by Mitch Lorenz, Instructional Developer, Reinert Center
2026….2026?!
That can’t be right. It feels like I just finished submitting grades at the end of the fall 2022 semester. Alas, time marches on with little concern for my denial or lack of temporal awareness. While I’m not one for resolutions, I am resolved to bring optimism to bear on the challenges we face as educators in the new year (until at least the end of January, when I’ll forget all about it).
So..2026. Another year handling totally normal circumstances in higher education with absolutely no paradigm-altering technologies proliferating like dandelions in the beautifully cultivated fields of student learning. If only this were true, but with advancements in AI technology arriving on a weekly basis, educators are being asked to adjust to rapidly evolving teaching contexts. The assumptions at the core of our teaching practice may feel as if they no longer reflect the reality of the “real world” we are preparing our students for. Reflecting on these realities can feel overwhelming but perhaps I’m just not being optimistic enough. In fact, an optimist might argue that challenging the assumptions at the core of our teaching practices can be a fruitful exercise through which we can re-evaluate knowledge we’d filed away as immutable.
This was made evident to me most recently during the final Praxis Workshop of the Fall semester, a 90-minute session devoted to a deeper understanding of formative and summative assessment. A theme throughout the session was addressing the common misconception that formative assessment is just another term for “low-stakes” activities. By challenging this assumption, participants were able to better recognize the overlap between formative and summative assessments and how they can be used in conjunction with one another to support learning.
The power of recognizing assumptions around teaching techniques we interact with all the time is a theme we plan to revisit in the new year though a few exciting programming options.
First, we have our Winter Institute, which is taking place tomorrow, Jan 7, from 11:40 – 4:00. In this half-day institute, we plan to use SLU’s own Teaching Effectiveness Framework (TEF, click here for more info) to think about academic integrity in the age of Artificial Intelligence. Our keynote speaker, Tricia Bertram Gallant, recently co-authored The Opposite of Cheating: Teaching for integrity in the Age of AI (you can look forward to a full review of the book on The Notebook later this month). Following the keynote, we will apply the book themes in three mini-workshops tailored around the three pillars of the TEF: Learning-Focused, Mission-Aligned, and Growth-Oriented.
Throughout these sessions, assumptions about teaching practices, and how new technologies (read: AI) interact with them, will be addressed. Given the themes of academic dishonesty, assessment, and artificial intelligence in The Opposite of Cheating, you know we won’t be able to resist inviting participants to think about how these new technologies interact with our existing assumptions and established habits across the 3 TEF domains.
But wait, THERE’S MORE!
Later this semester, we will launch a new webinar series titled: “I thought I knew everything about…” in which common teaching topics will be explored to help refresh understanding of those topics. By returning to fundamental teaching topics and addressing long-held assumptions we can refresh our teaching using foundational approaches in new ways and in conjunction with new technologies. These two initiatives are but a humble appetizer when cast against our full collection of exciting programming, grant opportunities, and signature services (check them out here if you need a reminder).
Looking forward to 2026, I am reminded of recent conversations where concerns about the future of education were expressed.
I get it.
Technology, especially AI, is changing at a dizzying rate. Yet, I’m optimistic that beyond hype, fear, and every tech company’s relentless pursuit of the almighty dollar, the foundation of our teaching practice will continue to be the passionate pursuit of student learning. Let’s revisit our foundational assumptions as we lead with intention, framing our approaches to integrating new technologies (or not) around student learning while trusting in students’ curiosity and eagerness to master new skills.
Here’s to a year (or at least a month) of choosing optimism as we return to campus. Happy New Year!
The Notebook 