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In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by special guest David Silverberg, director of the Telego Center for Educational Improvement at Ashland University and the author of Institutional Change from Within: Teaching & Learning in Higher Education and Empowerment at the Tower: Leadership & Identity in Higher Education. Join Dave and David as they further explore how we can transform our institutions to meet the needs of today’s professors and students, as well as delve into how the case studies shared in David's books can help to inspire and empower real-world improvement efforts.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by special guest Nancy Lee Sánchez, Executive Director of the Kaplan Educational Foundation and the author of Your 2018 Guide to College Transfer. There are many myths surrounding college transfer. A lot of students aren't sure transferring could work for them, if they are desirable to schools, or if they can afford the cost. But with a greater understanding, college transfer can change lives and unlock opportunities. Join Dave and Nancy as they further explore the work of the Kaplan Educational Foundation, delve into the impact that college transfer can have on students, and discuss some of the obstacles facing low income or under-represented students who are trying to reach their educational goals.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by special guest Carol O'Donnell, Director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC), a unit of the Smithsonian Institution that is dedicated to transforming the learning and teaching of science throughout the nation and world. The SSEC uses an inquiry-driven curriculum that is research-based, highlights professional development, materials support, administrative and community support, and appropriate assessment to help prepare schools and students to be scientifically literate in our ever-changing society. Join Dave and Carol as they further explore the work of the Smithsonian Science Education Center, delve into the impact the SSEC has had on students, and discuss how higher education can implement the same principles for student success in STEM.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by special guest Dan Heath, co-author, along with his brother Chip, of four New York Times bestsellers: Decisive, Switch, Made to Stick, and their latest book, The Power of Moments. The Power of Moments is written for anyone who cares about improving experience: service executives improving the customer experience, or HR managers improving the employee experience, or caregivers improving the patient experience, or parents improving their kids’ experience. Join Dan, Dave, and A Whole New Engineer co-author Mark Somerville as they explore how to improve the experience of others by creating moments that matter.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg welcomes Dr. Mark Goulston back to Big Beacon Radio. Mark is the author of Just Listen, the top book on listening in the world, as well as Talking to Crazy: How to Deal with the Irrational and Impossible People in Your Life. A former UCLA professor of psychiatry and FBI and police hostage negotiation trainer, Mark also hosts “Prison Letters with Dr. Mark Goulston”, a weekly podcast where Mark reads letters sent to him from inmates and proceeds to empathize with the writer, as well as educate podcast listeners on what he discovers about their minds and their humanity. Join Mark and Dave as they explore the importance of listening and empathy in today's world.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by returning Big Beacon Radio guests, Jeff Evans and Kate Goodman—who both presented at the 2017 Educational Transformers Unconference held at Lehigh University this past June. The Unconference brought together a diverse group of educators, students, Big Beacon networkers, and other like-minded and like-hearted transformers to engage mind-to-mind, hand-to-hand, and heart-to-heart for the first time, share stories of transformation, and exchange inspiring ideas in the spirit of the Big Beacon movement. Join Kate, Jeff, and Dave as they delve into their big takeaways from the event, and explore how the culture and practices of the event helped to shape change outside of the Unconference.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by Bob Harder, Dean of Engineering at George Fox University. Bob is a knowledge enterprise architect, with a long history of developing and sustaining innovative academic programs in collaboration with industry partners and community stakeholders. Join Bob and Dave as they delve into what makes George Fox's engineering program unique, discuss the role that GFU's Christian orientation plays in creating a transformative educational experience, and explore how entrepreneurially minded learning is shaping higher ed.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by Emma Schoenfelner—Big Beacon program coordinator and program assistant for Big Beacon Radio—to reflect on 99 episodes of Big Beacon Radio. For over two years, Dave has been having inspiring weekly conversations with academic change leaders, authors, innovators, and entrepreneurs. Join Dave and Emma as they explore some of their favorite guests, episodes, and unleashing stories, and delve into the role these conversations play in creating a deeply authentic culture of trust and engagement in higher education.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by Meagan Pollock, Director of Professional Development for the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity. NAPE is a national team of equity professionals that build educators’ capacity to implement effective solutions for increasing student access, educational equity and workforce diversity. Join Meagan and Dave as they explore the challenges and solutions to fostering greater diversity in engineering education.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by Fred McBagonluri, Dean of Engineering at Ghana's Ashesi University. Fred has held various roles in Engineering, Strategy, Marketing and Research, and has worked with several institutions in the U.S, including Princeton University, Siemens Healthcare and Becton Dickinson and Co. In 2008, Fred was awarded the Black Engineer of the Year’s Most Promising Scientist, and has over forty patents and patent applications in his name. Join Fred and Dave as they explore the role of engineering in facilitating Africa’s development and delve into what makes Ashesi's engineering program unique.