The Learning Curve presented by the Academic Commons

In this episode, Rosie Frasso, PhD, SM, SM, CPH, and Katie DiSantis, PhD, MPH, discuss how faculty can design meaningful capstone experiences that help students integrate and apply what they have learned throughout a curriculum. They share practical strategies for guiding students through long-term projects, including identifying feasible research questions, building structured support systems, leveraging campus resources, and providing ongoing feedback. Listeners will gain ideas for creating capstone experiences that are aligned with program outcomes, responsive to student career goals, and designed to produce authentic work with value beyond the classroom.
Guest: Rosie Frasso, PhD, SM, SM, CPH
Role: Victor Heiser, MD Professor of Population Health; Program Director – Master of Public Health; Director of Mixed Methods Research at the Asano-Gonella Center for Medical Education & Health Care, Sidney Kimmel Medical College
Expertise: Health equity, mixed methods research, qualitative research, public health education, policy evaluation, and improving health outcomes for vulnerable populations.
 
Guest: Katie DiSantis, PhD, MPH
Role: Associate Professor; Associate Director, Institute for Smart & Healthy Cities
Expertise: Health equity, childhood obesity prevention, food access and nutrition, community-based public health research, and equitable food systems.
 
Quote from the Episode:"Designing a capstone that has some options [...] leads to student success and to things that actually become products they can use when they're interviewing and when they're going out to start their career." Dr. Katie DiSantis
Getting Started:
Review your curriculum and student learning outcomes to conceptualize a capstone that serves as the program's culmination.
Design capstone projects that connect to students' career goals and provide value beyond the classroom.
Establish clear expectations, iterative feedback cycles, and high standards while providing pathways for students to reach those standards.
Connect students with topic experts, librarians, and other support resources early in the capstone process to help them refine ideas and identify meaningful research questions.
Contact us to talk about reviewing your program’s curriculum to develop a capstone project.
 
Terms to Know:
The terms below are mentioned in the episode, and for context and clarity, we've provided brief definitions of potentially unfamiliar terms you may hear.
Capstone: A culminating project that usually takes place at the end of a degree program in which a student applies all the knowledge and skills they have learned to a real-world problem or research project.
Mixed Methods Research: A research approach that integrates both quantitative (numerical) and qualitative (non-numerical) methods to provide a more comprehensive understanding of a research question.
Institutional Review Board (IRB): A committee that reviews research involving human participants to ensure ethical standards, participant protections, and regulatory compliance are maintained.
Lay Summary: A plain-language summary of a research project designed for audiences without specialized knowledge, making research findings more accessible and understandable.
Selected Resources:The Learning Curve team curated this list based on university resources or guest recommendations.
Allen, Kate, "A Qualitative Anaylsis of Patient Perspectives on Inpatient and Outpatient Addiction Care in Philadelphia, PA" (2026). Master of Public Health Capstone Presentations.Presentation 625. https://jdc.jefferson.edu/mphcapstone_presentation/625
Bhave, Priya, "Vaccination Rates Among Adults by Primary Care Provider Status Utilizing 2024 BRFSS Data" (2026). Master of Public Health Capstone Presentations.Presentation 630.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/mphcapstone_presentation/630
Choi, Daniel, "Association of Screen Time and Adolescent Body Image: Findings from the 2022-2023 National Survey of Children's Health" (2026). Master of Public Health Capstone Presentations.Presentation 628.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/mphcapstone_presentation/628
Chovatia, Divyata, "The Hidden Burden of Oral Pain: Associations with Depression in U.S. Adults using NHANES 2021-2023" (2026). Master of Public Health Capstone Presentations.Presentation 632.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/mphcapstone_presentation/632
Fox, Mackenzie, "Of Black Wombhood: A Qualitative Study of Educational Impact" (2026). Master of Public Health Capstone Presentations.Presentation 633.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/mphcapstone_presentation/633
Gee, Rachel, "The Impact of Nutritional Status on Surgical Site Infection Rates Among Total Joint Arthroplasty Patients: A Rapid Review" (2024). Master of Public Health Capstone Presentations.Presentation 549.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/mphcapstone_presentation/549
Kilgo CA, Sheets JKE, Pascarella ET. The link between high-impact practices and student learning: Some longitudinal evidence. Higher education. 2015;69(4):509-525. doi:10.1007/s10734-014-9788-z
Academic Commons Upcoming Workshops and Events
 

