Considering different strategies for the fall? Learn what your colleagues are doing this semester in the new resource Oh, you could try this to get ideas on building community, engaging your students, and aligning your course goals and assessments. Return often as this resource will continue to expand.
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.
07/28/2020 Tech-how to organize discussion groups-Hoda Yousef, History
A tip from Dr. Hoda Yousef in history on organizing discussion groups. Hoda uses Google Docs and Zoom breakout sessions to organize her class group discussions and provide a record of her student’s work. Video
Hoda Yousef
Assistant Professor
History/International Studies/Middle East North African Studies
07/28/2020 Tidbit-articles on supporting students and ourselves during this challenging time, University of Denver and Florida State
Chronic stressors are known to impair our cognitive abilities. As we plan for this semester, be aware that we might not be able to cover as much material as a normal semester. Consider doing more with less. This article from the University of Denver and this article from Florida State provide strategies for supporting our students and ourselves during these challenging times.
07/21/2020 Teaching-resilient course design and planning matrix
Resilient Course Design Plan your fall courses with intentional focus on engagement and flexibility to avoid having to re-design in response to changing circumstances. Here’s a primer and the planning matrix.
07/21/2020 Tech-simplify communication with students with low tech
simplify student communication, low tech organization for class content, class content
07/21/2020 Tidbit-shared teaching strategies from Denison faculty
Curious how your colleagues will be teaching this fall? Teaching strategies is a new resource where Denison faculty share various strategies for building community, aligning goals and assessments, and engaging and motivating their students this fall. This is a work-in-progress, please revisit over the next two weeks as ideas are shared.
Discussion Boards & Teaching Modalities
Discussion boards are a useful tool to engage students outside the classroom. Here is a quick summary of how to structure effective discussion boards.
07/14/2020 Tech-how to create discussion boards on Notebowl
Interested in creating a discussion board, but don’t know where to begin? Start with this video series from ETS that details how to create discussion boards on Note Bowl. And don’t forget the many other resources available from ETS this summer.
07/14/2020 Teaching-discussion boards ruberics
07/14/2020 Tidbit-teaching modalities instruction models
Let’s consider teaching modalities for the fall: in-person, remote, mixture. This resource from Dr. Julie Sievers at Southwestern University Teaching Center lays out several possible scenarios for the fall. Interested in discussing various options with others? Please sign up here by Friday, 7/17, for virtual CfLT sessions next week to discuss possible teaching modalities for our fall classes.