blog posts

• Students’ Definitions of the College Classroom

  Jan 31, 2018 12:15 pm6 views

  How participants in an interaction define a situation will determine what behaviors they see as appropriate for that context (Goffman 1959; McHugh 1968). The college classroom is no exception. Students’ satisfaction with a course and their willingness to engage in certain activities will depend in part on how well the instructor’s definition of what is and ought to be happening in the classroom aligns with their own. An important part of the process is defining the roles, the expectations for behavior, of both the instructor and students. This posting looks at how students define their own and the instructor’s responsibilities in class and what impact this has on student learning.

• When Directions are the Problem

  Feb 3, 2021 8:00 am6 views

  (from Faculty Focus) When Directions are the Problem. Instructors often experience problems between the directions given for an assignment and the work submitted by a student. Students miss important parts of questions; they may fail to understand the directions; and they produce work which the instructor finds unacceptable. Unfortunately, students may fail to see what the instructor sees for the end product, leading to loss of time and learning. John Hattie (2015) found that instructors who directly teach what is expected, have improved student outcomes with a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.77).

  Templating, where instructors explicitly develop, teach, and model expectations, improves learning and reduces time spent trying to implement directions and is rooted in Bandura’s social learning theory by helping students define, interpret, and mimic what was observed (Bandura & Walters, 1977). There are four components to consider: develop a minimum and a maximum for each criteria, give students a laundry list of expectations, use a checklist for the template, and model expectations.

• Promoting Student Motivation

  Feb 22, 2012 8:00 am6 views

  Promoting Student Motivation.  According to an article from the Tomorrow's Professor mailing list, the best way to motivate and engage students is to show them the relevance and significant of the material.  This article will show how to use case studies, guest speakers, and other strategies to  promote intrinsic motivation.

   

• Teaching Time Management Strategies

  Mar 3, 2011 8:00 am6 views

  Teaching Time Management Strategies. At this point in the semester, your students may begin to feel overwhelmed by the demands of their classes.  Set them up for success in your class by developing their time management abilities. Here are ideas for you to consider.

• Four Key Questions about Grading

  Mar 11, 2015 7:00 am6 views

  Four Key Questions about Grading. There's an excellent article on grading in a recent issue of Cell Biology Education-Life Sciences Education. It offers a brief history of grading (it hasn’t been around for all that long), and then looks to the literature for answers to key questions. Does your grading system motivate your students? Does it help them to improve their learning? And… what kind of learning is being measured? Here are some thoughts to consider.

• Flipping Your Lectures

  Mar 21, 2012 8:00 am6 views

   

  Flipping Your Lectures. Have you thought about "flipping" the traditional way of teaching so that students are first introduced to the content outside of class and then spend class time for discussions, collaborative problem-solving, and identifying areas of difficulty? This is not a new idea; however, it is one that has generated much attention, especially in the STEM disciplines. In this article from the Chronicle of Higher Education, Dan Berrett describes how lectures can be "flipped." 

   

   

• Five Types of Quizzes That Deepen Engagement with Course Content

  Mar 30, 2016 8:00 am6 views

  Five Types of Quizzes That Deepen Engagement with Course Content. Have you thought about ways in which to maximize the benefit of quizzes?  Have you used quizzes that rely on low-level questions where the right answer is a memorized detail or a quizzing strategy where the primary motivation is punitive, such as to force students to keep up with the reading. That kind of quizzing doesn’t motivate reading for the right reasons and it doesn’t promote deep, lasting learning. There are innovative ways faculty are using quizzes, and these practices rest on different premises. This article describes ways for students to learn content deeper.

• Five Ways to Improve Exam Review Sessions

  Apr 13, 2016 8:00 am6 views

  Five Ways to Improve Exam Review Sessions. Here are two frequently asked questions about exam review sessions: (1) Is it worth devoting class time to review, and (2) How do you get students, rather than the teacher, doing the reviewing? Instead of answering those questions directly, a more helpful response might be a set of activities that can make exam review sessions more effective.