In this episode, Karla A. Bell (she/they), PT, DPT, PhD, FNAP and Audrey Zapletal (she/her/hers), OTD, OTR/L, FNAP, discuss what it means to create truly inclusive learning environments in higher education. They explore intentional course design and the importance of recognizing the diverse identities and experiences students bring to the classroom. Listeners will gain practical strategies for fostering belonging, navigating challenging conversations, reducing barriers to learning, and embedding inclusive practices into everyday teaching.
Follow and subscribe to be notified about new episodes! Episodes premiere monthly, every first Wednesday at 10:30AM. Head over to our webpage to check out more episodes and learn more about the podcast!
Guest: Karla A. Bell (she/they), PT, DPT, PhD, FNAP
Role: Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Assistant Provost of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion - Center City Campus, Co-Founder of Sexual and Gender Minorities Education and Training (SGMET) Professional Development Program
Expertise: Health equity, LGBTQ+ inclusion, structural competency in professional education, population health and mitigation of healthcare disparities
Guest: Audrey Zapletal (she/her/hers), OTD, OTR/L, CLA, CHSE, FNAP
Role: Teaching Associate Professor, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, Co-Founder of Sexual and Gender Minorities Education and Training (SGMET) Professional Development Program
Expertise: Occupational therapy education, healthcare simulation, and experiential learning
Quote from the Episode:“Inclusion is not an add-on. It's really embedded in how the course and teaching is structured and facilitated.” Karla A. Bell, PT, DPT, PhD, FNAP
Getting Started:
Use a brief survey or reflection activity to learn students' names, pronouns, goals, and support needs.
Establish discussion norms that encourage respectful dialogue, curiosity, and belonging.
Implement one inclusive practice, gather feedback, and refine your approach over time.
Consider your current practices with the Inclusive Teaching Strategies Self-Assessment and Reflection Tool
Contact us to talk about inclusive course design.
Terms to Know:
The terms below are mentioned in the episode, and for context and clarity, we've provided brief definitions of potentially unfamiliar terms you may hear.
Intersectional Lens – A framework for understanding how different aspects of identity, such as race, gender, class, disability, and sexual orientation, interact to create unique experiences of privilege or oppression.
Psychological Safety – Creating an environment where students feel valued, able to participate, and comfortable sharing their perspectives.
Brave Space – A learning environment that acknowledges the challenges that both students and faculty have when attempting to discuss difficult and/or sensitive topics such as race, power, privilege and the various forms of oppression for the purpose of learning.
Community Agreements – Co-created expectations between students and faculty detailing a shared understanding of how everyone will work together during the course. They allow students to advocate for their needs and ensure their voices are heard and valued in the classroom.
Inclusive Teaching - The intentional design of learning environments that recognize, value, and support the diverse identities, experiences, and ways of knowing that learners bring with them.
 
Selected Resources:The Learning Curve team curated this list based on university resources or guest recommendations.
Universal Design for Learning: Academic Commons Page
Professional Development Program For Sexual and Gender Minority Education and Training (SG-MET)
Zapletal, A., Baird, J., Van Oss, T., Hoppe, M., Prast, J., & Herge, E.A. (2022.) Clinical Simulation for Health Care Professionals. Slack Incorporated/Routledge.
Hanna-Attishaand, M. (2018). What the eyes don't see: a story of crisis, resistance, and hope in an American city. One World
Zakrajsek, T. (2022). The New Science of Learning (3rd ed). Routledge
Zamani-Gallaher, E., Choudhuri, D.D., & Taylor, J.L. (2023). Rethinking LGBTQIA Students and Collegiate Contexts: Identity, Policies, and Campus Climate. Routledge
Academic Commons Upcoming Workshops and Events

