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| Alexis Hart, English Professor and Director of Writing at Allegheny College, shared this writing activity at the GLCA AI workshop in August:
According to writing professor and author of Why They Can’t Write, John Warner, “Writing is thinking” because “the basic…unit of writing” is the idea (144-145, emphasis added). However, in May 2023, a student at Columbia University, Owen Kichizo Terry, wrote an article in the The Chronicle of Higher Education claiming that when college students are given an essay assignment “it’s very easy to use AI to do the lion’s share of the thinking” and therefore, “writing is no longer much of an exercise in thinking.” |
Teaching Tip – TTT
Articles and resources to empower your teaching experience.
Teaching: Student Mental Health
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| In a previous post, I shared insights from Bonni Stachowiak, host of the “Teaching in Higher Ed” podcast. As featured in the Chronicle, she highlighted a mental health crisis as one of the three significant changes in higher education. This week, I’d like to dive deeper into her concerns.
The Chronicle article, ‘Why Students Can’t Work on Their Own,’ addresses what many faculty members are likely already experiencing: a significant decline in students’ ability to complete substantial independent work since the pandemic. |
Teaching: What Does It Really Mean to Learn
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| Typically, we publish one TTT (Teaching, Tech, and Tidbit) every two weeks, featuring articles, resources, and more. During alternate weeks, we issue ‘In the Center,’ which highlights upcoming events.
I am breaking the cycle this week because Catherine Stuer shared such a fantastic New Yorker article that I wanted to get it in your hands as soon as possible. |
Teaching: Three big shifts in education
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| I’ve been beating the AI drum pretty hard, so I will let our friends in ETS share an AI resource I found last week. It’s a fantastic guide—be sure to check it out!
This week, I’m circling back to a piece, Simple ways to support student mental health in class, that Becky Supiano featured in her Chronicle newsletter at the beginning of August. |
Teaching: Your Syllabi
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As my head slowly comes out of summer mode and I look toward the fall, it’s time to review and refine my syllabi. Our friend, Kevin Gannon, has updated his Chronicle piece, “How to create a syllabus,” with a handy table of contents link and a section on artificial intelligence. Gannon talks about the importance of workshopping—collaboratively reviewing and refining – your course syllabus with input from peers or experts. |
Teaching: Your fall classes and AI
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Teaching: Take a break
In conversations at our last Denison Teaching Seminar, I would casually ask, “Any interesting summer plans?” After about three of these queires, I had to pivot to, “Any non-work-related interesting summer plans?” You see, my original intent was to see what travel plans or other fun activities my junior colleagues were planning. Instead, like many of us, they reverted to the guilt-ridden ‘this has to be a productive summer or else’ mode.
Teaching: Beyond One-Size-Fits-All: Harnessing Assignment Menus for Student Choice in Learning
Recently, I bemoaned the poor attendance record of my students this semester. By mid-semester, over half were chronically absent, having missed 10% or more of their classes. I followed that piece with this one: It’s Time to Start Teaching Your Students How to Be a Student. This led some faculty members to call for a larger Denison-wide conversation on this issue.
Teaching: A little positivity can go a long way
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How can a simple acknowledgment of a student’s curiosity foster a greater sense of belonging and self-efficacy? ‘That’s a Great Question!’: The Value of Positive Faculty Feedback highlights the significant impact of faculty responses to student inquiries, especially in STEM fields. Authored by Lora E. Park, this research emphasizes the positive outcomes for students—particularly women—when faculty engage with student questions in a supportive manner.
Teaching: Finish the Semester Strong
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| Congratulations! We’ve passed the halfway mark—specifically, we’re at the 8/14 point, counting full weeks of instruction. How do we ensure our students maintain their momentum and finish the semester strong? A helpful page from Georgia State University offers ten insightful tips for students. Among these is the Pomodoro technique. A time management strategy developed in the late 1980s, this approach breaks work into focused intervals, separated by short breaks, enhancing productivity and focus. |