Keystone Concepts in Teaching: A Higher Education Podcast from the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning
Keystone Concepts in Teaching is a higher education podcast from the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning at George Mason University focused on discussing and sharing impactful teaching strategies that support all students and faculty.
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Season 4: Spring 2026
Episode 37: The Inside Perspective from Graduate Students Who Teach
For the first time, Keystone Concepts in Teaching features a graduate teaching assistant (GTA) and a graduate instructor as guests, offering faculty a candid look into the student-instructor perspective. Host Dr. Rachel Yoho is joined by Sehaj Gill and Yasmin Rahmani, who share anecdotes from teaching introductory labs and lectures at George Mason University while pursuing their own graduate degrees. The conversation emphasizes the importance of relatability, patience, and clear communication, especially when guiding students through their core course requirements. The episode explores lessons learned from handling classroom challenges, advice for professors on working productively with GTAs, and practical guidance for aspiring GTAs—including adaptability, not overlooking fundamentals in the age of AI, and confidently admitting “I don’t know.” Faculty will gain actionable strategies and new perspectives on creating supportive, relevant, and inclusive learning environments, straight from the voices of those teaching and learning at the same time.
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Resource: George Mason University Graduate Education – Teaching Skills: https://graduate.gmu.edu/professional-development/teaching-skills
Episode 36: Recognizing the Value of Investing in Teaching
How do we develop, support, and recognize effective teaching across career stages in higher education? In this episode of Keystone Concepts in Teaching, host Dr. Rachel Yoho is joined by Christi Wilcox, Director of the Office of Outreach, Student Success, and Engagement in George Mason University’s College of Engineering and Computing, for a wide‑ranging conversation about faculty development, graduate student preparation, and the recognition of teaching and learning work. Together, they explore why investing in pedagogical training, especially early with graduate students, strengthens both institutions and the profession. Additionally, Christi provides listeners with strategies for how to make the value of teaching development visible and why faculty should strategically advocate for and document their teaching‑related professional growth. This episode invites faculty across disciplines to rethink recognition, professional development, and the many ways effective teaching contributes to student success and the broader higher education ecosystem.
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Resource: Faculty Podcast Credential: https://stearnscenter.gmu.edu/credentials/keystone-concepts-in-teaching-podcast-faculty-credential/
Episode 35: Faculty Mental Health Matters
Faculty mental health is rarely discussed—but deeply connected to teaching, learning, and student success. In this Hear From Your Host episode, guest host and Producer Kelly Chandler turns the microphone toward our host, Dr. Rachel Yoho, to explore faculty mental health as a critical, and often overlooked, aspect of higher education. Drawing on research and observations, the conversation examines structural stressors in academia, the isolating nature of teaching, and the importance of community and support. Faculty will gain language, context, and practical ways to think about wellbeing – not as individual self‑care alone, but as a shared, systemic commitment essential to effective teaching and sustainable academic pursuits.
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Guest Note: This is an academic exploration of a topic, not medical or mental health advice. Many campuses, local communities, and health insurances have mental health support.
Resources: Some Mason Resources: Employee Assistance Programs: https://hr.gmu.edu/benefits/insurance-and-benefits/employee-assistance-programs/ Mason Korea: BetterHelp online counseling sessions available. TimelyCare: mental health line https://rsr.gmu.edu/timelycare-now-available-to-faculty-and-staff/?utm_source=provosts&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=facstaff&utm_term=20260126 Leave: https://hr.gmu.edu/benefits/leave/ Dual Career Assistance: https://hr.gmu.edu/support-resources/spouse-and-partner-employment/ Employee Resource Groups, Communities of Practice, and Other Networks:https://hr.gmu.edu/support-resources/faculty-and-staff-networks/ Disability and Religious Accommodations: https://hr.gmu.edu/support-resources/disability-and-religious-accommodations/ Center for the Advancement of Well-being’s Faculty and Staff Resources: https://wellbeing.gmu.edu/resources-2/resources/
Sources and references from this discussion: World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/mental-health-promoting-and-protecting-human-rights Hammoudi Halat, D.; Soltani, A.; Dalli, R.; Alsarraj, L.; Malki, A. Understanding and Fostering Mental Health and Well-Being among University Faculty: A Narrative Review. J. Clin. Med. 2023,12,4425. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12134425 Pope-Ruark, R. 2024. A Critical Framework for Supporting Faculty and Staff Mental Health and Well-Being. Faculty Focus. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/academic-leadership/a-critical-framework-for-supporting-faculty-and-staff-mental-health-and-well-being/&ved=2ahUKEwj7tZGCn8SNAxVAFlkFHTfRPGgQFnoECB8QAQ&usg=AOvVaw21_Wd0R1b-QZ1SjsvVNQdO Meeks, K.; Peak, A.S.; Dreihaus, A. Depression, anxiety, and stress among students, faculty, and staff. J. Am. Coll. Health 2023, 71, 348–354.
Johnson, A.P.; Lester, R.J. Mental health in academia: Hacks for cultivating and sustaining wellbeing. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 2022, 34 (Suppl. S1), e23664.
