The fourth annual Cornell Engineering Teaching Day (ETD’25) is presented by MTEI, the James McCormick Family Teaching Excellence Institute in the Cornell University College of Engineering.

August 14, 2025, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Upson Hall

This annual event celebrates the teaching mission of Cornell Engineering. Join us to share your passion for teaching, workshop ideas with fellow faculty, and —most importantly— improve the learning experience you offer to students in the coming year.

RSVP here. You are welcome to attend as many or as few sessions as you like.

Breakfast will be provided in the morning. Breakfast will include assorted pastries, coffee cakes, fruit, yogurt, coffee, and tea. Lunch will be provided at noon. Lunch will be assorted sandwiches, salad, chips, brownies, and blondies. Assorted ice cream from the Dairy Bar will be provided after sessions conclude (non-dairy options will be available). Chocolate chips cookies and water will be provided as snacks and beverages throughout the day.

For more information, contact mtei@cornell.edu.

Program

Sessions

Successfully Launch Student Groups in Your Course

Erica Dawson (Selandar Center for Engineering Leadership)
Kathryn Dimiduk (MTEI)

This workshop covers the advantages of assigning groups, for both you and for the students. It demonstrates the free tool, GroupEng.net, to quickly assign those groups according to your rules. Sample elements of strong, student-created, group contracts and early training will be shared as a way to set the stage for successful groups and head off some typical problems with group dynamics. In addition, learn of resources the Selander Center Engineering Leadership is developing to support you and your students.

Managing Accommodations

Anne Bracy (ECE & MTEI)
Shivaun Archer (BME & MTEI)

This workshop will provide practical strategies for managing a wide variety of academic accommodations, from formal requests through Student Disability Services to informal student communications. We’ll explore how to structure courses with built-in flexibility—including flex days and extension policies—that respond to student needs while remaining practical for instructors. Participants will be presented with a variety of options for handling accommodation requests that balance empathy with academic rigor and fairness. The session will include real examples and approaches for setting transparent and supportive expectations.

Student Panel: Perspectives on Generative AI in Education

Kyle Harms (IS and MTEI)

Today’s students are using generative AI in significant ways to supplement their education. Often in ways that educators may not be aware of. Understanding how students are using AI is important for developing effective pedagogical strategies to support student learning. In this panel, we’ve invited several undergraduate students to share their experiences and perspectives on generative AI inside and outside the classroom.

Chatting about ChatGPT: Balancing Industry Expectations, Student Learning, and Academic Integrity

Kathryn Dimiduk (MTEI)
Christa Downey (Engineering Career Center)

Data shared on industry expectations and academic integrity followed by open discussion on crafting course policies.

Getting Started with Generative AI: Supporting Instructors Behind the Scenes

Hadas Ritz (MAE & MTEI)
Anne Bracy (ECE & MTEI)

Are you wondering what generative AI is and how it might help you in your work? Have you been hesitant to try it out, and want concrete examples of how it can be beneficial? In this workshop, we’ll introduce participants to a range of generative AI resources at Cornell and provide many examples of how they can support instructors in course preparation, management, and delivery. Participants will leave this session knowing how to use generative AI in the role of an administrative aide, task accelerator, or teaching partner. Please bring your computer for this session.

AI in the Classroom: Supporting Student Learning with Generative AI

Kyle Harms (IS & MTEI)

Have you been using generative AI in your own work and feel ready to bring it into your classroom? In this workshop, we’ll discuss how students are frequently using AI and what we can do as educators to promote generative AI practices that are actually beneficial to learning. You’ll leave this workshop knowing how to develop an activity designed to encourage deeper engagement with the course learning objectives through traditional style engineering problems enhanced by AI generated code. Please bring your computer for this session.

Developed in Collaboration with Hadas Ritz (MAE and MTEI)