Teaching Mentors

The Sherrerd Center for Teaching & Learning has had two teaching mentors since 2018–19 whose job it is to share innovative practices and strategies with colleagues.

We are delighted to announce that our Teaching Mentors program continues through the 2025–26 academic year with two new mentors: Shannon Audley (EDC) and Roisin O’Sullivan (ECO). Both Shannon and Roisin have been involved with the Sherrerd Center’s Advisory Board and other Sherrerd programming for several years. The teaching mentors program exists to help all members of our community with their teaching, so if you wish to schedule a meeting with either of our mentors, please fill out this form.

The Sherrerd mentors are available to faculty and staff to talk about anything related to your teaching. A conversation can happen once or can be ongoing through the year or semester. Please know these conversations are confidential and not evaluative. The conversations are an opportunity to talk with a colleague about some aspect of the teaching-learning process. Conversations may be philosophical, operational or anything in between. Topics may include syllabus design, sequencing a course or lesson, getting students to be more aware of their own learning, assessment, grading, designing group activities, establishing norms or making sense of student feedback.

Teaching Mentors for 2025–26

Roisin O’Sullivan (pronounced ROW-Sheen)

Professor of Economics

I am excited and honored to step into the role of Sherrerd teaching mentor for the 2025–26 academic year. As a professor of economics in my 23rd year of teaching at Smith, I’ve had the pleasure of teaching all sorts of courses here, including large theory classes, small research seminars, and, most recently, an interdisciplinary, writing-intensive first-year seminar. Economic education is a primary scholarly interest of mine, and I enjoy exploring ways to bring insights from education research to the classroom. I value teaching practices that encourage all students to engage deeply with a course and see its relevance to their lives. I’m interested in grappling with teaching-related issues associated with starting out at Smith, as well as those that may arise after decades of experience. I look forward to collaborating with colleagues across campus as we navigate the ever-changing challenges of the teaching enterprise. I am equally happy to help think through teaching difficulties, unpack teaching successes, or brainstorm potential innovations to foster inclusive learning communities in our classrooms.

Shannon Audley

Professor of Education and Child Study

I am an educational developmental psychologist whose research and teaching focus on how respect, classroom relationships, and social–emotional development shape learning and teaching. Both my scholarship and teaching bridge pedagogy, psychology, and education, while emphasizing reflective social-justice focused UDL methods. Currently, I am a professor of education and child study and chair of linguistics. Since arriving at Smith in 2012, I have participated in teaching circles, Teaching Arts Lunches, developed new courses through course grants, engaged in anti-racist pedagogy work, and held advisory roles in conjunction with the Sherrerd Center. I have taught across a range of settings and class sizes, from high school sciences (in a previous life) to undergraduate and graduate courses. At Smith, these experiences include lecture-based large courses as well as small seminars with field work at the Campus School, Botanic Garden of Smith College, and the Smith College Archives. In all settings, I have had good teaching days and “days that are not there, yet,” which is why mentoring is so important at every level—teaching is complex, and we get better together.

I sought the Sherrerd Teaching Mentor position because I believe faculty thrive when we have a thoughtful partner in our corner. I approach mentoring by listening first, clarifying goals and constraints, and co-designing context-specific options—whether that involves strengthening participation, aligning assessments with outcomes, integrating social–emotional learning, or supporting neurodiverse learners. I aim to co-create concrete, immediately usable strategies that build on your long-term capacity to adapt and iterate in your own courses. You know your content and your students best—I am here to help you think through how to make that work for you.