This keynote session explores how intentional community-building creates the conditions for deeper thinking, authentic engagement, and the kind of learning that stays with students long after the course ends. Drawing on cognitive science, classroom experience, and stories from faculty and learners, Christie will share:

• How belonging lowers cognitive load and opens students to risk-taking

• Why community is central to critical thinking, not separate from it

• How micro-interactions—tiny, consistent acts—build trust and classroom culture

• Practical, human-centered strategies faculty can use in any discipline

• Ways to create low-anxiety, high-motivation environments where students feel safe to question, explore, and grow 

The session is designed to uplift faculty, reconnect them to their purpose, and remind them that meaningful learning is fundamentally relational.