Stewarding Digital Youth-Led Movements

Stewarding Digital Youth-Led Movements

Explore how shifting the role of students from passive beneficiaries to active agents of change is transforming Peru’s educational landscape through a vibrant, self-sustaining ecosystem of over 6,000 young leaders. In a world often focused on individual achievement and competitive rankings, a new paradigm is emerging from Peru: one rooted in solidarity, intergenerational leadership, and “social movement learning.” This episode dives into the journey of moving beyond traditional school boundaries to create an ecosystem where adolescents (ages 13–17) lead initiatives ranging from mental health advocacy and financial education to STEM and public policy. By treating youth not as “tokens” but as legitimate stewards of their communities, this movement has seen 60% of its participants remain active agents of change years later and then become adult allies for the next generations. We discuss the unique challenges of supporting these leaders as they transition into adulthood and how the educational system can adapt to nurture human flourishing. This isn’t just about “student voice”—it’s about a loosely interconnected infrastructure of +300 youth organizations reimagining citizenship for the next decades. About our guests: Astrid Albujar Astrid Albujar’s mission is to aid Latin American development by ensuring all students receive quality education and leadership training so they can drive change in their lives and their communities. She is an Enseña Peru alumna, and has since collaborated with them on research and consulting for leadership programs. She also works with the Latin American Leadership Academy on its leadership bootcamps and is currently a University Programs Analyst at Abroad Peru, a Peruvian NGO that aims to reduce brain drain and reinsert talented Peruvians into key roles in Peru. She is currently pursuing the International and Public Affairs and Economics – Applied Mathematics degree at Brown University.  * https://www.linkedin.com/in/astrid-albujar/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/astrid-albujar/] Fiorella Chuquihuanga Fiorella seeks to ensure that every person has equal opportunities to become the best version of themselves and, in this way, lead a flourishing life. She is an alumni of Enseña Perú (student leadership program – second cohort) and a third-year student of History and Cultural Management. She has led leadership campaigns in rural schools and is also a volunteer with T’ikary, a youth organization that combines ancestral knowledge and biodiversity, where she applies the knowledge and skills she has gained in her field of study. She is from Peru and is currently residing in Piura, Peru. Franco Mosso Cobián Franco stewards youth movements, so each young person becomes a changemaker without sacrificing their wellbeing or identity. He is a Harvard alumnus, and the co-founder and former CEO of Enseña Perú [https://www.ensenaperu.org/] (2014–2024) from the Teach for All Network [https://teachforall.org/], where he co-founded a movement that has impacted thousands. Franco’s work emphasizes “stewardship” of informal and non-formal educational spaces where solidarity replaces competition, and purpose replaces prestige. As a doctoral student at the University of Toronto, he also researches how youth lead and reimagine activism, learning and politics. He is from Peru, currently residing in Toronto, Canada.  * https://www.linkedin.com/in/franco-mosso-cobian/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/franco-mosso-cobian/] Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org  [https://silverliningforlearning.org ]