In this episode, Ruth Jeminiwa, PhD, discusses active learning strategies that increase engagement, support students, and improve learning outcomes. She offers practical advice to develop more student-centered lessons that lead to deeper learning and well-prepared learners who can apply their knowledge through problem-solving, collaboration, and real-world connections.  
Guest: Ruth Jeminiwa, PhD 
Role: Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice 
Expertise: Pharmacoeconomics, active learning, shared decision-making, improving patient health outcomes 
 
Quote from the Episode:  “Traditional lectures can sometimes feel like a one-way street where the expert provides information... Active learning flips that dynamic. Students become active partners. They help to build their own understanding by engaging directly with the content.” Ruth Jeminiwa, PhD 
 Getting Started: 
Explore active learning strategies and determine what might work well for your learners. 
Implement one strategy in a part of your course and gather student feedback. 
Make changes to the strategy you tried and incorporate other strategies to build your active learning tool kit.  
Contact us to talk about active learning strategies and implementation. 
 
Terms to Know: 
The terms below are mentioned in the episode, and for context and clarity, we've provided brief definitions of potentially unfamiliar terms you may hear.  
Active Learning: Engaging students as partners in the learning process, in contrast to “traditional” methods where students passively receive knowledge from an expert.  
MOOC: Acronym for Massive Open Online Course, a free online course open to anyone who wants to take it. 
Flipped Classroom: a type of instruction where students complete some knowledge acquisition tasks independently before class, and class time is devoted to reinforcing or applying the knowledge. 
Case-based Learning: an active learning strategy in which students apply their knowledge to real-world case studies.  
Jigsaw Activity: A strategy in which students work in small groups to develop knowledge about a given topic, becoming “experts,” before teaching what they have learned to another group, comprised of “experts” on other topics. (For example, groups AAA BBB CCC re-group into ABC ABC ABC and teach their groupmates.) 
Think-pair-share: A simple active learning strategy where the instructor poses a question or problem, students think for a moment on their own, then spend a few moments discussing the answer with someone near them and finally share out to the rest of the class what their pair discussed. 
 
Selected Resources:  The Learning Curve team curated this list based on university resources or guest recommendations. 
Learner Engagement – Academic Commons Page  
Jeminiwa, R. N., Abillar, T., Szeliga, M., Patel, H., & Santiago, E. (2025). The impact of a modified jigsaw activity incorporating educational YouTube reels on pharmacy students’ learning outcomes. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching & Learning, 17(10), 102437. doi:10.1016/j.cptl.2025.102437  
Major CH, Harris MS, Zakrajsek T. Teaching for Learning : 101 Intentionally Designed Educational Activities to Put Students on the Path to Success. Second edition. ROUTLEDGE; 2021.
K. Patricia Cross Academy Higher Education Teaching Techniques Video Library 
Academic Commons Upcoming Workshops and Events 

