A Look Inside the Teaching Professor Collections
Most of us teaching at the college level like to read. We read professional materials, and we read for pleasure. We know firsthand that much about teaching can be learned…
Implementing Active Learning and Student-Centered Pedagogy in Large Classes
There is a vast pedagogical literature spelling out the benefits of student engagement and active participation (1). A recent meta-analysis study of 225 active learning classes further concludes that “active…
Developing Collaborative Skills through Pedagogical Example
Regardless of one’s academic discipline or the courses that we teach, college faculty members share a responsibility to prepare our students for success in our courses and academic programs, their…
The Best Ways to Inspire Your Students to Learn Science
Isaac Newton first conceptualized the idea of gravity when an apple fell on his head. This moment was simple, but inspirational—with a huge impact on scientific progress to come. Answers…
Going Multimodal: 5 Tips for Making the Switch to Multimodal Assignments
With written communication becoming increasingly multimodal—from newspaper websites to your social media feed to your learning management system’s announcements page—researchers and practitioners alike have made the case for the value…
Designing a Course with Accountability and Dale’s Cone of Experience
When I began designing my course activities, I needed a model that would include all modalities of the learning processes. As my blueprint, I chose to incorporate Dale’s Cone of…
Scaffolding: How the Chicken Who Crossed the Road Developed New Knowledge
Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide. As experts in our…
Instructional Design: Who’s Playing First in My Course?
At a symposium about teaching projects on our campus, one group of faculty presented a set of projects they had done that involved giving students control over course design issues.…
Supporting Learning in Students with Autism: What Do Professors Need to Know?
“Jason is a bright, ambitious, and warm 22-year-old. He wants to be a Geologist. However, Jason has a hard time staying focused in a large classroom. Group activities, competing deadlines,…
A Practical Strategy for Infusing Multicultural Content into Any Lesson
The important role professors play in helping our students appreciate cultural diversity cannot be overvalued. There has been much written about what a Culturally Responsive educator can do to help…