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Sheridan Newsletter
April 2026
News from the Center
Writing Fellow Faculty Partner Applications Now Open
Are you interested in having writing fellows in your Fall 2026 course? Writing Fellows are trained peer tutors who provide one-on-one writing support in courses across the curriculum. In a ‘fellowed’ course, Writing Fellows comment on students' written drafts and hold individual conferences with students, where they discuss revision strategies. Faculty who partner with the program also receive support on how to integrate draft writing into their course designs. The program’s interactive, collegial approach reinforces the conviction that writing is a communicative process best accomplished in active dialogue with other people. If you are interested in hosting Writing Fellows in a course this Fall 2026 semester, please submit the Writing Fellows Faculty Partner Application here by Friday, April 10th at 11:59 pm. Questions? Please email writingfellows@brown.edu.
Spring Programs
Problem-Solving Fellows Invited Speaker
Dr. Chad Topaz
Thursday, April 2, 2026
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 three 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
Individual Meetings (Morning and Afternoon, SciLi 725 or Zoom)
Sign ups here
Please email Dr. Christina Smith at christina_smith2@brown.edu if you have any questions!
Creating an Accessible and Inclusive Digital Learning Environment
Tuesday, April 7, 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.
Pope Tech Training
Wednesday, April 8, 12:00 pm
Zoom
Register here
Want to learn how to easily identify and mitigate accessibility issues in your Canvas Course site? DLD welcomes you to enroll in our Pope Tech Training workshop led by Learning Technologist, Claire Streckenbach. This workshop will highlight the use of Pope Tech, a Canvas-integrated accessibility tool, and will review helpful tips and tricks to effectively identify accessibility issues in your Canvas course content. In this workshop, we will review how to scan/rescan your course and view/remediate common accessibility issues using Pope Tech tools, and will include plenty of time for Q&A!
Fundamentals of Canvas Course Accessibility Mini-Course
April 27 - May 8
Asynchronous
Register here by April 23
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 April 27, 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.
Ivy+ Teaching Transformations Event for Graduate Students
Since 2017, colleagues within the Ivy+ community have partnered to produce a one-day event for graduate students invested in changing the culture of teaching in higher education. The 2026 Ivy+ Teaching Transformations Summit will be hosted online in order to bring together graduate students from research universities across the country who are committed to teaching and educational development. The event will take place on Zoom on Friday, May 1 at 12-3pm ET / 11am-2pm CT / 9am-12pm PT. Register now for this exciting and free event.
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.
Spring Faculty and Staff Writing Group
Fridays beginning on February 6
Zoom; 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Register here
All Brown faculty and staff are invited to participate in the Sheridan Center’s Faculty and Staff Writing Group. Writing groups can be an invaluable source of motivation and accountability, and the group is a “guilt-free” opportunity that prioritizes spending time in community and goal-setting together. Please register to receive the Zoom link for the sessions. Registration questions can be directed to sheridan_center@brown.edu. All other inquiries can be directed to Annie Gjelsvik (Public Health; Provost’s Faculty Teaching Fellow) at annie_gjelsvik@brown.edu.
Photo by Wilhelm Gunkel on Unsplash
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.
Problem-Solving
Fellows
Improve Your Teaching with a Problem-Solving Fellow!
Are you a UTA, tutor, or professor who wants a student perspective on your teaching? Sign up for a Problem-Solving Fellow (PSF) Teaching Consultation! PSFs are undergraduate students trained to give feedback on any and all elements of teaching or assisting in teaching a course. If you are looking to increase the effectiveness of your assignments, lecturing, or general teaching strategies, consider reaching out! Each consultation is confidential, personalized, and led from a student-based perspective. Please fill out our interest form to get started. Questions? Please contact psf@brown.edu.
The PSFs are also working on projects related to faculty, staff, and advisor perceptions of S/NC; Brown STEM cultures from a student perspective; and making sense of new educational environments.
Asynchronous Resources and Programs
English Language Support: Self-Paced Modules for Academic and Professional Communication
A series of asynchronous modules is available for supporting international-identifying and multilingual learners’ academic and professional communication in the U.S.-specific context. These self-paced modules cover key communicative strategies, including effective email writing, professional communication for job search and networking, navigating advisor-advisee interactions and critical AI Literacy for multilingual academic writers. Register to gain access to all modules using this Asynchronous English Language Support Request Form. Participants will be added to the English Language Resource Google Group and receive a link to the resource site. For questions, please contact Dr. Joy Liu at joy_s_liu@brown.edu.
Teaching Metacognition
Based on Saundra McGuire’s book, Teach Yourself How to Learn, this Canvas Commons module can be added to any Brown course. The resource addresses these topics:
What is metacognition?
What is the difference between studying and learning?
How might your own study habits be setting you up for success, or holding you back?
What are proven systems, strategies, and mindsets to improve one's learning?
Faculty might also be interested in this Sheridan newsletter on Teaching Metacognition.
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.
Faculty Guide Spotlight: Cultivating Critical AI Literacy
Check out our Helping Students Cultivate AI Literacy faculty guide for activity ideas you can use in class to help students become more critical evaluators of AI outputs. This accompanying guide also includes examples of AI literacy skills aligned with different levels of Bloom’s taxonomy.
Planning Resource: Sheridan Calendars
Interested in knowing when Sheridan Center programs typically run during the year? Please see the calendars below.