The global pandemic has caused emergency shifts in how we teach. Online learning is nothing new, but transitioning a once-dynamic in-person class to a screen in a synchronous format poses some challenges for “new to synchronous” teaching faculty. As two department chairs at a mid-size
After the coronavirus pandemic hit the US, our institution quickly moved to virtual learning. As faculty developers and instructors, we felt that the Teaching and Learning Center was set up to effectively mobilize our faculty and staff, offer direct instruction and guidance, and provide everyone
Most of us are not feeling the anticipation we usually feel at the beginning of a new academic year. Anxiety is closer to what most of us are experiencing. What’s going to happen when the students come back to campus—or when they don’t? How bad
Open educational resources (OER) are gaining traction as a way to address the high cost of textbooks and students’ subsequent reluctance to purchase them. But there are still relatively few OER textbooks in many subject areas, possibly due to the lack of incentive for producing
We know how much students care about grades and how they respond when they get a grade they didn’t expect and don’t think they deserve. But are we clear about how students ought to respond to grades? What are the characteristics of a mature, mindful
The digital revolution has given faculty far more tools for assessment than the traditional paper or worksheet. Now students can better exercise their creativity in presenting their learning through a combination of text, images, videos, and other media in a portfolio-like format. Book Creator, a
As educators, we’re charged with fostering a classroom environment that is conducive to learning; however, students’ maladaptive behaviors, known as classroom incivility, can impact learning. Student behaviors that impede learning range from not paying attention to threatening violence. Faculty can also contribute to toxic learning
While combing through the materials sent in response to our call for content on extra credit, I noticed a surprising number of contributions begin by acknowledging a change of mind regarding extra credit. But the direction of that change isn’t what I want to explore
Even after almost 25 years of teaching, one task I still approach with new-teacher determination is finding an effective icebreaker to kick off a semester. Every summer, I scour the internet with the goal of finding a non-cliched, community-building, invigorating activity that I can wow
As teachers and instructional designers, one of the biggest challenges we face is trying to come up with multiple creative and appropriately challenging activities for our courses. We have to consider the diverse needs of our learners and the goals of the course and then
