Shows / Higher Listenings
Higher Listenings
A lively look at the trends and people shaping the future of higher education, featuring thought leaders from across the industry. Brought to you by Top Hat.
Episodes
Higher ListeningsBreaking the Habits that Hold Back Good Teaching
For many educators, the pursuit of teaching excellence can feel like a never-ending race. More preparation, more feedback, more innovative activities. The…
Higher ListeningsIs Learning a Full Body Experience?
What if learning isn't just happening between our ears? For generations, we've designed classrooms around a familiar formula: sit still, face forward, and let…
Higher ListeningsSetting the Stage for Deeper Learning
What separates a classroom where students are genuinely invested from one where they’re simply going through the motions? Harvard professor Jal Mehta has spent…
Higher ListeningsMaking Learning Less “Schoolish” with Susan Blum
What if some of the things that make higher education feel most like school are actually getting in the way of learning? In Schoolishness, Dr. Susan Blum…
Higher ListeningsCoaching the Classroom: Lessons from a Super Bowl Champion
When Christian Fauria—a two-time Super Bowl champion turned broadcaster—stepped into the classroom at Bryant University, he quickly discovered that expertise…
Higher ListeningsGetting Students to Read Without the Threats
Students aren’t reading the way we expect, and many faculty are feeling the strain. In this episode, James Lang, author of Small Teaching and Distracted…
Higher ListeningsThe Curiosity Deficit: Why It Matters—and What to Do About It
Children ask hundreds of questions a day—until school teaches them not to. In this episode, educational leader, higher ed consultant, and The Collaboration…
Higher ListeningsThe Power of Mattering: When Students Feel Seen, They Thrive
In an era Zach Mercurio calls an “epidemic of insignificance,” many students feel invisible. And when students feel unseen, motivation fades, trust erodes, and…
Higher ListeningsFrom Burnout to Flourishing: What Positive Psychology Reveals About Thriving in Today’s Classroom
Burnout. Disengagement. AI anxiety. In higher education right now, flourishing can feel like a distant dream. But what if joy isn’t a distraction from serious…
Higher ListeningsMaking Learning Matter for the WHY Generation
College has never cost more, or the payoff more uncertain. As students question the value of a degree, many are disconnecting, skipping class, ghosting…
Higher ListeningsTextbooks Are Failing Students (and Other Dangerous Ideas)
Textbooks are the flip phones of higher ed: clunky, outdated, and yet somehow the model persists. The reality is, students aren’t buying them. And…
Higher ListeningsAdopt, Resist, or Adapt? AI’s Crossroads in Higher Ed
AI isn’t knocking politely—it’s already moved into the classroom, and higher ed is still figuring out who gets the guest room. Marc Watkins, Director of the AI…
Higher ListeningsRewriting the Stories That Hold Students Back
Every student brings invisible baggage to college—stories about what they’re good at, what they’re not, and who they’re expected to be. But what if those…
Higher ListeningsThe Zen of Embracing Our Authenticity
Let’s be real: teaching can feel like performance art. But what if your most powerful teaching tool is you—fully present, emotionally honest, and yes, a little…
Higher ListeningsSNAFU Happens: A Love Letter to Imperfect Teaching
We’ve all seen the movies: the perfectly polished professor who captivates every student without missing a beat. But in real classrooms, things go…
Higher ListeningsSame Side Pedagogy: Less Policing, More Partnership
What if student motivation didn’t have to be a tug-of-war? In this episode, cognitive psychologist and author Dr. Michelle Miller joins us to explore what…
Higher ListeningsDon’t All Talk at Once: Creating Better Classroom Discussions
When students go quiet after your best discussion question, it’s tempting to assume the worst. But what if that quiet moment means something else entirely? In…
Higher ListeningsSilos to Symphonies: Orchestrating Student Success
Higher education is feeling the pressure—from shifting student expectations to mounting demands for proof of impact. But real change rarely comes with a crash…
Higher ListeningsEmotional Support Frogs (+ Getting Your Spark Back)
Higher ed may be going through stormy weather, but in this soul-nourishing episode, we’re choosing joy. Psychologist, author, and happiness researcher Sarah…
Higher ListeningsWhat’s the Worst That Could Happen?
What if the biggest barrier to innovation in our teaching isn’t time or training—but fear? And what if the antidote isn’t a full course redesign, but a single…
Higher ListeningsIs Metacognition the Ultimate Hack for Equitable Learning?
Have you ever talked with students about study skills? Did they lean in with unbridled enthusiasm? Or did your intuition suggest this might not be the right…
Higher ListeningsWhat If Students Cared Too Much to Cheat?
Cheating feels like an unavoidable reality—but what if the antidote isn’t stricter policies or plagiarism checkers, but emotion? Neuroscience tells us that…
Higher ListeningsThe End of Reading or a New Beginning?
Many students arriving at college seem to be less able and less willing to read. It’s left faculty frustrated and anxious, with some wondering, are we…
Higher ListeningsAI's Future in Higher Education with Dr. Kevin Yee
At a time when AI offers students the easy button, how do we motivate them to do hard things? And how do we help students reclaim the sense of purpose, agency…
Higher ListeningsWhy We Grade and How to Stop It with Jesse Stommel
Is grading doing us or our students any favors? Or do grades short circuit the rich, messy human interactions that are so important to meaningful learning? For…
Higher ListeningsUnlocking Belonging with Dr. Terrell Strayhorn
Belonging is like WI-FI: you don’t notice it until you don’t have it, and then nothing seems to work right. That’s especially true for student persistence in…
Higher ListeningsThis is Your Classroom on AI with José Antonio Bowen
This episode's guest's latest book is selling light hot cakes—for good reason. It’s been called a “veritable lifeline” for any educator looking to wrap their…
Higher ListeningsThe Power of Play and Evidence-Based Teaching
Post COVID trauma. Learning loss. A growing student mental health crisis. The past few years have left many faculty feeling burned out. Then some bright light…