Events

Fram Spring Event

Critical Thinking Applications: A Tour for AI and ChatGPT, Friday February 23rd, 8:00 – 9:00 am - Virtual

Teaching applied critical thinking can be a challenge, especially in some courses where students simply want to find THE answer.  This workshop will explore some options for assignment structure to drive student practice in critical thinking.  Most of the practice examples can be used with or without AI tools.  BRING an assignment or course in which you would like to expand critical thinking and we will discuss opportunities and applications you can use.  Questions and discussion is a key part of this workshop… let’s get into it!

Zoom Recording / Power Point / Chat GPT AI and ACT Examples

 

Co-Sponsored

CALL FOR PROPOSALS, Fourth Annual RIT Undergraduate Global Humanities Virtual Conference. Theme: Ethics and How We Conduct Our Lives April 8 - 11, 2024

Postmodernism inaugurated an avalanche of redefinitions of human values.  The human community appears comfortable to speak of “post” as a prefix for a new understanding about the nature of humanity.  Now, post-truth, posthumanism and the attendant transhumanism, post-racism are all ideas available for redefining the human condition.  The results of these ideas include dislodging of the prevailing beliefs as untenable, for example, the distinction between and among humans, animals, and technology, or the fragile and fleeting nature of truth, hence the reduction of the question of ethics, the question of good, human conduct.  Yet, without ethics, humanity resorts to barbarism and various phenomena that privilege tendencies to inhumanity, recklessness, social irresponsibility, insecurities, war, hunger, fraudulence, to name a few. The theme of the conference, “Ethics and How We Conduct Our Lives,” invites examinations of what we have become as a human community. For more information and to submit your proposal, click HERE.

Graduate Education Week & Showcase, April 11th, 2024.

Fram Applied Critical Thinking's sponsorship of Graduate Education Week and Graduate Showcase at RIT not only aligns with our mission to advance critical thinking but also fosters interdisciplinary collaboration through integrative thinking. The Graduate Education Week Showcase uniquely brings together RIT students from various fields, promoting a synergy that transcends traditional academic boundaries. Through this intersectionality, participants are encouraged to leverage diverse perspectives and methodologies, enriching their learning experience and cultivating a holistic approach to problem-solving and innovation. This collaboration underscores the department's dedication to nurturing a community where critical thinking thrives across disciplines. For more information and a tentative schedule for the day, please click HERE.

COVID Stories

Our world and our RIT community has lived through a profoundly impactful experience over the last two years. The Fram Advisory Boards and the COVID Stories planning committee invite all of our campus community members to participate in sharing, making meaning from our experience and building momentum for moving forward. Read more about Critically Thinking about our COVID Stories

