Can We Improve Grading by Collaborating with Students?
What is wrong with grades? Instructors and students have different ideas about what grades are supposed to measure: Should they be about how much students have learned? How much work…
Disability as a Valuable Form of Diversity, Not a Deficit
Typically, educational professionals focus on how to help students better access what is considered ‘typical’ learning (Ong-Dean, 2005). This is considered ‘deficit thinking,’ or thinking that defines a diagnosis by…
Improvising Great Classroom Discussion
This article first appeared in the Teaching Professor on May 18, 2017. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved. I was watching a video of several of my students teaching this week. I…
Three Ways to Prime Students for Learning
Are there parts of your course you wish could be taught more effectively?Would you like to prepare students for learning material with which they tend to struggle?Do you want to…
Five Things to Do During the Grumpy Time of the Semester
If you have taught before, then you are familiar with the grumpy time of the semester. This is when the semester starts to feel long. It is usually about two-thirds…
An Online Conference for You: A Taco, a Trip Around the World, and Scratch-offs for Tests
Thumbnails with a taco🌮. A 3-2-1 activity. A trip around the world🌎. Scratch-offs for test-taking. If you're interested in new teaching techniques, creative ideas, fostering a classroom community, and more,…
Appreciating Our Colleagues
This article first appeared in Maryellen Weimer's blog in November 2009. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved. I appreciate what my colleagues do for me. I have colleagues who indulge my…
Priceless Gift Exchanges between Faculty and Students
This article first appeared in the Teaching Professor on December 13, 2017. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved. Teachers and students can give each other priceless gifts. “Professor Jones changed my life!”…
Why Won’t They Ask Us for Help?
This article first appeared in the Teaching Professor on March 29, 2016. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved. After teaching statistics classes for more than 25 years and seeing so many students…
Engaging Students in Research
Students’ experiences in higher education goes far beyond the curriculum in their programs. Beyond the classroom walls there are extra-curricular and social activities and numerous other opportunities to gain unique…