Teaching & Learning Center

Alfred University strives to offer academic and co-curricular programming that is both intellectually challenging and practically relevant. At the heart of this mission is the student experience in the classroom, which should be characterized by innovative teaching. Capitalizing on AU’s commitment to teaching excellence, the Teaching and Learning Center seeks to provide faculty the resources they need for continuous improvement—both as teachers and scholars, a forum to think through pedagogical issues, and a clearinghouse of concrete tips and exercises to bring directly into their classrooms. Faculty development programs enhance the AU community by helping teachers work on their craft and by modeling the intellectual community into which we hope to bring our students. The AU Teaching and Learning Center promotes:

  • Pedagogical Innovation
  • Idea-sharing among an accomplished faculty
  • Community-building among faculty and staff


Digital Accessibility Overview

AU's Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Task Force in conjunction with the AUTLC is pleased to offer an overview/ conversation on the topic of Digital Accessibility. Digital Accessibility is the practice of creating electronic materials that are usable by all individuals, regardless of disability status or the use of assistive technology. It is also an important step to further promote inclusivity among our students, staff, and faculty.

This session will provide a brief overview of Digital Accessibility, as it applies to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as practical steps everyone can take to increase the accessibility of their documents, web pages, and course materials. Instructions and resources will be provided.  This session will be available on the following dates:
  • Monday, 3/2, 10 – 11 a.m.
  • Thursday, 3/19, 2 – 3 p.m.
  • Tuesday, 4/7, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Email Meghanne Freivald, [email protected]; Chris Gause, [email protected]; or Sam Dannick, [email protected] to obtain the Zoom Link.

AUTLC Idea Sharing: Quizing with a Six Sided Dice and Bloom's Taxonomy with Dani Gagne

Thursday 4/9 from 1:20 – 2:10 pm, Dani Gagne, Professor of Psychology will talk on how she uses a six sided dice to test students following Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive thought, having the students prepare for 6 potential quizzes and then the professor only needing to grade 1 based on the die face rolled. Location TBA via email.

Digital Accessibility Co-Working Session

Thursday 4/9 from 9:30 to 11:30 and 2:30 to 3:30 there will be a Digitall Accesibilitylity Co-Working Session in the Herrick Library Computer L  During this open session, faculty and staff may drop in any time to work alongside their peers as they remediate digital materials and content for accessibility.  Members of the UDL Task Force will be available to assist.

Communicating the Value of Learning and the Role of AI

The AI Faculty Development Working Group and AUTLC are pleased to present “Communicating the Value of Learning and the Role of AI” on Wednesday, April 15, from 12:15 to 1:00. During this session, faculty presenters will discuss how they communicate the value of learning with their students, and how those values are reflected in the AI use guidelines for their courses. The presenters will be Elizabeth Matson from CLAS and Ayush Sengupta from the College of Business. The Zoom link for the session is provided below.

Join via Zoom

AUTLC Workshop: Scaffolding an Assignment with Kerry Kautzman

Friday 4/24 from 12:20 – 1:10 pm Kerry Kautzman, Professor of Spanish will share how to scaffold an assignment for pedagogical resultsand aanxiety-reducing benefits. Colleagues can bring their own examples of scafolding or an aactivity to be brainstormed on how to scaffold. Location TBA via email.

AUTLC Faculty/Staff Mixer 

Wednesday 4/1, 4/15, and 4/29 from 5-7 pm at Alex’s College Spot Bar – come destress and unwind with your colleagues and friends, meeting biweekly for this informal community building event.

In order to promote Alfred University's mission of providing excellent quality and enduring value through academic and co-curricular programming that is both intellectually challenging and practically relevant, AU has created the AU Teaching and Learning Center.

The AU Teaching and Learning Center coordinates faculty development opportunities, creates channels of communication for faculty to express their pedagogical needs, and facilitates homegrown and external programming.

The AU Teaching & Learning Center promotes:

  • Pedagogical innovation
  • Idea-sharing among an accomplished faculty
  • Community-building among faculty and staff

AU Teaching & Learning Center Committee

  • Elizabeth Matson, Director: Associate Professor of Mathematics, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
  • Robert Stein: Dean, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
  • Ayush Sengupta: Assistant Professor of Analytics, College of Business
  • Samantha Dannick: Engineering & Scholarly Communications Librarian, Scholes Library of Ceramics
  • Michaela Fendrock: Assistant Professor of Geology, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
  • Colleen Wahl: Associate Professor of Dance, Performing Arts Division
  • Rebecca Welch: Assistant Professor of Glass Science Engineering, Inamori School of Engineering
  • Magan Straight: Assistant Director, Center for Academic Success
  • Meghanne Freivald: Manager of Instructional Technology & Virtual Education Support, Information Technology Services
  • Liz Stearns: Joint Secretary for the Divisions of English and Communication Studies, and the Teaching & Learning Center

Pondering Pedagogy

Pondering Pedagogy is a monthly discussion group organized by AU TLC for faculty and staff to ponder their teaching, learn from each other, and form deep connections across campus with the aim to better our pedagogy (and andragogy).

Pondering Pedagogy will meet monthly during the semester on the third Friday of each month from 12:20-1:10 pm. If you have suggestions for future topics or questions regarding AU TLC, email Elizabeth Matson.

Live Deliberately

The Alfred University Teaching and Learning Center (AU TLC) invites you to participate in a series of reading groups. These Live Deliberately discussions will provide a forum for the AU community to think about society and our roles in it. Among other benefits, taking some time each semester to live deliberately will help us reflect on our purpose, even as we help students realize theirs.

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." -Henry David Thoreau

Past Reading Group

The Fall 2025 discussion focused on The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewising of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt.

The Spring 2025 discussion focused on Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why it Matters, and What to Do about It by Richard V. Reeves.

Faculty AI Sharing Panel

The AI Faculty Development Working Group and AUTLC are pleased to present a Faculty AI Sharing Panel on February 25, 2026 from 12:30 to 1 p.m. This is an opportunity to learn from AU faculty who have used AI in their teaching and have guided students in their use of AI. Each presenter will speak briefly, with time for discussion and questions from the audience. The Zoom link is provided below.

Presenters

  • Junpeng Zhan – Experience Using AI Tools with Students
  • Ayush Sengupta – Sample Practices for Guiding Students in Using AI

Faculty AI Sharing Panel

The AI Faculty Development Working Group and AUTLC are pleased to present a Faculty AI Sharing Panel on Wednesday, March 18 from 12:30 to 1 p.m. This is an opportunity to learn from AU faculty who have used AI in their teaching and have guided students in their use of AI. Each presenter will speak briefly, with time for discussion and questions from the audience. The Zoom link is provided below.

Presenters

  • Shauna-Kay Harrison – AUL’s Approach for Guiding Students in Research
  • Jen Snow – Student Assignment Sample:  Independent AI Training and Reflection

AUTLC Demonstration: Lockdown Browser

Tuesday 3/24 from 12:20 – 1:10 pm led by Melissa Ryan, Professor of English This session will explore how LB allows us to stop wasting time and attention on AI policing and keep writing as our primary learning and assessment tool. She will demonstrate what it looks like from both the teacher’s and the student’s perspective and share what we’ve learned so far about making it work (implementation nuts & bolts, student responses, pros & cons). Bring a laptop if you'd like to play along (we'll create sample assignments and then try them out).