{"id":15000,"date":"2026-09-04T17:33:58","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T21:33:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/excellence\/?page_id=15000"},"modified":"2026-09-07T17:29:50","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T21:29:50","slug":"welcome-fall26","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/excellence\/institute\/welcome\/welcome-fall26\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome Back: Fall 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Dear Colleagues,<\/p>\n

As we begin the fall semester, I am excited to share some of the work underway at the Institute for Excellence in Teaching & Learning \u2014and, more importantly, to invite you to be part of it.<\/p>\n

Higher education is changing quickly. New technologies are reshaping the learning experience, the skills our students need are evolving, and we continue to ask important questions about rigor, engagement, skills, belonging, career readiness, inclusive teaching, AI, and how best to prepare our graduates for the world beyond the classroom.<\/p>\n

At the Institute, our goal is to help faculty navigate these changes with curiosity, creativity, compassion, and evidence. We also see an opportunity to connect the many forms of academic innovation taking place across BU\u2014from experimentation in individual classrooms to course and program redesign, emerging technologies, and new models for reaching and engaging learners.<\/p>\n

As we look ahead, we are creating new opportunities to explore what\u2019s next, design what\u2019s next, and learn together.<\/p>\n

By Faculty, For Faculty<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"At the heart of the Institute is a simple idea: some of the best ideas about teaching and learning are already being developed by our faculty.<\/p>\n

Our role is to support that work and serve as a convener<\/a>\u2014creating opportunities for faculty to share what they are learning, connecting them with complementary ideas and expertise, and helping promising practices and innovations reach a wider audience.<\/p>\n

Celebrating Faculty Innovation<\/strong><\/p>\n

We are pleased to congratulate the new recipients of the Shipley Academic Innovation Awards in the Health Professions<\/a>, supporting BU faculty developing innovative approaches to educating the next generation of health professionals.<\/p>\n

We are also excited to see the continuing work of faculty who received our AI in Teaching and Learning Innovation Grants<\/a>. Later this academic year, we will bring faculty together for an AI in Teaching and Learning Innovation Showcase to share experiences, findings, and lessons learned.<\/p>\n

Exploring What\u2019s Next: The Horizon Learning Lab<\/strong><\/p>\n

New technologies and capabilities are emerging at an extraordinary pace. AI, in particular, is prompting us to rethink how students learn, how faculty teach, and how we approach assessment, feedback, authorship, and the broader learning experience.<\/p>\n

Our new Horizon Learning Lab<\/a> will provide a space to explore, test, and evaluate emerging technologies and new approaches to learning, with an initial focus on AI and the broader learning experience ecosystem. Our goal is to create a trusted front door for faculty and partners curious about new possibilities, while building the evidence and shared understanding needed to make thoughtful decisions about what can meaningfully strengthen learning at BU.<\/p>\n

Designing What\u2019s Next: The Learning & Course Design Collaborative<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"2\/28\/24<\/p>\n

We are also creating a new Learning & Course Design Collaborative<\/a>, providing faculty with opportunities to work directly with our teaching and learning teams on the design and enhancement of courses and programs.<\/p>\n

Building on lessons from our Large Classroom Initiative<\/a>, the Collaborative will help faculty take a fresh look at courses as student expectations, technologies, disciplines, and workforce needs evolve. Together, we can explore questions ranging from engagement and active learning to assessment, AI, and how our courses remain connected to the knowledge and capabilities students will need beyond BU.<\/p>\n

Continuing the Work<\/strong><\/p>\n

These new initiatives build on a broad portfolio already underway. Through Campus LX<\/a>, we are moving beyond the transition to Blackboard Ultra<\/a> to focus on how we fully leverage our shared learning environment for effective teaching and an excellent student experience. We are expanding our work in inclusive pedagogy<\/a> and wellbeing and deepening our collaboration with the AI Development Accelerator<\/a> to support teaching and learning in an AI-enabled era<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In November, BU will also host AIxEd<\/a>, bringing together leaders from industry, government, and academia to explore the opportunities and challenges AI is creating for education, talent, and the workforce.<\/p>\n

Learning From Our Faculty\u2014and Across BU<\/strong><\/p>\n

Academic innovation at BU takes many forms, and we want to make more of that work visible so we can learn from one another.<\/p>\n

Through Faculty Voices<\/a>, we highlight BU faculty and the ideas shaping their teaching. Inside BU Virtual<\/a> offers another window into innovation, sharing how our faculty and teams are advancing online learning\u2014and what those experiences can teach us about learning more broadly.<\/p>\n

This fall also marks an exciting expansion of BU\u2019s online portfolio with new graduate programs focused on AI and designed for working professionals<\/a>. Developed with faculty across several schools and colleges, these programs respond to rapidly changing workforce needs while challenging us to think differently about how we create rigorous, relevant learning for people throughout their careers.<\/p>\n

\"\"And through the BU Virtual Connects podcast<\/a>, we bring BU faculty and leaders into conversations about education, technology, careers, and the future of work.<\/p>\n

Innovation does not flow in only one direction. What we learn in our classrooms can inform new programs and learning models; what we learn from designing for working professionals and online learners can inform the broader student experience; and experimentation with new technologies can help us strengthen learning across different environments.<\/p>\n

Join Us<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are many ways to connect with the Institute\u2014from programs and workshops to opportunities to rethink course design, explore emerging technologies, and engage with colleagues around the future of teaching and learning. Our staff<\/a>, advisors<\/a>, and Institute Faculty Liaisons<\/a> across BU are here to help.<\/p>\n

Bring us a course design challenge. Share something that is working in your classroom. Explore a new technology or approach with us. Introduce us to a colleague doing interesting work. Join a conversation with peers.<\/p>\n

There is tremendous creativity and expertise across BU. By connecting those ideas, experimenting thoughtfully, and learning from one another, we can continue to strengthen the learning experiences we create for our students\u2014wherever and however they learn.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m excited about what\u2019s ahead and look forward to exploring\u2014and designing\u2014what comes next together.<\/p>\n

Wishing you a wonderful start to the academic year,<\/p>\n

\"Wendy<\/p>\n

Wendelin Colby<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Vice President & Associate Provost
\nBU Virtual & Institute for Excellence in Teaching & Learning<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":22504,"featured_media":0,"parent":9774,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"bu-landing","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/excellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15000"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/excellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/excellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/excellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22504"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/excellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15000"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/excellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15070,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/excellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15000\/revisions\/15070"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/excellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/excellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}