In this season finale, we're taking a different approach by celebrating the educators who've partnered with Great River Learning to create their own course materials. You'll hear from faculty across disciplines—from music appreciation to forensics, horticulture to economics—who faced the same challenge: existing textbooks just weren't working for their students or their teaching style.

These are stories of frustration turned into innovation. Professors who were tired of compromise, who wanted materials that stayed current, aligned with their pedagogy, and actually resonated with today's students. Whether it was the freedom to update content in real-time, the ability to structure material their way, or creating something truly designed for their classroom rather than a national market, these educators took control of their course materials—and transformed their teaching in the process.

This is peer-to-peer inspiration from faculty who've been where you are and found a way forward.

What if the real problem isn't that students struggle with math—it's that we've taught them it's okay to give up on it?

In this episode, mathematician and educator Dr. Jeanette Mokry gets refreshingly honest about her own middle school math confusion, the pandemic's lingering impact on student preparedness, and why she's ditching traditional lectures for approaches that let students "create their own knowledge."

You'll hear why she believes assessment might be mathematics' biggest stressor (and what mastery-based grading could change), how peer-led learning transformed her college algebra course from isolated work to genuine community, and her controversial take on why we need to stop treating "I'm bad at math" like a personality trait.

If you've ever wondered how to help students see math as something they can do rather than something they have to survive, this conversation is for you.

Learn more about Mokry's publication, College Algebra: Functions and Applications, at https://grl.pub/college-algebra

What happens when a Peace Corps volunteer contracts malaria in a remote village and discovers that the traditional healer's definition of "health" completely upends everything Western medicine taught her? Medical anthropologist Dr. Diane Hardgrave takes listeners from emergency refugee camps in Somalia to sacred Hopi mesas, revealing why the youngest medical system on Earth (hint: it's ours) might be missing something crucial about healing. In this episode, she shares how a bowl of pungent tea, a sauna conversation in Ethiopia, and women secretly trading emergency wheat rations taught her that humanity's approach to health transcends biology—and why understanding this could change how we think about our own bodies.

Learn more about Dr. Hardgrave's publication, Health, Healing, & Culture: https://grl.pub/health-healing-culture

Traditional textbooks are failing students. Bombarded with information from every direction, including their 1500-page business law texts, students tune out. That is, except for Thane Messinger's digital textbook, Business Law: Navigating the turbulent realm of commerce. Messinger, a business law professor at the University of Hawaii, shares his journey from practicing law in Texas and Micronesia to becoming a textbook author. He shares insights on the deep research process that improved his own teaching and the creative challenges of restructuring legal education, and offers valuable perspectives for educators seeking to make complex subjects accessible and engaging in higher ed.

Meet Don Bryn, a musical renaissance man whose journey from globe-trotting performer to innovative educator reads like a composer's symphony—unexpected, layered, and beautifully orchestrated. Having graced stages across 130 countries, Don discovered that music truly is humanity's universal language, a revelation that now drives his mission to shatter what he calls "musical prejudices" in the classroom.

From the concert halls of Australia to the State College of Florida, Don weaves together his roles as composer, full-stack developer, and passionate educator with infectious enthusiasm. He challenges students to break free from the "three-minute pop song prison" that has homogenized our musical landscape, using everything from chocolate shop metaphors to ear training apps he's coded himself.

In this captivating conversation, Don reveals the physics behind musical composition, shares tales from his film scoring adventures, and delivers a stirring manifesto about reclaiming music's lost diversity. His unique blend of technical expertise, global perspective, and educational innovation offers a fresh take on why opening our ears—and minds—to the world's rich musical tapestry has never been more crucial.

Learn more about Don's digital textbook for music appreciation, Now Hear This: https://grl.pub/NowHearThis

Dr. Anne-Valerie Brittan-Leibundgut, a French-born composer, performer, and lecturer at the University of Oklahoma shares her remarkable journey from studying piano at the Conservatory of Cannes to finding her calling in the heart of the US - Oklahoma. There she's dedicated herself to making classical music accessible and engaging for non-music majors. Through her innovative storytelling approach, she connects musical masterpieces to their historical contexts, helping students understand that "music is a reflection of the society that creates it." With warmth, enthusiasm, and a passion for Western cultural heritage, she transforms reluctant students into appreciative listeners who can then discover the joy and relevance of classical music in their own lives.

Learn more about Dr. Brittan-Leibundgut's publication: https://grl.pub/noteworthy

In this episode, we chat with Keith Kropp from Great River Learning about how his company went from showing off a simple CD-ROM back in 2001 to becoming one of the go-to names in education tech. Keith shares some great stories, like how they got the company name from an actual road nearby and why they had to rebrand from "Great River Technologies" to "Great River Learning" after years of being mistakenly sent to IT departments. We also dive into how wildly things have changed in higher education. Keith remembers when professors weren't even sure their students owned computers, and now everything is digital-first. The numbers are pretty impressive too - they've grown from just three projects they inherited to over 3,000 titles today. What really comes through in our conversation is how Keith and his team focus on building real partnerships with educators instead of just pushing out generic content. Plus, if you're an instructor who's ever thought about writing your own materials, Keith has some really encouraging thoughts on that front.

Hosts Michelle and Deanna sit down with Dr. Johnny Hrebik, Department Chair of English at Cape Fear Community College and author of "Memories and Melodies: The Essential First Year Writing EP." Dr. Hrebik shares his journey from aspiring musician to English professor, explaining how he revolutionized composition instruction by integrating music into the classroom. His innovative methods include creating collaborative playlists with students, analyzing song lyrics to teach essay structure, using musical transitions as models for writing, and incorporating performance elements that build confidence and critical thinking skills. Through personal anecdotes—including a memorable student interaction with Melissa Etheridge and his own transformative experience with the Goo Goo Dolls—Dr. Hrebik demonstrates how music creates a comfortable learning environment that enables students to express their authentic voices while mastering academic writing conventions.

To learn more about his publication with Great River Learning, visit https://grl.pub/WritingEP