bill zimmerman & looking on the bright side

Bill Zimmerman, an instructor in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State and host of the Happy Valley Hustle podcast, returns to the show to discuss his experience with a year of remote learning and how he hopes education will look different as schools fully come back in person this fall. He talks about how he managed — or sometimes didn’t manage — Zoom fatigue for his students and for himself and how the time in remote learning might strengthen the desire for in-person connections inside and outside the classroom.

Bill is an eternal optimist, and that sentiment really comes through in this conversation. We also talk about running and how it helps focus our minds that are constantly distracted by our inboxes and social media notifications. 

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rj thompson & the politics of tenure

Headshot of RJ Thompson on a grey backgroundThis week on the show, we sat down with RJ Thompson, the associate director of student engagement in the College of Business Administration at the University of Pittsburg. RJ’s career in higher education has been in an interesting one. He’s always had a passion for teaching students, and has worked as a both an adjunct and a tenured professor. We talk about RJ’s long career as a professor and why he decided to move from faculty to staff. We also chat about Star Trek: Picard, but no worries. We don’t talk spoilers. 

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ashley alvarado & the love of teaching

Ashley Alvarado is a doctoral student at the University of South Carolina where she serves as a teaching assistant while obtaining her Ph. D in literature. Lougan and Ashley talk about how general education classes teach students to analyze and interpret information, as well as think critically. We also talk about Ashley’s plans for doctoral research, specifically diaries and their place in literature. 

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dave eng & the power of gaming

Dave Eng HeadshotThis week, Dave Eng returns to the show! Since last we talked, Dave has finished his doctorate and serves as a clinical professor & educational technologist at New York University’s School of Professional Studies and a professor of practice of table top game design at Troy University. We chatted with Dave about his research into table top gaming, the future of voice technology and Lougan’s tendency to not throw away things. We also discuss escape rooms and the fundamental differences between puzzles and games.

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steve gavazzi & the story behind land-grant universities

Steve Gavazzi is a professor of human development & family science at The Ohio State University. While Steve is a marriage and family research scientist by training, he’s also been interested in the mission of land-grant institutions. That interest led him to co-write the book Land-Grant Universities for the Future: Higher Education for the Public Good with E. Gordon Gee, president of West Virginia University. We chatted with Steve about the history of these institutions and their future. We also discuss college rankings and their historic impact on institutions of higher learning.

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