Name the Thinking (Cognitive Skill), Not Just the Task When introducing a problem set, coding lab, or design activity, take 1–2 minutes to make the thinking process explicit. For example: Instead of just saying: “Debug this code” Add: “This task is about identifying assumptions in how the code should work versus how it runs. Pay attention… Read more »
Entries by akesha
Invitation to collaborate and Evidence-Based Classroom Assessment Techniques for STEM Courses
Help Shape the Teaching & Learning Group for 2025–2026 The Teaching and Learning Group is a space for faculty and teaching staff to come together around shared questions, challenges, and innovations in teaching. Each year, we co-create our discussion topics to ensure the group is responsive to what matters most in our classrooms and programs…. Read more »
Pedagogical Tips for the Start of the Semester
The first weeks of the semester are a unique window to shape not only what students will learn, but how they will learn. In STEM courses, where concepts can be abstract, skill levels vary wildly, and technologies evolve quickly, intentional, evidence-based practices can help you set students up for long-term success. Below are a few… Read more »
The Tech Faculty Imperative: Leading with Inclusive Design and Dual Title II Compliance
This article was written in collaboration with: Michele Kelmer, MS Ed. Director of Faculty Engagement and Outreach UITS Learning Technologies Michael Mace, MS Ed. Manager UITS Assistive Technology and Accessibility Centers Cara Reader, PhD University ADA Coordinator Director of Compliance, Training, and ADA Indiana University – Office of Civil Rights Compliance As technological advancements reshape… Read more »
Supporting non-majors in introductory computer courses
The article titled “Exploring Relations between Programming Learning Trajectories and Students’ Majors” https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3674399.3674497 investigates how students from various academic disciplines learn programming in a compulsory introductory programming course consisting of 75 students, with 40 majoring in CS and 35 in non-CS majors. “They were all freshmen without prior programming experience. Considering their similar scores of entrance… Read more »
“A Map Makes You Smarter. GPS Does Not.”: A Story About AI, Work, and What Comes Next with Jose Antonio Bowen
Jose Antonio Bowen is introduced as a Renaissance thinker with a jazz soul. His background includes leadership roles at Stanford, Georgetown, and SMU, as well as being the president of Johnstreet College. He is also a jazz musician who has played with legends, a composer with a Pulitzer-nominated symphony, and the author of “Teaching Naked,”… Read more »
Posit Connect Video
Overview of Shiny & Posit Connect Shiny is a package in R (from Posit, formerly RStudio) that allows users to build interactive web applications using R. It’s widely used for creating data visualizations and tools without needing web development skills like JavaScript. IU uses Posit Connect (formerly RStudio Connect) to host and share Shiny applications…. Read more »
Bridging the Gap: What Tech Practitioners Really Want from Computer Science Education
In the spring of 2024, the Computing Research Association (CRA) asked a simple but powerful question: What do industry professionals think about the way we teach computer science today? as part of a “Practitioner to Professor (P2P)‘ survey that the CRA-Education / CRA-Industry working group is doing. The response was overwhelming. More than 1,000 experienced… Read more »
Midterm Feedback via Google Illuminate | GenAI Essentials | Upcoming Opportunities
It’s a great time to think about receiving midsemester feedback on your course. I have written about the topics in the past on my blog, however, this time I used a new resource that might be helpful for multiple purposes: Google Illuminate is an AI tool that creates podcast-style audio summaries of research papers. It’s designed to… Read more »
Classroom Assessment Techniques
A new (2024) version of the classic book, “Classroom assessment techniques : formative feedback tools for college and university teachers” is available in the IU Library: https://iucat.iu.edu/catalog/20750208 Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) are simple, low-pressure ways to check how well students are understanding the material. These methods are efficient, student-centered strategies that provide valuable insights into… Read more »