🧰 Tools to engage your students in their learning

Find inspiration for leveraging AI to support student learning

A new video series is now available on the Teaching and Learning in The Age of AI site!

Explore innovative ways to leverage AI for teaching through models developed by doctoral students in the CTL’s 2024-25 Teaching with AI Fellowship. Each Teaching with AI Fellow has developed a model that is readily adaptable across disciplines. Each video includes a brief description of the model’s teaching and learning benefits, as well as a brief sample of interaction with the AI tool.

Explore tools built at Columbia to support student learning

In this newsletter, we are featuring Mediathread, EconPractice, and StatsInteractives, but there are many more! Explore the Instructional Technologies page on the CTL website to learn about tools and platforms developed at Columbia and available for you to use in your classroom.

Mediathread

Do you teach with video, audio, or images?

Give your students a tool for close analysis of your media. Built by your own CTL, Mediathread is a platform where students can collect, annotate, juxtapose, and comment on media you or they collect or create. Contact the CTL at ColumbiaCTL@columbia.edu to get started.

EconPractice

Do you teach Economics?

Check out EconPractice, a tool designed to help students visualize concepts in macro and micro economics. Developed by the CTL in collaboration with Professor Thomas Groll, EconPractice is free to use with your students. With EconPractice, you can set up interactive economics scenarios and graphs that students can manipulate– to deepen their understanding of economic principles. Instructors can also create adaptive assignments, where student responses determine the follow up scenarios they receive, allowing for a more personalized learning experience.

Stats Interactive

Do you teach Statistics?

Check out StatsInteractives, four interactive simulations that illustrate core concepts used for Quantitative Analysis and Econometrics, such as Central Limit Theorem, Linear Regression Model, Least Squares Estimation, and Sampling Distribution of Regression Coefficients. Students can change variable values using sliders to see how these changes affect the shape of graphs, helping them to draw conclusions and better understand the underlying concepts. Developed in collaboration with Professor Doru Cojoc for his course at SIPA, StatsInteractives are freely available for anyone to use.

Join a Faculty Learning Community

Explore, connect, and expand your pedagogical practice

Are you looking for space to explore new teaching methods and build community with faculty colleagues around teaching? Join a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) in Fall 2025!

Each FLC consists of a small group of faculty who meet regularly throughout the semester to support and inspire one another, share ideas, reflect on practice, explore research-based strategies for effective teaching, and provide each other feedback on shared challenges.

When signing up for an FLC, you can indicate which topic you want your FLC to focus on:

• Collaborative learning: Meet with colleagues to discuss how we can best design opportunities for students to collaboratively work together to deepen their understanding and critical thinking.

• Inclusive pedagogy: Meet with colleagues to discuss how we can best design learning experiences that equitably and inclusively promote belonging and active participation for all our students.

• Mentoring: Meet with colleagues to explore strategies for building impactful mentoring relationships with graduate students and postdocs.

• Teaching with AI: Meet with colleagues to navigate the opportunities and challenges of integrating artificial intelligence into your teaching.

• Peer observation of teaching: Visit your colleagues’ classes and invite them to visit your class to reflect on your teaching and share inspiration, feedback, and support.

Reasons to join:

• break the isolation in which most teaching usually happens;

• provide new ideas about teaching and learning;

• create a supportive environment in which you can investigate, question, explore, and apply new classroom techniques;

• develop a community among faculty members who can inspire and support one another;

• discuss scholarship on teaching and learning; and

• challenge yourself to grow as a teacher and life-long learner.

Time commitment: communities will meet approximately 4-6 times over the course of the semester.

All faculty are welcome. Space is limited. Complete the interest form by June 26, 2025 and the CTL will reach out to you.

For questions, contact CTLfaculty@columbia.edu.

The CTL is here to support you all summer!

Connect via Zoom or over the phone 

Join us for office hours via Zoom (or phone) Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm to have your teaching with instructional technology questions answered, or schedule an appointment any time by contacting ColumbiaCTL@columbia.edu.

Schedule a consultations

Schedule an in-person or virtual consultation to discuss any teaching and learning need by emailing ctlfaculty@columbia.edu or email the CTL Learning Designer assigned to your school or department.