As the fall semester develops, so do the needs of our students. This Chronicle piece – What students want their professors to know – helps us understand about this challenging semester.
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 – Zoom fatigue…
Spending too much time on the screen? Here are two resources to help manage our screen time. The Zoom fatigue digital map is a self-contained reference for combating Zoom fatigue. Too graphic, try this article, What can you do to make your daily dose of videoconferencing a little less tiring?, for four simple tips.
Tech – Make your voice heard
Having trouble projecting your voice with a mask? Remote students having trouble hearing students in a large classroom? With help from ETS, Eleni Papaleonardo found a solution in a personal voice amplifier and a carefully placed snowball mic! Now all students can hear her clearly as she moves around, and remote students can hear their classmates sitting in the back of the room.
Teaching – making sense of student feedback
My least favorite moment of the semester? When I get that email saying my course evaluations are available. Yes, even after all these years, it still gives me a twinge in my stomach. Want to discuss recent course feedback? Please contact me (ludwigl@denison.edu) to set up a time and place.
On a related note, would you like some feedback on your course?
Tidbit- teaching in a mask
I never thought in this role I would be sharing advice on how to wear a mask, but here we are. Here are some pro tips from Consumer Reports on dealing with our new normal. This Inside Higher Ed piece provides suggestions for teaching F2F with a mask and creating a caring classroom.
Tech – Denison’s virtual whiteboard
A number of us have found the effectiveness of using a Google Doc to organize our Zoom Breakout Rooms sessions for students (Dr. Hoda Yousef’s tip). But what if you want students to write or draw by hand? The screen shot above was created by my students using the Google Jamboard App from our Denison Google Suite.
Teaching- how to read course evaluations
You’ve collected early term course feedback from your students. Now what? This half-page from Washington University gives practical advice on responding to midterm evaluations. Here is the go to article from the Chronicle on how to read a student evaluation of your teaching.
Tidbit – Lower that research paper stress
Too early to think about research papers? Not really, these tips on scaffolding the research paper throughout the semester lowers stress for both you and your students. It also slows the traffic for the Academic Integrity Committee!
Tech – Zoomapalooza – useful Zoom tips
1) Keyboard short cut keys – stop wandering around menus looking for start record. Here is a cheat sheet for Mac or PC.
2) Got an extra monitor? Keep an eye on your students in gallery mode while presenting that Power Point slide. How-to-video or post from Zoom.
3) Got an iPad or other tablet?
Teaching – take the pulse of your classes
Many of us use midterm course evaluations. As suggested in the faculty meeting, now would be a good time to get feedback from your classes to see how this unique semester is going. Here are three different feedback forms:
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- Use this copy of a Google form created by Dr. Annabel Edwards, Chemistry. This video explains how to edit this form.
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