Workshop
Research Approaches to Teaching and Learning
–
Online
As you are asked to make decisions about artificial intelligence in the classroom, important questions are emerging. What is improving student learning? Where are new approaches falling short? How can institutions move beyond experimentation to build credible, evidence-informed practices?
This six-session online workshop series from AAC&U and the American Psychological Association is designed to help participants answer these questions in their own contexts by focusing on how to generate evidence from their teaching, not simply explore AI tools and trends.
Unlike many AI workshops that focus on tools or emerging trends, this series centers on how to generate evidence from teaching practice. Through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), you’ll develop a structured, repeatable approach to studying AI and learning in your own context.
This six-session series runs from November 2026 through September 2027, with live sessions held on a select Wednesday of each month (2:00–3:30 p.m. ET). See the detailed schedule below.
Each session builds toward a single goal: designing a rigorous, ethical study of AI and learning in your own context. Between sessions, you’ll apply what you’ve learned directly to your project, with time for reflection and development.
You’ll also have access to an online hub for resources and continued engagement with peers throughout the series.
No prior experience with SoTL or AI Research is required.
Foundations – Understanding SoTL and the AI Pedagogical Landscape
From Interests to Researchable Questions, Literature Review, and Frameworks
Approaches and Ethics, Developing Instruments and Data Collection Strategies
Data Analysis Approaches and Using AI Responsibly
Writing Up and Interpreting Findings
Dissemination, Collaboration, and Sustaining a SoTL Pathway
Full Series
APA members: Please use the APA100 discount code when registering to receive the member rate.
Laura Cruz is a research professor for the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence at Penn State. Her scholarship focuses on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), faculty development, and evidence-based teaching practices. She currently serves as co-editor of the Journal of General Education and has co-edited several recent and forthcoming volumes on teaching and learning scholarship.
Regan A. R. Gurung is professor of psychological science at Oregon State University. His research spans social, health, and pedagogical psychology, and he has published more than 130 peer-reviewed articles and co-authored or co-edited fifteen books. He is the founding co-editor of APA’s Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology and has led workshops and consulted with teaching and learning centers nationally and internationally.
Chris Hakala is executive director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship and professor of psychology at Springfield College. With more than thirty years of experience in higher education, his work has focused on teaching and learning, faculty development, assessment, and student engagement. More recently, his work has explored the implications of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies for student learning.
Beth M. Schwartz is senior director of precollege and undergraduate education at the American Psychological Association (APA). A cognitive psychologist by training, she brings more than thirty years of experience in higher education as both a professor of psychology and chief academic officer. Her work focuses on evidence-based teaching, learning science, and the impact of artificial intelligence on student learning and teaching practice.
C. Edward Watson is vice president for digital innovation at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and founding director of AAC&U’s Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum. His work focuses on teaching and learning, general education, evidence-based instruction, and the role of emerging technologies in higher education, including artificial intelligence, digital equity, and open learning.
