GLCA/GLAA Event

How Neurodiverse Students Can Use AI to Enhance Their Learning with Todd Zakrajsek

College can be both exciting and overwhelming, especially for neurodiverse students balancing studying, organization, and campus life.  We hope you will join us for this webinar, How Neurodiverse Students Can Use AI to Enhance Their Learning, with Dr. Todd Zakrajsek, Tuesday October 14 at Noon EDT.  We will look at how AI can step in as a supportive partner and help neurodiverse learners with study routines, organization, and even social connections. Together we’ll explore practical strategies for using AI to reduce barriers, build confidence, and create more opportunities for success in college.
 
Anticipated learner outcomes: 

• Describe at least 3 aspects of college that are particularly challenging for neurodiverse students.
• Create or implement at least one specific strategy pertaining to how AI might be used to help neurodiverse students be more successful in college. 
• Explain at least one area in which neurodiverse students may have an advantage over other students with respect to college life and learning new content or skills. 

Todd D. Zakrajsek PhD, is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Medicine at UNC at Chapel Hill. Prior to joining the SOM he was a tenured associate professor of psychology and built faculty development efforts at three universities. Todd has authored/coauthored 6 books in the past 5 years and has given keynote addresses, campus workshops, and conference presentations in all 50 states, 12 countries, and 4 continents. Follow and connect with Todd on Twitter (@toddzakrajsek), Instagram, and LinkedIn.  Read more about his work at https://www.toddzakrajsek.com/ 
 
A link will be sent the day before the event and the session will be recorded. REGISTER HERE.

Teaching and Learning

Team Teaching Benefits Faculty and Students (Ashley Mowreader, Inside Higher Ed, October 9, 2025): Most first-year courses at Harvey Mudd College are team-taught, exposing students to a variety of disciplines, teaching styles and resources on campus.

Rethinking Student Attendance Policies for Deeper Engagement and Learning (Bonni Stachowiak, Teaching in Higher Ed, October 9, 2025): A 47-minute podcast with Simon Cullen and Danny Oppenheimer on the importance of student autonomy in higher ed.

Making Progress on Teaching in a World with AI (John Warner, Inside Higher Ed, October 3, 2025): Some common traits at institutions successfully meeting the challenge of teaching in today’s world.

Why One Professor Fosters Friendships in Her Courses (Beckie Supiano, Chronicle of Higher Education, October 3, 2025): When students feel connected to one another, they’re more likely to come to class, do the work, and even take risks.

Why Students Shouldn’t Think of Their Majors as an Identity (Scott Carlson, Chronicle of Higher Education, October 2, 2025): Colleges need to help students do the leg work to figure out who they really are.

What Research Says about how AI Use Affects Learning (Beth McMurtrie, Chronicle of Higher Education, October 2, 2025): We don’t know the longer-term effects (yet) of AI use.Generative AI hasn’t been around long enough for researchers to do longitudinal studies on how it is shaping us. Extensive AI use is even more recent. Plus, is it possible to isolate the effects of AI on our thinking when it is all around us? That’s a question weighing on teaching experts and researchers.

Engaging Students with “No”-oriented Questions that Can Lead to More Honest Conversations (Terry Favero, University of Portland): “No”-oriented questions paradoxically create psychological safety and often lead to better outcomes. Here are some examples of turning a “Yes” question into a “No”-oriented one.

Extra Credit Reading

With Compact, Universities Weigh Whether to Give Up Freedoms for Unknown Payout (Ryan Quinn, Inside Higher Ed, October 8, 2025): Higher ed organizations have raised alarm over a federal government document that asks universities to agree to significant restrictions without specifying what they’ll gain—or what they’ll lose for refusing.

International Student Arrivals Drop 19% (Johanna Alonso, Inside Higher Ed, October 7, 2025): Some experts note that the entry data contradicts enrollment increases shown in SEVIS data—while others say the declines are even more extreme than the arrivals data indicates. [In a related article, see Small US College Towns Reel Amid Trump Immigration Crackdown: ‘They Need International Students’ (Stephen Starr, Guardian, October 4, 2025): From Ohio to Florida, the US government’s clampdown on students from abroad threatens rural universities and local businesses.]

Trump’s Imperfect Compact Is a Perfect Opportunity (Danielle Allen, Chronicle of Higher Education, October 6, 2025): Colleges shouldn’t sign. But they also shouldn’t dismiss the need for a new framework.

The Billionaire Behind Trump’s Deal for Universities (Alan Blinder and Michael C. Bender, New York Times, October 3, 2025): The conservative ideas behind the Trump administration’s “compact” for universities were developed in part by Marc Rowan, a wealthy financier who has sought to shape higher education.

Trump Asks 9 Colleges to Commit to His Political Agenda and Get Favorable Access to Federal Money (Collin Binkley and Aamer Madhani, AP, October 2, 2025): A document sent to the universities encourages them to adopt the White House’s vision for America’s campuses, with commitments to accept the government’s priorities on admissions, women’s sports, free speech, student discipline and college affordability, among other topics.

The White House’s New ‘Compact’ Would Offer Universities an Edge in Grant Funding. What’s In It? (Chronicle Staff, Chronicle of Higher Education, October 2, 2025): We’ve seen what the Trump administration’s stick looks like. Let’s look at its carrot.

International Experience as a Career Asset: Exploring the Earnings Impact of Education Abroad Participation (Amelia J. Dietrich, Forum on Education Abroad, 2025): One key insight: Students who studied abroad earn on average $4,159 more in their first job after graduation than those who did not.

Editor:  Steven Volk ([email protected])

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Distributed by the GLCA/GLAA Consortium for Teaching and Learning