If you’re struggling to find new ways to engage your students in synchronous online class sessions, you’re not alone. Jennifer Terrell and Chase McCoy, instructors who teach a large lower-division course in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, were also looking for new activities to help their students learn course concepts in synchronous… Read more »
Teaching Strategies
Quick Tip: Gathering Feedback from Students
If you began teaching online in January, you’re now well into the spring semester, and it’s a good time to gather some informal feedback from your students. You might ask your students for feedback about the first few weeks of the course, for example, especially if you transitioned from online to a face-to-face or hybrid… Read more »
Leveraging Seminar-Style Dynamics for a Close Knit Online Course
Throughout consultations and events this fall, instructors have shared that the “magic” of their typical, in-person class wasn’t as strong in their online or hybrid courses. The common thread among all the stories is that instructors are missing the closeness felt among students in the class. These stories drive me as a graduate student studying… Read more »
Quick Tip of the Week: Reach out to all your students, not just those who are struggling
Often instructors check in with students who are performing poorly. Don’t forget to contact those who are doing well! Tell them you’ve noticed and encourage them to keep up the great work, preferably with specifics about what they are doing well. Whether you want to contact students who are struggling or those who are doing… Read more »
Assessing Student Learning in the Online, Synchronous Classroom
If you’re accustomed to teaching in-person, I’m sure hybrid or online teaching has required some changes to your lessons. At first glance, the modalities of synchronous online classrooms and in-person classrooms may seem at odds. However, many types of assessments (e.g., exams, essays, quizzes, discussions) can be used for both synchronous online and face-to-face (f2f)… 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 »