Events Archive

  • 2023 - "Thinking Critically about Scientific Innovations + Medical policy: A Lecture, case study, and conversation" with Dr. Natali Valdez, Ph.D., Medical anthropologist and science technology scholar. - October 5, 2023. Watch Video | Photo 1 | Photo 2 | Photo 3 | Photo 4 | Photo 5
  • 2022 - "Thinking Critically About Pandemic Misinformation" with Dr. Cailin O'Connor, Associate Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science at the University of California, Irvine - September 27, 2022. Watch Video | PowerPoint | Photo 1 | Photo 2 | Photo 3 | Photo 4 | Photo 5 | Photo 6 
  • 2021 - “Critical Thinking: Defining a Brand in the Fast Lane” with Sean Bratches, Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Company – Ingle Auditorium – September 21, 2021Watch Video | Photo 1 | Photo 2 | Photo 3 | Photo 4 | Photo 5
  • 2019 - Fram Signature Lecture "POWERFUL STUFF: An Entrepreneurial Mindset Built Upon Critical Thinking" with Doug Melton of the Keen Foundation - Ingle Auditorium (SAU) - September 17, 2019Watch Video Read article
  • 2018 - Marco van Hout, Head of Programmes & Impact of the Digital Society School of Amsterdam - October 24, 2018:  Watch Video  CAD Event Photos
  • 2017 - Dr. Ann Quiroz Gates, Department Chair and Professor of Computer Science at University of Texas at El Paso - April 11, 2017: Watch Video
  • 2016 - Dr. Luis Amaral, Co-Director of Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems - April 5, 2016: Watch Video
  • 2015 - Richard Arum, Dean; Professor of Sociology and Education School of Education at UC Irvine and Jim Hall, Executive Director of RIT’s School of Individualized Study: Watch Video
  • 2014 - Anthropologist Genevieve Bell, Vice President and Director of User Experience Research for Intel Labs: Watch Video
  • 2013 - Richard Arum, Professor of Sociology and Education School of Education at UC Irvine: Watch Video
  • 2012 - N. Kathryn Hales, a postmodern literary critic and author: Watch Video
  • March 28, 2023 - COLA-Fram Spring Lecture by Justin Murphy, Thinking about school segregation in Rochester and its effects,
  • March 23, 2022 - Fram Speaker Series Lecture “The Role of Diversity in Critical Thinking” - with Dr. Rick Kittles ‘89
  • February 26, 2021 - Fram Speaker Series, RIT Fram Critical Thinking Panel - with Dr. Eugene Fram, Professor Emeritus, BS, M.Litt., Ed.D. and SCOB alums: Phaedra Ruffalo and Robert Fritze, 11:15 a.m. – 12:05 p.m. 
  • March 26, 2019 - Fram Speaker Series - "Applied Critical Thinking for Innovation at Oakley" with Ben Meunier, Electrical-Mechanical Engineering Technology ‘03 - Vignelli University Gallery (Booth 2700) - 12:30 PM to 1:45 PM
  • March 7, 2018 - CIAS / Fram Speaker Series - "Ignite Your Creative Spark" with Jason Blythe of Google
  • April 14, 2016 - Lecture by Pamela J. Sydelko, Director, Systems Sciences Center, Argonne National Laboratory - "Webs of Deceit: Detangling the Wicked Problem of Modern Crime" - View Presentation
  • 2024 Spring Writing Retreat | Writing for Publication: The Social Practices of Getting Published in Academic Journals. January 27, 2024, 9:00 am - 3:30 pm, Room/Location: Cybersecurity Hall | CYB/070. This workshop aims to demystify the social practices—actions, activities, habits, and conventions—of writing for publication in academic journals. It will help participants better understand their options in terms of possible article types; identify pressures from their institutional context and their personal commitment to publishing; select the best target journals for a particular text; pinpoint the ongoing ‘conversations’ within target journals; become familiar with the necessary resources to support publishing; and learn how to communicate with journal gatekeepers.This is a hands-on workshop. Complimentary Pens and notepads will be provided. Participants should bring a computer. Attendees will receive a certificate of acknowledgment to mark the completion of the workshop. This opportunity is limited to 50 participants. Please register early to secure your seat.For more information and to register, click HERE.
  • November 29, 2023 - “Rewriting”: Teaching Students to Do Things with Texts. McKenzie Commons. Teaching students the process of active participation in scholarship comes with a unique set of challenges. To counter novice writers’ tendency to simply summarize, I ask my composition students to utilize a set of rhetorical “moves” that Joseph Harris (Professor of English, Duke, Pittsburgh, and the University of Delaware) outlines in his book, Rewriting: How to Do Things with Texts (2006). These “moves” often run counter to the writing strategies that many students coming out of high school are familiar with, as they require them to strategically employ an approach to critical thinking that emphasizes the active incorporation of a textual source, moving beyond informational descriptions of what they have read to a more critical engagement with the ideas of others.Led by David Yockel, Senior Lecturer in the University Writing Program and Writing Across the Curriculum Coordinator, Academic Affairs
