4.3 Tuning In Sessions

4.3.1 AmplifyingSupport: A Low-Stakes Infographic Activity to Help Students Navigate SocialSupports and Connect Emotional Topics to Community Resources
Odilia Yim, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Psychology, FAS

Amplifying the Signal: Connection, Engagement, and Civil Discourse

In undergraduate courses that address sensitive and emotionally-charged interpersonal topics, students often struggle to distinguish the core learning “signal” from the emotional and cognitive “noise” these themes can evoke. This session shares insights from implementing a new low-stakes “Community Resources Infographic” activity designed to help students translate abstract course concepts into real, actionable forms of support.

In the activity, students in an upper-level undergraduate course select a course concept from one of the weekly themes related to interpersonal dynamics and create an infographic highlighting relevant campus or local community services. They may work individually or in small groups, and they share their creations through online discussion spaces or informally in class presentations. This practice aimed to reduce emotional overload by foregrounding agency, interpersonal connection, and social support; increase clarity by asking students to focus on one concept at a time and enhance engagement through creative, collaborative knowledge translation. Student reflections revealed that creating infographics helped them better understand the course material, recognize the breadth of local supports and resources, and feel more empowered should they encounter sensitive or distressing topics. This Tuning In session will describe the motivation for the activity, its design, early student feedback, and key reflections about how such innovative, community-oriented assignments can amplify clarity and connection for learners.

Participants will be invited to experience a brief version of the exercise and reflect on how similar low-stakes, flexible tasks might support their own students, particularly in courses involving the discussion of content which may be linked to negative personal or interpersonal experiences. The session foregrounds inclusive design, accessible communication, and meaningful engagement as core pedagogical signals.

Practice Track

4.3.2 Beyond Apprenticeship in Undergraduate Economics: K.R.L a Co-Authored Research Lab Model for Experiential Learning and Scholarly Dialogue
Nazanin Khazra, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Economics, FAS

Amplifying the Signal: Connection, Engagement, and Civil Discourse

This session presents and analyzes a novel undergraduate research lab model in economics (K.R.L for Applied Economics and Data Science) designed to strengthen human connection, engagement, and inclusive dialogue through sustained collaborative research. Bridging traditional faculty-led apprenticeships and course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), the lab positions undergraduates not as task executors but as junior research colleagues working toward co-authored scholarly outputs.

Operating without external funding, the model relies on weekly collaborative meetings that create compressed experiential learning cycles, peer scaffolding through domain specialization, and selection based on research disposition rather than prior achievement. These structures intentionally cultivate trust, belonging, and active participation, supporting civil discourse, feedback-rich learning, and training on real world research. Students further develop communication and research identity by presenting ongoing work in a monthly open seminar for undergraduates promoting inclusive dialogue and community-wide engagement.

Drawing on qualitative evidence from seven RAs over one year, the session demonstrates how this model amplifies clarity, empathy, and inclusion while accelerating learning and producing authentic scholarship. The session contributes to social sciences education by offering a scalable, accessible, and relational approach to undergraduate research that strengthens connection, engagement, and meaningful academic conversation in both formal and open learning spaces.

Practice Track