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.
Trying something new this semester? It’s never too early to get feedback from your students. Here is a simple feedback technique I head from Dr. Sarah Wolff in Mathematics she calls KQS. Students complete the following:
It only takes a few minutes, and is a low-cost way to get some valuable feedback and act as a conversation started of why you do something a particular way.
Class discussion plays a key role in many of our classes at Denison. So much so that many of us include class participation as a percentage of the course grade. But how do we access participation? Is it just how many times a student speaks in class? Does this reward the risk-taking extrovert and penalize the introvert who needs time to process?
Want to know what Denison faculty and staff think about Equity? Watch this week’s ETS Word of the Week: Transformation. You can also catch the last three weeks of videos on community, technology, and equity on the playlist here. ETS used these interviews to design the August sessions for faculty, which started last week and continue for the rest of this week.
A reading list is a tricky thing. You want to assign enough for students to get a better understanding of the topic, but how much is too much? Checkout the Course Workload Estimator at Rice University. In this Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, co-creator Dr. Betsy Barre explains why she created the estimator and how it is used.
We all know that names are important and pronunciation matters. In a recent Times Higher Education article, the authors discuss just how important correct pronunciation can be for our students, and also provide tips for Chinese names in particular. If you struggle with name pronunciation, you might be interested in one of the newest Notebowl features available for students and faculty.
I’ve had quite a few first days since I taught my first class (last century, cough cough). Regardless, I’ve always reviewed Lang’s How to Teach a Good First Day of Class since it first appeared in the Chronicle a few years ago. It is always updated for the new school year and focuses on four key concepts to help set a productive first impression:
As I write, the Delta variant is still spreading and health protocols are in flux. But there are several things we have learned from the pandemic with regard to teaching. Prior to the pandemic, I was little aware of the trauma our students and colleagues experience. This has made me rethink how I approach and interact with both.
As you polish your syllabus and prepare for class, Educational Technology Services (ETS) is here to help you get ready for the fall semester. In addition to a new and improved website, ETS will be hosting sessions in August. In preparation for these sessions, Denison EdTechs interviewed faculty members and are featuring interview clips in our ETS Word of the Week video series.
With a few weeks before the start of classes, time to put those finishing touches on your syllabi. Want to get some productive feedback on your syllabus before you hand it to students? Join us Monday, August 23 from 2-4 us for Teaching as Intentional Process & Critical Practice: A Syllabus Workshop facilitated by Dr. Michael Reder of Connecticut College.
Dr. Julie Mujic, visiting assistant professor in the global commerce program and coordinator for faculty partnerships with the Knowlton Center, has a recent opinion piece for Inside Higher Ed, How academic parents and others can make the best use of brief in-between moments. Julie gives five practical tips on taking advantage of those brief in-between times to stay intellectually active.