Lashuel, H.A. What about faculty? eLife 2020, 9, e54551.
Darbishire, P.; Isaacs, A.N.; Miller, M.L. Faculty Burnout in Pharmacy Education. Am. J. Pharm. Educ. 2020, 84, ajpe7925.
https://www.umaryland.edu/fctl/resources/support/mental-health/
Kennedy, D.R.; Clapp, P.; DeLuca, J.L.; Filtz, T.M.; Kroon, L.; Lamberts, J.T.; Oliphant, C.M.; Prescott, W.A.; Ray, S.D. Enhancing Pharmacy Faculty Well-Being and Productivity While Reducing Burnout. Am. J. Pharm. Educ. 2022, 86, 8764.
Darbishire, P.; Isaacs, A.N.; Miller, M.L. Faculty Burnout in Pharmacy Education. Am. J. Pharm. Educ. 2020, 84, ajpe7925.
https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/workplace-mental-health-well-being.pdf
Xu, Y.; Wang, Y. Job stress and university faculty members’ life satisfaction: The mediating role of emotional burnout. Front. Psychol. 2023, 14, 1111434.
Sabagh, Z.; Saroyan, A. Professors’ perceived barriers and incentives for teaching improvement. Int. Educ. Res. 2014, 2, 18–40.
Brownell, S.E.; Tanner, K.D. Barriers to faculty pedagogical change: Lack of training, time, incentives, and… tensions with professional identity? CBE Life Sci. Educ. 2012, 11, 339–346.
McDonald, G. Does size matter? The impact of student–staff ratios. J. High. Educ. Policy Manag. 2013, 35, 652–667.
Vértiz-Osores, J.J.; Vílchez Ochoa, G.L.; Vértiz-Osores, R.I.; Damián-Núñez, E.; Chico Tasayco, H.; Rodríguez-Fuentes, A. Teacher Discomfort: Reflections on the Low Academic Performance of University Students. J. Educ. Psychol. -Propos. Y Represent. 2019, 7, 286–298.
de Ruiter, J.A.; Poorthuis, A.M.; Aldrup, K.; Koomen, H.M. Teachers’ emotional experiences in response to daily events with individual students varying in perceived past disruptive behavior. J. Sch. Psychol. 2020, 82, 85–102.
Aldrup, K.; Klusmann, U.; Lüdtke, O.; Göllner, R.; Trautwein, U. Student misbehavior and teacher well-being: Testing the mediating role of the teacher-student relationship. Learn. Instr. 2018, 58, 126–136.
Spilt, J.L.;Koomen,H .M.; Thijs, J.T. Teacher wellbeing: The importance of teacher–student relationships. Educ. Psychol. Rev.2011, 23, 457–477.
Colon-Gonzalez, M.C.; El Rayess, F.; Guevara, S.; Anandarajah, G. Successes, challenges and needs regarding rural health medical education in continental Central America: A literature review and narrative synthesis. Rural. Remote. Health 2015, 15, 3361.
LeBlanc, C.; Sonnenberg, L.K.; King, S.; Busari, J. Medical education leadership: From diversity to inclusivity. GMSJ. Med. Educ. 2020, 37, Doc18.
Hornstein, H.A. Student evaluations of teaching are an inadequate assessment tool for evaluating faculty performance. Cogent Educ. 2017, 4, 1304016.
Lakeman, R.; Coutts, R.; Hutchinson, M.; Lee, M.; Massey, D.; Nasrawi, D.; Fielden, J. Appearance, insults, allegations, blame and threats: An analysis of anonymous non-constructive student evaluation of teaching in Australia. Assess. Eval. High. Educ. 2022, 47, 1245–1258.
Heffernan, T.; Bosetti, L. Incivility: The new type of bullying in higher education. Camb. J. Educ. 2021,51,641–652.
Price, M.; Salzer, M.S.; O’Shea, A.; Kerschbaum, S.L. Disclosure of mental disability by college and university faculty: The negotiation of accommodations, supports, and barriers. Disabil. Stud. Q. 2017, 37.
Jayman, M.; Glazzard, J.; Rose, A. Tipping point: The staff wellbeing crisis in higher education. In Proceedings of the Frontiers in Education, Uppsala, Sweden, 8–11 October 2022; p. 590.
