Transform Your Teaching

Does Backward Design look different now that AI has changed the world of education? How does “starting with the end in mind” produce courses that serve students well? Join Rob and Jared as they discuss how a backward-design approach enables teachers to create AI-resilient courses. View a transcript of this week’s episode. Resources FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

What level of specificity should you provide about how students can use AI in your courses? What are some practical steps for implementing design concepts that will help your courses be more AI-resilient? Join Rob and Jared as they share a “practical menu” of six components instructors can use in their courses. View a transcript of this week’s episode. Resources Resilient Course Design Practical Menu (PDF) Resilient Course Design Practical Menu (Word Document) FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

When should your courses be AI-resistant? How could creating AI-resilient courses produce better student outcomes?

What is happening at the bleeding edge of Generative AI? Can an LLM ever be controlled? What is being done to help users get the best outputs from their LLM? Join Rob and Jared as they discuss this with our newest needle mover, Dr. Carmen Amo Alonso, Postdoctoral Fellow in AI at Stanford University. View a transcript of this week's episode. Resources FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

What were some of the major themes at conferences this summer? What did Jared and Ryan get to talk about during their presentations? What were their takeaways? In this episode, Rob chats with Jared and Ryan about the conferences they attended and presented at during the summer of 2026. Resources FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

In this episode, Rob and Jared review and share their thoughts on Designing Impactful College Courses: Applying Self-Determination Theory to Unleash the Potential of Autonomy-Supportive Learning Environments by Emily B. Bonem, Daniel Guberman, and Chantal Levesque-Bristol. View a transcript of this week’s episode. Resources Designing Impactful College Courses: Applying Self-Determination Theory to Unleash the Potential of Autonomy-Supportive Learning Environments - Emily B. Bonem, Daniel Guberman, and Chantal Levesque-Bristol FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

Is there a single definition for AI Literacy? How are the changes in AI Literacy affecting workforce literacy? What can be done to rebuild the erosion of trust caused by the boom of Generative AI? Resources FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

How do we keep humans in the loop? How does trust factor into Generative AI usage? Join Rob and Jared as they chat with Chris Cummings (Senior Manager at Grammarly for Education) about the importance of human-to-human connection with Generative AI in education. Resources FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

What framework can faculty use to communicate transparency about GAI usage in their classrooms? How can faculty keep students accountable for their usage of GAI and still maintain trust? Join Rob and Jared as they chat with Ben Sondgeroth (Lead Regional Educational Technology Coordinator at the Learning Technology Center of Illinois). View a transcript of this week’s episode. Resources FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

In this coffee drop, Jared, an F1 fan, presents irrefutable evidence that the F1 movie is bad (description written by Jared). View a transcript of this week’s episode. Resources FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

How is the educational landscape changing as a result of GAI? What do faculty and students need to do to adjust and adapt? Join Rob and Jared as they chat with Eric Alvarado (AVP for Digital Strategy at St. John’s University). View a transcript of this week’s episode. Resources FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

In this coffee drop, Jared and Rob discuss the story from Brown University about suspected cheating using GAI in an economics course. View a transcript of this week’s episode. Resources FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

How is Sinclair increasing AI Literacy among their faculty, staff and students? What strategies will enable institutions to equip their students for the workforce? Join Rob and Jared as they chat with Dr. Chris Prokes (Director of the AI Excellence Institute at Sinclair Community College). View a transcript of this week’s episode. Resources FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

How has Generative AI made an impact on teaching and learning at a major university? Join Rob and Jared as they discover how Ohio State is preparing their graduates to be AI-fluent with Dr. Monique Ross (Associate Professor in the Engineering Education Department at The Ohio State University). View a transcript of this week’s episode. Resources The Opposite of Cheating: Teaching for Integrity in the Age of AI – Tricia Bertram Gallant & David A. Rettinger FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

What does it mean to “think critically?” What role does developing critical thinking play in developing AI literacy? Why is it so important to train students to apply critical thinking to AI outputs? Join Rob and Jared as they discuss the importance of critical thinking. Resources FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

What kind of work environment are recent graduates stepping into? How is Generative AI impacting their everyday work? What can instructors do now to help ready future graduates? Join Jared as he chats with Logan Davis, a recent MBA graduate, about how Generative AI is changing the way that he works. View a transcript of this week’s episode. Resources FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

How is AI changing the way that people work? What kind of skills are employers looking for in their future employees? Join Rob and Jared as they chat with Donnie Woodyard (Executive Director for the Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice) about how Generative AI is supporting, assisting, and training clinicians. View a transcript of this week’s episode. Resources FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

How is AI changing the way that people work? What kind of skills are employers looking for in their future employees? Join Rob and Jared as they chat with Mark Tanner (Environmental Manager of Healthcare, Retail, and Grocery Logistics at Amazon) about how AI is changing the work landscape at Amazon. View a transcript of this week’s episode. Resources FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

How essential is AI Literacy in educational institutions? To what degree should institutions provide access to AI tools for their faculty and students? Can training students to be more AI literate equip them to use AI more effectively? Join Rob and Jared as they chat with Dr. Jodie Penrod (Chief Information Officer at Marshall University) about the importance of AI literacy and access at higher education institutions. View a transcript of this week’s episode. Resources ibl.ai FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

What is AI Literacy? How important is it for students to be “AI literate”? How can teachers help students develop the necessary skills to enter a workforce where the need for AI Literacy is growing? Join Rob and Jared as they start our new series on AI Literacy. View a transcript of this week's episode. Resources FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL Chat with us! Connect with us via LinkedIn Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions