Teaching & Learning Seminar

Few things are as challenging as teaching, especially teaching that helps students learn in ways that are meaningful and lasting. Teachers deal with a complex set of ingredients. How can we anchor our teaching in evidence-based principles to enrich student learning across our campus? How can we best assess the learning outcomes we seek in our classroom? Since its inception in 2009, the Sherrerd Center has been distinguished by its commitment to fortifying teaching by drawing on insights from the learning sciences. The annual Teaching & Learning Seminar has been central to this mission, offering faculty and staff the opportunity to immerse themselves in this robust literature and experiment with its everyday applications alongside colleagues. Drawing from previous versions of this seminar and with an eye toward current teaching challenges, this seminar enables colleagues to explore best practices in communities grounded in the trust enabled by sustained conversations.

Fall 2026 Seminar

The seminar with the Sherrerd Center is in collaboration with Learning Research & Technology and is focused on the broad topic of Scaffolding Deep Learning in the Age of AI. Participants in the seminar (faculty and staff who teach) will explore a particular pedagogical problem that relates to AI (e.g., developing AI usage policies, excluding the use of AI through careful assignment/assessment design, incorporating AI tutors into their courses, etc.). Fellows will work on this pedagogical problem throughout fall 2026 and participate in biweekly Friday seminar meetings with members of the Sherrerd team and LRT where the literature around how people learn and grapple with the disruptions and opportunities introduced by AI will be discussed. The seminar seeks to support and address each member’s particular pedagogical challenge while generating a broader community of practice.

Expectations

Fellows will attend a two-hour kickoff meeting on September 3 from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., followed by lunch; biweekly meetings on Fridays from 12:15 to 2:15 p.m. on September 18, October 2, October 16, October 30, and November 13. There will be a wrap-up meeting on December 17.

Supports

Faculty will engage with selected readings from the literature of the learning sciences; be introduced to the full suite of AI tools available to faculty, staff, and students at Smith; and receive support in their teaching from a combined Sherrerd Center/LRT team. Each participant will receive research funds and lunch provided at meetings.

Past Seminars

  • Sherrerd/Kahn Spring 2026 Seminar: Teaching and Learning in the Age of GenAI: The learning sciences as a grounding framework for thinking about GenAI was discussed and conversations around the tension between efficiency and building competencies in the face of GenAI, including in the context of writing were productive.
  • Sherrerd/Kahn Spring 2025 Seminar: As part of our efforts to “strengthen the foundation,” the special Sherrerd/Kahn collaboration launched in January 2025. During that spring seminar, a new iteration of the Teaching & Learning seminar was conceptualized by drawing on insights from the learning sciences.
  • Prior to the spring of 2025, the seminar had been paused since the spring of 2022, when it ran with a small cohort after the pandemic and the need to make changes and reflect on the program seemed evident. The Sherrerd Teaching & Learning Seminar had been offered every year at least once (and sometimes both semesters) from 2009.

From Past Participants

“The idea of the classroom as an active learning community is the one which has had the most impact on my thinking and on my teaching.”

“Learning about the science of learning made me re-evaluate my role as a teacher. I view myself less as a disseminator of information and more as a facilitator of learning.”

“I have learned more tools to help students be engaged in the classroom and methods to try to evaluate their learning or provide accountability in ways that foster curiosity instead of causing anxiety.”

“I think I have more ‘buy-in’ from my students on the work we do. I also just completed an MSA with Deb Carney, and she said my students really trusted me and trusted my approach. I think the combination of transparency about why we do what we do, and the connection to the research literature about pedagogy is very useful in the classroom.”

“Many ideas have influenced my thoughts about teaching. Some are techniques like encouraging half-formed thoughts, asking real questions, being transparent about why I do what I do, and having a holistic statement about grading in my syllabus. Others are philosophies like knowledge building or idea-centered teaching.”