What if we designed our courses the way engineers design everything else, around how real people actually think, focus, and perform?

In this episode of InCITEful Teaching, host Dr. Shannon Harmon sits down with Dr. Lesley Strawderman, Giles Distinguished Professor, International Paper Chair in Industrial and Systems Engineering at Mississippi State, and Associate Director of the Athlete Engineering Institute, to explore what the science of human factors and ergonomics can teach us about teaching. Together they unpack what "human factors" really means and where we all encounter it every day. They also discuss how to treat a syllabus, assignment, or LMS page as something to be "usable," why cognitive load should shape the way we structure a class period, and how to make demanding, technical material feel approachable. Along the way, Lesley shares lessons from mentoring students and working with new faculty, and reflects on what "excellence" in teaching really looks like when you define it like an engineer.

Whether you teach engineering or English, you'll come away with a fresh, practical lens for designing learning that meets students where they are.

Even the most thoughtfully designed course comes to life one lesson at a time. In this episode of InCITEful Teaching—part of our First Days of School series—host Dr. Shannon Harmon sits down with Dr. Nicole Miller to explore what happens inside a single class session: how we plan lessons that move students toward our goals, and how we keep them actively engaged along the way.

Dr. Miller is an Associate Professor of Elementary Education in the Department of Teacher Education and Leadership. She earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at Mississippi State, and her background spans both classroom teaching and instructional technology. She also serves as a CITE Faculty Associate, teaching active learning in Maroon Academy, where she helps her peers to think deeply about how to plan purposeful lessons and design learning experiences that invite students in.

Whether you're refreshing a familiar course or getting ready for a brand-new semester, this conversation will help you make each class session count. Listen now and share it with a colleague who's mapping out their next class!

Teaching online is more than moving lectures to Canvas — it requires intentional design, meaningful interaction, and a genuine sense of connection. In this episode of InCITEful Teaching, host Dr. Shannon Harmon sits down with Dr. Athena Nagel, Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Geosciences and a CITE Faculty Associate, to talk about what it really takes to teach well online.

Whether you're teaching online for the first time or looking to sharpen a course you've taught for years, this episode offers practical, research-informed strategies for creating connection, clarity, and community — wherever your students are learning.