Improving Teaching and Learning /
Discussion is one of the most common ways for teachers to engage students in the classroom, but all too often, college students engage in “civil attention” rather than real attention, writes Jay R. Howard, Ph.D., dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Butler University in a recent Faculty Focus article. Civil attention is […]
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Improving Teaching and Learning / Inclusive Teaching & Learning /
“Diversity without inclusion is an empty gesture,” writes David Asai, senior director for science education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, in a recent Nature article. In the op-ed, Asai writes about his own experience as a faculty member learning how to create more inclusive lab environments. Earlier in his career, Asai reluctantly attended a required […]
Read More Improving Teaching and Learning / Research on Teaching and Learning
Attitudes and emotions change throughout the semester, according to research from Mann and colleagues and Duffy & Jones. A recent article in Faculty Focus examines those “rhythms” and provides tips on how faculty can leverage changes to improve their teaching. For example, many faculty and students approach the beginning of the semester with positive attitudes […]
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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 […]
Read More Evidence-Based Strategies / Improving Teaching and Learning /
Classroom-based “nudges,” or interventions that encourage but do not mandate certain behavior, can often help boost students’ performance in a course, according to feedback from teachers and recent studies. For example, Zoë Cohen, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona, saw that a large number of students failed the first exam in her “Physiology of […]
Read More Improving Teaching and Learning /
Many students believe that working harder and longer results in better outcomes, but sometimes working more efficiently is key to their success. Teachers can present a “SMART” approach to students to help them study more effectively, writes Conred Maddox, assistant professor of language arts at Honolulu Community College, in a recent Faculty Focus article. “SMART” practice stands […]
Read More Course Design / Improving Teaching and Learning /
Whether you’re a first-time teacher or seasoned professional, the first day of class brings its own set of challenges. A recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education provides tips on preparing for the first day of class and how to use the first class session as a benchmark for success throughout the semester. The […]
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Improving Teaching and Learning / Teaching with Writing
Professors often complain about students’ writing but schools could do a better job of teaching students how to write, said John Warner in his new book, Why They Can’t Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities. Warner, who is also a blogger for Inside Higher Ed, gave an interview recently on the website where he outlines […]
Read More Evidence-Based Strategies / Improving Teaching and Learning /
Assessment for Learning (AfL), or “formative assessment,” is a common theme in the U.S. educational landscape but it’s often overlooked in higher education. In a recent Faculty Focus article, Dr. Cathy Box, director for Teaching and Learning at Lubbock Christian University, explains AfL and how it can be used in the classroom to improve student learning […]
Read More Improving Teaching and Learning / Inclusive Teaching & Learning /
“As educators, we need to lead the way and design our pedagogical approaches for the students we have, not the students we wish we had,” writes Sara Goldrick-Rab, founder of the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice and professor of higher-education policy and sociology at Temple University, and Jesse Stommel, executive director of the […]
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