• Eleven Tips to End of The Semester Success (From One Student to Another):

  Apr 18, 2022 11:15 am6 views

  (from Utica College Student Voices). Eleven Tips to End of The Semester Success (From One Student to Another). The end of the semester (especially Spring Semester) can bring many challenges and stressors. The weather is starting to get nicer, the days are getting longer, and your attention span is getting shorter. If your class schedule has looked anything like mine, you’ve probably been pounded with essays, projects, and tests since returning from spring break. It can all get very overwhelming quickly, and by the time finals starts approaching you’ve all but virtually checked out. As hard as it may be, it’s important to keep your morale high to get through finals. No one wants to throw away all the hard work they’ve put in throughout the semester over a little stress and fatigue. So, here’s some of my tips on how to stay focused and finish out the semester strong.

• Constructing Fair and Appropriate Final Exams

  Apr 25, 2013 8:00 am6 views

  Constructing Fair and Appropriate Final Exams. A common student complaint is that final exams do not always test the kinds of knowledge asked for in homework or quizzes or presented in lectures. The worst final exams can seem unfocused, determined to test everything, or random things. The best final exams are learning moments and are aligned with learning goals presented in your syllabus.  Here are some ways from the Berkeley teaching center to review the final exam you created.

• A "Radical" Course Revision

  Jun 7, 2011 8:00 am6 views

  A "Radical" Course Revision. Summer is a great time to revisit last year's courses and improve them for the coming year.  This article by Julie Stout of Indiana University describes her experiences revising courses and offers advice on the process.  Click here to learn more.  Note: to learn more, please visit CTE's list of summer workshops.  

• Would They Play? Would They Learn?

  Jul 13, 2022 4:45 pm6 views

  (from Faculty Focus). Would They Play? Would They Learn? Like many of my colleagues, I’ve had my doubts about the educational value of “gaming” in college classrooms. In my mind, there’s an uneasy relationship between entertainment and education. Could gaming really be about learning, or is it just another example of pandering to student interests? And the games don’t have to be highly technical, expensive, or time-consuming to create. I’m pretty well convinced that game-like elements (rather than full blown games) can be powerful motivators and learning tools. Game-like elements could prompt engagement and learning in the classroom. I saw firsthand just how simple the gamification of our existing ideas can be. Teachers can use already existing activities and gamify them! Simply add a challenging problem-solving aspect to the activity, add surprises, and make it more playful, and you’ve gone from active to game-like!

• The Add/Drop Period and Your Syllabus

  Aug 23, 2011 8:00 am6 views

  The Add/Drop Period and Your Syllabus. Many students "shop around" during the first week or two of classes.

  Will this affect the beginning of your course?  Jason B.  Jones of ProfHacker at the Chronicle of Higher Education offers some observations to get you thinking about how to handle this period of the semester. Click here for the article.

• Learning Student Names

  Aug 28, 2013 8:00 am6 views

  Learning Student Names. Alexander Austin in his book What Matters in College found that when instructors know their students’ names, it has a powerful effect on improving student engagement. And students can also learn their peers’ names. Here is a list of strategies to help you know and remember your students.
  

• What Successful New Teachers Do

  Aug 30, 2009 8:00 am6 views

  What Successful New Teachers Do. Robert Boice describes “quick starters” as those new faculty members who are effective, efficient, and satisfied in their teaching.   They also receive high ratings from their students and colleagues.  They connect with their students, understand the best ways to enhance learning, and can locate and maximize available resources.  To learn from these “quick starters,” please click here.

• Effective Discussion Boards

  Sep 11, 2013 8:00 am6 views

  Effective Discussion Boards. Meaningful online discussions that promote learning and build community usually do not happen spontaneously. They require planning, good use of questioning techniques, and incentives for student participation. Click here for types of questions to ask.

• Informal Early Feedback

  Sep 14, 2010 8:00 am6 views

  Using informal early feedback (IEF) can help you learn about what is working and what is not working in your class at a time when you can make mid-course corrections. Late-September to mid-October is a great time to collect this feedback from your students.  To learn more about this helpful form, you can attend this workshop (Sept. 17th or 22nd) or find information and samples on our website.

• Classroom Assessment Techniques (CAT)

  Sep 14, 2010 8:00 am6 views

  Classroom Assessment Tools (CATs) are tools that can be used for active learning, assessment, and feedback. CATs are often anonymous and ungraded, and can give you a picture of how students are progressing, while providing information on your teaching and its effectiveness. Learn about the one-minute paper, muddiest points, and many other strategies. Read more about CATS here.

