CURRENT ARTICLE • May 18th, 2012
App of the Week: Sketch Pad
By: Dave Yearwood, PhD in App Of The Week
The Sketch Pad program is a must for several reasons: it is very easy to use, has several features, and it is very nicely priced. All of the tools can be controlled from their home location at the bottom of the screen or be made to float and positioned anywhere they are convenient.
Get Distance Learning Administration and Policy: Strategies for Achieving Excellence absolutely free when you sign up for FREE Faculty Focus updates.
Already have an account?
New to the site? Create your free account now!
Download your copy today!
It's FREE to Faculty Focus members.
OTHER RECENT ARTICLES
May 16 - Giving Student Choices on How Assignments Are Weighted
By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD in Teaching Professor Blog
Not so long ago in the blog we explored the weighting of course assignments. The more certain assignments count in the grading scheme, the more time students are likely to devote to them. That makes determining how much each assignments counts an important decision. Since then I’ve come across several reports and some research that suggest we should consider giving students a choice on assignment weightings. For example, if the course contains a number of quizzes and collectively they count for 20% of the grade, a student could decide at the beginning of the course to raise that percentage to 30 with the weight of the major exams decreased by a corresponding amount. Or, say there are three assignments in the course that equal 75% of the grade, the student could designate a weight for each assignment between 15% and 45% but the three must total 75%.
May 14 - Publish and Flourish: Let Others Help You
By: Tara Gray, PhD in Faculty Development
As a scholarly writer, you were probably educated at the School of Hard Knocks, but it’s not the only school or even the best. Much is known about how to become more prolific—and any scholar can. Even when you can’t work harder, there are important ways to work smarter. Other scholars can help you so
May 11 - An Interesting Group Work Model
By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD in Effective Teaching Strategies
It has a long, not-easy-to-remember name: Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning. It usually goes by its acronym: POGIL. It’s a model designed to replace lectures (though not necessarily all of them). Students discuss course material in teams, and they use carefully designed material that involves sequenced sets of questions—that’s the guided-inquiry part of the model. The process part relates to what is generally a three-phase learning cycle that involves exploration, invention, and application. It is derived from Piaget’s work on mental functioning.
May 10 - Failure and Learning
By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD in Faculty Development
One of my retirement goals has been to finally get good at knitting. I learned how when I was a child, but I’ve never had the time to really master the craft. Retirement is when you’re supposed to realize some of these lifelong ambitions because you’re running out of time. And so I’ve been knitting lots of different things, using lots of different techniques.
May 9 - Enough Time to Make a Difference in Students’ Lives
By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD in Teaching Professor Blog
It’s that time of the year when students leave us. Some graduate and we celebrate their growth and intellectual accomplishments. We are sorry to see them go. Others cross the stage and their parting is no cause for sweet sorrow. Some leave without ever crossing the stage. And some temporarily leave, returning in the fall or for a summer session.
May 8 - Understanding Collegial Relationships within Academic Departments
By: Rob Kelly in Academic Leadership
In a mixed-methods study, Meghan Pifer, assistant professor in the Academic Development and Counseling Department at Lock Haven University, looked at the dynamics of informal intradepartmental relationships in two departments to determine how networks can affect faculty members’ access to resources, and ultimately their career success and satisfaction.
