Improving Teaching and Learning /
Research has shown that high-impact teaching practices greatly benefit students, but there are many barriers that prevent these practices from being applied in the classroom, writes Richard F. Vaz, professor of interdisciplinary and global studies and director of the Center for Project-Based Learning at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, in a recent Inside Higher Ed op-ed. In the […]
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Digital Pedagogies / Integrating Active Learning /
Extended reality is picking up steam as a viable technology to use in the classroom, but faculty and learning experts should make sure that a strong pedagogical foundation is in place before they implement the technology in their courses, according to a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. The story outlines professors’ experiences […]
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Improving Teaching and Learning /
Ten activities can build student engagement and get them more actively involved in learning, writes Maryellen Weimer, Ph.D., professor emerita of teaching and learning at Penn State Berks, in a recent Faculty Focus story. In the article, Weimer outlines activities that fall into three major categories: “Creating the Climate for Learning,” “Let the Students Summarize,” […]
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Improving Teaching and Learning / Integrating Active Learning /
The Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University recently released a helpful guide to active learning. The document lists 10 steps that instructors can follow to implement active learning in their classroom including: Creating a safe and open environment; setting a goal for the activity; choosing the right exercise; identifying preparation for the exercise; considering links […]
Read More Faculty members say that a busy schedule often prevents them from implementing more innovative teaching in their STEM courses, according to a study from the University of Virginia’s Center for Teaching Excellence cited in a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. In the study, Hannah Sturtevant, a postdoctoral research associate at the center, and Lindsay […]
Read More Improving Teaching and Learning /
“If you want people to be interested, committed, and willing to devote effort to learning, mastering, and using skills for the long haul, then you can’t avoid the initial step of stimulating excitement,” said psychologist Todd Kashdan, as quoted in a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, “How to Make Your Teaching More […]
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Faculty Spotlight / Teaching at WashU
“I want students to go away from my classes with a more capacious understanding of what it might mean to be a lower-case ‘c’ critic of literature,” said Melanie Micir, Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Washington University in St. Louis. Micir teachers undergraduate and graduate courses at the university on modern and […]
Read More Improving Teaching and Learning / Integrating Active Learning /
Lecture has become a fraught topic in teaching recently, with some higher education professionals and research suggesting that active learning is a better approach than lecturing. However, lecture can work well in certain cases, especially when a mix of teaching practices are utilized in the classroom, David Gooblar, a lecturer in the rhetoric department at […]
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Faculty Spotlight / Teaching at WashU
“As an instructor, I try to teach how the topic has relevance from different approaches in biology,” said Erik Herzog, Professor of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis. Herzog teaches undergraduate biology courses at the university. His lab uses a variety of techniques to study the cellular and molecular basis of circadian rhythms, biological […]
Read More Improving Teaching and Learning /
It’s difficult to boil teaching down to a defining moment, but for many instructors, one experience or class has shaped how they instruct students. Professors at various higher ed institutions shared these experiences in a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. For example, Cathy N. Davidson, distinguished professor and founder and director of […]
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