Visiting Teacher-Scholar
The Drs. Mary (Scherger) Bonhomme and Raymond Bonhomme Visiting Teacher-Scholar Series
⋅⋅⋅ February 17-18, 2027 ⋅⋅⋅
Bio
Todd D. Zakrajsek, PhD, recently retired from the School of Medicine at UNC at Chapel Hill, where he worked for 17 years developing resources for faculty on teaching/learning, leadership, and publishing. Prior to this he was a tenured associate professor of psychology and built faculty development efforts at three universities. Todd has served on many educationally related boards and work groups during his four decades of teaching and faculty development. Todd’s recent books include The Science of Learning Meets AI, Essentials of the New Science of Learning, Classroom Assessment Techniques (3rd ed.), Teaching at Its Best (5th ed.), The New Science of Learning (3rd ed.), Teaching for Learning (2nd ed.), Advancing Online, and Dynamic Lecturing. Todd has given keynote addresses, campus workshops, and conference presentations in all 50 states, 12 countries, and 4 continents.
Events
Tuesday, February 17, 2027
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30 - 11:00 am | The Science of Learning Meets AI Book Discussion & Signing |
320 Laws Hall |
| 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Dynamic Lecturing: Research-Based Strategies to Enhance Lecture Effectiveness Book Discussion & Signing |
320 Laws Hall |
| 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Keep the Struggle, Lose the Friction: Effort and Learning in the Age of AI Workshop Registration Deadline is 5:00 pm on Friday, February 13. |
Shriver Center, Dolibois Room B |
| 4:30 - 5:30 pm | Active Learning Social Hour: The Science of Pairing Enjoy more conversation with our Visiting Teacher-Scholar and Miami colleagues along with hors d'oeuvres, select vintages, and local brews. |
Shriver Center, Dolibois Room A |
Wednesday, February 18, 2027
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30 - 11:00 am | The Science of Learning Meets AILecturing AND Active Learning: Finding the Right Balance Workshop |
TBD |
Abstract:
Generative AI has arrived in higher education, bringing remarkable opportunities and difficult questions. Decades of research have given us enduring principles about how people learn; such principles should frame how we evaluate AI’s benefits and threats to supporting student learning. Join Todd Zakrajsek, co-author of The Science of Learning Meets AI, for an engaging discussion about using AI purposefully in teaching and learning. Drawing on research from the science of learning, we will explore practical ways AI can support student engagement, reflection, practice, feedback, and deeper thinking while considering the ethical challenges that accompany its use. Whether you are enthusiastic about AI, skeptical of it, or somewhere in between, the enduring question is this: How can we use the technology available to us to help students learn? Books are available to participants after they register. Stop by 317 Laws to pick up your copy.
Abstract:
Lecturing has been central to university teaching for centuries, yet recent decades have often set it in opposition to active learning. Must we choose between the two? Join Todd Zakrajsek for a discussion of Dynamic Lecturing, co-authored with Christine Harrington, and what learning research tells us about lecturing well. We will explore small changes, such as activating prior knowledge, capturing attention, and encouraging retrieval. These elements help explain why students follow along in class yet struggle on the exam, and how better questioning draws out students who rarely speak up. We will also consider how generative AI can augment effective lecture strategies, from customized examples in a large hall to real-time classroom assessment techniques. Rather than asking whether we should lecture, we will consider a more useful question: How can we best pair lectures with other strategies to create more effective learning opportunities for our students? Books are available to participants after they register. Stop by 317 Laws to pick up your copy.
Abstract:
What happens when the work we eliminate is the work that produces learning? Cognitive effort can strengthen memory and build automaticity, but not all difficulty earns its keep. Some struggles contribute to learning, while others simply get in the way. Further, what constitutes productive struggle changes as learners develop expertise—work essential for learning today may become unnecessary friction later. Generative AI makes these distinctions increasingly important. In this interactive session, we will explore what cognitive science tells us about effort and learning and consider when AI removes unnecessary friction—and when it may remove the learning itself. Participants will leave with four practical questions for deciding which work we can hand to AI and which work we should protect.
Abstract:
Lecturing and active learning are often presented as competing approaches to teaching. But what if that comparison creates a false choice? In this interactive workshop, Todd Zakrajsek, coauthor of Dynamic Lecturing, will lead us in an exploration of what the research actually reveals about the value of lecture and active learning and, more importantly, how the two can work together. We will first consider how to determine which method is best suited to the learning goals. Then participants will explore practical ways to break up lectures, check understanding, ask effective questions, and create brief opportunities for students to work with new material. The goal is not simply more active learning or less lecturing, but finding the right balance between providing students with information and creating opportunities for them to do something meaningful with it.