From Episodes to Insights: Analyzing Silver Lining for Learning

Over six years, Silver Lining for Learning (SLL) has explored powerful ideas about learning, technology, and educational change. In this episode, faculty and graduate students from the University of Houston share a collaborative inquiry project in which they mined the SLL podcast archive for recurring themes emerging across diverse educational contexts worldwide. The project was collaboratively developed by Dr. Susie Gronseth, Clinical Professor at the University of Houston (UH), and Kelly Davis, a doctoral candidate in Learning, Design, and Technology at UH, in collaboration with Dr. Curt Bonk of Indiana University. Using Dr. Punya Mishra’s Analyzing Silver Lining for Learning AI exploration tool (https://punyamishra.com/sll/ [https://punyamishra.com/sll/]), small groups of students analyzed clusters of episodes connected to major topics in online and digital learning, including AI and emerging technologies, equity and access, student voice, social-emotional learning and wellbeing, technology as an enabler, and the reimagining of educational systems. Across the groups, themes emerged regarding learner-centered design, technology as both an opportunity and a risk, global collaboration, human connection, inclusive instructional design, student agency, teacher empowerment, and the continuing importance of pedagogy over technology itself. In this conversation, the guests and hosts reflect on both the findings that emerged from the podcast analysis and the learning process itself, in which examining conversations within the podcast illuminates larger questions about the future of learning. About our guests: Dr. Susie Gronseth  * Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susiegronseth/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/susiegronseth/] * Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=408 [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=408] Dr. Susie L. Gronseth is a Clinical Professor in the Learning, Design, and Technology (LDT) program at the University of Houston (UH), where she has taught since 2012. She is affiliate faculty in UH Population Health, the Human Centered AI Institute of the C.T. Bauer College of Business, and the Humana Integrated Health Systems Science Institute in the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine. She will be joining the faculty of Texas A&M University as Associate Professor in the Learning Technology Performance Systems program in fall 2026. With a PhD in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University, she focuses her research on the intersection of artificial intelligence and instructional design, exploring how AI/ML can support personalized learning, address health disparities, and enhance STEM education. She co-directs the Laboratory for Innovative Technology in Education and has secured funding from the NIH, NSF, and Department of Education. Beyond research, she has developed over 20 courses, served as President of the UH Faculty Senate, led graduate programs in the LDT program area, and contributed to major initiatives, including UH's pandemic-era shift to online teaching and the health coaching certificate program. Her scholarly impact is reflected in publications in top journals like the International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education and Computers & Education, over 200 conference presentations, and a co-edited book on universal design for learning—one of the first internationally focused texts on the topic. She serves as Deputy Editor of the International Journal on Universal Design and Universal Design for Learning, a member of the Development section editorial board of Educational Technology Research and Development, and co-chair of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Education Quality in Morocco. Her work has earned numerous honors, including the ISTE Online Learning Network Award, multiple UH President's and teaching excellence awards, the Indiana University Distinguished Alumni Award, and induction into Phi Kappa Phi in 2023. Paola Esquivel Paola Esquivel-Gallegos is an M.Ed. student in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Houston, specializing in Learning, Design, and Technology. Her work explores the development of a UX-based curriculum for high school students, focusing on how human-centered design can support more engaging learning experiences. With a background in architecture and UX design, she brings a systems perspective to her work, creating interactive and student-centered learning experiences. She is particularly interested in how practices like user research and iteration can inform instructional design. Garrett Ward Garrett Ward is an educational game designer working in virtual production and a recent graduate of the University of Houston’s M.Ed. LDT program. During his studies, he served as the founding Studio Director of Coog Interactive—UH’s game development club—and was a graduate research assistant for the CougAR Lab, UH’s internationally recognized AR/VR research and development lab. In addition, he is a certified Scrum Master, Product Owner, Project Manager, and Permaculture Designer. This professional background has made him a systems thinker, which he applies to his pursuits of UI/UX design, systems design, and product development. Recently, he has begun utilizing agentic engineering to develop AI assistants, tools, and digital services that empower creatives, students, and educators.   Vidya Menon Vidya Menon is a pediatric hospital medicine fellow at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital. She is currently pursuing her M.Ed [http://m.ed]. in Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis in Health Science Education at the University of Houston. In addition to holding local and national leadership roles in medical education, she is passionate about curriculum design and development of clinical skills and reasoning through the use of high-fidelity simulation. She has nationally presented scholarly work in simulation education focusing on teamwork skills, as well as a project focusing on design, implementation, and assessment of an online module for medical students. She is also excited to be co-leading national workshops focusing on the use of Artificial Intelligence in medical education, and promotion of learner autonomy in fellowship programs. She has recently accepted an Assistant Professor position in the Department of Pediatric Hospital Medicine at The University of Texas at Southwestern Medical School. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org  [https://silverliningforlearning.org ]