• Strategies to Assess Student Learning

  Sep 19, 2012 8:00 am6 views

  Strategies to Assess Student Learning.  Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) are quick, easy to implement strategies that provide valuable information about how well your students understand the content.  They can be used on a daily basis to provide valuable feedback for both you and your students. Why wait until the first exam to see how your students are doing.  Click here to learn more or register for our Oct. 5th CTE workshop.

• Getting Timely Feedback

  Sep 25, 2013 8:00 am6 views

  Getting Timely Feedback. Getting feedback from your students in the weeks between late September and mid-October provides valuable information on how your course is going. One strategy to get pertinent information about you and your students is through the Informal Early Feedback (IEF). Visit our website for directions and sample forms.  

• I Was Inspired by a Teaching Workshop, But Now What Do I Do?

  Sep 25, 2014 8:00 am6 views

  I Was Inspired by a Teaching Workshop, But Now What Do I Do?  This month, there are many workshops offered to help you learn new strategies and teaching approaches. Before implementing these new teaching techniques, keep in mind these helpful words of wisdom: be strategic about which techniques to implement, explain the techniques to your students, start with small, incremental steps. Here is more advice.  And, of course, you can always contact CITL (citl-info@illinois.edu).

• Improving Your Test Questions

  Sep 26, 2017 9:45 am6 views

  An effective test can accurately measure what students know but also the kind of knowledge and the depth of that knowledge.  It can also provide you with key information regarding alignment of the learning objectives stated at the beginning of the course with what is being assessed in your exam. Implementing key testing principles and making good decisions regarding exam types, test items, and grading are ways to ensure that student learning is accurately measured. Here are some tips from our Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. You can also register for our CITL workshop on Oct. 4th (Improving Our Testing and Grading of Student Achievement) to learn more.

• How Should I Study for the Exam?

  Sep 26, 2017 9:45 am6 views

  When an exam approaches, virtually all students agree they need to study and most will, albeit with varying intensity. Most will study the same way they always have—using the strategies they think work. The question students won’t ask is: How should I study for this exam? They don’t recognize that what they need to learn can and should be studied in different ways. 

  When they get a good grade on an exam, students regularly attribute the success to luck. Students’ success as learners would advance if they had a larger repertoire of study strategies, if they could match study strategies with learning tasks, and if they constructively confronted how they studied with how they performed. Students need help on all three fronts, but courses are already packed with content. Most teachers have time to do little more than admonish students to study hard, avoid cramming and memorizing minutia, and abstain from any sort of cheating. Here is a short survey to administer to your students and how to start a short discussion on “How to study for this exam."

• A Periodic Table of Visualizatin

  Sep 30, 2010 8:00 am6 views

  A Periodic Table of Visualization Methods. You can grab your students' attention and help them to better understand classroom material by presenting information visually.  This "periodic table" describes a wide range of visual ways to display data, information, concepts, strategies, and metaphors. Click here to view it.

   

• Collaboration or Plagiarism? Explaining Collaborative-Based Assignments Clearly

  Oct 12, 2015 8:00 am6 views

  Collaboration or Plagiarism? Explaining Collaborative-Based Assignments Clearly. Although there are many positive aspects of group work, there are negatives as well. One particular problem occurs when students are confused about faculty expectations involving the work product of teams. More specifically, students often have difficulty determining how much of a group product, if any, is to be created by an individual. Here are strategies that help clarify for the students what is acceptable collaboration.
  

• Design Considerations for Exam Wrappers

  Oct 23, 2014 8:00 am6 views

  Design Considerations for Exam Wrappers. "Exam wrappers are short activities that direct students to review their performance (and the instructor's feedback) on an exam with an eye toward adapting their future learning.  Exam wrappers ask students three kinds of questions: How did they prepare for the exam?  What kinds of errors did they make on the exam?  What could they do differently next time?"  Click here to see examples and strategies to help our students become more reflective about their learning.

