June is for Linking

Last month's TUnE-Bio grant meeting, Simmons Commencement, and a some (delightful!) speaking gigs on various campuses means this June has been about trying to recover from the academic year and remember everything else that I've been working on. It also means my Simmons work is starting to peek over to the new academic year. In the Center for Faculty Excellence we have been putting together our Summer Teaching Institute and New Faculty Orientations, and talking about what support faculty would most benefit from over the coming months.

As such, this will be one of those quick lists of updates and links to great things other folks are doing. Back to regular programming next month...

In matters SRC, I had a wonderful conversation with Bryan Alexander and his warm and lively Future Trends Forum community about supporting the mental health of academics. I feel like I veered back and forth from too optimistic to too dark a few times, but I have been told that's generally how I roll so I guess that's fitting. Recording here:

I've also been frequently meeting with the cognitive scientist and author of multiple books (and SXSWedu keynote speaker! and funny smart person!) Pooja Agarwal about a semi-secret upcoming project.

In the meantime, subscribe to Pooja's newsletter here.

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Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D.

I've also been meeting with the brilliant Chavella Pittman about an entirely separate semi-secret collaboration. In the meantime, check out her website here.

I also visited a nude beach for the first time in many years, for the new book project. My amazing cousin Elizabeth joined me in solidarity. More on that later too.

In exciting book news, The Norton Guide series has a new update to their education series on AI-Aware Teaching from Annette Vee, Marc Watkins, and Derek Bruff. With that team it is sure to be a balanced take with ideas for faculty of all sorts of AI-orientations (very much not true of all books on the market, ahem). Very much looking forward to digging in.

Books – Agile Learning

Speaking of generative AI, a new research study shows that when faculty use AI to provide feedback on student writing, the LLM changes the nature and tone of its feedback based on student characteristics like race and gender. Because of course it does. Utterly unsurprising, but good to have data.

AI Changes Its Feedback on Students’ Writing When It Knows Their Race, Gender

AI makes judgments based on the writer’s characteristics—a problem if teachers use it as a writing coach.

Education WeekSarah D. Sparks

In The Hill, Josh Eyler reacts to Harvard's cap on the number of As one can give in a course. If you know Josh and his feelings about grades, you can probably predict that "reacts" is a rather mild word to use there. Enjoy:

Harvard’s new cap on ‘A’ grades is doomed to fail

We know now from decades of research that grades are not scientific or objective measurements of student learning.

The HillJoshua Eyler, opinion contributor

Finally, as we're tipping over into July, the completely-virtual Leading With Our Values conference is about to launch. Register here:

Register for Leading With Our Values: Cultivating Connection in a Time of Upheaval

The Virtual Gathering team (made up of disabled educational developers and allies) is happy to announce that registration is now open for the July 8-10, 2026 Third Annual Virtual Gathering! Registration is FREE! The virtual gathering theme is “Leading With Our Values: Cultivating Connection in a Time of Upheaval,” which is an invitation to educational developers and educators from all backgrounds and experience levels to consider how we can intentionally cultivate connection in our current context. As members of our community feel distant, isolated, and at risk, we invite you to lean into connection and ask you to share how connection relates to your work. For more information and to see the conference schedule, please visit the 2026 Virtual Gathering website. If you have any questions about the gathering, please contact the virtual gathering team at virtuallygather@gmail.com.

Google Docs

Ok, time to pick up some community-supported agriculture vegetables. I'm hoping the cucumbers are ready, because I've got a craving for pickles and a whole lot of dill in my garden that needs to get used up.

Hope everyone is getting some summer things in, and those under the heat dome stay safe.

always,
Sarah