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CfLT Newsletter
The posts below are from the CfLT newsletter which includes curated, research-based digital resources to support ongoing faculty development and pedagogical engagement. As of August 2025, CfLT Director Karen Spierling oversees the content. Posts from July 2020-May 2025 were compiled by previous Director Lew Ludwig.
Teaching: From the teaching archive- Midterm Course Evaluations
As we near the halfway mark, consider getting mid-semester feedback from your students. Mid-semester evaluations:
- If necessary, provide a chance to correct student misconceptions or make changes to the course schedule, activities, etc.
- Allow students to reflect on their expectations, efforts, and learning.
- Let students know you care about their input.
Here are some sample mid-semester evaluations you can use or adapt for your course:
- This check-off format from Seattle University makes it easy for your students to provide specific feedback and some open-ended questions.
Tech: A picture tells a thousand words- unique images for your course
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Tidbit: But What if You Can’t Quit Your ‘Dead-End Job’?
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In my role as director, I subscribe to a large number of newsletters, listservs, and blogs. So, my inbox sees a lot of traffic. One article titled But What if You Can’t Quit Your ‘Dead-End Job’? recently stood out. It brought to mind a note I received from a senior colleague soon after I secured tenure back in 2007. |
Tidbit: A note from Megan Threlkeld on AI in her W101
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Like many of us, I spent a lot of time over the summer reading and thinking about generative AI chatbots and what they might mean for my teaching, especially since most of my courses involve a lot of writing. Could ChatGPT answer my prompts? Did my assignments encourage students to put in thought and effort, or was I making it easy for them to farm out their work to a bot? |
Tech: Utilizing the Canvas Calendar
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| Students gave us positive feedback on the Canvas calendar last spring! As an instructor, you are able to add events that will appear on your students’ calendars and “to do” lists. This is a great way to communicate and remind students of important events and deadlines! These guides will quickly walk you through adding an event and adding an assignment on your course calendars. |
Teaching: Do my learning outcomes meet the needs of my students these days?
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This question, posed during a recent session on AI and assessment, really resonated with me. The rising attention (or, should we say, hysteria?) surrounding AI has prompted me to reflect on what I expect my students to learn and how I choose to assess that learning. While I’m still grappling with a definitive answer, two insightful articles this week prodded me to reconsider my teaching approach as we enter this new era of AI. |
Tidbit- To understand AI, you need to engage with AI
I recently facilitated an AI-focused session for the GLCA (resources, including the recording, can be found here). Out of nearly 300 registrants, about 60% reported being very familiar or somewhat familiar when asked to rate their knowledge of generative AI based on exposure through reading, podcasts, webinars, etc. Interestingly, 63% of registrants reported no experience or limited experience using generative AI such as ChatGPT, Bing, or Bard.
Tech- Revisiting weighted grades in Canvas
Many of us may have course grade categories that contribute different percentages to the final grade. For example, essays are 25%, quizzes are 30%, exams are 30%, and student contribution (aka “participation”) is 15%.
In Canvas, you assign category weights via the “Assignments” section in the left menu bar (the menu bar will show once you click the three red horizontal lines in the upper left).
Teaching- Five Ways to Help Your Students Become Better Critical Thinkers
Our foremost objective at Denison is to cultivate adept critical thinkers. Yet, as seasoned critical thinkers ourselves, we sometimes forget the steps required to nurture this valuable skill in our novice learners. Merely observing us critically analyze topics doesn’t automatically equip students with the same capabilities. We must adopt a deliberate approach. This short article by Dr.