Autumn 26-27 Teaching Commons Symposium
The 2026 Autumn Teaching Commons Symposium aims to provide you with practical, actionable, just-in-time teaching and learning ideas that can be incorporated into autumn quarter courses.
Register to attend
All Stanford faculty, instructors, staff, TAs, and students interested in teaching and learning are encouraged to attend. This event is limited to Stanford affiliates only. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom link for the symposium.
Session schedule
The symposium will be held via Zoom on Friday, September 25, 2026 from 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Register for the symposium to receive the Zoom link. The same Zoom link will be used for all sessions. Freely attend any session you wish.
Session descriptions
Elevate Energy in Your Classroom: Six Simple Strategies To Increase Engagement
Lianne Kurina, Senior Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, Professor of Human Biology and Professor (Teaching), by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health, Co-lead, PACE Initiative
Lizzy Ten-Hove, Program Manager, PACE Initiative
Esther Cho, Program Manager, PACE Initiative
Are you trying to figure out how to elevate rigor and energy in the classroom in this age of device distractions, AI, and competing student commitments? The expectations instructors set for courses translate directly into student engagement and learning. The PACE (Promoting Academic Communities and Engagement) initiative recommends six practical strategies to help you reset norms and elevate expectations in the classroom. You will leave this session with easy-to-implement strategies to set the conditions for successful classroom learning and motivate student ownership of course material.
Tinkering with the New Stanford-Approved AI Tools
Gregory Wilson, Manager of the AI Tinkery
Learn about the AI Tinkery, an AI makerspace located in the Graduate School of Education, while also walking away with practical tips for making the most of Stanford's newly approved AI platforms: ChatGPT Edu, Claude for Education, and Gemini Enterprise. We'll cover what each tool does well, where they differ, and how to pick the right one for day-to-day work.
Lecturer Award for Teaching and Undergraduate Education Panel: Wisdom for Autumn Quarter 2026
Lernik Asserian, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics, Director of the Stanford Undergraduate Research Institute in Mathematics
Todd Davies, Associate Director and Lecturer, Symbolic Systems Program
Katarina Guzman, Lecturer, Chemical Engineering
Learn from a thoughtful panel of this year's recipients of the Lecturer Award for Teaching and Undergraduate Education. Attendees will reflect on wisdom gained through teaching from each panelist and consider how to apply it in their class.
Top Priorities and Resources for Autumn Teaching
Cassandra Volpe Horii, Director, Center for Teaching and Learning, and Associate Vice Provost for Education
Contemplate current important matters as we launch Autumn Quarter 2026. Join us in reflecting on shared priorities and ponder a possible action for at least one of them during this current quarter of teaching.
Contact us
Questions? Problems? Requests? Email us at TeachingCommons@stanford.edu.