2026

Oren Hertz from Florida International University and a member of the Scholarly Teacher Editorial Board suggests that academic institutions should rethink the use of discussion boards for assessment, advocating for more authentic, AI-resistant methods that align with current technological advancements. Online discussion boards, once celebrated as a digital learning innovation, allowed students to discuss, contemplate…

Todd Zakrajsek, who leads the ITLC Lilly Conferences on College and University Teaching, identifies the biggest challenge in higher education as guiding students to use AI ethically instead of focusing on catching them in academic misconduct. Teaching conferences have been consumed by discussions on how to redesign assignments to prevent AI usage and detect when…

Linda C. Hodges, retired director of the Faculty Development Center at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, suggests that focusing on cultivating a sense of belonging, fostering engagement, and providing deliberate practice can guide our decisions on using generative AI in teaching. During the pandemic, Hodges reflected on the challenges of making choices in remote…

College instructors often encounter a familiar classroom issue: students can discuss a reading’s main idea but struggle to cite specific passages or understand the argument’s development. This surface-level familiarity often stems from AI-generated summaries. Tools like ChatGPT and NotebookLM provide quick overviews of complex texts. While helpful for review, they allow students to sidestep the…

Jamie Adam, Elisa Greene, and Michael Oliver from Belmont University emphasize that faculty well-being is multidimensional, including aspects like purpose, relationships, and growth. This is crucial for the effectiveness, engagement, and retention within institutions. Faculty well-being is essential for the success of academic environments and institutions. However, educators often deal with challenges such as heavy…

Amy I. Cass from California State University, Fullerton, emphasizes adopting a mindset of harmony rather than balance to tackle the challenges of work and life. Work and family are significant roles for adults, with work-family issues being studied for decades. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased attention on these topics due to the merging of work…

Teaching involves more than just providing information; it is about guiding students through growth, discovery, and change. College educators aim to create experiences that challenge students, nurture their potential, and prepare them for independent navigation of the world. The Monarch butterfly’s life cycle—from caterpillar to chrysalis to flight—serves as a powerful metaphor for transformation, patience,…

A linguistics professor, teaching during the rise of generative AI, explores using AI as a collaborative tool to enhance student learning. The professor found that AI errors can lead to valuable teaching moments. Despite AI’s polished mistakes, these errors can be used to foster critical thinking, research validation, and active learning. Students learn to be…

Every semester, students encounter major difficulties in their courses. They may feel discouraged, fall behind, or think about dropping out (Trusty et al., 2025). Educators invest significant time and creativity to motivate these students to persevere and keep up with their coursework (Blanco et al., 2025; Faucett, 2025). Often, students’ struggles are not due to…