What! No Textbook?
The approach to course reading described here is not the result of some altruistic action to save students money on textbooks. Nor was it a brilliant “Aha!” moment regarding the…
Rethinking Deadline and Late Penalty Policies…Again
Some of the recurring topics on Faculty Focus in the past ten years pertain to handling excuses, extension requests, and late work, because teachers regularly deal with those issues. Suggested…
Whose Classroom is It Anyway?
Most would agree the classroom is a place for discourse, reflection, and learning. But, whose class is it? Who’s doing the learning—the teacher or the students? We submit it’s both—teacher…
Teaching with Analogies: Socks Before Shoes—Order Matters
I have taught mathematics for 38 years and am puzzled by why the analogies I was taught throughout my youth have been lost. I believe that students often miss the…
Bitmojis, Gifs, and Snaps in the Classroom? Oh My!
Trying new things and staying connected to students is of utmost importance for Deidre Price, PhD, director of Instructional Technology and Online Education at Northwest Florida State College, which Price…
Unlocking the Quiet Moment: Cell Phones, a Surprising Tool
In-class activities can be a great way to foster student engagement in the classroom. Depending on the activity, the results can vary greatly. Sometimes they can fall flat, but every…
Graphic Novels, Innovative Teaching, and Student Engagement in the Classroom
As an instructor who has taught courses in the social sciences, humanities, and interdisciplinary fields, I’ve often considered the ways in which course readings can be more engaging for the…
Six Keys to Safer 21st Century Schools
The deadly shootings at Columbine High School in 1999 ushered in an era of other school massacres, including an elementary school in Newtown Connecticut, a high school in Parkland Florida,…
Making Radio: Using Audio for Student Assignments
Elvis (the other one … Costello) was right, “Radio, it’s a sound salvation. Radio, it’s cleaning up the nation.” Radio didn’t die, it was just sleeping. Podcasting and ubiquitous audio…
Less Stress, More Success: The End of Semester Student Presentation
As faculty design their syllabi for the upcoming semester, they consider how to have students demonstrate the vast knowledge they acquire throughout the semester. Enter the end of the semester…