TEACHx 2026

Loyal. Thoughtful. Compassionate. These are just some of the many characteristics of Generation Z, those born from 1995 to 2010. Despite some similarities with the Millennial Generation, Generation Z has a unique set of attributes, experiences, preferences, and expectations about how they communicate, learn, and engage with others. But, many of our structures, curriculum, environments, and pedagogies were developed with previous generations in mind, challenging us to re-conceptualize the way we design and deliver higher education for this generation.  
This session showcases the context within which members of Generation Z have come of age and what we need to know about Generation Z to best mentor, support, teach, and supervise them to leverage their potential for success. 
Major Themes: 

• Understanding Generations and Generational Research 

• Societal Influences Shaping Generation Z 

• Characteristics 

• Diversity 

• Motivations 

• Mental Wellbeing 

• Social Media Use 

• Communication Preferences 

• Learning Preferences 

• Aspirations 

• Social Issues and Concerns 

• Engagement and Creating Change 

 
Learning Outcomes: 

• Participants will be able to describe the context within which members of Generation Z have come of age. 

• Participants will be able to describe the characteristics, motivations, values, and preferences of the Generation Z cohort. 

• Participants will be able to differentiate between defining characteristics of Generation Z and those from older generations. 

Designing and launching a new course can spark our pedagogical creativity while challenging us to make decisions on a tight timeline. This workshop provides practical guidance and actionable steps to help instructors confidently begin shaping a new course such as selecting texts and readings, aligning assessments with competencies, planning meaningful in-class activities, and inviting subject matter experts into the classroom. 


Participants will engage in a fast‑paced, collaborative environment that mirrors methods of an effective class session as they build a ladder of success towards course development. Through hands‑on activities, attendees will begin developing a semester outline, identifying key learning outcomes, and creating the foundational scaffolding needed to continue building their course after the session concludes. Opportunities for dialogue with fellow instructors will encourage idea‑sharing, problem‑solving, and exploration of different approaches to course design.


This session is ideal for instructors preparing to teach a new course or seeking a structured, energetic approach to course planning. Attendees will leave with tangible deliverables, practical tools, and a clear plan of action to accelerate their course development with confidence.

This session gives faculty a practical, repeatable way to teach strategic thinking using the media students already live inside, such as memes, headlines, ads, trailers, and social posts, while solving a very real classroom problem: Gen Z students who are engaged mentally but not verbally.
Participants will learn an Artifact Lab method that moves students through three steps:

1. Consume (quick observation: what do you notice?)
2. Analyze (what’s the persuasion move? what’s the message strategy?)
3. Create (how would you redesign it for a different audience, goal, or platform?)

The session models non-performative participation through micro-activities: silent annotation, quick partner swaps, small-group role prompts, and fast “choose-one” decisions (instead of open-ended whole-class discussion). Faculty leave with a plug-and-play structure they can use in any discipline, plus a toolkit of artifact prompts that turn attention and scrolling habits into strategic learning—without pandering.

The Inside–Out program at Cook County Jail is as exhilarating as it is intimidating. Faculty, students, and administrators operate within a carceral setting defined by near constant uncertainty, ongoing changes, and heightened stakes. This session explores how restorative justice—specifically the use of peace circles—can provide both stability and adaptability within prison and jail-based higher education. Peace circles not only satisfy the basic psychological needs of students (autonomy, relatedness, and competence), but also establish shared meaning and purpose. Drawing on a recent Inside Out class on nonviolence, we will explore how Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed was woven into our restorative approach, motivating Inside and Outside students to become co-learners in their development of critical consciousness. Participants will gain practical insight into how peace circles are planned and implemented—both in content and in context—to seamlessly merge restorative justice and liberatory teaching.

Celebrate the instructors who went above and beyond to create engaging experiences for their students using Canvas!

Growing up with iPads and Chromebooks in the classroom, Gen Z didn't get the same exposure to filesystems as previous generations. Concepts of files and folders are critical to getting started in data, coding and media production labs -- but often create stumbling blocks for students who are unfamiliar with the fundamentals. I recently came up with an active learning exercise to help make those ideas stick: gamification. ctrl-alt-esc is a filesystem escape room, prompting students to navigate their way through a digital NU campus while learning about file paths, extensions and metadata. I'll walk through this specific, how it can be extended with subject-specific activities and we'll discuss strategies to come up with your own similar low-tech, high-engagement activities that help students bridge technical gaps. 

Let’s head into the forest, oh let’s explore! Theatre has the power to provide social and emotional connection, imaginative play, and laughter to children facing long-term illnesses. For undergraduate Theatre students, bringing theatre bedside to pediatric patients further instills skills in empathy, communication, and improvisation necessary for a thriving career in the arts. Situated within a course, what are the unique considerations to student learning and self-care in this work? Join our journey through the woods—thorns and all—as we bring the play Let’s Go Camping! to children’s hospitals in Chicago in Northwestern’s new course Bedside Pediatric Theatre, recipient of a 2025 Alumnae Award for Curriculum Innovation. Attendees will learn about how the course design integrated self-care practices, reflection, and university partnerships to provide a rich, meaningful, and nurturing learning experience for students.