In this episode, Julian Harris, PhD, shares how alternative grading practices better reflect student learning, foster a growth mindset, and allow for meaningful feedback loops. He offers practical insights into his experiences with alternative grading, the challenges encountered along the way, and the benefits of transitioning to a different assessment model. This conversation provides valuable insights and key strategies for implementing alternative grading in your classroom.
Follow and subscribe to be notified about new episodes! Episodes premiere monthly, every first Wednesday at 10:30AM. Head over to our webpage to check out more episodes and learn more about the podcast!
Guest: Julian Harris, PhD 
Role: Assistant Professor of Biochemistry  
Expertise: biochemistry, alternative grading systems, growth mindset  
Quote from the Episode: 
“They [students] feel seen by the grading system. That it helps them think about learning and growth mindset from the more sort of malleable perspective, where they really do view the mistakes as opportunities to get better.” - Julian Harris, PhD  
Getting Started: 
Start small with assessment changes, such as allowing for exam corrections, or offering a retake of a single exam.  
Approach alternative grading practices with a growth mindset: reflect on what works and what doesn’t, and adjust without expecting perfection the first time.  
Create intentional changes for students to revisit material, learn from feedback, and show improvement.  
Contact us to talk about incorporating alternative grading practices in your classroom.   
Terms to Know: 
The terms below are mentioned in the episode, and for context and clarity, we've provided brief definitions of potentially unfamiliar terms you may hear. 
Standards Based Grading: A grading system in which an instructor creates a list of clear standards that describe specific things students will learn to do. Each assignment is aligned with one or more of the created standards; each standard is assessed multiple times to meet the standard without penalty.  
Specifications Grading: A grading system in which an instructor creates a list of specifications that describe the qualities and characteristics of a successful submission for an assignment. Student work is graded holistically, earning a single mark: “Satisfactory” or “Not Yet”.  
Growth Mindset: The belief that intelligence and abilities can be developed through effort and dedication rather than being fixed, innate traits. A growth mindset also views perceived failures as opportunities to learn and grow.  
Selected Resources:  The Learning Curve team curated this list based on university resources or guest recommendations.  
Clark D. Grading for Growth : A Guide to Alternative Grading Practices That Promote Authentic Learning and Student Engagement in Higher Education. First edition. (Talbert R, ed.). Routledge; 2023.  
Yik BJ, Machost H, Streifer AC, Palmer MS, Morkowchuk L, Stains M. Students’ Perceptions of Specifications Grading: Development and Evaluation of the Perceptions of Grading Schemes (PGS) Instrument. Journal of chemical education. 2024;101(9):3723-3738. doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c00698  
Nilson LB. Specifications Grading : Restoring Rigor, Motivating Students, and Saving Faculty Time. First edition. Stylus; 2016.  
Academic Commons Upcoming Workshops and Events 

In this episode, Thomas Schrand, PhD, shares how the Hallmarks Core and its Power Skills cultivate adaptable, intellectually curious graduates prepared for an evolving, AI-influenced world. He offers practical insights into learner-centered teaching, critical thinking, and reflective practice that help students build durable, human-centered competencies. Educators will gain strategies for strengthening meaningful learning across disciplines.
 
Follow and subscribe to be notified about new episodes! Episodes premiere monthly, every first Wednesday at 10:30AM. Head over to our webpage to check out more episodes and learn more about the podcast!
 
Guest: Thomas Schrand, PhD
Role: Associate Dean for General Education & Professor of History
Expertise: Curriculum development, pedagogy, general education, and active learning.
Quote from the Episode:
“At the end of four years of this experience… you end up as someone who can think on their feet, someone who has confidence in what they're saying and their ability to grapple with challenging and nuanced questions.” - Thomas Schrand, PhD
 
Getting Started:
Ask students to apply course concepts to real‑world or professional scenarios, reinforcing both disciplinary relevance and transferable competencies.
Start each class with a device‑free expectation to promote presence, note‑taking by hand, and deeper engagement with peers and content.
Build in reflective moments—such as end‑of‑week or end‑of‑unit prompts asking students to identify key takeaways or what learning mattered most to them.
Contact usto talk about learning design and incorporating these skills into your classroom.
Terms to Know:
The terms below are mentioned in the episode, and for context and clarity, we've provided brief definitions of potentially unfamiliar terms you may hear.
Learner Centered Teaching: An approach that focuses on how students learn—emphasizing engagement, active participation, and cognitive processes rather than instructor-led delivery.
Active Learning: Any instructional method that requires students to be metacognitive and engage in meaningful activities (e.g., discussion, problem solving) rather than passively listening to lectures.
Cognitive Psychology: A branch of psychology which explores the mental process related to perceiving, attending, thinking, language, learning, and memory.
Selected Resources:The Learning Curve team curated this list based on university resources or guest recommendations.
The Science of Learning – Academic Commons Self-Paced Program
Designing Learning that Endures: The Science of Learning in Practice: Academic Commons Self-Paced Program
The Hallmarks Core Program – Thomas Jefferson University Page
Major, C. H., Harris, M. S., & Zakrajsek, T. (2021). Teaching for learning : 101 intentionally designed educational activities to put students on the path to success. (Second edition.). ROUTLEDGE.
Zakrajsek, T., & Nilson, L. B. (2023). Teaching at its best: a research-based resource for college instructors (Fifth edition.). Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand.
Academic Commons Upcoming Workshops and Events

