Presentations & Publications: 2026

2025 2026 2027

  1. Treat Your Students Like Scientists

    “If we want to motivate undergraduates to learn science and persist in the field, we need to explicitly treat them like scientists, and not just like memorizers of science facts,” writes Kristi Rudenga, director of Notre Dame Learning’s Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence.

    Mentions

    Kristi Rudenga

    Kristi Rudenga

    Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence

  2. From vision to action: a theory of change for introductory biology education reform

    This paper describes how Notre Dame’s Department of Biological Sciences developed and implemented a new introductory biology course sequence using a theory of change (ToC) to guide a second-order, department-wide reform effort. Coauthored by 11 Notre Dame faculty members including Kathy Quardokus Fisher of Notre Dame Learning’s Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence, it appeared in the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education.

    Mentions

    Kathy Quardokus Fisher

    Kathy Quardokus Fisher

    Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence

  3. Presentations | 2026 Midwest Conference on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

    From crafting a memorable first five minutes of class to evaluating wearable AI, the topics covered by 10 members of the Notre Dame Learning team across eight presentations at the 2026 Midwest Conference on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning offered a window into the wide range of the organization’s pedagogical work.

  4. Podcast | Are Wearables The Next Big Thing in Higher Ed Tech?

    Steve Varela, director of teaching & learning technologies at Notre Dame, recently appeared on EDUCAUSE’s Shop Talk podcast along with Elena Mangione-Lora, a teaching professor of Spanish language and culture at the University, and Madeline Link, a doctoral student in Notre Dame’s Medieval Institute, to discuss their research on using smart glasses to support accessibility in teaching and learning.

    Mentions

    Steve Varela

    Steven Varela

    Teaching & Learning Technologies (OIT)

  5. To Solve the Student-Attention Problem, Professors Turn to Pencils and Paper

    James Lang, a professor of the practice at the University of Notre Dame’s Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence, said professors who prohibit the use of personal devices in the classroom have admirable intentions. But he thinks at this point it is impossible to fully eliminate the devices from that space. He said students will be more engaged if professors allocate more class time to hands-on activities.

    Mentions

    James Lang

    James Lang

    Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence

  6. Improving Educational Experiences in Atmospheric Science Field Campaigns through Partnerships between Observational Scientists and Education Researchers

    Kathy Quardokus Fisher of Notre Dame Learning’s Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence joined with Rebecca Haacker (U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research), Melissa A. Burt (Colorado State University), Dawn Kopacz (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), Peggy McNeal (Towson University), and Emily V. Fischer (Colorado State) to convene a workshop aimed at assessing how atmospheric field campaigns support student learning, among other topics. Meeting report appeared in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

    Mentions

    Kathy Quardokus Fisher

    Kathy Quardokus Fisher

    Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence