The Silent Professor
As college faculty, we put tremendous pressure on ourselves to talk. We want to cover the course content and thoroughly explain our assignments. We want to sound smart, share what…
Nursery Rhymes: The Social Equalizer
Faculty are urged to turn classrooms into activity centers where lively discussion serves as an antidote to bored students zoning out of class lectures and zoning into images and words…
5 Surprising Tips for Using Handheld Educational Technologies in Lecture
Recently, I worked with a research assistant to assess the efficacy of the use of smart phones and tablets in lectures. The study involved asking students to use their own…
Getting Started with Blended Learning Videos
“There’s just not enough time in class with students!” It’s a common faculty complaint and when students are provided quality course materials they can use outside of class, this blended…
When Everything Goes Right in the Classroom
It is difficult to predict what the dynamics of a college class will be like at the beginning of a semester. Two sections of the same subject taught by the…
What Two Students Want You to Know About Inclusive Teaching
Inclusive teaching involves creating equitable and welcoming educational environments for the diverse learners in our classrooms. Such approaches may involve, but are not limited to: designing educational experiences informed by…
How to Use Technology to Harness the Power of Student Emotion
Igniting an emotional connection to content inside the classroom can be a powerful tool for student retention, but intertwining technology and emotion in the classroom can be even more impactful.…
To Teach to the Test or Not
There has been a long discussion within our college about whether or not teaching to the test is appropriate. Of course, the test that we mean is the TExES Principal…
Seven Strategies to Promote Community in Online Courses
Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with approximately 300 faculty who have developed and taught their first online course. One of the concerns I frequently hear from…
How to Get the Most Out of a Professional Conference
An initial look at a conference program can lead attendees to become (in the words of a former colleague) “paralyzed by the possibilities.” There are just so many sessions we’d…