Difficult Conversations and Collaborative Learning

RISD Student Tuition Rate Protest 1980s. Source: RISD Archives

Image credit: RISD Student Tuition Rate Protest 1980s, RISD Archives

About the Faculty Summer Institute

The Teaching & Learning Lab is offering a 3-day, fully in-person Faculty Summer Institute on "Difficult Conversations and Collaborative Learning" from June 3 to June 5, 2026. The Faculty Summer Institute (FSI) on “Difficult Conversations and Collaborative Learning” will introduce participating faculty to theories, strategies, and evidence-based techniques needed to work through moments in the classroom or studio that are inflected by differences of ideology, experience, or values. The focus will be on methods that empower students, emphasize their learning assets, and create a shared sense of belonging and respect. The FSI will cover a range of topics over three days, including engaging pluralism in the classroom and studio, managing tension and conflict in discussion, teaching during times of crisis, the challenges of student public engagement, and iterative making as a form of civic dialogue. Overall, participating faculty will work collaboratively to develop practical ways to apply the FSI’s content to their own disciplinary pedagogies.

Contact

For any questions, please contact us at teach-learn-lab@risd.edu.