News from the Center

Digital Accessibility of Teaching Materials

Given the May 2026 accessibility requirements from the federal government, as communicated in this announcement from the Provost, we encourage instructors to review our Creating Accessible Digital Learning Experiences webpage for more information and to get support.

Spring Programs

“Learning to Lead” and Teach in STEM: Supporting Liminal Status Students (Panel Discussion)

Friday, March 13, 12:00 - 1:30 pm
SciLi 720 and Zoom
Register here

Join a panel discussion with Drs. Jennifer Nájera (Stanford University), Jeff Li (Thermo Fisher Scientific), and Marcelo Vinces (Northwestern University), moderated by Dr. Kevin Escudero (American Studies), on liminal status students in STEM. The panel discussion will focus on: the unique circumstances for liminal status students in higher education; the experiences of liminal status students in STEM pathways and disciplines; and effective ways to support and design classroom environments for students with liminal status in STEM and STEM pathways. After the panel discussion, the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions and engage with the panelists.

Creating an Accessible and Inclusive Digital Learning Environment

Tuesday, March 17, 12:00-12:50 pm
Zoom
Register here

In this presentation we’ll discuss how to ensure that the digital elements of your course are accessible and inclusive. We’ll review strategies for creating an inclusive learning environment, provide an overview of Brown’s accessibility tools, and show you how to get support from Sheridan’s Digital Learning & Design. We’ll also explore examples of common accessibility practices, from captioning to headers. This session is designed for faculty, postdocs, and graduate students and will be led by Kris Nolte, Assistant Director, Digital Learning Experience; and Christine Baumgarthuber, Senior Learning Designer. It will include plenty of time for Q&A.

Fundamentals of Canvas Course Accessibility Mini-Course

March 23 - April 3
Asynchronous
Register here by March 19

Want to learn how to make your Canvas course accessible? Then enroll in Digital Learning & Design’s ‘Fundamentals of Canvas Course Accessibility’ mini-course. This two-week, asynchronous course, which begins March 23, covers the seven pillars of digital accessibility. You’ll learn how to:

• Apply appropriate alternative text to images

• Use sufficient color contrast 

• Format headings, lists, and tables correctly

• Provide text alternative for video and audio

• Create accessible PDFs, Word documents, and slides

• Use course accessibility tools like Pope Tech and Sensus Access 

During the mini-course there will be the opportunity to participate in an optional synchronous session hosted by DLD staff. This mini-course is open to graduate students, post docs, faculty, and staff. 

CIRTL Self-Paced Teaching & Learning Courses (2025-2026 Academic Year)

Develop your teaching & learning knowledge and skills in one of CIRTL’s nine self-paced, asynchronous courses designed for graduate students and postdocs. These courses are open for registration for the Spring 2026 term. You can read detailed descriptions of this programming and register by visiting the CIRTL website. If you have any questions, please email Dr. Logan Gin (logan_gin@brown.edu).

Spring Teaching and Learning Communities

Conversations on AI Policies and Academic Tasks

Select Fridays, 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Zoom
Register here

This faculty discussion group meets 3-4 times a semester on Fridays from 12-1 pm on Zoom. Each conversation explores a different topic related to when and how faculty should develop policies on undergraduate and graduate student use of Gen AI tools for various academic tasks (e.g., writing, revision, reviewing, tutoring, research). If you would like to join these conversations, please complete this Google form. Hosted by Lisa Di Carlo, Associate Teaching Professor of Anthropology and Provost’s Faculty Teaching Fellow; and Eric Kaldor, Director of Assessment and Transformational Programs, Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning.

STEM Ed Fridays

Select Fridays, Noon - 1:00 pm
SciLi 720 and Zoom
Register here 

Are you interested in discussing STEM education at Brown? STEM Ed Friday is a vibrant learning community where STEM instructors and staff members share ideas, experiences, and challenges related to STEM education.

Brown Learning Collaborative

The Brown Learning Collaborative provides opportunities for undergraduate fellows to collaborate with faculty and peer partners in key academic areas: Data Science, Problem Solving, and Writing.

We are excited to welcome Chad Topaz to campus on April 2nd as this year’s invited Problem-Solving Fellows speaker. Dr. Topaz serves as Professor of Complex Systems at Williams College, Adjunct Professor of Applied Mathematics at University of Colorado Boulder, and co-founder of The QSIDE Institute. His first book, Unlocking Justice, will be released in May. Members of the Brown community will have two opportunities to engage with Dr. Topaz during his visit to Brown:

Presentation: “Unlocking Justice: Data Science, Race, and the Criminal Legal System”
10:00-11:30 am
SciLi 720
Register here

Roundtable Discussion: “Data, Justice, and the Choices We Make in Teaching and Research”
12:00-1:30 pm
SciLi 720
Lunch provided
Register here

Asynchronous Resources and Programs

Creating a Teaching Portfolio

This online, self-paced Canvas workshop from the Sheridan Center guides participants through the process of writing a teaching statement and creating a teaching portfolio. For more information and to register, visit the Teaching Portfolio program website.