Posted on by Helen

Gear Up for the Fall Term 2026: Explore Harte Center Sessions at Fall Academy!

 

Promotional graphic for Washington and Lee University Fall Academy 2026. A campus scene with vibrant autumn foliage, orange and red leaves, a lantern-style campus light, and a Washington and Lee University banner featuring the university coat of arms. An open notebook and pen rest in the foreground. The text reads “Fall Academy 2026” and “View the full schedule and sign up at go.wlu.edu/fallacademy.” A campus building appears in the background amid fall colors.

As we prepare for another exciting academic year, the Harte Center team is hosting a full roster of Fall Academy sessions designed to support your teaching, spark new ideas, and streamline your digital workflow.

Whether you’re looking to polish your Canvas course layout, explore AI reasoning strategies, or connect with colleagues around wellness and pedagogy, there’s something on the schedule for everyone.

Check out the full list of sessions, organized by date and theme below! Sign up at go.wlu.edu/fallacademy!

📅 Schedule at a Glance (Chronological)

Monday, Aug 17

  • Organize Your Courses with Canvas (Brandon Bucy) — 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM | Leyburn Library 301
  • The Worst (AI) Professor (JT Torres & Jeff Schatten) — 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM | Leyburn Library 119
  • Canvas Basics (Helen MacDermott) — 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Parmly Hall 302

Tuesday, Aug 18

  • Design Magic in Minutes: Create Your Next Flyer with Adobe Express (Helen MacDermott) — 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Leyburn Library 301
  • Improve In-Class Time with Canvas (Brandon Bucy) — 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Leyburn Library 301

Wednesday, Aug 19

  • Gradescope + Canvas: Smarter Assessment, Faster Feedback (Brandon Bucy & Charlotte Hoopes) — 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM | Leyburn Library 109

Friday, Aug 21

  • Prompt Engineering 2.0: Reasoning & Logic Strategies (Helen MacDermott) — 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | Leyburn Library 109
  • Canvas Basics (Helen MacDermott) — 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Parmly Hall 302

Tuesday, Aug 25

  • Peer Classroom Observations (JT Torres) — 11:45 AM – 1:15 PM | Leyburn Library 119
  • Engaging Students In Class and Out: Online Polling and Annotating Tools (Brandon Bucy) — 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM | Leyburn Library 109

Wednesday, Aug 26

  • Wellness By Course Design (JT Torres & Laura Ulmer) — 10:45 AM – 11:45 AM | Leyburn Library 119
  • Teagle Funding Opportunities for You (JT Torres et al.) — 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM | Leyburn Library 119
  • Prompt Justice: Getting AI Agents to Do the Right Thing (Sybil Prince Nelson & Josh Fairfield) — 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM | Leyburn Library 119
  • Improve In-Class Time with Canvas (Brandon Bucy) — 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM | Leyburn Library 301

Thursday, Aug 27

  • Record Your Classes and Manage Course Videos with YuJa, Zoom, and Camtasia (Brandon Bucy) — 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Leyburn Library 109
  • Organize Your Courses with Canvas (Brandon Bucy) — 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Leyburn Library 301

Friday, Aug 28

  • Learning Curve Fellowship: How Looking at the World as a Novice Makes Us Better Teachers (JT Torres) — 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM | Leyburn Library 119

  • How to Ban AI in Your Classroom (Sybil Prince Nelson) — 11:45 AM – 1:15 PM | Leyburn Library 119

💡 Explore by Focus Area

1. Canvas & Course Foundations

Build a clean, accessible course hub to keep students on track from day one:

  • Canvas Basics — Mon, Aug 17 (2:00 PM) | Fri, Aug 21 (3:00 PM)
  • Organize Your Courses with Canvas — Mon, Aug 17 (8:30 AM) | Thu, Aug 27 (3:00 PM)
  • Improve In-Class Time with Canvas — Tue, Aug 18 (1:00 PM) | Wed, Aug 26 (3:30 PM)

2. EdTech, Multimedia & Assessment

Level up your toolkit with tools for engaging discussions, efficient grading, and quick graphics:

  • Design Magic in Minutes: Adobe Express Flyers — Tue, Aug 18 (11:00 AM)
  • Gradescope + Canvas: Smarter Assessment — Wed, Aug 19 (10:30 AM)
  • Online Polling and Annotating (Poll Everywhere & Perusall) — Tue, Aug 25 (3:30 PM)
  • Record & Manage Video (YuJa, Zoom, Camtasia) — Thu, Aug 27 (1:00 PM)

3. AI & Emerging Technologies

Dive deeper into AI’s impact on learning and master advanced prompt protocols:

  • The Worst (AI) Professor — Mon, Aug 17 (11:30 AM)
  • Prompt Engineering 2.0: Reasoning & Logic Strategies — Fri, Aug 21 (9:00 AM)
  • Prompt Justice: Getting AI Agents to Do the Right Thing — Wed, Aug 26 (1:45 PM)
  • How to Ban AI in Your Classroom — Fri, Aug 28 (11:45 AM)

4. Pedagogy, Faculty Development & Wellbeing

Reflect on course design, collaborative feedback, and teaching as a practice:

  • Peer Classroom Observations — Tue, Aug 25 (11:45 AM)
  • Wellness By Course Design — Wed, Aug 26 (10:45 AM)
  • Teagle Funding Opportunities for You — Wed, Aug 26 (12:00 PM)
  • Learning Curve Fellowship — Fri, Aug 28 (8:30 AM)