands-on, applied learning into courses and programs. The summit concluded with a closing keynote that addressed the gap between student potential and participation, offering strategies to build motivation, reduce hesitation, and connect learning to real-world readiness.
Throughout the day, participants gained actionable insights to strengthen teaching practice and build lasting student growth in preparation for professional success.
Decades of research in the cognitive and learning sciences have provided clear insights into what supports, and hinders, human learning. The ongoing challenge is helping students become independent learners who persist through difficulty rather than disengage. The opening keynote session drew on that research to examine how faculty can guide students toward deeper thinking, greater confidence, and sustained effort. Generative AI offers new opportunities to support this process by providing timely feedback, scaffolding complex tasks, and prompting reflection when used intentionally. In a context like Bryant, where students are preparing to apply their learning in real-world settings, these approaches can strengthen both learning and performance. This session took a practical, evidence-informed look at how to support lasting growth.
Faculty and staff from across disciplines hosted a panel discussion on experiential learning and its impact on student engagement, skill development, and academic success. Panelists shared examples of experiential learning in practice, discussed challenges and successes, and explored how hands-on and applied learning opportunities can deepen student learning. Participants were given practical insights and ideas for incorporating experiential learning into their own courses and programs.
The landscape of education has become increasingly complex, particularly over the past decade, posing significant challenges for both faculty and students. Rapid changes in educational regulations, debates over academic freedom, a more polarized citizenry, swiftly evolving information systems, and the problem of misinformation have all contributed to the difficulty of navigating this shifting terrain.
These changes call for ways to build resiliency in our teaching and learning spaces: to bring strength, community, and joy to our practices; to build understanding of different experiences of these shifts; and to provide concrete actionable strategies for the classroom.
The Teaching Summit included a series of workshops, presentations, and discussion on the topics identified above, as well as a book fair of texts and resources to support teaching.
The Spring 2024 Teaching Summit centered on resilience, well-being, and re-engagement in the post-pandemic classroom. Keynote speaker Mays Imad led an interactive session on the science of burnout, exploring strategies to identify symptoms, implement coping mechanisms, and transform challenges into opportunities for personal and professional growth. Faculty Fellows facilitated conversations on applying these concepts to classroom settings and developing sustainable practices to support both educator and student well-being. A midday panel addressed the national increase in classroom distraction and disengagement, with experts from Student Affairs, Counseling Services, Accessibility Services, and faculty discussing strategies to re-engage students in an age of interrupted learning. The summit concluded with a panel on repairing and restoring classroom connections, where faculty shared candid experiences and successful strategies for rebuilding communication, academic belonging, and warm learning environments at Bryant.