This episode features Chris Pastore, PhD, and an in‑depth conversation on intentional feedback as a cornerstone of effective teaching and learning. Drawing from decades of experience in engineering education, faculty development, and transdisciplinary practice, Dr. Pastore discusses how feedback can evolve from a simple correction to a powerful tool for learner growth and metacognition. This episode offers educators concrete techniques for balancing critique with encouragement, modeling vulnerability, and creating spaces where students feel safe to grow.
 
Follow and subscribe to be notified about new episodes! Episodes premiere monthly, every first Wednesday at 10:30AM. Head over to our webpage to check out more episodes and learn more about the podcast!
 
Guest: Chris Pastore, PhD
Role: Professor of Transdisciplinary Studies and Engineering; Assistant Provost, Faculty Development: Nexus Learning and Classroom Pedagogy Center for Faculty Development & Nexus Learning
Expertise: Pedagogy, sustainability, composites, & textiles
 
Quote from the Episode:
"[...] what is the purpose of your feedback? Is it to correct the student, or is it to guide the student? It's easier to correct a student, but it's probably not as useful to the class experience." - Chris Pastore
Getting Started:
Approach feedback as a tool to guide students' learning rather than simply identifying mistakes.
Use short video/audio feedback in Canvas for a faster and more personalized feedback process.
Ask students to reflect on resubmissions, identifying what they did to improve their work.
Develop a feedback turnaround plan that you can maintain throughout the semester.
Encourage a growth mindset in class and normalize that learning new material takes time and mistakes will be made.
Contact usto talk about providing effective feedback to students.
 
Terms to Know:
The terms below are mentioned in the episode, and for context and clarity, we've provided brief definitions of potentially unfamiliar terms you may hear.
Authentic Assessment: An assessment that requires a student to apply their learning to new situations, which requires them to determine what information or skills they have learned in the class most relevant to solving the problem. These assessments focus on complex real-world scenarios and the constraints they entail.
Feedback: A response provided by faculty or mentor to students to guide their learning. It can take several forms, from written, to verbal, non-verbal, or digital.
Learning Styles Myth: The idea that there are stable, consistent methods by which individuals take in, organize, process, and remember information (e.g. Visual, Auditory, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic), and by teaching those methods, students learn better. There is no empirical support for this claim.
Metacognition: AKA “thinking about your thinking”. It refers to the knowledge a student has of themselves and how they learn to direct their learning. This process allows students to identify knowledge gaps, recognize when they are having difficulty learning new information, and incorporate new knowledge.
Muddiest Point: A formative assessment technique that involves students pointing out what they were most confused about and explaining what was “muddy” in the lesson.
 
Selected Resources:The Learning Curve team curated this list based on university resources or guest recommendations.
The Power of Rubrics: Helping Learners & Instructors – Academic Commons
Angelo, T. A. & Cross, P. K. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques: A handbook for college teachers. Jossey Bass: San Francisco, CA
Major, C. H., Harris, M. S., & Zakrajsek, T. (2021). Teaching for learning : 101 intentionally designed educational activities to put students on the path to success. (Second edition.). ROUTLEDGE.
Canvas LMS – How to leave feedback comments
Darby, F., & Lang, J. M. (2019). Small teaching online : applying learning science in online classes. Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand.
Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation - University at Buffalo. (2026). Feedback. University of Buffalo. https://www.buffalo.edu/catt/teach/develop/teach/feedback.html
Academic Commons Upcoming Workshops and Events

This episode features Pamela Walter, MFA, the Director of the Office for Professional Writing, Publishing, and Communication (OPWPC). Pam shares how the OPWPC supports researchers in writing, publishing, presenting, and navigating the complexities of scholarly communication. This episode also highlights common writing challenges, the importance of narrative flow in scientific communication, team-based approaches to increasing publication output, and the influence of generative AI in academic writing.
 