Democratic Schools and Learning Environments: A Global Perspective

Episode 271: Democratic Schools and learning environments: A global perspective Linda Nathan, Jonathan Mendonca, Gus Rojas Ayala are the co-editors of the book “Designing Democratic Schools and Learning Environments”. Through the book they study 38 schools from 14 countries and have developed a framework to study and create schools that develop a deep sense of participation, compassion, and civic responsibility in our future generations.  Linda, Jonathan and Gustavo met in the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Linda was their professor with many years of experience designing and establishing democratic schools. Jonathan had extensive experience in India working at the grassroots with over  100,000 schools and Gustavo from Mexico led one of the country's most influential education policy think-tanks. Seeing the need and the potential of democratic across their contexts they decided to embark on the journey to produce a book about democratic education initiatives across the world. This book is structured on a framework that emerged through the study of practice across many schools and the co-editors first hand experiences. The framework helps study and design democratic education, which comprises four pillars:  1. Democratic education emphasizes the open flow of ideas, choices, and perspectives, regardless of their popularity 2. Democratic education holds students and all educators to high expectations while respecting students’ and educators’intersectional identities and varied cultural values and beliefs. 3. Democratic education supports and interrogates the “common good” through critical and compassionate dialogue, active listening, and critical reflection to arrive at consensus and compromise. 4. Democratic education is built upon collective decision-making structures with students, families, educators, and community members in order to solve theirs and society’s most urgent challenges. 5. There is now a 5th pillar: Democratic resilience which includes four intertwined dimensions: * a shared purpose and analysis of power that explains why democratic education matters and whom it serves; * relationships of trust that act as the cement between the other pillars; * the resilience and renewal of educators, without whom no democratic practice can endure; and * structural supports—networks, legitimacy, and alliances—that connect individual schools to something larger than themselves. About our guests: Linda F. Nathan, Ed.D. Linda F. Nathan is a Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Cambridge College, Puerto Rico, where she teaches courses on designing democratic schools and organizational change. With decades of experience in education, Linda brings deep expertise in founding and leading schools and nonprofits to her teaching and leadership coaching, supporting educators both nationally and internationally. She was the founding principal of Boston Arts Academy—the city’s first public high school for the visual and performing arts—as well as the co-director of Fenway High School and founder of the Tobin Bilingual Middle School for the Arts. Linda has also established three nonprofits focused on arts advocacy, youth development, education reform, and creativity. As the co-founder and co-director of the Perrone Sizer Institute for Creative Leadership, she has helped prepare hundreds of educators for leadership roles in schools and nonprofits. Linda is the author of The Hardest Questions Aren’t on the Test and When Grit Isn’t Enough, and co-editor of Designing Democratic Schools and Democratic Learning Environments: A Global Perspective. Her forthcoming book Democratic Schools Matter will be published in October 2026. She regularly shares reflections and resources on her blog [https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lindanathan.com%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cly.cao%40utoronto.ca%7Ce666c60651944ccbed8408dea64f8c07%7C78aac2262f034b4d9037b46d56c55210%7C0%7C0%7C639131057793367034%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=u%2FGpdUiBwy1UMEFk45wneuidloshfXQvgsOuOixgv5k%3D&reserved=0]. Linda holds a Doctor of Education degree from Harvard University, Master’s degrees from Emerson College and Antioch University, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley. Jonathan F. Mendonca is the Co-founder of Human Studios is a global consultancy that helps schools and education organizations rethink learning and practically integrate technology in meaningful, responsible ways. He is also the Co-founder of The Unifly Collective, a non-profit that builds school leadership for the twenty-first century across over 130,000 schools in India. He has served as an educator, author, institute builder and policy advocate. Jonathan designed Rehnuma, the world's first incubator for school principals, helping them rapidly increase the pace of school improvement and amplify their impact to influence implementation across their region. From grassroots implementation to policy, he brings a human-centred and systems-driven approach to complex school challenges. Jonathan holds a degree in International Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and was awarded the New World Social Innovation Fellowship by the Harvard Kennedy School for his efforts toward systemic social change. He is also a Saul Zaentz Fellow, Young India Fellow and won the Falling Walls award for education innovation. Gustavo Rojas Ayala is the Founder and CEO of Aquí Se Aprende Liderazgo, a leadership consultancy firm operating across Mexico, Chile, and Latin America that supports school leaders and entrepreneurs in building the skills, structures, and communities needed to lead with purpose and lasting impact. He has served as an educator, consultant, researcher, and policy advocate. Gustavo developed Liderazgo con PIES Firmes, a proprietary leadership model that integrates the human, political, structural, and symbolic dimensions of organizations, and has applied it through coaching processes and professional learning communities with school networks, public education systems, and founder-led businesses across the region. He previously served as Director General of Mexicanos Primero Sinaloa, where he led evidence-based advocacy and systemic reform efforts in Mexican public education. Gustavo holds a degree in International Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is a former Enseña Chile fellow. And he serves in several honorary advisory roles in organizations such as Harvard Alumni for Education, Center for Artistry and Scholarship, Radix Education and Teach For All. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org  [https://silverliningforlearning.org ]

