If you’ll be teaching an online synchronous class this summer, think about how you could use your Zoom background as an icebreaker and way to build community. For example, you could set your background to a photo related to your research or to the class. Then you can start the class chatting with students about… Read more »
Quick Tip: Allow Extensions to Show Care and Support
As we’ve learned this past year, building community is an important part of an online course. An aspect of building community is projecting care and support. A quick way to do this is to build in opportunities for students to have deadline extensions without having to ask you permission for them. Build in “oops tokens”… Read more »
Quick Tip: An Icebreaker Idea
Need a quick ice breaker for your summer class? Consider using images to which students can relate. Create a PowerPoint slide showing six different images, with a mixture of happier and darker pictures. Ask your students, “which picture best exemplifies how your weekend went?” Or “What picture best exemplifies how you feel about the upcoming… Read more »
Quick Tip: Ask Students to Reflect on their Test Prep
Have you heard of “post exam wrappers” or “test reflections?” These are questions that students complete post-exam in which they reflect on how they prepared for the exam and their performance. I recently watched a recorded session from the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) in which Cristen Dutcher (Kennesaw State… Read more »
Quick Tip of the Week: Starting to Write Your Teaching Statement
It can be intimidating to start writing your teaching statement. You may feel as if you have too many examples to fit into the two-page document. Or, you might be thinking that you have no idea where to start in framing your instructional approach. To get some ideas flowing, set a timer for 10 minutes… Read more »
Preparing Learning Outcomes for the Spring Semester
I hope that by the time you’re reading this, you’re fully enjoying winter break—spending time safely at home, perhaps trying out a new hobby (sourdough starter, anyone?), or getting caught up on some much needed sleep. As you slowly come out of winter break hibernation, you’ll likely start to think about the classes you’ll be… Read more »