Follow and subscribe to be notified about new episodes! Episodes premiere monthly, every first Wednesday at 10:30AM. Head over to our webpage to check out more episodes and learn more about the podcast! 
 
Guest: Pamela Walter, MFA
Role: Medical Editor/Writer and Director of the Office for Professional Writing, Publishing, and Communication
Expertise: Professional writing skills, publishing practices, and presentation skills.
 
Quote from the Episode:
"If you can speak, you can write, and there are plenty of resources available to turn that unpolished writing into polished writing." Pam Walter, MFA
 
Getting Started:
Participate in writing retreats for focused, uninterrupted writing time, and use short writing sprints to overcome writer's block and make consistent progress.
Take advantage of in-house services like manuscript reviews, presentation feedback, and workshops to enhance the quality and impact of your research communication.
Use connective words and a logical flow to make your research writing more engaging and easier to follow, even for technical audiences.
Utilize tools like BioRender to create graphical abstracts and visually summarize your research.
Contact us to improve your academic writing.
Terms to Know:
The terms below are mentioned in the episode, and for context and clarity, we've provided brief definitions of potentially unfamiliar terms you may hear.
Connective Words: A word or phrase whose function is to link linguistic units together.
Narrative Writing: In essence, story writing; it can be fiction or nonfiction. If it has a narrative structure and tells a story, it is narrative writing.
Generative AI: An AI system capable of generating text, images, or other media in response to prompts.
Selected Resources:
The Learning Curve team curated this list based on university resources or guest recommendations.
Professional Writing & Communication (OPWPC)
Jefferson Libraries Homepage
AI for Educators: From Basics to Best Practices
Research Administration Center of Excellence (RACE)
Hillier, A., Kelly, R. P., & Klinger, T. (2016). Narrative Style Influences Citation Frequency in Climate Change Science. PloS One, 11(12), e0167983.
Academic Commons Upcoming Workshops and Events
 

This episode features Nanette Tomicek, PhD, and a discussion on designing effective and inclusive learning objectives. Emphasizing the importance of planning, multiple pedagogical frameworks, and inclusive language in curriculum design. This episode highlights practical strategies for educators to develop well-crafted, measurable objectives.
 
Guest: Nanette Tomicek, PhD
Role: Course Director for Anatomy & Physiology, East Falls Campus, Associate Professor
Expertise: Pedagogy, active learning, laboratory, and excellence in anatomy and physiology education.
 
Quote from the Episode:"The learning outcome has to be measurable. That's very important. [...] you need to be thinking about what do you want your students to be able to do, at the end of the course.” - Nanette Tomicek, PhD
Getting Started:
Collaborate with colleagues to help plan development of learning objectives and gain diverse perspectives.
Clearly define what you want students to get out of the course.
Stick to one verb per learning objective that leads to observable and measurable student actions.
Contact us to talk about designing effective learning objectives.
 
Terms to Know:
The terms below are mentioned in the episode, and for context and clarity, we've provided brief definitions of potentially unfamiliar terms you may hear.
Learning Objective: A statement describing what a learner should be able to know or do by the end of an instruction period, using measurable and observable actions.
Bloom’s Taxonomy: A framework which classifies different levels of human thinking and learning – i.e., thinking, learning, and understanding.
Selected Resources:The Learning Curve team curated this list based on university resources or guest recommendations.
Learning Design – Academic Commons Page
Zakrajsek, T., & Nilson, L. B. (2023). Teaching at its best: a research-based resource for college instructors (Fifth edition.). Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand.
Bloom’s Taxonomy - Center for Teaching Excellence - The University of Utah. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2025, from https://cte.utah.edu/instructor-education/Blooms-Taxonomy.php
Writing Measurable Course Objectives - The Center for Teaching and Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2025, from https://teaching.charlotte.edu//teaching-guides/course-design/writing-measurable-course-objectives
Academic Commons Upcoming Workshops and Events
 
Follow and subscribe to be notified about new episodes! Episodes premiere monthly, every first Wednesday at 10:30AM. Head over to our webpage to check out more episodes and learn more about the podcast!