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| Whenever colleagues invite me to observe their classes for formative feedback, I always ask them to share two or three specific aspects they’re working on and would appreciate input on. For instance, they may want to engage more students in discussion, effectively wrap up with a summary in the last five minutes, or improve how they organize board work. |
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.
Tech: Optimize Learning Using Library Links Instead of PDF Downloads in Canvas
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| Our library subscribes to a wide range of scholarly article databases, giving you and your students access to thousands of high-quality research articles. While downloading a PDF and posting it directly to Canvas may seem convenient, linking to the article through the library’s website offers important benefits.
Why Link Instead of Uploading? |
Teaching: Ending on a high note
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| Congratulations! You’re almost there- the end of the semester is in sight! As we near the last week of classes, there is an opportunity to wrap up with impact and purpose. Too often, December’s frenzied deadlines leave us rushing through those final moments, but as Kristi Rudenga shares in 7 Ideas to Perk Up Your Last Day of Class, a well-designed closing can amplify everything students have learned. |
Teaching: Small Group Discussions
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| This week, we’re highlighting an engaging teaching strategy used by Dr. Kelsi Morrison-Atkins in her Religion 108 class, Bible, Gender, Sexuality. Julie Dalke, who is auditing the course, writes:
Each day Kelsi’s class begins with a simple yet impactful check-in that sets the tone for the day’s learning. Students break into small groups of 3-4 for about 10 minutes to discuss their thoughts, questions, or insights from the reading. |
Tidbit: Election Day
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| I am doubtful we will have a clear decision by tomorrow. Nevertheless, as I’ve shared before, and as we discussed in our recent Teaching Matters session, it is good to have a game plan, no matter your discipline.
For a quick take, consider this resource from the CRLT at the University of Michigan: Navigating the Post-Election Period With Your Students. If |
Tech: Create Shapes in Google Docs
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While creating shapes in Microsoft Word is fairly straightforward, it is a bit more complicated in a Google Doc. For example, perhaps you want to highlight part of an image or document with a circle or other shape like in the figure above.
Drag your cursor on the drawing matrix to size it. |
Teaching: Why do we need inclusive teaching if everyone learns in the same way?
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| Some of you may recall when Stephen Chew, a cognitive psychologist and contemporary of Frank Hassebrock, visited campus to discuss Improving Classroom Performance by Challenging Student Misconceptions About Learning (don’t worry if not, it’s been awhile).
In this recent Teaching Professor piece, Stephen addresses a really intriguing question: Why Do We Need Inclusive Teaching if Everyone Learns in the Same Way? |
Teaching: A Three Question Approach to Feedback
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| Doug Swift (Visiting Assistant Professor in English/Journalism) caught Jack Shuler (Professor & Director of Journalism) in the act of some great teaching. Doug writes:
Jack and I have offices across the hall from each other. We often shout ideas back and forth, often loudly. Sometimes, an idea is so good, it’s worth a meander across the hall. |
Tidbit: Have you heard this?
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| Through your Denison Google account, you can now access Google NotebookLM, an experimental AI research assistant that enhances document analysis and study. Among its many reported capabilities, it can create summaries, answer questions, and generate study aids. It can even turn articles into podcasts! For a more in-depth look at how this technology is being used, check out the Chronicle article, “Those Voices On the Podcast? |
Teaching: Do we need to teach students how to use gen AI?
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| This student guide to AI has been circulating widely in the past few months. It begins with a provocative quote by an economist: “AI won’t take your job. It’s someone using AI who will take your job.” The jury is obviously still out on this claim, but students are hearing it loud and clear, and I imagine their parents are as well. |