UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Tech-Free Teaching and Learning community, through the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, will offer a series of workshops this semester at the University Park campus.
Penn State faculty and graduate student instructors interested in tech-free pedagogies are invited to attend:
-
Tech-Free Active Learning Strategies for Large Courses, 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10.
-
Using Course Packs to Increase Reading and Annotation Skills, 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1.
-
Teaching about AI without Technology, 3:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26.
-
Considering Tech-Free for the First Time in the Spring? Come Learn the Basics, 3 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30.
The teaching community consists of over 90 faculty and graduate students, providing community and professional development for those who focus on tech-free active learning and assessment strategies in the classroom.
Faculty and graduate student instructors who are interested in any or all of these events should email the chair of the teaching community, Danielle Rhubart, assistant teaching professor of biobehavioral health, at dcr185@psu.edu.
The Advancing Innovation in Tech-Free Teaching and Assessment Strategies teaching community was formed in fall 2025. It brings together faculty from colleges across University Park who are interested in using tech-free pedagogies. The community provides instructors with an opportunity to:
- Discuss tech-free teaching and assessment strategies that improve learning.
- Identify strategies to foster student buy-in for tech-free classes.
- Learn how to adopt tech-free teaching tools — for an entire course or class period — that maintain accessibility for all.
“More and more faculty are choosing to relieve students from digital distractions in the classroom to create a learning environment that fosters critical thinking skills, supports interpersonal communication, and maintains rigorous assessment standards,” Rhubart said. “We’re here as a resource for faculty who want to continue to improve their teaching and innovate through tech-free pedagogies.”
Join the teaching community’s email list by contacting Rhubart at dcr185@psu.edu.
This community is supported by the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence. The Teaching Community Program is still accepting applications for new teaching communities for the 2026-27 academic year. A list of current teaching communities can be found in the online directory. All communities are open to new members, and interested instructors should reach out to the leader of the teaching community.
The Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education.