One link can turn a room full of quiet faces into a living wall of ideas. We sit down with Dr. Carlos C. Goller, teaching professor in Biological Sciences at NC State University, to break down how Padlet actually works and why it has become such a reliable tool for student engagement, collaboration, and active learning.

Carlos shares real teaching and workshop use cases, from brainstorming and scavenger hunts to collecting tutorials for molecular biology and bioinformatics. We also dig into underused features that make facilitation easier, like sharing a Padlet as a submission form for private video reflections, then using reactions, ratings, and sections to sort and surface what matters.

If you teach in a hybrid or online learning environment, you’ll hear why Padlet can help participation feel fair and visible across Zoom and the physical room, including options for anonymous posting and built-in moderation. We also cover accessibility improvements.

Subscribe for more practical instructional technology conversations, share this with a colleague who wants better collaboration in the LMS.

The biggest myth about active learning is that it has to be loud, complicated, or exhausting. We sit down with Bethany, a director of instructional support and training, to get clear on what active learning actually means.

We talk about why this approach can feel jarring for students who are used to lectures, and how a simple explanation of the “why” changes everything. Active learning is not about adding busy work. It is about tighter alignment to learning objectives, more formative assessment, and a better feedback loop so we can catch confusion early instead of discovering it weeks later through grading.

Then we get practical with educational technology and instructional design. We explore how tools like WooClap and Padlet can give every student a voice, support anonymous responses when needed, and make participation more inclusive for introverted students or multilingual learners. We also dig into translating active learning to online learning and asynchronous courses, including how to build real student to student interaction.

If this conversation helps, subscribe and share the episode with a colleague What is one small change you want to try next?

What happens when an instructional designer combines deep learning theory with AI-powered tools to rethink hybrid and flipped course design? In this episode, we dive into a real projects at NC State that helped instructors reimagine their courses not just with templates, but with thoughtful structure, smart prompts, and meaningful support.

We’ll explore:

• A fresh design approach grounded in what helps students actually learn
• How AI (like ChatGPT) was used to guide, not replace instructor creativity
• Challenges and wins from working with instructors across disciplines
• And how you can use the same free bots designed during this project to jump-start your own course redesign

If you’ve ever felt stuck adapting your course for hybrid or flipped delivery, or you’re curious about AI’s role in teaching, this episode offers a grounded, practical look at what’s working and what’s possible.

Be sure to check out some of the resources mentioned in this episode:

• Yan's Course Design AI Bots
• Yan's Published Article: Integrating cognition, self-regulation, motivation, and metacognition: a framework of post-pandemic flipped classroom design

Be sure to stay on the lookout for the application period for DELTA grants programs: https://grants.delta.ncsu.edu/hybrid-learning-grants/