A Virtual Backpacking Trip Through New York City
📅 Date: August 12, 2025
📍 Location: Online (Zoom link will be provided upon registration)
Join us for a one-day virtual adventure through New York City—without leaving your home! The 2025 TC Faculty Retreat invites you to rethink student engagement, reassess your assessments, and reimagine your teaching practice in the age of AI. Through interactive sessions, peer-led discussions, and hands-on activities, this retreat offers practical strategies and creative inspiration for your Fall courses.
Along the way, you’ll earn virtual merit badges, connect with colleagues, and even win prizes!
Workshops
Workshop 1: Tools and Strategies for Increasing Student Engagement
This concise workshop introduces faculty to four dynamic digital tools. Perusall for collaborative reading, Padlet for interactive brainstorming, Canva for visual learning, and Gemini AI for enhanced exploration and practical pedagogical strategies to effectively integrate them. Learn how to foster active participation, boost collaboration, and unleash creativity, leaving with actionable ideas to immediately enhance your teaching.
Workshop 2: Designing Smarter Assessments for the AI-Era Learner
Discover how to create meaningful assessments that remain effective in the age of AI. This workshop provides practical strategies for designing evaluations that measure authentic understanding and critical thinking. We will also be joined by Thomas Rock, the Chief Student Affairs Officer and Associate Vice President at Teachers College, who will share his insights into how to set expectations for student conduct in the classroom as well as navigating difficult conversations with students around AI use.
Workshop 3: Redefining Your Teaching Practices with AI
In this final session, we will explore how generative AI can serve as a catalyst for pedagogical transformation and innovation. This hands-on workshop introduces pedagogical frameworks, teaching strategies, and college-supported AI tools—such as Gemini, Notebook LM, Padlet, and Canva—that support AI-integrated instruction. You will first learn how to reconceptualize learning activities and assignments, then explore how to leverage AI as a teaching partner to design and facilitate more personalized, inclusive, and engaging learning experiences for your students.
Retreat Itinerary
Basecamp Welcome
9:30 AM
Kick-off and overview of the AI landscape at TC
Workshop 1: Tools and Strategies for Increasing Student Engagement
10:00–11:00 AM
This workshop introduces faculty to four dynamic digital tools. Perusall, Padlet, Canva, and Gemini AI. Learn how to foster active participation, boost collaboration, and unleash creativity, leaving with actionable ideas to immediately enhance your teaching.
Lunch & Learn:
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Join your TC Faculty colleagues as they showcase innovative courses and teaching approaches. Explore effective tools and strategies enhancing student learning across campus, and leave inspired with fresh ideas to elevate your own teaching practice.
Workshop 2: Designing Smarter Assessments for the AI-Era Learner
1:00 – 2:00 PM
Discover how to create meaningful assessments that remain effective in the age of AI, with practical strategies for designing evaluations that measure authentic understanding and critical thinking. Thomas Rock, Chief Student Affairs Officer and Associate VP at Teachers College, will share insights on setting student expectations and navigating difficult conversations with students regarding AI use
Independent Work: Syllabus Statement
2:00–2:30 PM
Work on your syllabus
Workshop 3: Redefining Your Teaching Practices with AI
2:30 – 4:00 PM
Explore how generative AI can catalyze pedagogical transformation and innovation. This hands-on workshop introduces pedagogical frameworks, teaching strategies, and college-supported AI tools—such as Gemini, Notebook LM, Padlet, and Canva—that support AI-integrated instruction to facilitate more personalized, inclusive, and engaging learning experiences for your students.
End of Hike Takeaways & Badging Award
4:30 - 5:00 PM
We will wrap up the backpacking trip with a sharing of key takeaways, the awarding of the Big Apple Trekker badge to those who completed the whole journey and share upcoming events at DFI for the Fall 2025 semester.
Speakers
Badges
Badge 1: Spirit of Adventure
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Attend the full “Tools and Strategies for Increasing Student Engagement” workshop session.
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Demonstrate an understanding of the core features and instructional uses of Perusall, Padlet, Canva, and Google Gemini.
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Complete the Create & Reflect Assignment by designing a student-centered activity using either Canva or Padlet and submitting a brief written reflection on your goals, experience, and how the tool supports student learning.
Badge 2: Mess Hall Market
- Attend Lunch and Learn Session
- Examine course designs and pedagogical approaches demonstrated by faculty colleagues across different disciplines.
- Assess specific educational technologies, techniques, and methodologies that have proven effective in enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes.
- Identify teaching practices from other fields that can be adapted and integrated into their own academic contexts and course structures.
Badge 3: The Great Lawn Lodge
- Attend workshop session Designing Smarter Assessments for the AI-Era Learner.
- Explore assessment strategies for their course and how they can integrate it into the coming semester.
- Edit syllabus to include an AI syllabus statement and add in a new assessment strategy for the upcoming semester.
Badge 4: The Educators Outpost
- Attend workshop session Redefining Your Teaching Practices with AI
- Explore pedagogical frameworks and applications of AI-supported tools (e.g., Gemini, Notebook LM, Padlet, Canva) for teaching
- Redesign/Design an AI-integrated instructional plan or assignment that positions AI as a collaborative partner and foster creativity, agency, and critical thinking for students
Merit Badge: The Big Apple Trekker
To earn your Big Apple Trekker badge, you’ll complete four components throughout this journey:
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Basecamp: Tools and Strategies for Increasing Student Engagement
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Lunch and Learn: Connect with fellow instructors.
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Designing Smarter Assessments for the AI-Era Learner.
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Redefining Your Teaching Practices with AI.