Seminars for Excellence in Teaching
Since 2008, the Academy for Teaching and Learning has hosted a series of one-hour Seminars for Excellence in Teaching (SET) to help colleagues meet the historic expectations of excellence in teaching at Baylor. For new Teachers of Record (TOR), SET satisfy SACS requirements for professional development in teaching. For more experienced TOR, SET facilitate the sharing of ideas and insights about teaching and learning today and encourage participants to renew their commitments to inspirational teaching. SET are also a valuable resource in the preparation of graduate student Teachers of Record.
All members of the Baylor community are invited to attend SET in accord with our core commitments to seek learning and apply knowledge and to pursue excellence through continuous improvement.
SETs are recorded as noted below and will be posted for later viewing.
Fall 2026 SETs
Ian Grigsby (Mathematics), Nadine Welch (Communication Sciences and Disorders), Lauren Weber (Theatre Arts)
In this session, Dr. Ian Grigsby (Lecturer, Mathematics), Professor Nadine Welch (Clinical Associate Professor, Associate Dean of Student Success, Communication Sciences and Disorders), and Professor Lauren Weber (Senior Lecturer, Theatre Arts) share what they find joyful about teaching, how to maintain or rediscover joy in teaching, and how teaching joyfully can be an act of resistance, a journey to wholeness, and a method of effective pedagogy.
Mary Herridge (Enrollment Management), Marcie Moehnke (College of Arts & Sciences)
Each institution has its distinct student population. And although each student is unique, the students in our classrooms (and online) at Baylor have many shared traits, backgrounds, and experiences. Teaching effectively often means understanding and accounting for these characteristics.
In this session, we hear from Mary Herridge (Associate Vice President, Enrollment Management) and Dr. Marcie Moehnke (Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, College of Arts & Sciences; Teaching Professor, Biology), Baylor professionals involved in recruitment and enrollment, as they describe Baylor students and discuss implications for your teaching.
Regan Gurung (Oregon State University)
Faculty in higher education are experiencing high levels of burnout while also facing a growing need to demonstrate effective teaching. What are the components of quality teaching, and how can educators be both effective and efficient?
In this conversation, author, psychologist, and pedagogical expert Dr. Regan Gurung (Oregon State University) shares some key elements of what it takes to be a great teacher – to teach like a champ – while also safeguarding mental health and prioritizing the non-academic areas of life that matter.
David Corey (Honors College)
Some of the most challenging classroom conversations can also create some of the most meaningful opportunities for learning. In this session, Dr. David Corey (Professor of Political Science in the Honors Program) shares his experience in teaching controversial social and political topics (e.g., race, immigration, Israel, sexual identity) and describes some strategies for success.
Amy James (Libraries), Megan Alstot (Academy for Teaching and Learning)
The students you teach and support are already using AI. The real question is when and how it helps them learn.
Co-creators Dr. Megan Alstot (Academy for Teaching & Learning) and Amy James (Baylor Libraries) introduce The BEARS AI Basics, a Canvas microcourse that builds a foundation for thinking critically about AI and learning. Students first explore how AI works, its ethical implications, and how humans learn before moving into AI strategies and tool use informed by cognitive psychology.
Amy James also shares updated AI literacy library guides for students that you can incorporate into your courses, along with faculty guides to inform your own approach to AI.
Kevin Villegas (Intercultural Engagement)
Baylor is a Christian University, but what does that mean for our students’ faith lives and the implications for teaching? This session will survey the major trends and highlights of Baylor students’ religious lives with special attention to the often-hidden variety of Baylor students’ belief, behavior, and belonging. Presenter Dr. Kevin Villegas (Dean of Intercultural Engagement and Division of Student Life Initiatives, Baylor Student Life) will explore the implications of Baylor students’ faith for teaching, learning, and student-instructor interactions.
In-person only: Foster 118 (Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation). Session will be recorded and posted for later viewing.
Dr. Regun Gurung (Oregon State University)
AI presents us all with many different affordances. Universities are scrambling to establish AI policies to guide faculty, staff, and student use of this blossoming technology, but some big questions still need to be addressed.
In this presentation, author, psychologist, and pedagogical expert Dr. Gurung (Oregon State University) will provide a snapshot of current faculty and student attitudes toward AI to establish a framework for thinking about how we work with AI. He will consider what is lost when we use AI and what is gained through an evenhanded sifting and winnowing of current empirical research on AI in higher education. In particular, Dr. Gurung will focus on the questions we should all ask ourselves as we decide how much to invite Large Language Model agents into our lives.
This Seminar for Excellence in Teaching is taking place in conjunction with Baylor's Teaching with AI Symposium – made possible by a Teaching Innovation Award granted by the College of Arts & Sciences, and supported by the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience and the Academy for Teaching & Learning. The conversation will be moderated by Dr. Karenna Malavanti.
Online only: Zoom link will be sent to registrants. Session will be recorded and posted for later viewing.
Amy Achenbach (Academy for Teaching and Learning; History)
Instructors don’t always know if students appreciate their teaching, let alone what about their instructors they are thankful for. In this session, Amy Achenbach (Graduate Fellow, Academy for Teaching and Learning; Ph.D. Candidate and Instructor of Record, History) presents results from the ATL’s ongoing “Thank an Instructor” campaign, sharing an emerging “taxonomy of gratitude” from students’ notes of thanks that can inspire and challenge instructors.
In-person only: Schumacher Flex Commons (Moody Library 1st Floor). Session will be recorded and posted for later viewing.
Dan Watkins (History)
What if your students’ work didn’t end at your desk and exist solely for you? This session explores how to design authentic assignments that connect classroom learning to real audiences, real purposes, and potentially the world beyond the university. Drawing on examples from the digital humanities, Dr. Dan Watkins (Associate Professor, History; Co-Director of the Digital Humanities Initiative, College of Arts & Sciences) will focus on practical, adaptable strategies you can use right away to redesign existing assignments. The emphasis will be on creating less busywork and more meaningful work -- fewer forgotten papers and more projects that last. And, yes, it might even make grading easier too.
In-person only: Moody Library 104 (Active Learning Lab). Session will be recorded and posted for later viewing.
How can firsthand stories transform the way students learn, engage, and connect with course material? Oral history offers faculty across disciplines an opportunity to bring lived experiences into the classroom, encourage critical thinking, and foster meaningful dialogue.
In this interactive seminar, Adrienne Cain Darough (Institute for Oral History) will help participants explore practical ways to incorporate oral history into their teaching — from analyzing recorded interviews and designing engaging assignments to using storytelling and active listening as instructional tools. Faculty will leave with adaptable strategies and resources they can immediately integrate into their courses, regardless of discipline or prior experience with oral history.
In-person only: Session will be recorded and posted for later viewing.