If you have students discuss course content, analyze case studies, or solve problems in small groups or in Zoom breakout rooms, you can hold them accountable for their work by giving them space in a Google doc to record their discussion. Create a Google doc with the assignment prompt and a clearly defined space for… Read more »
Quick tip of the week: Encourage Your Students to Come to Virtual Office Hours
One way to connect with your students, particularly in an online course, is to invite them to come to your (virtual) office hours. Students are often shy or reluctant to come to office hours, so think about rebranding them as “coffee breaks” or “casual chats.” Or invite your students to sign up for brief time… Read more »
Teaching an Intensive Three-Week Course
If you’re planning to teach a course during the three-week intensive session at the end of the fall 2020 semester, you may have lots of questions about course design and teaching strategies. Should your intensive course be simply a shorter version of a conventional 16-week course? What particular issues should you keep in mind as… Read more »
Mid-semester feedback in the age of COVID
Even under normal teaching conditions, there are good reasons to gather feedback from your students at mid-semester. Perhaps you’re trying a new teaching strategy or teaching a new course and you wonder what your students think of it. Or you want to avoid surprises in your end-of-semester evaluations. But with the pivot to remote instruction,… Read more »
Survey your students for a smoother start to the semester
Thanks to Madeleine Gonin for collaborating on this blog post. If you joined us this summer in reading about teaching online, you know that students need opportunities to communicate with you and their peers. In particular, it’s important to get feedback from your students about their experience in your course. An easy way to gather… Read more »
Teaching STEM Labs Online: Reflections from IU Instructors
Recently the CITL has hosted a series of “Coffee Talk” events for instructors—informal opportunities for instructors to gather and discuss challenges they share, as well as solutions or strategies they’ve tried in their classes. This blog post describes ideas that arose in a Coffee Talk focused on teaching STEM labs online. Format, schedule, and logistics… Read more »