Improving Teaching and Learning /
Students who are the first in their families to go to college have drive and determination, but they often lack study skills to succeed in rigorous courses. Instructors can help first-generation students by teaching study skills in class and encouraging struggling students to reach out for additional assistance, according to Gail Horowitz, Ph.D., a faculty […]
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Improving Teaching and Learning
There are six themes that can help instructors in higher education improve their teaching, writes Mary Clement, EdD, in a recent Faculty Focus article. The themes include: “Study the knowledge base of teaching and learning,” or exploring books, articles in pedagogical periodicals, newsletters, conferences, online resources, and your school’s center for teaching and learning to learn […]
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Improving Teaching and Learning /
There’s an ongoing debate in academia as to whether or not student evals effectively inform on teaching. However, no matter where you stand in the debate, there are steps you can take to analyze evals and get the most out of student feedback, writes Todd D. Zakrajsek, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine […]
Read More Digital Pedagogies / Improving Teaching and Learning /
Many faculty and staff incorporate handheld technology into lectures, or apps on smartphones and tablets that are meant to draw students into discussion and help them actively engage with the material. However, some teachers overlook key steps in implementing technology in the classroom. A recent Faculty Focus article gives tips for incorporating handheld technology during lectures. The […]
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There are ten easy ways to group students in the classroom to facilitate conversations and encourage diverse perspectives, Dr. Tolulope (Tolu) Noah, associate professor in the Liberal Studies/Undergraduate Education program at Azusa Pacific University, writes in a recent blog post on The Scholarly Teacher. In the post, Noah gives techniques for putting students into informal groups for […]
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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 […]
Read More Improving Teaching and Learning / Integrating Active Learning /
Effective classroom discussions result from careful planning on the part of the instructor, writes Jay Howard, professor of sociology and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Butler University, in a recent story in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Howard in the article shares tips for creating better class discussions including how to […]
Read More Improving Teaching and Learning /
Almost all faculty, or 97 percent, think it’s “important” or “very important” for students to come to class having completed their assigned reading, but only three percent think students actually do their reading, according to results from the 2018 Faculty Survey of Student Engagement. The professors’ suspicions are not unfounded, as many studies demonstrate a drop […]
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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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Student apathy is common in classrooms but instructors can take a critical step to overcome it, writes Major Wolfgang S. Weber, assistant professor of Law at the US Air Force Academy, in a recent Faculty Focus story. In the article, Weber talks about incorporating a “motivation step” into the beginning of class sessions to show students […]
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