Faculty Focus

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

Ever wonder why students dont read the syllabus, despite the time and effort we put into creating it? Yet, many students simply arent motivated to read it. Simply standing in front of the room and reading through the syllabus page by page isnt the most engaging way to showcase what your class has to offer.

Syllabus 98

Syllabus Students Activities Instructors 98

eSchool News

OCTOBER 7, 2015

Prepare syllabus and assignment due dates carefully and well in advance so that students know what to expect and when. A good course might have a “capstone project” that all the course activities build toward. Considering using both synchronous and asynchronous activities , which helps provide a good balance of activities.

Education 279

Education Syllabus Instructors Feedback 279

Faculty Focus

MARCH 12, 2023

The first day or week of the semester is often referred to as what students call “syllabus week,” because professors typically spend the first day of class reviewing the syllabus—interject a big yawn here. I consistently wanted to integrate community building activities for the students to participate in and feel safe and comfortable.

Student Engagement 116

Student Engagement Activities Syllabus Instructors 116

Faculty Focus

MARCH 12, 2023

The first day or week of the semester is often referred to as what students call “syllabus week,” because professors typically spend the first day of class reviewing the syllabus—interject a big yawn here. I consistently wanted to integrate community building activities for the students to participate in and feel safe and comfortable.

Student Engagement 98

Student Engagement Activities Syllabus Instructors 98

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 1, 2024

Historically, I start the semester by walking through the syllabus, our canvas site, and previewing the course topics. I decided to go back to my learnings objectives for this activity. The post First Day of Class Activities That Set the Tone for Learning appeared first on Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning.

Activities 109

Activities Syllabus Learning Knowledge 109

Edsurge

JULY 21, 2025

I read books, I listened to podcasts, and I had long conversations with colleagues about what equitable, ethical AI should look like in our courses. With OpenAI access, students will benefit from faster responses, voice-to-text, custom learning tools, and Sora, OpenAI’s image and video generator, to deepen engagement with our readings.

English 147

English Syllabus Ethics Students 147

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 1, 2024

Historically, I start the semester by walking through the syllabus, our canvas site, and previewing the course topics. I decided to go back to my learnings objectives for this activity. The post First Day of Class Activities That Set the Tone for Learning appeared first on Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning.

Activities 97

Activities Syllabus Learning Knowledge 97

Edsurge

APRIL 30, 2020

Listen to the conversation below, or read a partial transcript, lightly edited for clarity. Del Tufo: Reading is probably the most prevalent one that I see. Students who struggle because they have reading disabilities or struggle to read on a computer screen because of blurred vision. It's, “Did you miss the video?

Accessibility 217

Accessibility Disabilities Universal Design Syllabus 217

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 20, 2024

I know you may be thinking that play is an activity for children, but in his book “Play”, author Stuart Brown reminds us of the positive benefits of play in adulthood , which include reducing stress, fostering relationships, and enhancing one’s mood. Exhibit 2: Thompson’s Barbie themed class syllabus (Spring 2024). Let Them Play!

Syllabus 111

Syllabus Attention Assignments Activities 111

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 20, 2024

I know you may be thinking that play is an activity for children, but in his book “Play”, author Stuart Brown reminds us of the positive benefits of play in adulthood , which include reducing stress, fostering relationships, and enhancing one’s mood. Exhibit 2: Thompson’s Barbie themed class syllabus (Spring 2024). Let Them Play!

Syllabus 111

Syllabus Attention Assignments Activities 111

Edsurge

JUNE 6, 2024

Now that such tools are out there, Watkins suggests that professors look for more ways to do active learning in their classes, and to put more of what he called “intentional friction” in student learning so that students are forced to stop and participate or to reflect on what is being said.

Lecturing 216

Lecturing Education Assignments Syllabus 216

Edsurge

MAY 26, 2019

The class reads about Common Core and completes a few samples of Common Core assessment questions to understand the student and teacher experience using these materials. Another session examines the business of edtech, first by asking the class to read a seminal paper authored in 2007 (but still relevant to this day) about the industry.

Syllabus 156

Syllabus Education Failure Knowledge 156

Faculty Focus

DECEMBER 15, 2024

For some, planning revolves around syllabus revision, closing loopholes, and adjusting dates. When times abundant, some teachers read books like Wiggins and McTighes Understanding by Design , a thoughtful, research-based system. It wasnt an effective system. Poor planning left my students and me burnt out at the end of most terms.

