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After almost 2 years of teaching and learning impacted by the pandemic, we are left to wonder how to engage in the classroom when the classroom is no longer its “traditional” space. In this session, we will focus on how students and faculty can regain agency in deciding ways of engagement and work to reimagine modes of classroom interactions. This session will ask: Why do we ascribe to particular standards of engagement that we do not agree with (or even like)? What can we do to make engagement accessible to all members of our community? How can we make classroom space an environment where multiple modalities of teaching and learning can be appreciated?We will consider how students and faculty can co-create the classroom experience while also exploring ways of nontraditional forms of engagement. We will hear from a panel of students and faculty and make alterations to a mock syllabus to consider how our academic goals and needs can be met while also meeting our desires to be fully active and present in the classroom.

Over the past semesters with COVID, many of us have faced academic and nonacademic challenges with the transition to online learning and now with the transition back to in-person learning. In response, this session will focus on how we can offer emotional support to one another in the classroom. This session aims to rethink how we might bring care and compassionate approaches into the classroom, particularly during a time of transition. At the start of this session, we will hear about creative and compassion-based strategies from panelists. We will then explore how faculty, students, and staff can best support each other by facilitating a series of conversations amongst participants.

This session aims to address the possibility of reimagining how students and instructors approach assessment in the classroom. We will consider the benefits of embracing alternative assessments for both instructor and student and recognize the challenges in transitioning to a more holistic grading and assessment process. Our conversation will allow us to think critically about the strengths and limitations of holistic assessments while considering the importance of empathy in the classroom and instructor/student flexibility. Our goal is to consider how we can modify assessments in a way that supports student’s learning goals and allows them to demonstrate their learning and progress. While exploring this topic, we hope to engage with the idea of trust and compassion between the instructor and student and encourage instructors to allow students to take ownership of their learning.