If you are teaching remote or transitional this spring, you might be considering a flipped classroom where students watch asynchronous videos. I use this in all my courses. As such, I was surprised to run across this article Why Flipped Classes Often Flop. In this short video, I share how I try to avoid this flop in my classes.
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 – What We Learned
Clearly no one wanted a global pandemic, but the many innovations that occurred in your classes were inspiring. Let’s celebrate these silver linings! What did you learn in the last year that you will continue to use in your classes? Use this simple Google form to submit your silver lining and receive a $5 gift card to Slayter.
Tidbit – 8 Strategies to Prevent Teaching Burnout
Hopefully the winter break provided time for you to unwind and recharge. As we enter a new semester with its challenges, here are eight quick things you can do as you put the finishing touches on your classes to make the semester more manageable.
Tech – Notable Notebowl Updates From ETS
Denison’s latest update from Notebowl rolled out on Friday, January 15, 2021. The update included viewing emails sent from the roster tab, student activity for tests/quizzes, and recording short video messages directly in Notebowl. This ETS blog post has all the details about the new features along with links to all the updated video tutorials. You can find all the Notebowl video tutorials on the YouTube playlist Notebowl Tutorials for Denison Faculty.
Seven Ways You Can Foster a More Inclusive LGBTQIA+ Learning Environment
As you prepare for classes, these seven tips can help you foster an inclusive classroom. Give your students the chance to challenge biases and misconceptions, critically think and respond in a sensitive and productive manner, build supportive and mature interpersonal relationships, and succeed academically.
Teaching – Setting a Positive Tone for the Semester
Setting the right tone in the first week can help avoid issues during the semester. In this video I provide a deep dive into ten ideas that can help make the road ahead smoother for you and your students. The ideas are based on the Chronicle article: 10 Things this instructor loves.
Tidbit – Rubik’s Cube Challenge Update
Thanks to everyone at Denison and Furman for taking part in the Rubik’s Cube Challenge: An Expert Blindspot Learning Adventure! We had over 30 participants. Happy to report that 11 Denison faculty can now successfully solve the cube, several in under 2 minutes! But the real learning was understanding what it is like to be a novice learning, and how this experience will help inform our teaching and address our expert blindspots.
Tech – Checkout Your Classroom
Avoid any “loose springs” in your classrooms this semester by checking out classrooms in advance. Denison’s ETS has this post with tips for checking out your classrooms on campus. Follow along with Cheryl and Dan as they explore some of the new (and not-so-new) technology in campus classrooms in this video: Back in Classrooms.
Teaching – Five Tips for First Day of Class
It will be here before you know it! This week’s deep dive video covers five tips for the first day of class. For additional ideas for making the most of your first day, check out the eight tips from the Insider Higher Ed piece Advice for how not to conduct your first class in the new semester (opinion) or for a deeper look, this Chronicle article How to Teach a Good First Day of Class by James Lang.
