Faculty Focus

FEBRUARY 27, 2025

Importantly, building classes that contain these elements for both students and instructors can lead to benefits for all. Below, I outline details about the five components and ideas for both students and instructors. In a class, an example might be only having students submit a discussion board post for every assignment.

Course Design 90

Course Design Teaching Instructors Motivation 90

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 9, 2024

Reflecting on our approach to course design—particularly with attention to how we build community and cultivate belonging—couldn’t come at a more crucial time. Intentional course design, it turns out, emphasizes many of the very same things that support student well-being (Slavin, Schindler, & Chibnall, 2014).

Course Design 111

Course Design Feedback Instructors Students 111

Faculty Focus

MAY 11, 2025

As the capacity of AI grows to complete increasingly complex tasks, we (as college instructors) may wonder what we can offer our students in the age of AI. In higher education, we see our students use AI in many ways, to provide both authorized and unauthorized aid in their completion of assignments. Schoeder, 2024).

Instructors 113

Instructors Motivation Critical Thinking Students 113

Faculty Focus

DECEMBER 8, 2024

As instructors, we are continually looking for ways to grow and improve. However, not all HIPs need to be planned at once and not all are suitable for every course. Instructors are encouraged to take small steps to start building HIPs in their curriculums, and there are some HIPs which are easy to incorporate into an existing course.

Assignments 106

Assignments Instructors Critical Thinking Activities 106

Edsurge

APRIL 8, 2020

The instructor can lecture and students can ask questions, or the instructor can lead a live discussion. For instance, instructors can ask students to post a one-sentence summary or brief reflection after going through an assigned reading or watching a short video lecture.

Teaching 218

Teaching Instructors Distance Learning Lecturing 218

Edsurge

APRIL 26, 2018

On Tuesday, April 24 the #DLNchat community got together to discuss and debate: How Can Alternative Assignments Effectively Assess Student Learning? Where there’s an alternative there must be a standard, so we started our chat creating a list of what those standard assignment are: exams, quizzes, essays, reports, lab manuals and the like.

Assignments 97

Assignments Exams Instructors Learning 97

Faculty Focus

DECEMBER 8, 2024

As instructors, we are continually looking for ways to grow and improve. However, not all HIPs need to be planned at once and not all are suitable for every course. Instructors are encouraged to take small steps to start building HIPs in their curriculums, and there are some HIPs which are easy to incorporate into an existing course.

Assignments 87

Assignments Instructors Critical Thinking Activities 87

Edsurge

JANUARY 2, 2019

Every new version of Microsoft PowerPoint allowed instructors to embed more and more media and wow students with visually appealing graphics. 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.

Technology 167

Technology Teaching Intellectual Development Instructors 167

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 20, 2018

Students cheating on assignments is hardly a new or surprising problem. In research and surveys conducted by Dr. Donald McCabe and the International Center for Academic Integrity over the span of 12 years, 68 percent of undergraduates who responded admitted to cheating on tests or written assignments.

Academic Integrity 148

Academic Integrity Exams Assignments Instructors 148

Faculty Focus

JUNE 2, 2024

Most of our grade was supposed to come from a single class project, but no assignment instructions were ever posted. But what about this assignment that was worth so much of our grade? Does everything work together to achieve the stated learning objectives of the course? He simply gave us all A’s. Mental i llness.

Syllabus 131

Syllabus Course Design Learning Students 131

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

But Chatterjee, an international student from India, did not feel confident about the assignment, and thought it was Western-centric and focused on physical powers associated with attractive males. 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

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 120

Feedback Course Design Instructors Education 120

eSchool News

JULY 19, 2016

Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education has launched a short online course designed specifically to help educators create rich and meaningful opportunities for communication within the classroom. The course, Effective Conversation in the Classroom, launches this August with three online sessions.

Critical Thinking 146

Critical Thinking Education Communication Lecturing 146

eSchool News

JULY 20, 2016

Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education has launched a short online course designed specifically to help educators create rich and meaningful opportunities for communication within the classroom. The course, Effective Conversation in the Classroom, launches in August with three online sessions.

Teaching 186

Teaching Exams Disabilities Learning 186

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 13, 2024

In a recent survey, undergraduate students reported several concerns around Canvas use, including: Too much variability and lack of consistency across instructors and courses – all faculty use it differently which leads to challenges in finding information, resources, assignments, etc.

Syllabus 122

Syllabus Instructors Assignments Faculty Development 122

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

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 27, 2024

Connecting with students shifts the obligation from the instructor working singularly to create an inclusive environment to one where the class works collectively to build the community. Instructors lead by example, sharing information about themselves, their backgrounds, and their interests, and encourage students to do the same.

Instructors 116

Instructors Students Minute Papers Course Design 116

Faculty Focus

NOVEMBER 27, 2022

2011) into all parts of our courses (see Saucier et al., 2022 for a discussion of the empathetic course design perspective). This ranges from our syllabi to our course structures and policies, to our assignments and assessments. This empathetic course design perspective is important to us.

Course Design 142

Course Design Assignments Teaching Philosophy Instructors 142

Ask a Tech Teacher

FEBRUARY 7, 2022

All classes follow an easy-to-use course design: establish goals–what students will learn by the end of the class. You can watch the video, rewatch, submit assignments and assessments when you’re ready. Your dashboard tells you how much time you’ve spent and how much remains before you must complete the course.

