Upcoming Events
Shawna Shapiro: Critical Language Awareness
February 19-20, 2026.
CILA is co-sponsoring Shawna Shapiro’s visit to campus. Shapiro will deliver a public lecture on Critical Language Awareness on Thursday, February 19th, 4:00-5:00pm, and lead a workshop for 10-20 faculty who will have attended the public talk on Friday, February 20th, 11:45 -12:45. More information coming soon!
Considering the Low-Tech or No-Tech Classroom
Led by Doug Casson and Tom Williamson. March 5, 2026, 3:45-5:00, CAD 202. RSVP coming soon.
In response to a wave of new research, student concerns, and our own experiences with technological distractions in the classroom, we have both been experimenting with minimizing or eliminating tech in our classrooms. For us, this has meant creating a space where students can take a break from their phones and laptops and focus on paper books, handwritten notes, and discussion. We have also tried to minimize tech outside of the classroom, encouraging students to spend time preparing for class away from tech and communicating as much as possible face-to-face during class and office hours and not through online teaching platforms. Although some students have been surprised, the response has been overwhelmingly positive with fewer accommodation challenges that we anticipated. During this session, we hope to share our reasoning and our experiences, and hear from colleagues about the benefits as well as the drawbacks of this approach.
Assessment workshop
Led by Jean Porterfield, Chair of the Assessment Committee. March 19, 2026, 3:45-5:00. More information coming soon!
Past Events
Coming Together to Practice AI Skepticism
Led by Ryan Eichberger
Thur October 2, 3:45-5:00pm, Center for Art and Dance 305
The hype around AI is intense. It’s hard to know what’s sensationalism and what’s practically useful. This session offers participants two things: (1) a set of activities—digital and analog—that dismantle AI’s mystique and help reveal its operations clearly and tactilely, and (2) several frameworks for facilitating ethical discussions about AI, drawing on recent critical scholarship that has gotten lost in the hype. No matter if you use ChatGPT regularly or avoid it entirely, this session invites you to share conversation about the conundrum that is AI, reflecting on larger questions about how technology can be reimagined to support collective planetary flourishing. For this session, please read this short essay by Dan McQuillan and bring a pencil, paper, and your favorite book for a brief activity.
Ryan Eichberger teaches rhetoric and digital studies in the English Department. His training is in ecocritical computing, or the study of the social, environmental, and ethical contexts of computer technologies and electronic media. He has been involved in conversations about AI here at St. Olaf, and is currently researching boosterism, doomerism, and inevitability narratives surrounding AI.
How I learned to stop worrying and start adopting open educational resources: Faculty panelists share their OER Workshop experience
Led by LITS OER Team
Monday, Nov 10 11:30-1:00
This past August, 11 faculty participated in an Open Educational Resources (OER) Workshop organized by Library and IT staff where participants learned about and started adopting or creating OER materials. On November 10th at 11:30, we will be hosting a follow-up lunch where faculty participants will share their experiences and what progress they have made in integrating OER content in their courses with the broader community.