  • October 27, 2023 - Creepy Critical Thinking: Prebunking as Inoculation against Disinformation. Friday, October 27 11:30-12:30, McKenzie Commons. This October workshop will use Halloween-themed cases such as hauntings and UFO sightings to illustrate how prebunking can prepare students for encounters with misinformation, and can help to immunize against conspiracy theories and other kinds of disinformation. Since instructors need not limit their use of prebunking to the paranormal, we may also explore tailored strategies aligning with the courses of attendees. Click here to register for this workshop. Led by Dr. Larry Torcello, Associate Professor of Philosophy, College of Liberal Arts
  • October 6, 2023 - Generative AI Check-In Session: Join us for an open discussion on the influence of generative AI on your teaching methods to determine what support you need, as well as topics for future programming. Where: A400
  • September 27, 2023 - Using AI tools for extended cognition in the writing and research process:In this workshop, participants will experience how artificial intelligence tools can help students, writers, and researchers extend their cognition (Clark & Chalmers, 1998). Through on-screen demonstrations and a series of scaffolded group activities using ChatGPT, teams will partially complete 3 stages of an inquiry-based research process common to assignments in Writing Intensive (WI) courses: developing research questions, analyzing sources, and acknowledging sources of information. There will be opportunities for evaluating the benefits and challenges of using AI in research writing, as well as a concluding discussion about the personal, professional, and institutional ethics of AI-assisted writing and research as a scholarly method. Participants should bring their laptops in order to fully participate in the activities. Click here to register for this workshop. Led by Phil Shaw, Senior Lecturer in the University Writing Program, Academic Affairs & Faculty Fellow for Gateway Course Student Success, Center for Teaching and Learning. Wednesday, September 27th, 10:30 - 12:00, McKenzie Commons.
  • September 22, 2023 - Fall Symposium: Teaching & Learning in the Era of Generative AI: Explore some of the opportunities and challenges that generative artificial intelligence presents in higher education. Jeffrey Allan, Director of Nazareth University’s Institute for Technology, AI, and Society will deliver a keynote address on How Generative AI Will Transform Teaching, Learning, and Research. When: September 22 1:00 - 5:00 pm,Where: University Gallery, Room 2700. For more information and to register click HERE.
  • August 18th, 2023 - Join the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) for a faculty panel on the impact of generative AI on teaching and learning in higher education. Faculty members from various disciplines will address a range of topics including incorporating generative AI into courses, preparing students for generative AI in the workplace, and the use of generative AI to help accelerate and improve the teaching process. When: August 18, 2023, 10:00 am - 11:00 am, Where: Virtual through ZOOM, Click HERE for the Zoom recording of this event.
  • April 17th - 23rd - RIT Undergraduate Global Humanities Conference, Theme:  Being Human and Geriatric Quality of Life. The population of the elderly is increasing astronomically across the globe, and the system of care for the population does not match their numbers.  Medical problems among them abound, dementia, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, falls, coupled with poly-pharmaceutical conditions.  There is also the problem of absence of care.  COVID-19 led to multiple narratives of suffering and destitute among the geriatric population and thereby exacerbated their living condition.  Yet, COVID-19 forces us to think afresh about the nature and quality of life for the geriatric population.  What is quality life for the geriatric population?  How do we maintain the humanity of geriatric population?  In the tradition of RIT Undergraduate Global Humanities Conference, this conference brings students from RIT Global Campuses-China, Croatia, Dubai, Kosovo, Rochester-- and beyond to engage in the question of quality of life for geriatric population. Click HERE for more information.
  • April 15th, 2023 - RIT Student Game Showcase and Expo.Presented by IGM, the annual RIT Student Game Showcase brings together students, faculty, alumni, and industry professionals to celebrate the achievements of RIT student-led game design teams. Games will be reviewed in a variety of categories by panels of academic & industry experts. Category winners & Best in Show will be announced during the live showcase on April 15th, 2023.This year we will also be hosting an expo before the live showcase where students will be able to show off their projects to the public. The expo is open to all forms of interactive experiences from any RIT students are welcome at the expo! - analog, digital, VR, new media, prototypes, published, etc. The expo is not limited to only showcase submissions, however any submissions to the showcase will be expected to participate in the expo as well. For more information click HERE.
