The Center for Advancement of Faculty Excellence at St. Francis College (SFC), better known as the CAFE, is preparing to launch a podcast series. Titled “Faculty Coffee Break,” it will be hosted by Molly Mann, Ph.D., the CAFE’s director.

The inaugural episode will feature Meaghan Davis, director of SFC’s First-Year Experience, and history professor Sara Rzeszutek in a conversation about the College’s Learning Communities, which are also scheduled to debut this semester. Learning Communities are sets of linked courses where instructors collaborate to share thematic content and assignments. It is a high-impact educational practice that produces strong learning outcomes for students.

“The Faculty Coffee Break podcasts will leverage digital tools and our hybrid environment to ensure that the rich and innovative conversations around faculty life at St. Francis reach all members of our community,” said Dr. Mann. “We are moving beyond the traditional one-hour faculty development workshop to offer opportunities for engagement that are accessible, bite-sized and fun and that enhance our connections to each other.”

This academic year, Dr. Mann expects to offer two seasons of programming, each comprising five to six podcasts. Student-Centered Pedagogy is the theme of the Fall 2022 season, and episodes will cover topics such as digital projects and assignments, project-based learning, gamified course content and the flipped classroom, to name a few. Spring 2023’s theme is Getting to Know SFC Faculty, featuring interviews with professors from a range of departments.

Faculty Coffee Break podcasts will be distributed through Spotify, Apple and Anchor. Notes and related links will be posted after each show on a dedicated page, currently in development, on the SFC website, while upcoming episodes will be announced in The Weekly Blend, the CAFE’s e-newsletter.

Debuting in the spring of 2021, the CAFE promotes faculty development. It hosts workshops, administers programs and offers individualized coaching to enrich instruction, enabling students — particularly those from populations historically under-represented in higher education — to meet intended learning outcomes.

Editor’s note: Tune in on Terrier Tuesday, September 6, to listen to the inaugural episode of the Faculty Coffee Break podcast series.