• Save the Last Word for Me: Encouraging Students to Engage with Complex Reading and Each Other

  Oct 25, 2015 8:00 am6 views

  Save the Last Word for Me: Encouraging Students to Engage with Complex Reading and Each Other. Online discussions are often implemented in college classes to allow students to express their understanding and perceptions about the assigned readings. This can be challenging when the reading is particularly complex, as students are typically reluctant to share their interpretations because they are not confident in their understanding. This can inhibit meaningful interactions with peers within an online discussion. Through a review of research, we found that more structured discussions tend to exhibit higher levels of shared cognition (deNoyelles, Zydney, & Chen, 2014).  Here is the article describing the strategies.

• Encouraging Effective Discussions

  Oct 28, 2010 8:00 am6 views

  Encouraging Effective Discussions. You want to encourage more student participation, so you ask a question.  Instead of a lively discussion, there are blank faces, silence, or incorrect answers. There are a number of strategies that can help encourage participation, improve discussion and rapport. Click here to learn more.  

• Calling Online (actually All..)Instructors: There’s a Secret Bonus Level!

  Nov 4, 2019 3:15 pm6 views

  Calling Online (actually All..) Instructors: There’s a Secret Bonus Level! Back in 2005, my online courses were designed according to the “read and reply twice” design format, then in vogue among instructional designers. The interactions that I had with my learners were largely formulaic, and I was really good at them. I responded to my students’ discussion posts and activity submissions within hours of deadlines, and I did my best to move conversations forward by asking learners to make connections and begin new avenues of inquiry. Fast forward to 2018: several game platforms and dozens of video games later. About the same time that we were playing Lego City Undercover, I was discovering that my “great” online courses could be strengthened even further by paying attention to barriers that I hadn’t previously understood well—or hadn’t even noticed at all. One of those barriers is grades. In addition to exploring ungrading, I also learned that spaced practice is one of the best ways to study and remember information and techniques. We reinforce our learning when we can re-visit concepts and ideas just before we shift them out of short-term memory and forget them. I’m looking all over my everyday experiences for hints about how our minds work when we learn things, and everywhere that I can take down barriers to learning

• Constructing Fair and Appropriate Final Exams

  Dec 5, 2013 8:00 am6 views

  Constructing Fair and Appropriate Final Exams. A common student complaint is that final exams do not always test the kinds of knowledge asked for in homework or quizzes or presented in lectures. The worst final exams can seem unfocused, determined to test everything, or random things. The best final exams are learning moments and are aligned with learning goals presented in your syllabus.  Here are some ways from the Berkeley teaching center to review the final exam you created.

• Considerations in Designing and Teaching Your Course

  Dec 22, 2015 8:00 am6 views

  Considerations in Designing and Teaching Your Course. Take advantage of the few weeks before the semester starts to look at the course you will be teaching – whether it is a new course or one you have already taught. Many of the decisions affecting the success of a course take place well before the first day of class. Careful planning at the course design stage not only makes teaching easier and more enjoyable, it also facilitates student learning. Once your course is planned, teaching involves implementing your course design on a day-to-day level. Here is a list of things for consideration. 

• Make the Most of the First Day of Class

  Jan 12, 2017 8:00 am7 views

  Make the Most of the First Day of Class.  The first day of class always creates some nervousness, even for seasoned instructors. It helps to have a mental checklist of objectives to accomplish so that you and your students come away with the impression that the course is off to a good start. The first class meeting should serve at least two basic purposes: a) to clarify all reasonable questions students might have relative to the course objectives, as well as your expectations for their performance in class. As students leave the first meeting, they should believe in your competence to teach the course, be able to predict the nature of your instruction, and know what you will require of them and b) to give you an understanding of who is taking your course and what their expectations are. These two basic purposes expand into a set of eight concrete objectives that will maximize opportunities in your first day.

• Tricks and Tips for Teaching with Masks

  Jan 24, 2022 4:15 pm7 views

  (from University of Michigan LSA Technology Services). Tricks and Tips for Teaching with Masks. Above and beyond masking policies for indoor spaces on campus, University of Michigan Face Covering Policy  (University of Illinois Face Covering Policy) requires all people to wear masks in any classroom or classlab. This also includes spaces where classes are being held, such as conference rooms and lab spaces. 

  Teaching with a mask on does present a number of challenges, especially if the instructor has back-to-back courses or multiple sessions on a single day.  Here are 24 Teaching Tips for Teaching with Masks; e.g., how to use a microphone, breathing techniques, and maximizing body language.