  • April 4th, 2023 - Grad Education Week - How Thinking? Come and Share as part of the "How Thinking Session" with Jennifer Schneider, Eugene H. Fram Chair in Applied Critical Thinking. We are seeking grad students to share one PPT slide, OR one object, OR one something as part of this event! Grad school changes our thinking about ourselves, our world and our role in it—it is an opportunity to transform or reaffirm! Join us for a unique and insightful experience where graduate students from diverse programs and backgrounds share “How (their) Thinking” has changed over the course of their graduate experience. Together, we will explore such areas as: What has graduate school meant to you? Do you see your future role and plans differently than when you dreamed of graduate school? What contributions, new areas or opportunities do you wish to be a part of? What other domains should you learn from and engage as part of grad school?
  • January 30th, 2023 - Cosponsored Event - at 11am, STS Speaker Series, Professor Irus Braverman. She is a Professor of Law and Adjunct Professor of Geography at the University at Buffalo, and has written on a wide range of topics; for this talk she will focus on her book Coral Whisperers: Scientists on the Brink (University of California Press, 2018). Prof. Braverman will be joining us via Zoom from South Africa where she is currently on fellowship on Monday, January 30 at 11 am. We will host a Zoom viewing party in the Bamboo Room (Campus Center 2650).
  • January 28, 2023 - Cosponsored Event - One Day Writing Retreat at Leenhouts Lodge at the Tait Preserve. Writing for Publication: The Social Practices of Getting Published in Academic Journals. Presenter: Mary Jane Curry, Ph.D., Associate Professor at the Warner Graduate School of Education & Human Development, University of Rochester. This workshop aims to demystify the social practices-actions, activities, habits, conventions—of writing for publication in academic journals. It will help participants better understand their options in terms of possible article types; identify pressures from their institutional context and their personal commitments to publishing; select the best target journals for a particular text; pinpoint the ongoing ‘conversations’ within target journals; become familiar with the necessary resources to support publishing; and learn how to communicate with journal gatekeepers.
  • December 7, 2020 – Cosponsored event – RIT Alumni Relations, SCB, and Collaboratory for Resiliency & Recovery – Zoom Videoconference -- Critical Thinking - Hospitality & Tourism in Times of Crisis: Join RIT hospitality & tourism management faculty and alumni as we discuss how hospitality businesses, specifically lodging properties, have dealt with different dynamics presented by the COVID-19 pandemic in an array of geographic locations throughout the United States. There are many different policies from state to state regarding business operations and travel. Our panelists include Scott Ingwers BS '88 (Hotel & Resort Mgmt.) - Regional VP at Trump Hotels, Honolulu County, Hawaii; Rick McKeown BS '01 (Hotel & Resort Mgmt.) - Complex GM at Ocean Properties, Key West, FL; and Harvey Stern BS '84 (Hotel & Resort Mgmt.) – Exec. Dir. of Catering & Banquets at Bellagio, Las Vegas, NV. The webinar will be   moderated by Rick Lagiewski, Ph.D. (Assistant Professor, Saunders College of Business Department of International Hospitality & Service Innovation). This webinar is sponsored by RIT Alumni Relations, RIT Fram Chair in Applied Critical Thinking, Saunders College of Business, and RIT's Collaboratory for Resiliency and Recovery. REGISTER HERE
  • November 23, 2020 – Co-sponsored Event – Alumni Relations – Webinar: “Critical Thinking Luxury Tourism”, by Ana Roncevic, BS ‘14—Hotel & Resort Management, RIT Croatia. There were certain trends evolving in the luxury travel industry even before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Are these trends even more valued today? Can we grow beyond our pre-pandemic level of doing business? Let’s take this disruption as a driving force to optimize ourselves as service providers and to re-define the meaning of luxury
  • October 27, 2020 – Co-sponsored Event – Alumni Relations – Webinar: “Thinking through Business Continuity for the Event Industry during Covid-19: Networking for Success”, by Ines Nanic, BS 04—Hotel & Resort Management, RIT Croatia. In the heart of the devastated industries during the world pandemic in 2020, tourism is surely at the top of the list.   Within tourism, the event industry is by far the one that has suffered the most. Unable to hold events, its recovery will take years. Not only must event companies have the funds to survive during this downtime, they must also be well connected and innovative with their survival plans.
  • October 13, 2020 - Cosponsored Event - “Critical Thinking as a professional skill for disruption & innovation”, Tuesday, October 13, 2020 from 8:30-9:30 am (EDT). Guest lecture for RIT Croatia Students by Dr. Jennifer L. Schneider. This time is full of uncertainty. This seminar will explore the process of Applied Critical Thinking, and how it can make you more prepared to not only survive but thrive and use disruption as an advantage in your life and your career. This ACT initiative is an RIT-wide effort to make ourselves more present and future ready.
