Faculty Focus

MAY 7, 2024

With a commitment to ensuring educational excellence and student success, in 2020, UF CJC Online developed a comprehensive course design strategy to elevate its online courses, a mission mandated by the State University System of Florida’s 2025 Strategic Plan for Online Education.

Feedback 121

Feedback Course Design Instructors Education 121

Faculty Focus

MAY 7, 2024

With a commitment to ensuring educational excellence and student success, in 2020, UF CJC Online developed a comprehensive course design strategy to elevate its online courses, a mission mandated by the State University System of Florida’s 2025 Strategic Plan for Online Education.

Feedback 110

Feedback Course Design Instructors Education 110

Ask a Tech Teacher

AUGUST 12, 2019

It’s clear to me that the course design–how I lay out the mix of resources, homework, classwork, and more–affects how students absorb and share knowledge. One of our Ask a Tech Teacher contributors knows a lot about how course design impacts learning. All of this starts with a good course design.

Course Design 80

Course Design Students Exams Feedback 80

Faculty Focus

NOVEMBER 12, 2024

Both teachers and students tend to resist prioritizing writing activities into language lessons. Acknowledging both the importance of writing and the challenges it presents, we recently introduced an innovative activity in our Intermediate Spanish class. However, not all students were entirely satisfied with the experience.

Languages 124

Languages Language Writing Communication 124

Edsurge

MAY 6, 2020

In its simplest form, engagement is a measure of how much we are attending to a purpose, task or activity. When it comes to learning, engagement is influenced by a learner's level of motivation, focus and cognitive ability as well as online course design and a teacher's decisions regarding facilitation style.

Motivation 218

Motivation Education Learning Feedback 218

Faculty Focus

NOVEMBER 1, 2022

Unlike the end-of-semester feedback, when gathering formative feedback on what’s helping or hindering student learning might be too late, mid-term analysis of our teaching and student learning may help motivate students and enhance their learning. Adding small activities for engagement. Sound familiar?

Student Engagement 131

Student Engagement Lecturing Students Feedback 131

Faculty Focus

NOVEMBER 12, 2024

Both teachers and students tend to resist prioritizing writing activities into language lessons. Acknowledging both the importance of writing and the challenges it presents, we recently introduced an innovative activity in our Intermediate Spanish class. However, not all students were entirely satisfied with the experience.

Languages 98

Languages Language Writing Communication 98

Edsurge

APRIL 8, 2020

Since the 1990s and the rise of online video conferencing, though, it has been possible for educators to choose which activities in their distance-education courses to conduct synchronously and which to leave as asynchronous. At first, such synchronous teaching was expensive and cumbersome.

Teaching 218

Teaching Instructors Distance Learning Lecturing 218

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

When Suparna Chatterjee was taking a graduate online course at New Mexico State University two years ago, she had to complete an ice-breaker activity where she was asked to create her own superhero. Based on that feedback, the professor, Julia Parra, says she changed the assignment to make it broader, and more inclusive.

Culture 152

Culture Teaching Syllabus English 152

Edsurge

JANUARY 13, 2017

A few trees were saved, but courses weren’t any smarter. So if automation and interactivity differentiate a smart phone from a phone, what makes a course “smart”? What attributes of course design and applications of technology transform outcomes and impact, as opposed to gratuitous investment in technology for technology’s sake?

Multiple Choice Questions 128

Multiple Choice Questions Instructors Textbooks Feedback 128

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 21, 2025

Trusting students does not mean ignoring accountability; it means designing courses, policies, and practices that build their confidence and skills while treating them as equal partners in their education. Collaborative syllabus design: During the first class, engage students in setting community and classroom norms and goals.

Plagiarism 121

Plagiarism Syllabus Ethics Feedback 121

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 6, 2024

Many institutions are looking at increasing the number of online students through a combination of course availability, carousel offering, sequencing, and timing rather than increasing caps in online courses. Lowenthal et asl 2019) In person classes allow for real-time communication, non-verbal cues, and spontaneous group activities.

