
Lightning Talks: Remote & Hybrid Teaching & Learning 2020 Speaker Series
The Remote & Hybrid Teaching & Learning Lightning Talks Fall 2020 series is a reflection and learning forum where Boston University faculty and invited guests identify areas of challenge and opportunity and share strategies for engaging educational experiences in the remote-learning environment. The Fall 2020 speaker series, co-hosted by Digital Learning & Innovation and The Center for Teaching & Learning, is open to BU faculty, staff, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars.
About the Lightning Talk Format
Fast, peer-driven, and information-rich: Lightning Talks will showcase four-to-five presenters, specifically discussing the topic of remote teaching and learning at BU. Each speaker will adhere to a maximum three-slide format for a short and focused, five-minute presentation.
At the conclusion of all presentations, the moderator will encourage and facilitate cross-disciplinary conversation on the topic.
Managing the LfA Experience Part 2
Due to overwhelming interest, DL&I and the Center for Teaching & Learning will host a second Managing the LfA Experience Part 2 Lightning Talk on Friday, December 4. Join us for a semester-end review as our faculty presenters share remote and hybrid teaching strategies and lessons learned.
Date: Friday, December 4, 2020
Time: 12:15 -1:15 PM
About the Presenters & Topics
Binyomin Abrams
Master Lecturer, Director of General Chemistry
BU College of Arts & Sciences: Chemistry
Remote Immersive Lab Experiences in First-year Advanced Chemistry (RILEd-up)

Mira Angrist, מירה אנגריסט
Senior Lecturer
Coordinator of Hebrew Language Program
BU College of Arts & Sciences, Department of World Languages & Literatures (WLL)
Game-based Learning (GBL) and Gamification in eLearning
The presentation reviews the literature and research on game-based learning and gamification and showcases examples from language eLearning. These strategies can be applied to all content-based learnings where interaction between professors and students and students among themselves play an important role.
Laurie Craigen
Associate Professor
BU School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry
Thom Field
Associate Professor
BU School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry
Building Connection and Community through the LfA Experience
The Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine Program within the School of Medicine is a two year-graduate level master’s degree program. The presenters are two LfA coaches who aim to build connection and community with students during the LfA experience. During this presentation they will share activities, programs, and approaches that developed and instituted during the fall 2020 semester.
Sean Jung
Assistant Professor
BU School of Hospitality Administrations
Applying LfA with the Students’ Needs in Mind
This Lightning Talks presentation will identify the LfA tools that match students’ needs by identifying, interpreting, and applying to the LfA model.
Kari Lavalli
Senior Lecturer & Chair
Division of Natural Sciences & Mathematics
BU College of General Studies
Using Peer-to-Peer Assessments to Engage All LfA Categories of Students
This presentation will showcase tools to use an assignment to engage the in-person, synchronous remote, and asynchronous students and, at the same time, illustrate how assignments are assessed by faculty via having students perform assessments of other students’ submissions.
Karen Jacobs, Moderator
Associate Dean, Digital Learning and Innovation at the College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College
Clinical Professor, Program Director, On-line post-professional doctorate in occupational therapy (OTD) program, Department of Occupational Therapy
COMPLETE: Managing the LfA Experience
Teaching and learning in LfA modalities bring new challenges for faculty and students, with many faculty needing to re-imagine their approaches to class activities and assignments. Join us for a mid-semester review of ways our faculty presenters have adjusted their teaching for hybrid and remote classes.
Date: Friday, October 16
Time: 12:15 -1:15 PM
About the Presenters & Topics
Tina Barbasch
Postdoctoral Associate Lecturer, BU College of Arts and Sciences
Hanny Rivera
Postdoctoral Associate Lecturer, BU College of Arts and Sciences
Virtual Biology: Learn from Anywhere in STEM
The Learn from Anywhere model presents unique challenges for STEM, particularly in biology labs where hands-on experience is critical to inspiring the next generation of scientists. However, the option for remote learning also presents opportunities to expand participation in STEM and build a new teaching model for the future. We will discuss these challenges and opportunities, as well as what we have learned about STEM education during a global pandemic.
Dana Janbek
Master Lecturer, BU College of Communication
Delivering on the Promise of LfA
The presentation will explore the challenges and opportunities that come with delivering the best LfA experience to our students.
Phillippa Pitts
Ph.D. Student, History of Arts & Architecture, Teaching Fellow
Bringing Back the Whiteboard
As anyone who has taught in a vast auditorium or an overheated classroom knows, the location of the classroom changes what the learning looks like. This session will focus on one approach to creating a virtual classroom space, comparing and contrasting the traditional whiteboard with the Google’s digital Jamboard. I’ll share how I’ve used Jamboard to create a more learner-centered digital environment that reintroduces low stakes opportunities for participation and allows students to collaboratively work through new ideas from wherever they are in the world.
Gregory Stoller
Senior Lecturer, BU Questrom School of Business
Trials and Tribulations of LfA So Far…
In this session entitled Trials and Tribulations of LfA So Far… I’ll review two of my (evening) graduate level courses and will discuss my experiences with LfA, to date. The presentation will also provide an overview of issues being monitored.
Lisa Sullivan
Associate Dean, Education, BU School of Public Health
LfA CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement)
We are continuing to refine our teaching and learning using the LfA modality based on faculty assessments of effective practices and data from students on what is working well, not working well, and their suggestions for improvement. Our mindset is one of continuous quality improvement and we will discuss faculty successes and challenges, and students suggestions for improvement.

Moderator: Kathryn House
Instructional Coordinator for Distance Learning Initiatives
BU School of Theology

Missed a 2020 Remote Teaching at BU Lightning Talk?
Check out the library of recordings and learn how Boston University faculty foster classroom community, build an inclusive classroom, manage long block or large lecture classes, and more. View the Lightning Talk recordings and presentations here.