↓ Session recordings are linked below in the schedule.
Teaching Smarter, Not Harder: Practical Strategies for Faculty Success
The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence invites faculty to join us for Faculty Development Day Spring 2026, Teaching Smarter, Not Harder: Practical Strategies for Faculty Success. This event focuses on supporting faculty with practical, creative, and sustainable approaches to teaching that save time while enhancing student learning and connection. Faculty will explore a balance of efficiency tools and human centered practices, including the thoughtful use of AI and strategies that strengthen engagement, inclusion, and student retention. The day offers actionable ideas and meaningful opportunities to connect with colleagues and support faculty success.
Faculty Development Day Spring 2026 - Event Overview
Event Date: January 6, 2026
Time: 9am to 12pm
Event Location: Virtual on Zoom Events
Event Format: Keynote Speaker: Dr. DePoy, followed by two concurrent sessions.
Session Schedule
Welcome - 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM
| Welcome Message | Presenter Name | Presentation Description |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome & Opening Remarks | Dr. Candace Roberts, Executive Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence | A warm welcome from CTLE with brief department updates, Zoom Events navigation tips, and a quick overview of the day’s sessions. |
Keynote - 9:15 AM - 9:45 AM
| Keynote | Recording Link | Presenter Name | Presentation Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engaged Teaching: Lessons from Applied Music Teaching on Rigor, Empathy, and Skills Development | View Recording | Dr. Bryan DePoy, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs | College-level applied music teaching is built on a unique kind of engagement, which is deep, focused, empathic, and relentlessly oriented toward skill development. This presentation explores what all faculty can learn from that model. By examining how music teachers blend high expectations with compassion, provide personalized feedback, and nurture steady progress over time, we will uncover practical strategies that promote stronger student learning without adding unnecessary burden to faculty workload. |
Session 2 -10:00 AM - 10:50 AM
| Event Track | Presentation Title | Recording Link | Presenter | Presentation Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student Engagement & Success | From Monologue to Dialogue: Strategies for Talking Less and Teaching More | View Recording | Cheryl Berry | Learn research-informed strategies to reduce professor talk time, increase student talk, and redesign lessons from information delivery to discovery-focused learning by reflecting on your teaching and the benefits of student discourse so students learn more when you talk less. |
| Innovation & Connection in Teaching | Hedra AI: Transforming Teaching with Virtual Guest Speakers | View Recording | Austin Trantham | When a guest speaker cancels, Hedra AI can step in. This session introduces Hedra, a generative video tool for creating virtual “guest speakers.” Participants will practice making their own videos and add Hedra to their AI teaching toolbox for any course format. |
| Innovation & Connection in Teaching | Reacting to the Past: Using Historical Simulation Games to Teach all Majors | View Recording | Marissa C. Rhodes | See how Reacting to the Past role-playing games use historical simulations to boost engagement in any discipline while building critical thinking, communication, and persuasive skills. Experience a short simulation and leave with practical ideas for implementation. |
| Student Engagement & Success | Empowering Faculty: Tools for Early Detection and Timely Intervention | View Recording | Ben Forche & Anthony DeSantis | Faculty members are on the front lines of student success, uniquely positioned to identify early warning signs and connect struggling students with critical support resources. This session explores practical strategies and accessible tools that empower faculty to recognize at-risk behaviors, initiate meaningful interventions, and collaborate effectively with Student Success. Participants will discover how simple, proactive touchpoints throughout the semester can significantly impact student persistence and achievement. Whether you’re teaching first-year students or advanced coursework, you’ll leave with actionable approaches to strengthen your role as a partner in student retention and academic success. |
| Innovation & Connection in Teaching | Maximizing Free Tools For Smarter Collaboration and Engagement | View Recording | Christine Woods | Maximize existing free Microsoft 365 tools and Zoom Scheduler for collaboration and engagement. Use shared documents, forms, quizzes, and the Zoom Scheduler to streamline workflows, track contributions, visualize responses, and simplify scheduling—enhancing teaching, learning, and administrative tasks without additional subscriptions. |
Session 3 -11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
| Event Track | Presentation Title | Recording Link | Presenter | Presentation Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Innovation & Connection in Teaching | Rethinking Collaboration Between Faculty, Students, and Machine Intelligence | View Recording | Katrina Weicht and Kelly Atkins | Imagine, if you will: AI as a colleague and peer in the classroom. This session demonstrates creative strategies for using AI in ways to enhance creativity, connection, and engagement for both faculty and students while exploring the ethical and pedagogical implications of partnering with non-human intelligence. |
| Student Engagement & Success | Involve Me and I Learn: Transforming University Classrooms Through Active Engagement | View Recording | Shawn A. Brown and Maria Powers | Ignite your classroom with energy and purpose! This interactive session models smart, high-impact strategies that make teaching more engaging and effortless. Experience active learning in action through collaboration, movement, and technology tools. Leave inspired with practical, ready-to-use techniques that turn every class into a dynamic learning experience. |
| Student Engagement & Success | Conversation in the Spirit: The Power of Casting a Synodal Net in the Classroom | View Recording | Jean Musto Hawley | Explore how “Conversations in the Spirit” invites students and faculty to journey together as co-learners, inspired by the Emmaus story: “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road…” (Luke 24:13). Through intentional listening and genuine dialogue, participants pause before reacting in moments of challenge, success, and discernment to truly hear others’ experiences. We will consider how this synodal approach reshapes our disciplines, classrooms, and communities and empowers students and faculty to accompany one another within and beyond the classroom. |
| Innovation & Connection in Teaching | CoPilot Teach Quick-Start Lab: Explore, Experiment, Make it Yours | View Recording | Candyce Nelson | This hands-on session invites faculty to explore generative AI through CoPilot Teach in an open, discovery-driven environment. After a brief orientation to the Curriculum, Rubric, and Study Aid tools, participants will jump directly into guided experimentation; testing features, generating course materials, and adapting outputs to their own teaching needs. This lab emphasizes practical use, personal relevance, and real-time exploration. Faculty will leave with AI-generated artifacts they can refine immediately, along with a clearer sense of what works, what doesn’t, and how SLU’s CoPilot Teach can support effective, efficient teaching. |
New this year: In response to faculty feedback, all proposals were double-blind peer-reviewed by a panel of Saint Leo faculty.
Tracks and Topics
Student Success
Active learning strategies
Inclusive teaching practices
Innovative student-centered approaches
Building community and connection in online or hybrid courses
Authentic & Creative Strategies
Real-world project-based, experiential or portfolio-style assessments
Memorable storytelling, narratives, and case studies
Student-created assignments and creative discussion boards
Creative course design with OER, multimedia, and low-cost tools
Innovation & Connection in Teaching
Ethical and effective AI use in the classroom
Free/low-cost teaching tools that save time
Sharing course templates that “work”
AI as your teaching assistant