Instructors 116

Instructors Course Design Students Authentic Assessment 116

Faculty Focus

JUNE 2, 2024

Online student struggles When you think of “student support,” you probably think about an academic-based intervention; perhaps on-campus or Zoom-based tutoring, a writing center that can provide feedback and services related to class writing assignments, or services for students with accommodations.

Syllabus 131

Syllabus Course Design Learning Students 131

Ask a Tech Teacher

JULY 12, 2021

Once it was determined by my school district that we were continuing with distance learning when the school year started in 2020, there was a flurry of activity from our district in an attempt to create some type of training for teachers, many who were winging it in the Spring 2020 semester. What did one do? Transitioning to the Next Phase.

Distance Learning 167

Distance Learning Assignments Feedback Course Design 167

Faculty Focus

NOVEMBER 1, 2022

Unlike the end-of-semester feedback, when gathering formative feedback on what’s helping or hindering student learning might be too late, mid-term analysis of our teaching and student learning may help motivate students and enhance their learning. Adding small activities for engagement. Sound familiar?

Student Engagement 98

Student Engagement Lecturing Students Feedback 98

Edsurge

OCTOBER 10, 2017

Learner Profiles are tools that students can create to reflect on who they are as learners and subsequently use to take an active role in the personalization of their learning. The activities that the teachers complete are listed in the next column and are completely determined by the teachers.

Teachers 160

Teachers Lecturing Blended Learning Students 160

Edsurge

JANUARY 2, 2019

In addition to using technology in my own biology courses, I also work with faculty across the country on how to teach with technology through an inclusive lens. The narrative I often hear centers on how students may resist active learning approaches, a teaching style that often (but not always) is predicated on some technology.

Technology 167

Technology Teaching Intellectual Development Instructors 167

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 27, 2024

Be Present Being present in your online course goes beyond delivering the curriculum and providing assignment feedback. Interact consistently with students throughout the term, actively posing questions and remaining receptive to their inquiries. Consider using video for announcements, lesson overviews, and feedback.

Instructors 116

Instructors Students Minute Papers Course Design 116

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 18, 2024

This is a great first day of class activity that gets students engaged with each other and the instructor right away. Planning for this doesn’t have to be a lot of work; for example, when giving students instructions for an assignment or activity, accompany verbal instructions with written instructions on a slide or handout.

Teaching 119

Teaching Syllabus Feedback Instructors 119

Faculty Focus

DECEMBER 5, 2024

Efforts to include all individuals, including those with disabilities in educational settings should prioritize specific measures to ensure their full participation in all activities. Access: Building Bridges to Opportunity Accessible Course Design Accessibility in online education goes beyond compliance with legal requirements.

Accessibility 105

Accessibility Disabilities Education Culture 105

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 6, 2024

Many institutions are looking at increasing the number of online students through a combination of course availability, carousel offering, sequencing, and timing rather than increasing caps in online courses. Lowenthal et asl 2019) In person classes allow for real-time communication, non-verbal cues, and spontaneous group activities.

Instructors 98

Instructors Course Design Students Authentic Assessment 98

Faculty Focus

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

In higher education, there has been an over-reliance on administering summative assessments and simply assigning student grades, often with minimal to no feedback provided prior to the conclusion of the course. Providing student feedback on an assessment, or any assignment, provides extensive value.

Fairness 122

Fairness Instructors Feedback Evaluation 122

Edsurge

SEPTEMBER 10, 2017

As I improved it, I also worked on developing a smoother flow and incorporating reflections into the course. From 2011-2015, I continued to iterate on the course design for my class. Students need to shift their role from passive learner to active decision-maker, which includes a new set of responsibilities.

Syllabus 159

Syllabus Learning Course Outline History 159

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 21, 2018

If used thoughtfully, we’ve seen that CRSs can help facilitate active learning in a classroom. Faculty risk excluding certain students and impeding their ability to succeed when they aren’t intentional about design and facilitation. What’s more, these tools can be used to also facilitate an inclusive classroom.