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by Betty Gronneberg, founder of uCodeGirl, a non-profit organization that offers a pathway to technology careers for teen girls by tapping into their curiosity, skills and potential. With various enrichment programs and STEM mentorship initiative, uCodeGirl makes technology interesting, relevant and age-appropriate. Also, as a recipient of the prestigious Bush Foundation Leadership Fellowship, Betty is challenged to continuously think big and think different to be an authentic agent of change. Join Betty and Dave as they explore how to inspire girls to innovate and lead in STEM fields and delve into the importance of connecting with people and listening to their stories in order to bring about change.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by Catelijne Coopmans, a newly trained Co-Active coach and former Director of Studies at Tembusu College, a residential college at the National University of Singapore. She is currently preparing to transition from her full-time job at Tembusu to a more freelance existence, combining research and writing with work as an independent coach. Join Catelijne and Dave as they delve into Catelijne's journey as an academic who benefitted from coaching, and explore the various ways in which coaching is relevant to academia and higher education.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by Alison Wood, Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering at Olin College. Alison is a distinguished researcher in the fields of both water and sanitation, as well as sustainability solutions, using interdisciplinary approaches. Join Alison and Dave as they discuss the use of a process-based approach to teach environmental engineering, delve into science and information literacy, as well as explore transitioning from the arts to engineering, and the connections between the two areas of study.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by Geoffrey Herman, Teaching Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For the past four years, Geoffrey has worked with the Illinois Foundry for Innovation in Engineering Education (iFoundry), which was co-founded in 2007 by our very own Dave Goldberg. Join Geoffrey and Dave as they explore Geoffrey's work on higher ed transformation, including his work in scalability and intrinsic motivation conversion of large classrooms, as well as delve into how iFoundry has transformed over the past few years.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by Dr. Stephen Jones—success guru, speaker and workshop presenter offering positive solutions for corporations, K12 schools and colleges. Author of the Seven Secrets of How to Study, The Parent’s Ultimate Education Guide and The Ultimate Scholarship Guide, Stephen inspires and teaches professionals and students of all ages how to successfully reach their goals and helps leaders to think critically about the futures of their companies or schools. Join Stephen and Dave as they delve into how to achieve academic success while exploring both the challenge and the necessity of getting help, as well as how to better retain undergraduate engineering students.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by Georgetown University School of Medicine professor, Dr. Margaret Cary, and Georgetown medical student, Jack Penner. Together they have built a program for medical students that pairs them with executive coaches in their undergraduate and graduate medical education to encourage medical students to become compassionate caregivers and healthcare leaders. Join Margaret, Jack, and Dave as they delve into the importance of fostering leadership and listening skills within the medical field.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by Allen Downey, professor of Computer Science at Olin College. Through his work at Olin, Allen has been presented with unique opportunities to develop new curricular materials and influence engineering education: such as introducing modeling and simulation early in the curriculum and applying it throughout, and taking computational approaches to topics that are traditionally presented mathematically. Join Allen and Dave as they explore how modern programming language provides new tools for teaching, learning, exploring, and thinking, and delve into the importance of peer learning and visualization.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by Yevgeniya Zastavker, associate professor of physics at Olin College. Through her work at Olin, Yevgeniya focuses on creating curricular and pedagogical structures as well as academic cultures that facilitate students' interests, motivation, and desire to persist as learners. Dr. Zastavker's work also places emphasis on the issues of women and minorities in science/engineering and developing and supporting learning environments for a diverse learner population. Join Yevgeniya and Dave as they delve into the factors which impact students' motivational attitudes, and discuss how to create a more holistic engineering ed experience.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by University of Colorado Denver professor, Katherine Goodman. In 2015, Katherine earned her PhD with her dissertation entitled: The Transformative Experience in Engineering Education. Join Katherine and Dave as they explore transformative learning in engineering students through motivated use, expanded perception, and affective value, as well as examine how to re-engage science students through aesthetics, and delve into Katherine's work at Inworks, a UC Denver initiative aimed at creating innovative solutions to some of the world’s most challenging problems, while also creating life-long innovators.

In this episode, host Dave Goldberg is joined by Maureen Breeze, Senior Vice President of Lifebound, a social impact company that provides resources, coaching and training to drive learning and personal development with education institutions, non-profits, and businesses throughout the world. Maureen is also the co-author of Critical and Creative Thinking for Teenagers and Leadership for Teenagers: From Ancient Times to the 21st Century. Join Maureen and Dave as they explore how to build shift skills for students, how Lifebound aims to create campus-wide coaching cultures, and the importance of fostering critical and creative thinking in students.