You've heard of Google NotebookLM and its "audio overview" feature, right? This is the AI-powered tool that can create a podcast-style audio summary of one or more files submitted to NotebookLM. Within a minute or two, you can hear two chatty podcast hosts talk to each other about whatever reading you've given them. I've heard faculty worry that students might start listening to NotebookLM's summaries of course texts instead of doing the hard work of actually reading the course texts. How...
13 days ago • 5 min read
Digital Accessibility with Amy Lomellini You may have been hearing the term “digital accessibility” a lot lately, especially if you teach at a public institution. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (or ADA) was updated in 2024 to require greater levels of accessibility for web and mobile app content provided by state and local governments. Public colleges and universities have until April 2026 to ensure that, among other things, the learning materials they provide to students...
19 days ago • 4 min read
The Norton Guide to AI-Aware Teaching I am very excited to share the news that I'm working on a new book! I'm joining Annette Vee, associate professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh, and Marc Watkins, assistant director of academic innovation at the University of Mississippi, in writing The Norton Guide to AI-Aware Teaching, coming in 2026 from W. W. Norton & Company. Our goal is to equip instructors with practical strategies for teaching effectively in the age of generative AI....
26 days ago • 2 min read
So this used to be a weekly newsletter! It's been a few weeks since I sent one of these out, but I have a good excuse. My August is always busy, but this August was especially busy since my wife and I moved into a new house and prepped our old house to sell. That made for a lot of work, and I'm glad that we're past the bulk of it. We have a lot of unpacking and settling in to do, but all our stuff is at the new house and the old house is on the market. If you're looking for a four-bedroom in...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
Study Hall: AI and Learning Edition I'm excited to try out a new format on the Intentional Teaching podcast this week. Once again, I’ve been inspired by the American Birding Association podcast. The ABA podcast uses a format they call "This Month in Birding" where host Nate Swick invites three great guests to discuss recent studies or news articles from the world of ornithology. I learn a lot listening to these episodes, and I thought I would try the format out here on my podcast. Doing...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
It's August, always the busiest month of the year in my world. I just spent a few days "on Grounds" at the University of Virginia last week leading or co-leading several workshops on teaching and generative AI, including an all-day institute for UVA's new cohort of Faculty AI Guides. That's why there was no newsletter last week! How do you like the new logo? I thought after almost three years, it was time for a fresh coat of paint. This week I'm giving three presentations at other...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Developing AI Literacy This week on the podcast, I talk with Alex Ambrose, professor of the practice and director of the Lab for AI in Teaching and Learning at the Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence at Notre Dame. I heard Alex on the Kaneb Center's podcast, Designed for Learning hosted by Jim Lang, a few months ago, and I was very interested in what Alex had to say about the evolving state of generative AI in education at Notre Dame. I was thrilled when Alex agreed to come on Intentional...
2 months ago • 4 min read
High Structure Course Design Justin Shaffer has a new book out on high structure course design! I met Justin a few years ago through a Macmillan Learning webinar on teaching with classroom response systems. I learned that not only did he use that particular technology very effectively in his teaching, but he also had a wealth of experience in active learning and course design more generally. When I wanted to put together a podcast episode on "studio" approaches to biology (in which lab and...
2 months ago • 6 min read
Defending Higher Education with Kevin McClure If you've listened to the recent "Take It or Leave It" episodes of the Intentional Teaching podcast, you'll be familiar with Kevin McClure's essay "Higher Ed Is Adrift." In the essay, Kevin outlines some of the many attacks the current U.S. presidential administration is leveraging against higher ed, and he notes that many faculty and staff are finding their institutional leaders' responses lacking. We talked about the essay on the "Take It or...
3 months ago • 3 min read