{"id":3271,"date":"2026-10-01T14:18:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T18:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/?p=3271"},"modified":"2026-11-06T13:44:39","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T18:44:39","slug":"october-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/newsletter\/october-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Smith Center Newsletter &#8211; Oct. 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group newsletter-article is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><nav style=\"&quot;\" class=\"wp-block-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\"><ol><li><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/\">Home<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/article-directory\/\">Article Directory<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/.\/newsletter\/\">Smith Center Newsletter<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/nav>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-palette-color-7-color has-palette-color-5-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-1 is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-50c5a58c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-container-content-bdf48a29\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/227\/2026\/08\/cropped-android-chrome-192x192-1.png\" alt=\"Ohio Wesleyan University logo\" class=\"wp-image-1920\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/227\/2026\/08\/cropped-android-chrome-192x192-1.png 512w, https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/227\/2026\/08\/cropped-android-chrome-192x192-1-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/227\/2026\/08\/cropped-android-chrome-192x192-1-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/227\/2026\/08\/cropped-android-chrome-192x192-1-270x270.png 270w, https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/227\/2026\/08\/cropped-android-chrome-192x192-1-192x192.png 192w, https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/227\/2026\/08\/cropped-android-chrome-192x192-1-180x180.png 180w, https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/227\/2026\/08\/cropped-android-chrome-192x192-1-32x32.png 32w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-766dbf6f wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0\">\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-palette-color-7-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2\">Smith Center Newsletter<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">October 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-palette-color-8-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-255cb3c6 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/227\/2026\/10\/unnamed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2794\" style=\"width:512px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/227\/2026\/10\/unnamed.jpg 512w, https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/227\/2026\/10\/unnamed-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scholarship Roundtable on 9\/21\/26&nbsp;<br>Chris Fink (HHK), Hank Blume (Classics), and Gabriella Friedman (English) discussing the research they conducted during their Spring \u201826 sabbatical.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Teaching Tip of the Month<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">We have a double dose of teaching strategies for you this month:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-371a9f88 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70)\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If you need help supporting a student who is struggling:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Check out our Teaching Tip on <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/12g6nZJ-KTJvbFwFsEu5-3CXhaUjxnw-IXTbaObQRrCY\/edit?usp=sharing\">Reaching Out to Struggling Students<\/a>. It includes an email template you can use or adapt!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If you\u2019re wondering how you can positively affect your students\u2019 motivation to learn:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Check out our Teaching Tip on <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1pc9b0NO8EigDVdVAM6EmSwFtcLDoLw_5xeUJ5FwxGTI\/edit?usp=sharing\">Self-Determination Theory &amp; Student Motivation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">**Do you have a teaching-related question or concern you\u2019d like us to address in a future newsletter? Send us an email at <a href=\"mailto:smithcenter@owu.edu\">smithcenter@owu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tech and AI Toolbox<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Are you looking for a way to make course readings more interactive?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Social annotation tools allow students to annotate, question, and discuss digital texts, videos, and podcasts directly with each other in real-time. Studies show that annotation tools like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.perusall.com\/\">Perusall<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/web.hypothes.is\/\">Hypothes.is<\/a> can help cultivate deeper critical thinking and richer collaborative learning. For a list of additional tools, see <a href=\"https:\/\/annotation.commons.gc.cuny.edu\/tools\/\">https:\/\/annotation.commons.gc.cuny.edu\/tools\/<\/a>. If you want to do your own research on social annotation, feel free to use our <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1ghhAYelVRYKUQTmBWL3QcT0XciHQg-ZiJdiiyHU6nVw\/edit?usp=sharing\">Social Annotation Bibliography<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70)\"><strong><em>Note<\/em><\/strong><em>:<\/em> <em>If you are interested in using social annotation for your course(s), please contact<\/em> <a href=\"mailto:bjbird@owu.edu\"><em><u>Barb Bird<\/u><\/em><\/a><em>. If a lot of faculty express interest in using social annotation, we will investigate institutional licensure.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Did you know that Blackboard has an AI Conversation Tool?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can set it up to have socratic dialogues or role-play with your students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-88d4156b wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70)\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Ready to try it out?<\/strong> Go to \u201cAdd Content\u201d -&gt; select \u201cCreate\u201d -&gt; select \u201cAI Conversation\u201d under \u201cParticipation and Engagement\u201d. First, you will be asked to share the main question or topic you want your students to discuss with the AI persona. (See examples on Blackboard.) Next you will set up the AI persona by giving it a name and selecting its personality. You can also choose how complex you want the responses to be. Finally, there is an option of assigning a reflection question where students explain how the conversation advanced their understanding of the topic.