September Message from the CTE Director

By Dea Follmer, CTE Director and Professor of Psychology

Welcome Back for Spring 2026! 

I hope you had a restorative break and are ready for an exciting spring semester. I'm energized by the momentum we've built so far this year and the innovative work ahead. 

Last fall, we made significant strides in AI-ready education through a Teaching and AI Symposium, AI Innovation Grants, a Generative AI and Teaching Working Group, and AI literacy modules in Canvas. We also continued to add to our web resources on generative AI. KU also joined the Digital Education Council, a global community of practice for educational innovation. KU faculty and staff can sign up for access to the group’s communities and resources. Building on this foundation, this spring we're launching a Rethinking Online Education Incubator (led by Doug Ward) in which experienced online instructors will explore new approaches to asynchronous teaching in an AI-powered world. We will also be working with a group of business faculty on ways to integrate generative AI into teaching and learning. 

Our Class Observation Project is revealing what classroom practices work with today's learners. We sent trained undergraduate researchers, part of our Teaching and Learning Innovation Lab, into over 50 classrooms last semester to systematically connect teaching and learning activities with student engagement and success. Participants get personalized reports, and we’re using the collective data to inform evidence-based recommendations. Stay tuned for opportunities to learn about those insights, and your chance to participate this spring.  

This semester, several faculty groups are engaged in transformative work: 

  • The Grading Studio is pairing experienced faculty mentors with colleagues exploring alternative grading practices that emphasize student growth over point accumulation (a particularly valuable approach in our AI era). 

  • Faculty in our Smart Teaching for Better Learning seminar are exploring practical applicationsHow Learning Works to improve and energize student learning in their courses.  

  • Our COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) collaboration with International Affairs will support faculty in creating virtual exchange experiences with peers overseas, work that feels more important than ever in preparing students for global workplaces and citizenship. Scroll down to learn how to apply.  

  • A robust Gamification Working Group is exploring how to use game elements to ignite student learning (by the way there is still time to sign up for our Student Learning Symposium, which serves, among other things, as a master class in gamification of learning!).  

There's so much more happening, but I'll spare your inbox. Here's to building our community of engaged, growth-minded instructors and a semester of meaningful teaching and learning!