Syllabus 110

Syllabus Exams Course Outline Attention 110

Faculty Focus

MAY 9, 2024

As educators and students grapple with what is allowed when using generative AI (GenAI) tools, I have compiled five tips to help you design or redesign academic integrity statements for your syllabus, assignments, exams, and course activities. Or for some class activities, but not others. Which leads to my next point… 2.

Academic Integrity 137

Academic Integrity Writing Syllabus Exams 137

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 13, 2024

Instead of thinking about the LMS as simply a repository for course essentials (syllabus, contact information, etc.), Students now expect the use of this tool by their professors for more than simply providing lecture slides or links to readings. consider how it might be used as a tool for enhancing student learning and engagement.

Syllabus 122

Syllabus Instructors Assignments Faculty Development 122

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 18, 2024

I was handed a syllabus, a classroom, and students, and left to figure out the rest on my own. In preparing that first course, I focused on what I thought were the essentials of teaching: finalizing the syllabus, picking the readings, and writing the assignments. Co-create classroom norms with your students.

Teaching 119

Teaching Syllabus Feedback Instructors 119

Faculty Focus

DECEMBER 15, 2024

For some, planning revolves around syllabus revision, closing loopholes, and adjusting dates. When times abundant, some teachers read books like Wiggins and McTighes Understanding by Design , a thoughtful, research-based system. It wasnt an effective system. Poor planning left my students and me burnt out at the end of most terms.

Syllabus 99

Syllabus Exams Course Outline Attention 99

Faculty Focus

MAY 13, 2025

Furthermore, teaching should aim to prepare students for active civic engagement. The instructor typically arrives, distributes a syllabus outlining course policies and expectations, explains assignments and grading criteria, and may include a brief activity or icebreaker. Often, class ends early. This distinction is crucial.

Syllabus 105

Syllabus Instructors Learning Confidentiality 105

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 13, 2024

As the lazy days of summer start to dwindle, it’s time to trade in beach reads for textbooks and flip-flops for sensible shoes. When asked if they were using AI to support academic activities, the majority of faculty who responded stated they did not use AI to support academic activities. But fear not!

Syllabus 119

Syllabus Assignments Feedback Teaching Assistants 119

Faculty Focus

MAY 29, 2025

After 13 years of testing higher-order active learning modalities in the classroom, collecting data, building a database, and analyzing student learning results in bi-annual principles of marketing classes, my colleague and I saw two important results emerge.

Student Engagement 91

Student Engagement Syllabus Learning Students 91

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 18, 2024

I was handed a syllabus, a classroom, and students, and left to figure out the rest on my own. In preparing that first course, I focused on what I thought were the essentials of teaching: finalizing the syllabus, picking the readings, and writing the assignments. Co-create classroom norms with your students.

Teaching 111

Teaching Syllabus Feedback Instructors 111

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 13, 2024

Instead of thinking about the LMS as simply a repository for course essentials (syllabus, contact information, etc.), Students now expect the use of this tool by their professors for more than simply providing lecture slides or links to readings. consider how it might be used as a tool for enhancing student learning and engagement.

Syllabus 105

Syllabus Instructors Assignments Faculty Development 105

Faculty Focus

SEPTEMBER 3, 2024

We may not all have the luxury in our class schedules to take an entire week for this, but we must integrate more community building in our existing activities and schedules, especially on the first day. This activity helps focus students, spark curiosity, and increase engagement. What do you wonder (Newbery, 2023)?”

Exams 116

Exams Syllabus Group work Assignments 116

Faculty Focus

MAY 13, 2025

Furthermore, teaching should aim to prepare students for active civic engagement. The instructor typically arrives, distributes a syllabus outlining course policies and expectations, explains assignments and grading criteria, and may include a brief activity or icebreaker. Often, class ends early. This distinction is crucial.

Syllabus 98

Syllabus Instructors Learning Confidentiality 98

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 13, 2024

As the lazy days of summer start to dwindle, it’s time to trade in beach reads for textbooks and flip-flops for sensible shoes. When asked if they were using AI to support academic activities, the majority of faculty who responded stated they did not use AI to support academic activities. But fear not!

