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This conversation is with the authors of the chapter “The Work Goes On: Centering Relationships and Reimagining Practices That Support Learning” in our new co-edited book, Recentering Learning: Complexity, Resilience and Adaptability in Higher Education (JHU Press, 2024). The book (in paper and ebook form) is available for order from JHU Press and on Amazon.
Catherine Ross retired in 2024 as executive director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Columbia University. Amanda Irvin is the executive director of Columbia’s CTL, and Suzanna Klaf is the associate director of faculty programs and services at the CTL
Q: What would you like readers to take away and bring back to their institutions and organizations?
A: Our message in the chapter draws on that of the Dead Ideas in Teaching and Learning podcast, which encourages instructors, students and leaders in higher education to reflect on what they believe about teaching and learning, questioning the root of their practices in hopes of moving beyond “dead ideas” toward evidence-based practices.
In the chapter, we highlight the importance of community in the classroom, instructor-student and student-student relationships based on trust, and reimagining assessment practices and policies which are critical for learning to take place. We note that changes to teaching and learning can happen, but it requires intentional effort and a willingness to let go of practices that are not serving learners, instructors and institutions.
The questions we hope all stakeholders continuously ask themselves are: Why do we do what we do? And what really matters for learning to take place? We need to actively listen to the voices of our instructors, students and leaders to understand their experiences and collaborate with them to take research-informed actions that bring about the desired changes.
Q: What are potential opportunities and levers to recenter learning in research-intensive colleges and universities?
A: Research-intensive colleges and universities can encourage and recognize individuals who not only care about their students’ learning but are willing to take action, those who are taking risks and experimenting with evidence-informed practices. We need to be persistent and hold out hope that institutions can move toward: 1) valuing scholarly teaching in processes for advancement; 2) encouraging curricular redesigns that focus on learning; 3) investing in classroom environments that are flexible and respectful of the individuals who teach and learn in them; 4) supporting research into teaching and learning practices that can be scaled on their campus; and 5) fostering community among instructors and providing them with the supports they need to advance learning.
Centers for teaching and learning can play an important role in bringing these changes to fruition, so please partner with them at your institution!
Q: How might the rapid evolution of generative AI impact the work of recentering learning?
A: In our chapter, we emphasize the importance of fostering community in the classroom for learning, building trust between instructors and students. The emergence of AI might refocus instructor energy on detection of inappropriate student use of AI, thus eroding trust in the instructor-student relationship.
AI presents an opportunity to rethink our assessment practices—to make more transparent why we use certain assessments and experiment with what would be the most effective ways to have students’ demonstrate their learning. We need to engage in ongoing conversations with students about how learning works, while helping them develop the basic transferable skills of critical thinking, digital literacy and AI literacy.
