Fall Forum 2026 with Jim Lang
- Fireside Chat with Jim Lang - 10:00am - 11:00am
- Keynote: Reclaiming Reading - Inviting Students to Become Readers Again - 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Faculty Forums
Overview
The CTE hosts seasonal Faculty Forums that are led by prominent scholars in the field of teaching and learning. Faculty Forums often include interactive workshops, luncheons, and Keynotes on a variety of topics, designed to enhance belonging, foster a community of practice, and provide actionable insights faculty can bring back to their research, teaching, and administrative work.
Fall Forum 2026 with Jim Lang
Wednesday, November 18th, 2026
The Center for Teaching Excellence is thrilled to announce that Dr. Jim Lang will be our guest speaker for our annual Fall Forum, which will be held on Wednesday, November 18th. Please see details below regarding the Fireside Chat and the Keynote that Jim will be delivering. Registration for each event is required. We anticipate that these events will fill up, so save your seat today!
Fireside Chat: Ten Years of Small Teaching
- Location: UNI 2116 (formerly MRC 3)
- Time: 10:00am - 11:00am
Jim Lang's book Small Teaching was first published in 2016, with a second edition in 2021 and two sequels (Small Teaching Online and Small Teaching K8). The book's approach resonated with many faculty members, who gravitated towards the notion that attention to the everyday decisions we make in the classroom can have a significant impact on student learning. Post-pandemic and post-AI, what remains relevant in the small teaching approach? Jim will offer some introductory thoughts and then will be open for questions and conversations about the changes that higher education needs in 2026.
Keynote: Reclaiming Reading - Inviting Students To Become Readers Again
- Location: AIC Forum
- Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
The end of reading is here, proclaimed a widely shared article in The Atlantic. When you talk to young people about their reading aspirations and habits, though, you hear a very different story. They recognize the benefits of reading and want it to enrich their lives, but they need help making that happen. In this interactive keynote, Jim Lang will share the results of his current research on reading, and the highlights of his interviews with dozens of college students across the country, to describe how educators can share the benefits of reading with students, invite students back to longform reading, and provide them with the structures and tools they need. This session draws ideas from Jim’s next book, Reclaiming Reading, forthcoming from W.W. Norton in early 2028.
2025 Fall Faculty Forum
Facilitating Constructive Dialogue: Building Bridges in Teaching & Learning with Dr. Nicholas Longo
In November 2024, we hosted Dr. Nicholas V. Longo, chair and professor of Global Studies and co-director of the Dialogue, Inclusion, and Democracy (DID) Lab at Providence College, for a special day focused on constructive dialogue in higher education. As part of the campus-wide Empowering Dialogue Across Differences initiative, the morning workshop invited faculty to explore "what works" to engage students in dialogue across lines of difference. Participants considered their roles as educators in a time of pernicious polarization and reflected on strategies for addressing moments of tension in the classroom, as well as how to design academic spaces that cultivate inclusive and civil discourse—no matter the discipline. The afternoon interactive keynote encouraged us to re-frame difficult dialogues as conversations for change, exploring how faculty can foster trust, curiosity, and understanding in service of the larger civic mission of higher education. Drawing from the principles of constructive dialogue, Dr. Longo discussed how educators can create democratic spaces where students learn to listen, share stories, and find common ground. Through case studies, participants practiced addressing conflict in healthy ways and left with strategies to integrate these practices into their teaching across all disciplines. We're grateful to Dr. Longo for his expertise and to everyone who joined us in this important work.
Spring 2025 Faculty Forum
In March 2025, we welcomed Liz Norell for our Spring Faculty Forum, a two-part event focused on accessibility across campus. Building on the Center for Teaching Excellence's year-long focus on accessibility in the classroom, Liz's keynote, "Every Bryant Role is an Accessibility Role," broadened the conversation to explore how accessibility can and should inform work throughout the entire campus community. With practical strategies and an appreciation for the complexities of disability accommodations, Liz helped participants identify potential access barriers in their work and understand why taking steps to mitigate those barriers matters.
The accompanying workshop invited participants to think critically about how accessibility impacts their respective campus units, exploring the range of disabilities and differences that might show up in our classrooms and workspaces and providing time to explore accessible practices that can be implemented for everyone, regardless of disclosure. Attendees left with concrete ideas on how to incorporate and talk about accessibility with colleagues and students in supportive, asset-minded ways. We're grateful to Liz for her expertise and to all who participated in this important conversation.
2024 Fall Faculty Forum
In November 2024, we had the pleasure of hosting Kevin Gannon, Director of the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence (CAFE) and Professor of History at Queens University of Charlotte, for our Fall Faculty Forum. This three-part event featured a lively discussion of Kevin's book Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto, which advocates for reclaiming higher education as a space for transformative learning; a workshop that pushed us to rethink what student engagement and connection can look like; and a keynote that encouraged us to re-evaluate the concept of rigor for a new generation of learners. We're deeply grateful to Kevin for his thought-provoking insights and to everyone who participated in making the forum a success.