McKay, R., Arnold, D. H., Fratzl, J., & Thomas, R. (2008). Workplace bullying in academia: A Canadian study. Employee responsibilities and rights Journal, 20, 77-100.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-022-01311-z
https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.abl7492
Lampman, C., Crew, E. C., Lowery, S. D., & Tompkins, K. (2016). Women Faculty Distressed: Descriptions and Consequences of Academic Contrapower Harassment. NASPA Journal About Women in Higher Education, 9(2), 169–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/19407882.2016.1199385
Harding, S.; Morris, R.; Gunnell, D.; Ford, T.; Hollingworth, W.; Tilling, K.; Evans, R.; Bell, S.; Grey, J.; Brockman, R. Is teachers’ mental health and wellbeing associated with students’ mental health and wellbeing? J. Affect. Disord. 2019, 242, 180–187. (as cited in) Hammoudi Halat, D.; Soltani, A.; Dalli, R.; Alsarraj, L.; Malki, A. Understanding and Fostering Mental Health and Well-Being among University Faculty: A Narrative Review. J. Clin. Med. 2023,12,4425. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/jcm12134425
Episode 34: Career Readiness as a Teaching Practice
George Mason’s University Career Services Executive Director, Saskia Campbell, joins host Dr. Rachel Yoho to explain the role her office plays in supporting students at the university and highlight practical ways faculty can partner in preparing students for life after graduation. The conversation explores George Mason’s career outcomes data, the chaos theory of careers, and the transferable skills employers value most. Faculty will also learn about low‑effort, high‑impact teaching practices and resources. This episode is a must‑listen for instructors interested in helping students make clearer connections between coursework and career pathways.
Click here to access the transcript.
Resources: University Career Services: https://careers.gmu.edu/ Career Readiness Guide: https://mymasonportal.gmu.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-193714404_1 Career Influencers Network: https://careers.gmu.edu/faculty-staff/career-influencers-network Request a Classroom Presentation: https://careers.gmu.edu/faculty-staff/request-presentation
Episode 33: Faculty Support is Student Support
In this episode of Keystone Concepts in Teaching, host Dr. Rachel Yoho sits down with Dr. Kim Eby, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Development at George Mason University, for a wide‑ranging conversation about faculty recognition, teaching, and the changing landscape of higher education. Drawing on nearly 30 years of experience at George Mason, Dr. Eby reflects on student‑centered learning, interdisciplinary teaching, and what it means to support faculty across career stages in a time of increasing complexity. Settle in for an insightful conversation with Faculty Affairs’ pivotal leader as she makes the compelling case that supporting faculty success is inseparable from supporting student success in a sustainable, effective higher education institution.
Click here to access the transcript.
Resources: Faculty Affairs website: https://provost.gmu.edu/about/administrative-units/faculty-affairs-and-development, The Chronicle article Dr. Eby references: https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-ai-is-changing-higher-education
Episode 32: Academic Advisors as Partners in Student Success
What exactly do academic advisors do—and how can faculty benefit from understanding that role more clearly? In this episode, four of George Mason University’s professional academic advisors unpack the realities of advising with our host, Dr. Rachel Yoho. They explain where their work begins and ends, how they partner with faculty, and why collaboration matters more than ever for student success. Faculty listeners will gain insight into how advisors’ unique relationships with students can complement how students show up in classrooms and how partnerships between faculty and advisors can strengthen student referral practices, retention, and holistic student support. In a time of growing enrollment pressures and AI‑driven change, this conversation offers practical perspectives on how faculty and advisors can work together to better serve students.
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Episode 31: Supporting Faculty in Today’s Higher Education Landscape
Find out how the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning at George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence are natural collaborators as we navigate how to support faculty in today’s higher education landscape. In this episode, your host, Dr. Rachel Yoho, explores this dynamic educational partnership with guests Dr. Indigo Eriksen and Hector Revollo from NVCC. These two institutions share a region, many students, resources, and even faculty. Listen in to find out how our guests are supporting faculty to feel empowered in our current, challenging environment, particularly around artificial intelligence.
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Resource: ADVANCE: https://advancesuccess.gmu.edu/
Episode 30: Everyone Should Learn to Teach
Dive into our discussion with Drs. Stephanie Bluth and Alyssa Bivins from the Graduate Division! The host, Dr. Rachel Yoho, explores how our guests developed their innovative graduate teacher training programs, the importance of strategic unit collaboration across universities, and why everyone could benefit from having teaching skills. Find out how the Graduate Division developed evidence-based solutions to a ubiquitous issue in higher education: how many college instructors do not receive any teacher training before stepping in front of a classroom. Listen in as they share their experiences in creating productive communities of practice not just for graduate instructors, but for anyone who wants to talk about and assess their teaching.
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Resources: George Mason University Graduate Division: https://graduate.gmu.edu/, Yoho, Rachel and E. Shelley Reid. Establishing Teaching Centers as Partners in Institution-Wide Initiatives. POD Perspectives, Vol. 1, Iss. 1 (2024), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.15868/socialsector.44761
Episode 29: Sensible Approaches to Teaching in the Age of AI-Generated Everything
In this episode, Dr. Tawnya Azar joins your host, Dr. Rachel Yoho, to share actionable strategies about how to avoid becoming the “AI Police” and teach students to think critically about how and when to responsibly use AI in college. Additionally, she shares how to meaningfully build rapport and trust with students in an online classroom and provides insightful tips to help students find value in demonstrating their learning – rather than relying on AI. Listen in to find out how Dr. Azar found joy in teaching in the age of artificial intelligence!
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Resource: Yoho, R. (2023), No, Let’s Not Go Back to Handwritten Activities: Inclusive Teaching Strategies in the Context of ChatGPT. The National Teaching & Learning Forum, 32: 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1002/ntlf.30379