• Active Learning Strategies that Provide Great Feedback

  Feb 8, 2013 8:00 am7 views

  Active Learning Strategies that Provide Great Feedback. Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATS) are generally simple, non-graded, anonymous, in-class activities designed to give you and your students useful feedback on the teaching-learning process as it is happening.  There are many CATS to select depending on what you want to assess and how much time you have. Consider implementing these activities throughout the semester. Click here to learn more about CATS.

• Advice for how to make grading more equitable (opinion).

  Feb 19, 2020 9:00 am7 views

  Advice for how to make grading more equitable (opinion). Ask any faculty member about how they grade their students, and they will probably explain the precise weights they give quizzes, tests, papers, labs and other factors -- as well as how they average student results over the term to determine a final grade. Even though the scholarship, technology and pedagogy of postsecondary courses have significantly evolved in the last century, the ways students are graded has remained unchanged. This should come as no surprise, considering that most college and university faculty members receive no training in how to grade, either in graduate school or professional development on the job, and so most typically grade as they were graded. Plus, because faculty members rarely receive support to examine and learn about grading, each professor’s grading policies are filtered through their own individual beliefs about how students learn, how to motivate them and how best to describe student achievement. As a result, grades often vary within a department and even within a course taught by different instructors. Here are improved grading practices.

• Collaboration or Plagiarism? Explaining Collaborative-Based Assignments Clearly

  Feb 20, 2014 8:00 am7 views

  Collaboration or Plagiarism? Explaining Collaborative-Based Assignments Clearly. Although there are many positive aspects of group work, there are negatives as well. One particular problem occurs when students are confused about faculty expectations involving the work product of teams. How much of the group project, if any, is individual-based vs. a group collaboration?  Here are some strategies to set expectations and clear guidelines.

   

• Five Ways to Improve Exam Review Sessions

  Mar 9, 2016 8:00 am7 views

  Five Ways to Improve Exam Review Sessions. Here are two frequently asked questions about exam review sessions: (1) Is it worth devoting class time to review, and (2) How do you get students, rather than the teacher, doing the reviewing? Instead of answering those questions directly, a more helpful response might be a set of activities that can make exam review sessions more effective.

• Educating Students about Plagiarism

  Apr 12, 2012 8:00 am7 views

   

  Educating Students about Plagiarism.  Plagiarism is uncredited use of someone else's text or ideas. Some students unwittingly commit plagiarism because they are unaware of the rules regarding citing sources. Here is a self-test of common situations to help students identify examples of plagiarism.This site is a collaborative project originally funded by the Center for Educational Technology, Middlebury College, and developed by Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin Colleges. Also, here is a link to our campus Student Code regarding plagiarism.

   

   

• Ending the Semester

  Apr 18, 2022 11:15 am7 views

  (from Georgetown University CNDLS) Ending the Semester. A semester is a marathon effort, and, by the time you reach the end of it, it’s quite possible that everyone—you and the students both—will be exhausted, and perhaps very ready to leave the course behind. But one last thoughtful push can ensure that the course’s conclusion is meaningful in its own right. Naturally, the final stretch of the course is an important time to reflect on the class experience and the material that’s been covered. Not only is it an opportunity to review material that students might need to revisit as they approach final exams and final papers—or to answer any questions that, for the students, remain unresolved—it’s also an opportunity to underscore the significance of the experience the students have just had, to invite the students to appreciate how far they’ve come in a few months. Here are some ways to maximize the end of the semester through reflection, integration, gathering feedback, and looking forward.

• Helping Student Study for Final Exams

  Apr 25, 2013 8:00 am7 views

  Helping Students Study for Final Exams. Students often return to inefficient and ineffective study habits as they feel the time crush to prepare for their final exams. GAMES, a mnemonic device developed by Marilla Svinicki, is a useful approach for students to use as they prepare for final exams. The five strategies are based on theories of learning.  Click here to learn more about these strategies to share with your students. 

• Assigning Final Course Grades

  May 2, 2022 5:30 pm7 views

  (from UIUC Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning – CITL) Assigning Final Course Grades. The end-of-course grades assigned by instructors are intended to convey the level of achievement of each student in the class. These grades are used by students, other faculty, university administrators, and prospective employers to make a multitude of different decisions. Unless instructors use generally-accepted policies and practices in assigning grades, these grades are apt to convey misinformation and lead the decision-maker astray. When grading policies are practices are carefully formulated and reviewed periodically, they can serve well the many purposes for which they are used. 

