Spring Pedagogy Symposium
Every Spring Quarter, the CCTL invites the UChicago community to learn from and talk together with a distinguished speaker in higher education pedagogy.
2025 Symposium - Register Here
Friday, May 9 | 11:00AM - 2:15PM | Regenstein Library 122
This year's Spring Pedagogy Symposium will provide a space for discussion, learning, and community-building with John Warner. Warner is a writer, editor, and educator with over 20 years of experience teaching writing at the University of Illinois, Virginia Tech, Clemson University, and the College of Charleston. He is the author of several books on writing pedagogy including More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI. In his keynote address and guided discussion, Warner will focus on how large language models such as ChatGPT are an invitation to focus on the practice of writing as a method that enhances student engagement, learning, and agency.
Attendees are invited to join the CCTL for one or both sessions. Lunch will be provided before the guided discussion.
Schedule
| 10:30AM | Check-In Opens |
| 11:00AM |
Welcome & Keynote Address More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI |
| 12:00PM | Break & Pick-Up Lunch |
| 1:00PM | Guided Discussion and Q&A |
| 2:00PM | Closing Remarks & Conclusion |
| 2:15PM | End of Event |
Session Descriptions
- Keynote Address (More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI): ChatGPT is the end of high school English, the college essay, and now, the cause of a full "homework apocalypse." John Warner thinks the existence of large language models like ChatGPT are an invitation to focus on the practice of writing as a method that enhances student engagement, learning, and agency. Warner will show how this crisis has been long in the works and share strategies for assigning and evaluating student work that increases rigor and puts students on the road to discovering the power of their unique intelligences.
- Guided Discussion and Q&A: After lunch, engage in discussion and Q&A prompted by the keynote talk with John Warner and other attendees.
For Undergraduates
Warner will also host a discussion event for undergraduate students from 3:00PM - 4:00PM on Friday, May 9, More Than Words: A Discussion on AI and Writing for Undergraduates. Undergrad students are invited to join John Warner and fellow students for a discussion about AI and its implications for how we write and how we learn to write. Please share this event with your students!
Past Symposiums
- Feeling Like a Fraud: Imposter Phenomenon, Student Motivation, and Student Achievement - In this keynote address, Dr. Cokley discussed his research on the relationship between discrimination and imposter phenomenon, especially among underrepresented students, and how these experiences can affect students' motivation, academic achievement, and mental health.
- Shifting Perspectives: Helping Students Overcome Imposter Phenomenon - This guided lunch discussion focused on how imposter phenomenon research can be applied in the learning environment. Faculty and instructors left with ideas to make their classrooms into spaces where students can build their self-confidence, boost their motivation, and challenge imposter phenomenon.
The inaugural Spring Pedagogy Symposium provided a space for discussion, learning, and community-building with Kevin Cokley, University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan. Dr. Cokley is an award-winning psychologist and professor whose research dismantles the myth of intellectual indifference and inferiority among Black and minoritized students. Faculty and instructors gained valuable insights to address student self-concept, motivation, and the imposter phenomenon in their classes, promoting a more inclusive and supportive learning environment.
A video of the keynote address can be accessed using this link (CNetID credentials required): Spring Pedagogy Symposium - Keynote Address Video.