So, this is a blog pointing to a blog, but it’s useful and we wanted you to know. Some instructors dislike the automated messages coming from the Student Engagement Roster looking like they are coming directly from you email account. You can now change that “from” address, so it comes from “noreply@iu.edu” rather than your… Read more »
Preparing Your Classes for Unmasking
As we all know, the IU masking policy is changing as of March 4th, making masks optional in most campus locations. While we are hopeful that this is a step towards getting back to a campus experience that we’ve all missed, I’ve been hearing a bit of consternation from instructors, not knowing how this will… Read more »
Quick Tip: Build Mutual Support Teams in Your Classes
Even if you offer Zoom connections or Kaltura recordings for your classes, absent students can benefit from connecting to their classmates to keep caught up (and reduce the amount of direct questions you may get). Since not all students will have equal social networks within the class to draw upon, consider building “mutual support teams”… Read more »
Keeping Students Engaged Despite Absences
With the rise of the omicron COVID variant, there is a possibility that instructors may see a greater number of students absent from class this spring semester. It is important to implement policies and practices that encourage attendance and hold students accountable for work while providing enough flexibility for students to succeed in our courses…… Read more »
Getting Student Feedback at Midterm
We in the CITL are big proponents of getting mid-semester feedback from students as a way of improving our teaching and their learning. While there is much we can learn from end-of-course evaluations, that information doesn’t offer us opportunities for smaller adjustments that can prove valuable to this semester’s students. And asking your students for… Read more »
Quick Tip: Chat Tools for Backchannels in Class
In our use of Zoom over the past year, many of us got used to the “backchannel” conversations that happen in the chat tool. Those chats could be students asking questions, someone providing a useful resource, or just fun asides. Even when you are teaching in-person, backchannel chats can be useful ways to let students… Read more »