Reimagining Computing Education in the Age of Generative AI

Professor Mark Guzdial from the University of Michigan reminds us that field of “computer science” was first invented as a discipline or subject matter area that everyone should be taught. At the time, leading scholars deemed it vital to learn about computer science since it could facilitate the learning of other subjects and emerging disciplines. In addition, it could help reduce to obvious inherent danger in have such a powerful technology controlled by a select few people. Such concerns are not unlike those found in the myriad conversations today about generative forms of artificial intelligence (AI). As Guzdial has lamented, computing education, unfortunately, has not become a democratizing force that was first imagined some six decades ago in the 1960’s. Fast forward to the Year 2026 and computer science has a much narrower connotation than originally hoped leading to a world wherein only a privileged few truly understand and contribute to the world of computer science and computing education. Mark Guzdial pines for the original visions of the field and the more general goals for society. However, that would require changing how we teach about computing and what we mean when we refer to computer “programming.” With the ideas and insights of Mark Guzdial, in Episode #269 of Silver Lining for Learning (SLL), we will learn about the history of computing education. Mark will also inform us about a new initiative underway at the University of Michigan to develop computing education for those in the liberal Arts and Sciences; in the process, he will help us expand the common views and possibilities for computer education and computer science. In addition, Mark will be joined by his University of Michigan colleague, Barbara Ericson, who will discuss how instructors who teach programming classes are grappling with fast emerging technology like generative AI. As she has observed, students who are weaker in computer science are more likely to utilize and over rely on generative AI for their code production and other computer science related tasks without actually reflecting on the process or the results. The limited cognitive effort that results is quite alarming. In response, Dr. Ericson will share how innovative pedagogy with free and interactive ebooks, mixed-up code (Parsons) problems, forms of peer instruction, Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL), and open-ended projects can make the learning of computer science more active, socially engaging, and collaborative where students are encouraged to think deeply and connect seemingly disparate ideas in this age of generative AI. Mark Guzdial’s Bio: Mark Guzdial is a Professor in Computer Science & Engineering and Director of the Program in Computing for the Arts and Sciences at the University of Michigan. He studies how people come to understand computing and how to make that more effective. He was one of the founders of the International Computing Education Research conference. He was a lead on the NSF alliance “Expanding Computing Education Pathways” which helped US states improve and broaden their computing education. He received the 2019 ACM SIGCSE Outstanding Contributions to Education award. With his wife and colleague, Barbara Ericson, he received the 2010 ACM Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator award.  He is a Fellow of the ACM and of AAAS. He has recently completed the second edition of Learner-Centered Design of Computing Education: Research on Computing for Everyone. * Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=iQV2L2IAAAAJ&hl=en [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=iQV2L2IAAAAJ&hl=en] * Homepage: https://guzdial.engin.umich.edu/ [https://guzdial.engin.umich.edu/] * CV: https://guzdial.engin.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/402/2023/06/Guzdial-March2023.pdf [https://guzdial.engin.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/402/2023/06/Guzdial-March2023.pdf] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-guzdial-9a33851/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-guzdial-9a33851/] Barbara Ericson’s Bio: Dr. Ericson got her PhD in Human Centered Computing in 2018 from Georgia Tech and is now an Associate Professor at the University of Michigan. She applies research results from educational psychology to help students learn to program. She creates free and interactive ebooks with new types of practice problems including some that leverage generative AI.  Dr. Ericson is part of the Generative AI in CS Education Consortium and helped create materials for free CS1 and CS2 courses that leverage AI. She won the 2022 ACM SGICSE Award for Outstanding Contributions to Computer Science Education. She is also a distinguished member of the ACM. * Homepage: https://www.si.umich.edu/people/barbara-ericson [https://www.si.umich.edu/people/barbara-ericson] * Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AHXNTMgAAAAJ&hl=en [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AHXNTMgAAAAJ&hl=en] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-ericson-3bb6779/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-ericson-3bb6779/] Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org  [https://silverliningforlearning.org ]

Still Searching for the NSSE? Reflections on the National Survey of Student Engagement

