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Faculty Resource Center

Thank you for visiting the Faculty Resource Center (FRC) page! Please feel free to explore the services and programs the Center has to offer.

Be sure to check back to this page on a regular basis as it will be updated on a weekly basis.

**New Section of Resources Page on ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE including AI Tools for the RCNJ Community**

If you have any questions or would like to make a suggestion for a future FRC session, please contact the Director, Rikki Abzug.

WELCOME TO SPRING SEMESTER 2026!

Faculty Book Club Meeting

** A New York Times Bestseller **

In a world where addictive technology is designed to buy and sell our attention, and our value is determined by our 24/7 data productivity, it can seem impossible to escape. But in this inspiring field guide to dropping out of the attention economy, artist and critic Jenny Odell shows us how we can still win back our lives.

Join us THURSDAY, JANUARY 29th at 1:00pm in AC202

Back by Popular Demand: An Inclusive Pedagogy Circle hosted by Satarupa Dasgupta (Communication Arts). Meets Virtually (), Thursdays, January 29, February 26, March 26, and April 30, 1:00-2:00pm

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83628921686?pwd=qVI15D1PqBH92DzWlnhGohmFOo7JdL.1

Meeting ID: 836 2892 1686
Passcode: 673564

Increasingly in our classrooms we have students who have learning differences and who are neurodiverse. This teaching circle will be a space where we can discuss ideas, brainstorm resources and exchange knowledge on strategies, resources and best practices to enhance the education outcomes of our students with learning differences, and also improve the teaching experiences of the faculty. The goal will be to create a diverse and equitable learning environment for our students, including those who differ from the neuro-normative, and allow them to flourish within and beyond higher education.

***NEW FOR SPRING 2026***

A Serendipitous Offering of Faculty-Led Talk/Discussions on

Pressing Pedagogical Predicaments

KICK-OFF: Wednesday, February 11, 1:00pm at the FRC (LC202)

Timely Warnings, Tenacious Teaching: Tech Free Pedagogy for Student Mental Health in the age of AI – offered by Dr. Maya Poran, Psychology

In a time of swift radical socio-cultural transformation, the AI wave cresting upon us feels unstoppable. Educators at all levels have been swept into a net of entangling questions regarding the integration of AI into the college environment in general, the classroom in particular, and life in toto. Educators are being encouraged to incorporate AI into their teaching, and so we are asking ourselves critical questions, among them: To teach, or not to teach, with AI? Is there any way one can keep AI out of student work? What are the ethical ramifications for the utilization of AI, ranging from environmental, academic, and interpersonal impact? In this talk, Dr. Maya Poran re-centers the ethical conversation through a psychological and a mental health lens, proposing that the integration of AI into our classrooms may unwittingly contribute to the mental health decline we are seeing in young people. She further proposes that student well-being and mental health needs to be at the forefront; the primary ethical lens we must consider before moving toward AI integration. Dr. Poran (a tech-free classroom advocate and practitioner) will further share her informed pedagogical choices and the classroom strategies she utilizes to guide students into mastery and ownership of their learning, not only for their academic success, but for their overall health as human beings. Please, join us for this important conversation!

TEACHING CIRCLE

Joy-Centered Pedagogy

Virtual Interest Meeting: Wednesday, February 11, 8:00 PM

Email Rikki Abzug for Google Meets Info

TEACHING CIRCLE

First Meeting: Wednesday, February 18th 12:00pm, LC202

MINI-TECHFEST

Transforming Student Work with Digital Tools

Librarian Victoria Sciancalepore leads a dynamic session

on March 4th at 1:00pm in the IDC (LC201)

We know our students live online, but are they critically engaging with the digital world or just consuming it?

Join us for a fast-paced, practical showcase of five web-based tools that empower students to build arguments, not just write them. In this one-hour session, we will look ‘under the hood’ of tools like Voyant (text analysis), TimelineJS (chronology), StoryMapJS (spatial narrative), and WordPress.

This isn’t about technology for technology’s sake. We will focus on the pedagogical payoff: how these tools teach students to curate evidence, structure non-linear logic, and publish public-facing scholarship. You will see live, rehearsed demonstrations of each tool and leave with a digital resource guide to help you integrate them into your syllabus next semester.

**SAVE THE DATES**

SPRING Faculty Development WEEK,

March 9-13, including exciting events over a series of days in March.

INTERNATIONAL INFUSION!

PAST EVENTS, FALL 2026:

An Inclusive Pedagogy Circle hosted by Satarupa Dasgupta (Communication Arts)

Meets Virtually (Webex), second Thursdays of the month

Reading material can be found at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wp9LUHr5trMD4UOzGM40Mm_xIfzA0lXe?usp=drive_link

FIRST THURSDAY OF THE MONTH COMMON HOUR TEACHING CIRCLE (9/4, 10/16, 11/6, 12/4 1:00-2:00pm, ADLER CENTER 202): Email FRC Director, Rikki Abzug to reserve your free copy of the book!

ONLINE TEACHING CIRCLE

1st Virtual (Webex) interest meeting: Weds. 10/8, 8:00pm
2nd (Webex) session: Weds. 11/5, 8:00pm
3rd (Webex) session: Weds. 12/3, 8:00pm

Email Rabzug@ramapo.edu for Webex login and to reserve a copy of the book

**NEW FOR FALL 2025**

Pedagogy for Breakfast! Come join faculty colleagues on select Wednesdays (TBD) at 9:00am in the Padovano Commons for Bagels and Teaching Talks, Demos, Videos and Discussions.

Wednesday October 15th and October 29th (9:00AM, Padovano Commons) viewing and discussion of the award-winning documentary Parts I and II: