Mark Zupan, Alfred University president, was a guest on the Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2025, episode of “Connections with Evan Dawson” on WXXI, Rochester’s National Public Radio affiliate.
In the episode—titled “Less tech, more interaction: professor experiments with course design”—Zupan references an op-ed he published in the Nov. 30, 2025, issue of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, which discussed how students can be distracted in class by smart phones and other electronic devices. In the op-ed, Zupan discussed a pilot class, “Designing Your Life,” that he and a colleague taught during the fall 2025 semester.
For the class, Zupan and the professor set three rules: no smartphones or laptops; participation is a significant portion of the final grade; and small group peer feedback, followed by full class discussion, is a key part of learning. In his Dec. 22 appearance on “Connections,” Zupan discussed how students responded to the class guidelines.
