Keystone Concepts in Teaching: A Higher Education Podcast from the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning

S5 E43: Hear From Your New Host

In this special Hear From Your Host episode of Keystone Concepts in Teaching, producer and guest host Kelly Chandler introduces the podcast’s new host, Dr. Breana Bayrakt

S5 E42: Finding Inspiration at George Mason's Teaching Conference

In this special episode of Keystone Concepts in Teaching, host Breana Bayraktar speaks with attendees and presenters from George Mason University’s 18th Annual Innovation

S5 E41: Teaching Beyond Content Delivery

In this episode of Keystone Concepts in Teaching, guests Joy Banks and Min Park from the College of Education and Human Development share with us how they create meaningf

S5 E40: Teaching Relevance Across Languages and Disciplines

In this episode of Keystone Concepts in Teaching, we spoke with two George Mason University Korea faculty from very different disciplines, Statistics professor Ajiboye Ba

S5 E39: Perspective-Taking in the Classroom

In this episode of Keystone Concepts in Teaching, Ana Farnham and Kristin Johnsen-Neshati from the College of Visual and Performing Arts at George Mason University share

S5 E38: Creating Human-Centered Classrooms

In this inspiring episode about humanizing higher education classrooms, host Rachel Yoho speaks with George Mason University English instructor Eric Auld and Xiaoyu Gao (

S4 E37: The Inside Perspective from Graduate Students Who Teach

For the first time, Keystone Concepts in Teaching features a graduate teaching assistant (GTA) and a graduate instructor as guests, offering faculty a candid look into th

S4 E36: Recognizing the Value of Investing in Teaching

How do we develop, support, and recognize effective teaching across career stages in higher education? In this episode of Keystone Concepts in Teaching, host Dr. Rachel Y

S4 E35: Faculty Mental Health Matters

Faculty mental health is rarely discussed—but deeply connected to teaching, learning, and student success. In this Hear From Your Host episode, guest host and Producer Ke

S4 E34: Career Readiness as a Teaching Practice

George Mason’s University Career Services Executive Director, Saskia Campbell, joins host Dr. Rachel Yoho to explain the role her office plays in supporting students at t

S4 E33: Faculty Support is Student Support

In this episode of Keystone Concepts in Teaching, host Dr. Rachel Yoho sits down with Dr. Kim Eby, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Development at George Mason Univer

S4 E32: Academic Advisors as Partners in Student Success

What exactly do academic advisors do—and how can faculty benefit from understanding that role more clearly? In this episode, four of George Mason University’s professiona

S4 E31: Supporting Faculty in Today's Higher Education Landscape

Find out how the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning at George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching Exce

S4 E30: Everyone Should Learn to Teach

Dive into our discussion with Drs. Stephanie Bluth and Alyssa Bivins from the Graduate Division! The host, Dr. Rachel Yoho, explores how our guests developed their innova

S4 E29: Sensible Approaches to Teaching in the Age of AI-Generated Everything

In this episode, Dr. Tawnya Azar joins your host, Dr. Rachel Yoho, to share actionable strategies about how to avoid becoming the “AI Police” and teach students to think

S3 E28: Dynamic Faculty Transforming Education

Drs. Esther Park, Iulia Fratila, Allison Miner, and Yanika Kowitlawakul join your host, Dr. Rachel Yoho, to discuss how they got started as new faculty members, their eff

S3 E27: Teaching Overlapping, Socially Pressing Issues

Dr. Lynnette Leonard and Dr. Dakota McCarty join your host, Dr. Rachel Yoho, to explore how we approach from different disciplines teaching difficult topics, including th

S3 E26: Writing Across the Curriculum

Drs. Tom Polk and Joan Hwang join your host, Dr. Rachel Yoho, to explore what Writing Across the Curriculum is, how it has developed, and current initiatives and impacts.

S3 E25: Preparing for and Facilitating Difficult Conversations and Situations in Teaching

In our second Hear From Your Host episode, Dr. Rachel Yoho, the regular host of the podcast, becomes the guest as Producer Kelly Chandler guest hosts to facilitate a conv

S3 E24: All About Grading

Dr. Lisa Gring-Pemble, Dr. Aimee Weinstein, Maoria Kirker, and Doug McKenna join your host, Dr. Rachel Yoho, to discuss alternative grading strategies such as ungrading.