Instructors 140

Instructors Multiple Choice Questions Course Design Discussions 140

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 21, 2025

Trusting students does not mean ignoring accountability; it means designing courses, policies, and practices that build their confidence and skills while treating them as equal partners in their education. Collaborative syllabus design: During the first class, engage students in setting community and classroom norms and goals.

Plagiarism 98

Plagiarism Syllabus Ethics Feedback 98

Faculty Focus

MARCH 19, 2023

A SWOT analysis The five stages of the Stanford Design Thinking Process were used to structure the course. Design thinking activities and assessments were designed at each stage of the course. The summative assessment in the ideate stage was the Career Development Plan SWOT Analysis.

Course Design 116

Course Design Testing Feedback Assignments 116

Faculty Focus

JUNE 2, 2024

Online student struggles When you think of “student support,” you probably think about an academic-based intervention; perhaps on-campus or Zoom-based tutoring, a writing center that can provide feedback and services related to class writing assignments, or services for students with accommodations.

Syllabus 108

Syllabus Course Design Learning Students 108

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 27, 2024

Be Present Being present in your online course goes beyond delivering the curriculum and providing assignment feedback. Interact consistently with students throughout the term, actively posing questions and remaining receptive to their inquiries. Consider using video for announcements, lesson overviews, and feedback.

Instructors 105

Instructors Students Minute Papers Course Design 105

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 18, 2024

This is a great first day of class activity that gets students engaged with each other and the instructor right away. Planning for this doesn’t have to be a lot of work; for example, when giving students instructions for an assignment or activity, accompany verbal instructions with written instructions on a slide or handout.

Teaching 111

Teaching Syllabus Feedback Instructors 111

Faculty Focus

DECEMBER 5, 2024

Efforts to include all individuals, including those with disabilities in educational settings should prioritize specific measures to ensure their full participation in all activities. Access: Building Bridges to Opportunity Accessible Course Design Accessibility in online education goes beyond compliance with legal requirements.

Accessibility 98

Accessibility Disabilities Education Culture 98

Faculty Focus

APRIL 10, 2025

Many professors may not be familiar with, A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning , a resource designed to do just what it says. From this, Fink developed a model known as integrated course design which consists of three phases: the initial, intermediate and final design phases.

Course Design 61

Course Design Students Active Learning Activities 61

Faculty Focus

APRIL 10, 2025

Many professors may not be familiar with, A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning , a resource designed to do just what it says. From this, Fink developed a model known as integrated course design which consists of three phases: the initial, intermediate and final design phases.

Course Design 61

Course Design Students Active Learning Activities 61

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 13, 2024

Posting grades and feedback weeks or months after assignment submission is frustrating for students, especially for assignments that build on one another. Ensure content in the LMS course matches syllabus content and information (it’s ok to have information in both the syllabus and the LMS).

Syllabus 122

Syllabus Instructors Assignments Faculty Development 122

Faculty Focus

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

In higher education, there has been an over-reliance on administering summative assessments and simply assigning student grades, often with minimal to no feedback provided prior to the conclusion of the course. Providing student feedback on an assessment, or any assignment, provides extensive value.

Fairness 111

Fairness Instructors Feedback Evaluation 111

Faculty Focus

DECEMBER 10, 2023

Lesson one: Planning teaching presence At our university training during the pandemic, professors learned that enhancing flexibility for online learners involved making all assignments and activities accessible on the first day of class—this way students could work at their own pace.  7 keys to effective feedback.  Jossey-Bass.

Quizzes 126

Quizzes Teaching Learning Feedback 126

Faculty Focus

MAY 30, 2023

Traditionally, the one-size-fits-all approach to assessment has been dominant, with all students completing the same activities throughout the course. To counter this, I offer an alternative approach: integrating student choice into course assignments. Outcome The results were compelling.

Student Engagement 98

Student Engagement Assignments Instructors Students 98

Faculty Focus

NOVEMBER 29, 2022

Are there parts of your course you wish could be taught more effectively? Do you want to help students transition effectively from one learning activity to another? Priming prepares students for upcoming information or a learning activity before they receive the information or participate in the activity in a course.

Knowledge 126

Knowledge Quizzes Students Learning 126