  • October 7, 2020 - Cosponsored Event - “Inferring Distributions of COVID-Positive Individuals from Wastewater Tests on a College Campus”. Wednesday, October 7, 2020 from 1:25-2:15 pm. Dr. Nathan Cahill, Director, Mathematical Modeling Ph.D. Program, Associate Professor, School of Mathematical Science. We will show, in the case of RIT’s current 16 wastewater sampling sites, how this Bayesian Network inference strategy can yield important information that could help health officials decide on further coronavirus testing and mitigation strategies. Watch Webinar VIDEO.
  • February 7, 2020 - Cosponsored Event - Gray Matter Discussion - "Is There a Case for Reparations?" - MOSAIC Center (SAU 2510) - 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM - Entire List Here
  • December 6, 2019 - Cosponsored Event - Gray Matter Discussion - "Adulting: Do Parents Help Us or Get in the Way?" - MOSAIC Center (SAU 2510) - 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM - Entire List Here
  • November 15 & 16 – Jam for a Cause: Join us for a 24 hour Game Jam to express/develop your creative abilities, development talents, and communication skills in a short amount of time! All proceeds go to Gamers Outreach, an organization that creates all-encompassing gaming systems on wheels that children in hospitals can play. November 15 at 5 p.m. - November 16 at 7 p.m. Event Registration Here. Event Poster Here
  • November 7, 2019 - Cosponsored Event - COLA presents Dr. Wenda Bauchspies - Webb Auditorium (Booth 1350) - 2:00 PM
  • November 6, 2019 - Cosponsored Event - NTID - ARTiculating Deaf Experiences Conference - Full Schedule and Registration Here
  • November 1, 2019 - Cosponsored Event - Gray Matter Discussion - "Vote? Impeach? Neither?" - MOSAIC Center (SAU 2510) - 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM - Entire List Here
  • October 18-20, 2019 - Cosponsored Event - Thought at Work Conference - Booth Hall - 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
  • October 3, 2019 - Cosponsored Event - RIT Alum David Piantanida, State Oversight Liaison, Enforcement Coordinator, and ELMS Champion Trainer ECAD, Region 8, United States Environmental Protection Agency - "Environmental Policy, Science, Energy, Crisis Communication and Working for the Public Sector" - David Piantanida's Bio
  • October 4, 2019 - Cosponsored Event - Gray Matter Discussion - "Does God Hate Queers?" - MOSAIC Center (SAU 2510) - 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM - Entire List Here
  • September 6, 2019 - Cosponsored Event - Gray Matter Discussion - "Mass Shootings and Gun Violence: The American Illness or a Symptom of Something More?" - MOSAIC Center (SAU 2510) - 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • March 22, 2019 - Cosponsored Event - Gray Matter Discussion: "News, Friends, and Yourself:  Is it Naïve to Trust?" - MOSAIC Center (SAU 2510) - 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • March 21, 2019 - Cosponsored Event - "Critical Thinking about Unconscious Bias: What is it and why does it matter in healthcare?"
  • February 26, 2019 - Cosponsored Panel Event - "CRISPR and Risk: A Critical Discussion of Gene Editing" - Bamboo Room (CPC 2610) - 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
  • December 6, 2018 - Cosponsored Event - College of Engineering Technology Applied Critical Thinking Showcase - Henry's (01-4125) - 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
  • November 14, 2018 - Cosponsored Event - Graduate Education Week: "How Thinking..." - Campus Center Reading Room (03-2050) - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
  • October 25, 2018 - Fram Signature Events - Critical Thinking Workshops with College of Art & Design faculty
  • October 23, 2018 - Fram Signature Events - Critical Thinking to Making Workshops with Marco van Hout followed by an evening "Concert" Projection
  • September 14, 2018 - Cosponsored Event - Gray Matter Discussion: "Diversity...again???"
  • April 18, 2018 - COB / Fram Cosponsored Event - "Becoming a Business Leader"
  • April 20, 2018 - Cosponsored Event - CAST ACT Showcase
  • April 11, 2018 - COS / Fram Cosponsored Event - "The Seven Deadly Sins of Big Data - and How to Avoid Them" with Dr. Richard De Veaux - Watch Video
  • March 30, 2018 - Cosponsored Event - Women of Excellence Supporting STEM (WOESS) - STEM Olympics
  • February 16, 2018 - Cosponsored Event - Gray Matter Discussion - "Values vs. Value$...and where does RIT fit?"
  • December 7, 2017 - Cosponsored Event - "CAST Applied Critical Thinking & Learning Showcase"
  • November 16, 2017 - Cosponsored Event - SIOS and the Office of the Fram Chair present "Adam Kubert: The Narrative Art of Comics"
  • October 20-22, 2017 - Cosponsored Event Thought a Work Conference - "The Lazy Sunday Panel: Critical & Creative Thinking" - This annual event is a design conference made for students, by students, and was sponsored in collaboration with the College of Imaging Arts & Sciences
  • September 15, 2017 - Cosponsored Event - Gray Matter Discussion - "Failure, Fear & Fault: What's wrong with YOU?"