Syllabus 111

Syllabus Assignments Feedback Teaching Assistants 111

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 16, 2017

Differentiated instruction speaks to equity in learning, such as providing audio books for dyslexic students so that they are able to read and think at their cognitive ability rather than having to fight words on a page. What separates the three, to me, are nuanced practices all based in what each human needs to learn.

Learning 166

Learning Syllabus Social Studies Students 166

Faculty Focus

SEPTEMBER 3, 2024

We may not all have the luxury in our class schedules to take an entire week for this, but we must integrate more community building in our existing activities and schedules, especially on the first day. This activity helps focus students, spark curiosity, and increase engagement. What do you wonder (Newbery, 2023)?”

Exams 111

Exams Syllabus Group work Assignments 111

Faculty Focus

JUNE 25, 2023

Next, I drafted a one-page syllabus (Figure 1) that included my contact information, a course description, student learning outcomes, those same discovery questions (above), recommended texts, a preliminary course schedule, and an abbreviated outline of the course content. What could they contribute to their own success? for “Students are.”

Coaching 105

Coaching Syllabus Confidentiality Assignments 105

Faculty Focus

JULY 27, 2023

QR codes can be used to share materials with students and to engage students in active learning activities. They provide a quick way to access a webpage that could be the syllabus, a poll, a list of resources, or a shared online space for a brainstorming activity. Students’ short answers are anonymous.

Student Engagement 98

Student Engagement Syllabus Students Lecturing 98

Faculty Focus

DECEMBER 17, 2023

For some, planning revolves around syllabus revision, closing loopholes, and adjusting dates. When time’s abundant, some teachers read books like Wiggins and McTighe’s Understanding by Design , a thoughtful, research-based system. It wasn’t an effective system. Poor planning left my students and me burnt out at the end of most terms.

Exams 111

Exams Syllabus Course Outline Attention 111

Faculty Focus

NOVEMBER 6, 2022

Faculty should consider implementing these strategies during the design phase of their curriculum and syllabus. Cold or random call. Once a course is already in progress, implementing these strategies could be a daunting task, so it is worthwhile to make them a part of your courses as early as possible.

Disabilities 144

Disabilities Exams Lecturing Education 144

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

So, all told, a ninety-minute session is not really ninety minutes; it’s 15 six-minute activities. There is a theory in pedagogy that suggests that human beings cannot focus their attention on a single activity for more than 12 minutes. So, all told, a ninety-minute session is not really ninety minutes; it’s 15 six-minute activities.

Quizzes 167

Quizzes Failure Culture Students 167

Faculty Focus

JUNE 25, 2023

Next, I drafted a one-page syllabus (Figure 1) that included my contact information, a course description, student learning outcomes, those same discovery questions (above), recommended texts, a preliminary course schedule, and an abbreviated outline of the course content. What could they contribute to their own success? for “Students are.”

Coaching 98

Coaching Syllabus Confidentiality Assignments 98

Faculty Focus

DECEMBER 17, 2023

For some, planning revolves around syllabus revision, closing loopholes, and adjusting dates. When time’s abundant, some teachers read books like Wiggins and McTighe’s Understanding by Design , a thoughtful, research-based system. It wasn’t an effective system. Poor planning left my students and me burnt out at the end of most terms.

Exams 105

Exams Syllabus Course Outline Attention 105

Faculty Focus

MAY 9, 2024

As educators and students grapple with what is allowed when using generative AI (GenAI) tools, I have compiled five tips to help you design or redesign academic integrity statements for your syllabus, assignments, exams, and course activities. Or for some class activities, but not others. Which leads to my next point… 2.

Academic Integrity 98

Academic Integrity Writing Syllabus Exams 98

Faculty Focus

JUNE 18, 2023

Asynchronous online courses that follow the academic schedule for beginning and ending of the course and are structured with firm due dates for assignments, tests, and course activities may or may not offer students opportunities to connect with others taking the course at the same time. Where is this going?” So far we have focused on.

Instructors 105

Instructors Syllabus Assignments Feedback 105

Scholarly Teacher

NOVEMBER 20, 2024

2024): W ho is and what languages are overrepresented/underrepresented in readings, guest speakers, collaborations? What does the language in the syllabus/assignment assume about students (e.g., In a review of a health professions course syllabus, student partner Jean Genie wrote: Have you considered [.]

Teaching 98

Teaching Instructors English Languages 98