Episode #269 | Still Searching for the NSSE? Reflections on the National Survey of Student Engagement will be recorded on April 24, 2026 at 11 am (EDT). Every week and sometimes each day. we encounter debates about student engagement and overall learning experiences in higher education. Just open the Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, the Conversation, the New York Times, the Guardian, etc. It does not matter which news resource you are wedded to, there will be someone penning an article that bemoans the passive participation of students in schools, colleges, and universities and any educational setting or environment. And such articles have become even more pervasive in their digital leanring age. Is there data out there that addresses such concerns and debates? Fortunately, there is. In fact, for over two decades, the National Survey of Student Engagement developed and administered at Indiana University (IU) (https://nsse.indiana.edu/nsse/index.html) [https://nsse.indiana.edu/nsse/index.html] has collected important information from hundreds of four-year colleges and universities about the first-year and senior students' participation in various programs and activities provided for personal learning and development. The results provide an estimate of how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from attending college. The NSSE team gathers such data each year from its student survey, The College Student Report. [https://nsse.indiana.edu/nsse/survey-instruments/index.html] Watch or listen to Episode #269 and learn about the history of the NSSE as well as the current objectives and expanded uses of it. We will also discuss the Center for Postsecondary Research at IU. This panel will include the original developer of the NSSE, Dr. George Kuh, as well as Dr. Leonard Taylor who is currently the Director of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Also on this episode of SLL will be Dr. Jillian Kinzie, the Associate Director of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) in the Center for Postsecondary Research in the Indiana University School of Education. Dr. George Kuh is Chancellor's Professor Emeritus of Higher Education at Indiana University (IU). George founded IU’s Center for Postsecondary Research and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and related instruments for law students, beginning college students, and faculty. He also is the founding director of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) as well as the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP), the first-ever in-depth look at the factors that help or hinder the careers of graduates of arts-intensive training high schools and postsecondary institutions. At Indiana University, he served as chairperson of the department of educational leadership and policy studies (1982-84), associate dean for academic affairs in the School of Education (1985-88), and associate dean of the faculties for the Bloomington campus (1997-2000). Dr. Jillian Kinzie is Associate Director, National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), Center for Postsecondary Research, Indiana University School of Education. She conducts research and leads project activities on effective use of student engagement data to improve educational quality, and serves as senior scholar with the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) project. She is co-author of Transforming Academic Culture & Curriculum: Integrating and Scaffolding Research Throughout Undergraduate Education (2024), Radical Reimagining for Student Success (2023), Delivering on the Promise of High-Impact Practices: Research and Models for Achieving Equity, Fidelity, Impact and Scale (2022), Assessment in Student Affairs (2016), Using Evidence of Student Learning to Improve Higher Education (2015), Student Success in College (2005/2010), and One Size Does Not Fit All: Traditional and Innovative Models of Student Affairs Practice (2008/2014). She was awarded the NASPA George D. Kuh Outstanding Contribution to Research in 2024 and received the Robert J. Menges Honored Presentation by the Professional Organizational Development (POD) Network in 2005 and 2011. Kinzie earned her PhD from Indiana University in higher education with a minor in women’s studies. Prior to this, she served on the faculty of Indiana University and coordinated the master’s program in higher education and student affairs. She also worked in academic and student affairs at Miami University and Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Leonard Taylor is the Director of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Dr. Taylor’s research focuses on investigating and improving how student success commitments are enacted at higher education institutions. Using various organizational theories and methodological approaches, he works to understand and interrogate how administrators, faculty and staff members, and other post-secondary stakeholders use research, data and promising practices to enhance post-secondary outcomes. His work has been funded through the National Science Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Lumina Foundation, College Student Educators International (ACPA), as well as other national and local entities. Dr. Taylor earned his Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and Policy Development from the University of Minnesota. More data and resources can be found below. * The National Survey of Student Engagement, Indiana University: https://nsse.indiana.edu/nsse/index.html [https://nsse.indiana.edu/nsse/index.html] What Does NSSE Do? Through its student survey, The College Student Report [https://nsse.indiana.edu/nsse/survey-instruments/index.html], NSSE annually collects information at hundreds of four-year colleges and universities about first-year and senior students' participation in programs and activities that institutions provide for their learning and personal development. The results provide an estimate of how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from attending college. NSSE provides participating institutions a variety of reports [https://nsse.indiana.edu/nsse/reports-data/sample-report/index.html] that compare their students' responses with those of students at self-selected groups of comparison institutions. Comparisons are available for ten Engagement Indicators [https://nsse.indiana.edu/nsse/survey-instruments/engagement-indicators.html], six High-Impact Practices [https://nsse.indiana.edu/nsse/survey-instruments/high-impact-practices.html], and all individual survey questions. Each fall, NSSE also publishes its Annual Results [https://nsse.indiana.edu/research/annual-results/index.html], which reports topical research and trends in student engagement results. NSSE researchers also present and publish research findings throughout [https://nsse.indiana.edu/research/publications-presentations/index.html] the year. Bachelor's degree-granting institutions are invited to participate in NSSE to assess the quality of undergraduate education—providing institutions diagnostic, actionable information that fosters and catalyzes evidence-based improvement efforts. NSSE registration [https://nsse.indiana.edu/nsse/registration-pricing/index.html] opens in late summer and closes in fall for the following spring administration. Quick Facts * About NSSE: https://nsse.indiana.edu/nsse/about-nsse/index.html [https://nsse.indiana.edu/nsse/about-nsse/index.html] Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org  [https://silverliningforlearning.org ]