Association of Independent Technological Universities (AITU) 

As institutions are known for design and innovation, AITU universities are particularly equipped to transform the approaches used to prepare students to critically think to solve complex problems, innovate and lead.

In 2019, the invitation-only summit was a call to use our collective capabilities to move the needle within individual institutions and for the AITU, in general.  Participants launched a ‘scope, design, develop,’ process to innovate our methodologies for imbuing 21st century critical thinking skills by benchmarking related outcomes and assessment practices, creating action plans to enhance our impact, and framing a strategy to communicate the value of our contributions to the teaching and learning of critical thinking in the future.

Summit Goals:

  • Scope the 21st century critical thinking skillset for graduates of AITU schools
  • Create individual institutional action plans to expand or enhance structures to develop student critical thinking for problem-solving, innovation and leadership.
  • Determine next steps for sustaining and expanding this community of practice
  • Frame a strategy to broadly communicate the value of these AITU university efforts

Attendees: Targeting at least one to two implementation leaders from each AITU institution, representing faculty, academic affairs or assessment offices. 

Summit participants represented their universities by:

  • Sharing of best practices for the teaching, learning and assessment for related student learning outcomes in problem-solving, innovation and leadership
  • Designing of action plans for individual institutional improvement
  • Writing of a communication to inform the broader AITU community
  • Drafting of an AITU strategy to create value for consideration by each institution