ASU Faculty Showcase for Excellence in Teaching - Fall 2025

ASU Faculty Showcase for Excellence in Teaching in Digital Learning Environments

Have you ever wondered what teaching strategies your colleagues employ in their courses? Are you looking to expand your instructional strategies? Join us for this 60-minute webinar to learn what your peers are doing in their teaching. Each faculty will present on a creative teaching practice that has been employed in their courses. An open Q&A will follow. Register now!

http://links.asu.edu/asuonlinewebinars

Our Faculty Showcase Presenters are below...

Dr. Steven Flanagan

Dr. Steven Flanagan is an Associate Teaching Professor of Spanish and Director of Spanish Second Language Acquisition at Arizona State University, where he has taught since 2013. He has lived and worked in both Mexico and Spain, attending the Universitat d’Alacant (Alicante, Spain) while refining his Spanish language proficiency. His international experiences continue to shape his teaching and research in language learning and pedagogy.

Dr. Flanagan teaches a range of undergraduate and graduate courses, from introductory to advanced Spanish, as well as courses in second language teaching methodologies and language program administration. His work focuses on strengthening the pedagogical and service contributions of the Spanish and Portuguese section within the School of International Letters and Cultures. His research explores teacher training, language program direction, curriculum design, and online and hybrid learning, with an emphasis on increasing student success. He is the 2020–2021 recipient of The College’s Outstanding Instructor Award, a 2024 Distinguished Teacher recognized by the AATSP, and a core faculty member in the Humanities Early Start program.

In this session, he will discuss how, through data-informed collaboration, the Spanish Lower-Division program has reduced withdrawal rates significantly in ASU Online’s SPA 101 course from 29% to 13% over seven years. This short presentation will share key factors behind that success and discuss next steps for the program. Attendees will leave with adaptable, evidence-based strategies to support student retention and success in their own programs through a Principled Innovation lens.

Dr. Roddy Nikpour

Roddy Nikpour is an Assistant Teaching Professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, where he primarily teaches courses in audio storytelling. In addition to his teaching, he hosts on-air programs and produces podcasts for public radio stations KEXP and KUER, bringing real-world industry experience into the classroom.

Professor Nikpour’s work focuses on helping students master the craft of storytelling through sound, emphasizing both creative expression and technical skill. His dual experience as a journalist and educator allows him to guide learners in producing professional-quality audio that engages audiences across platforms.

In this session, Professor Nikpour will share how podcasting functions as both a learning tool and instructional medium in his course at the Cronkite School. Developed in 2021 and taught in both online and in-person formats, the course integrates podcasting into assessments and learning materials to deepen engagement and comprehension. The session will also explore how AI-powered tools can make audio editing more accessible to new creators.