• Assigning Course Grades

  May 7, 2015 8:00 am7 views

  Assigning Course Grades. We come to that time of the semester when we must do the difficult task of assigning the final course grades. What do we do with “borderline” grades? Should effort be considered? What about bonus points? Here are some strategies to consider when determining the final grade.

• End of Semester Evaluations

  May 14, 2019 2:00 pm7 views

  End of Semester Evaluations. Most universities use final course evaluations to solicit feedback from students. The results of these evaluations can be used to inform the next offering of the course, as well as—ideally in conjunction with many other forms of evidence of teaching effectiveness—the career trajectory of the instructor.  How do you interpret summative feedback and use it to improve your teaching? Here are four main challenges that teachers may face when interpreting end-of-course feedback from students

• Interpret Feedback and Interpreting Your Student Reports.

  Jun 6, 2022 11:30 am7 views

  (from Stanford University: Evaluation & Research, Student Affairs). Interpret Feedback and Interpreting Your Student Reports. (Note: This article may be of value as you have just received your end-of-semester ICES Online results).  As you read through your reports, bear in mind that Stanford’s student course feedback forms are designed to direct students’ attention towards their own learning. The responses should reflect how much and how well students learned in your course. The teaching feedback form, however, directs attention to individual section instructors.

  Look for patterns: are the distributions consistent and in the ranges you expect? Are there unusual clusters, such as a “spike,” or a very high and very low grouping? A single mean score can be a few decimal points higher or lower simply due to the random sample of students in a particular course from term to term. An increase or decrease of a few decimal points should not necessarily be interpreted as a significant change. For more information, read our discussion paper on the reliability of evaluation statistics (PDF). Finally, it is common to concentrate on outliers or unique responses, but it is more useful to look for patterns and trends than speculate about an isolated score. Let’s begin with general questions. 

• How to Teach What You Don't Actually Know

  Jun 7, 2011 8:00 am7 views

  How to Teach What You Don't Actually Know.  Are you preparing to teach a course that's outside your area of expertise? Therese Huston, plenary speaker at last year's Annual Faculty Retreat, can help you face next semester with confidence.  Read the Chronicle article here.

• Creating a Syllabus: The Basics

  Aug 7, 2013 8:00 am7 views

  Creating a Syllabus: The Basics. The syllabus is a document that shares with the students what they will be doing and learning, what the goals are, how they are assessed, and an insight into your teaching philosophy. Syllabi differ across individuals, courses, and disciplines; however, there are certain components that all syllabi should contain. Click here for a tutorial on creating a syllabus from the U. of Minnesota teaching center.

• Don’t Waste the First Day

  Aug 12, 2015 8:00 am7 views

  Don’t waste the first day. Do you go over the syllabus page by page on the first day? Take advantage of the first day by hooking students into course content before distributing the syllabus. Do a background probe activity, get to know them and walk from one student to another, make your teaching style transparent. This article describes additional strategies to maximize that first day as a valuable learning experience.  

• Advice for the First Day of Class: Today We Will ...

  Aug 17, 2022 10:45 am7 views

  (From Faculty Focus).  Advice for the First Day of Class: Today We Will. The first day of class is critical. What happens on the first day, even in the first moments, sets the tone for the entire course. The impression you make will last the entire semester, and today’s students are not shy about sharing their opinions. Most students will make up their minds about the course and the instructor during that first class period. That is why you must use the first day, the first moments of class, to inspire confidence in your abilities and create a classroom atmosphere where the rules are clear; expectations are high; and yet students feel welcome, comfortable, and engaged. 

• Learning Students' Names

  Aug 23, 2011 8:00 am7 views

  Learning Students' Names. Research indicates that knowing students' names makes for a better semester for you and your students.  Here are some ideas from the Office of Graduate Studies at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln to start your semester off right.  Click here for ideas.

• 101 Things to Do in the First Three Weeks of Class

  Aug 28, 2014 8:00 am7 views

  101 Things to Do in the First Three Weeks of Class. Want a successful start to the semester? How about setting expectations, learning students’ prior knowledge, motivating and engaging your students? Here are several strategies to implement right away.