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Teaching, Tech, and Tidbits Digest
The posts below are from a bi-weekly digest that encapsulates a range of evidence-based best practices and cutting-edge insights on innovative teaching strategies, effective use of technology, student engagement techniques, and effective assessment, to name a few. The content, diligently curated or crafted by the director Dr. Lew Ludwig, is grounded in robust research and drawn from a wide array of innovative articles, books, and online resources. The goal is to support timely, ongoing faculty development with the most current and impactful knowledge in the field.
Tidbit – Communicating with students
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Tech – Canvas
As the start of fall semester approaches, it’s time to dust off your old Canvas notes and get courses ready. Take a look at these beginning and end of term checklists from Canvas. They are a great way to get started with course planning and preparation.
Teaching – Attendance and the first day(s) of class
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Attendance has always been a tricky thing – how do we keep students accountable while at the same time being empathetic to their situation? The aftereffects of a global pandemic and the rising needs around mental health concerns have only exacerbated things.
In the Chronicle piece, When Students Miss Out, Beckie Supiano reports ways to get ahead of attendance issues.
Warming up to the power of ChatGPT
Traditionally, the TTT goes on summer break until August, but I couldn’t help doing a quick check-in on ChatGPT. I am eager to return to the classroom after my sabbatical, but I need to figure out how to navigate this new technology. A lot has developed in the past few months, and I am curious to see how you will address this AI in the fall.
Teaching- The Agony and the Ecstasy: Reading Your Student Evaluations
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Twice a year, I get that email that always causes a twinge in my stomach: your course evaluations are now available. Course evaluations can be tricky to navigate, whether it’s your first or fifteenth semester. In the compelling article, The Agony and the Ecstasy: Reading Your Student Evaluations, Regan A.R. Gurung offers invaluable insights into dealing with the emotional toll of student feedback.
Teaching- Getting ready for course evaluations
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Whenever colleagues invite me to observe their classes for formative feedback, I always ask them to share two or three aspects they’re working on where they’d appreciate some constructive input. For instance, they could be aiming to engage more students, attempting to summarize the class within the last five minutes, or simply organizing their board work more effectively.
Teaching- Writing versus Thinking Skills: A False Dichotomy
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Does your students’ writing seem vague? As we approach the final weeks of the semester and brace ourselves for the onslaught of paper revisions, John Orlando offers a fresh perspective that might hold the key to addressing this issue. In his insightful article, Writing versus Thinking Skills: A False Dichotomy, he posits that writing problems extending beyond basic grammar and spelling errors are, in fact, manifestations of muddled thinking.
Tidbit- Pointers for student PowerPoints
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Many of us are having student presentations by this time of the semester. Many of these will involve PowerPoint or similar presentation programs. Consider sharing these simple-to-use infographics with your student to help them up their PPT game.
- You can start with this infographic for the basics
- Do you think they’re good with the basics? Have your students level up with this infographic which includes things to avoid and tips on cleaning up images.
Tech- How to Become an Expert on A.I.
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Seriously, the New York Times has created an EXCELLENT resource that will bring you up to speed on ChatGPT, large language models, and all those other A.I. terms you’ve heard about. The five-part series, On Tech: Become an expert on ChatGPT and other cutting-edge chatbots in just five days, is written at an understandable level and only takes about 10 minutes to read.