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">**If you try this, we\u2019d love to hear how it went and invite you to send an email to <a href=\"mailto:smithcenter@owu.edu\">smithcenter@owu.edu<\/a> to share your experience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Featured Books, Articles &amp; Podcasts on Pedagogy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Article:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/thelearnwellprojects.com\/why-good-students-bomb-comprehensive-exams\/\">Why Good Students Bomb Exams<\/a> by Leonard Geddes is a short article that tries to explain exactly what the title says: Why is it that students who have done fine on homework and quizzes suddenly bomb the (cumulative) midterm or final exam? Where did things go wrong? Check out the article to find out what Geddes sees as the underlying cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Podcast:<\/strong> If you don\u2019t have time to read but enjoy listening to podcasts while driving, cooking dinner or going for a walk, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeshighereducation.com\/campus\/authors\/daniel-guberman\">Daniel Guberman<\/a>\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/teachinginhighered.com\/podcast\/how-our-grading-systems-impact-student-motivation-with-daniel-guberman\/\">podcast<\/a> on \u201cHow our grading systems impact student motivation.\u201d (44 minutes) In this episode on the <em>Teaching in Higher Ed<\/em> podcast , Dr. Daniel Guberman, Senior Instructional Developer at Purdue University, examines how traditional higher education grading structures unintentionally undermine student learning and engagement.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70)\">**Do you have a favorite article, book, or podcast on teaching and learning that you\u2019d like to see featured here in an upcoming newsletter? Email the Smith Center at <a href=\"mailto:smithcenter@owu.edu\">smithcenter@owu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Grants, Funding &amp; Fellowship Opportunities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">TLI Grant Applications are due October 22 at 11:59pm!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">TLI grants can provide:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><em>Scholarship support<\/em><\/strong>: travel for on-site research, purchase a dataset, provide stipends for participants in a study, pay fees for writing an open-access book or article.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><em>Teaching support<\/em><\/strong>: attend or present at a teaching conference, take an online training in a particular pedagogy (e.g., <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teambasedlearning.org\/\"><u>team-based learning<\/u><\/a>), pay an honorarium to meet with an expert in a type of pedagogy you want to improve in (e.g., using AI to deepen &amp; reveal student thinking, adopting alternative grading, expanding <a href=\"https:\/\/udloncampus.cast.org\/page\/udl_about\"><u>Universal Design for Learning<\/u><\/a>), explore a location for a travel learning course.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><em>Interdisciplinary support<\/em><\/strong>: cross-disciplinary scholarship or teaching projects.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Check out the revised <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1rBErV6EgW2OSKeG5mUvPgvct77yt0brl9FtuXeqOBGs\/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.kuu9924d9w7q\"><u>TLI Guidelines<\/u><\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ready to submit? Here is the <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.gle\/hEi3r2Vrbu93mNua9\"><u>TLI Proposal Submission Form<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Upcoming Smith Center Events<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scholarship Roundtable &#8211; Wednesday, Sept. 21, 12-1, Slocum 201, Lunch provided.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Smith Center invites you to our second Scholarship Roundtable. Come for lunch and hear from Zack Long (English), Danielle Hamill (Zoology), and Liz Starns (HHK) about the research they did during their spring sabbatical. There will be time for questions and conversation. Sign up <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSeiE624fVXgLxs7_MrLaoOAKxMFjiKVTHqZ-RV9A-ey8Od06Q\/viewform?usp=publish-editor\">here<\/a>&nbsp;if you\u2019d like to have lunch<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Just for Laughs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"651\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/227\/2026\/10\/b3mqed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2818\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/227\/2026\/10\/b3mqed.jpg 651w, https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/227\/2026\/10\/b3mqed-300x177.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 651px) 100vw, 651px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-palette-color-8-color has-palette-color-3-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-3 is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);font-size:clamp(0.875rem, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 0.2rem) * 0.156), 1rem);\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-palette-color-7-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4\">Need Support?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSf3RFvqNndaStLnfCDEGWMxRU7zEKd77Elv0fBNWut7IwSQSw\/viewform?usp=sharing&amp;ouid=107109696282734851061\">Request a confidential consultation<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSd3Q-2wDT4qi_QKHDQp1OHu020LIphMBXgAYAqfUeNPrDahMQ\/viewform?usp=sharing&amp;ouid=107109696282734851061\">Request a formative teaching observation<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSdEzzpSPhblsndXCoZvS86Rf1Yn8PWKZ0VIYsBDue_lxFBS9w\/viewform?usp=sharing&amp;ouid=107109696282734851061\">Request assistance with midsemester instructional feedback<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-palette-color-7-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5\">Stay Connected<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/\">Smith Center Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/calendar.google.com\/calendar\/embed?src=c_a6eeca8add56eac42d635e2e91836eb2a418e5106b216402ce034ec5ad11cacf%40group.calendar.google.com&amp;ctz=America%2FNew_York\">Smith Center Happenings Calendar<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"mailto:bjbird@owu.edu\">Email Barb Bird<\/a>&nbsp;(Director of Smith Center)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"mailto:arcolvin@owu.edu\">Email Andrea Colvin<\/a>&nbsp;(Assistant Director of the Smith Center)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Follow us on Instagram <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/owusmithcenter\">@owusmithcenter<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scholarship Roundtable, new resources &amp; deadlines of note, and more<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2403,"featured_media":2794,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsletter"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2403"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3271"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3411,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3271\/revisions\/3411"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/smith-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}