Teaching 179

Teaching Education Learning Assignments 179

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 4, 2024

A lightboard is a large glass panel coupled with technology that allows an instructor to write or draw on a large surface (McCorkle & Whitener, 2020). Lightboards require minimal instructor training. Some lightboards can be setup to be one button studios controlled exclusively by the instructor.

Online Learning 111

Online Learning Learning Tools Instructors Learning 111

Edsurge

MARCH 29, 2017

Relate” videos get the student to feel connected to the instructor. They seek to establish instructor presence. They also prompt students to reflect on their own prior experiences with the topic and reasons for taking the course. These four actions represent a synthesis of the research on instructional media.

Instructors 146

Instructors Education Lecturing Knowledge 146

Faculty Focus

JUNE 2, 2024

Most of our grade was supposed to come from a single class project, but no assignment instructions were ever posted. But what about this assignment that was worth so much of our grade? Does everything work together to achieve the stated learning objectives of the course? He simply gave us all A’s. Mental i llness.

Syllabus 108

Syllabus Course Design Learning Students 108

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 27, 2024

Connecting with students shifts the obligation from the instructor working singularly to create an inclusive environment to one where the class works collectively to build the community. Instructors lead by example, sharing information about themselves, their backgrounds, and their interests, and encourage students to do the same.

Instructors 105

Instructors Students Minute Papers Course Design 105

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 15, 2023

Effective use of learning management systems is widely explored in terms of online and blended learning; however, there is minimal information regarding learning management systems and face-to-face courses, unless it’s about transitioning from in-person to emergency remote learning. Avoid confusing instructions.

Syllabus 126

Syllabus Instructors Peer Review Lecturing 126

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 13, 2024

In a recent survey, undergraduate students reported several concerns around Canvas use, including: Too much variability and lack of consistency across instructors and courses – all faculty use it differently which leads to challenges in finding information, resources, assignments, etc.

Syllabus 105

Syllabus Instructors Assignments Faculty Development 105

Scholarly Teacher

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

Rachel Thelen , The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry Noelle Haight , Occupational Therapist and Educator Julia VanderMolen , University of the Pacific Key Statement: Four helpful tips, including backwards design, for the new instructor looking to (re)design their course. Many new instructors face this what now?

Instructors 52

Instructors Curriculum Quizzes Lecturing 52

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 4, 2024

A lightboard is a large glass panel coupled with technology that allows an instructor to write or draw on a large surface (McCorkle & Whitener, 2020). Lightboards require minimal instructor training. Some lightboards can be setup to be one button studios controlled exclusively by the instructor.

Online Learning 98

Online Learning Learning Tools Instructors Learning 98

Edsurge

MAY 16, 2024

She’s also director of the Center for Teaching Excellence there, which provides faculty with support for instruction, edtech, course design, classroom management and grading. Some schools do, but a lot of schools generally leave absence management up to individual instructors. But I can't put exact numbers on that.

Students 201

Students Instructors Lecturing Participation 201

Faculty Focus

APRIL 18, 2023

All sections of bi-modal courses receive a copy over of the asynchronous LMS master course. The faculty team could be consulted as to what materials should be placed in the master course. Every educator has the same course design and materials. Flexible (UDL) assignment design.

Exams 111

Exams Course Design Assignments Learning 111

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 18, 2024

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. This is a great first day of class activity that gets students engaged with each other and the instructor right away. Encourage student participation.

Teaching 119

Teaching Syllabus Feedback Instructors 119

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 21, 2024

Flexible policies such as dropping the lowest quiz/assignment score and offering one free pass for a “no-questions-asked” due-date extension can reduce anxiety and logistical rigor. This type of intellectual rigor is desirable in course design. Lastly, we map the various due dates onto a calendar.

Syllabus 132

Syllabus Exams Students Motivation 132

Faculty Focus

NOVEMBER 1, 2022

My rationale here is to not make it a mandatory assignment, but an extra credit opportunity to know more about their current learning experiences. I specify how I plan to respond once I collect their feedback; for example, adding more clarifications on assignments or identifying themes and concerns.

Student Engagement 131

Student Engagement Lecturing Students Feedback 131

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 15, 2023

Effective use of learning management systems is widely explored in terms of online and blended learning; however, there is minimal information regarding learning management systems and face-to-face courses, unless it’s about transitioning from in-person to emergency remote learning. Avoid confusing instructions.

Syllabus 111

Syllabus Instructors Peer Review Lecturing 111

Faculty Focus

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

In order to provide useful information to instructors and students about student achievement, it must be understood that student assessment is more than just a grade because it should link student performance to specific learning objectives. Providing student feedback on an assessment, or any assignment, provides extensive value.

Fairness 122

Fairness Instructors Feedback Evaluation 122

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

University of Michigan marketing professor John Branch rebuilds the learning experience by taking a precision engineering approach to course design. Source: Course Hero. He engineers every aspect of his courses, down to which students he’ll shoot the breeze with before class. Why did it fail?

Quizzes 167

Quizzes Failure Culture Students 167

Faculty Focus

APRIL 16, 2023

“Educator” is used throughout this paper to represent professor, instructor, teacher, or any person or team that leads learning sessions. Scheduling and delivery of courses offered in various modalities can be problematic for colleges and universities. IT-ready classrooms may not be available for all courses.

Learning 105

Learning Assignments Course Design Instructors 105

eSchool News

JULY 26, 2016

The program used Brightspace to deliver blended learning courses designed with experiential learning elements that allowed them to be offered with significant cost savings. Rochester Institute of Technology : Sandra Connelly, Instructor.

Online Learning 129

Online Learning Quizzes eLearning Learning 129