Faculty Focus

JANUARY 30, 2024

Reimagining the traditional “syllabus day” to an engaged “preview day” provides an opportunity to set a desired tone for the semester. During the first day of class, I like to arrive 15 minutes early so I can play some learning, mood music in the background (when in doubt, lo-fi is a great option).

Syllabus 111

Syllabus Lecturing Discussions Science 111

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 17, 2023

I wanted to provoke them, to get them to ask questions, and to start using these tools—not to cheat—but to flip their learning on its head. I knew we needed to learn this together. Now create a syllabus, complete with readings.” Now prove me wrong.” You have questions and you’re looking for answers. And that made us all squirm.

English 337

English Syllabus Intelligence Assignments 337

Catlin Tucker

AUGUST 17, 2022

Instead of handing students a syllabus with a set of class rules, engage your students in the process of co-constructing classroom agreements about behaviors. They know what makes them feel safe and supported in learning environments. What about that class or learning environment made them feel comfortable?

Learning 370

Learning Syllabus Evaluation Discussions 370

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 31, 2023

Recently, I attended a conference and was sharing my new visual syllabus with some colleagues. After several interactions, I noticed the most frequent comment was, “What a cool syllabus…but is it accessible?” A little background about myself; I love designing, redesigning, and getting creative with my syllabus.

Syllabus 116

Syllabus Accessibility Quizzes Disabilities 116

Faculty Focus

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

Ever wonder why students dont read the syllabus, despite the time and effort we put into creating it? It serves as a contract between instructors and students (Eberly, Newton, & Wiggins, 2001), outlining the entire semesters expectations, assignments, and deadlines. Use Notebook LM to create a podcast of your syllabus.

Syllabus 98

Syllabus Students Activities Instructors 98

eSchool News

MARCH 24, 2020

To help, Lingvist is offering its platform of online language learning tools free of charge until July 31, 2020. Course Wizard – a course creation tool that allows you to custom-build activities based on vocabulary in your syllabus or from an excerpt of text. The process takes only seconds and assigning it to your classroom is easy.

Language 186

Language Languages Learning Tools Syllabus 186

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 31, 2023

Recently, I attended a conference and was sharing my new visual syllabus with some colleagues. After several interactions, I noticed the most frequent comment was, “What a cool syllabus…but is it accessible?” A little background about myself; I love designing, redesigning, and getting creative with my syllabus.

Syllabus 98

Syllabus Accessibility Quizzes Disabilities 98

Edsurge

APRIL 26, 2018

How do we move beyond grades to more meaningful demonstrations of learning? On Tuesday, April 24 the #DLNchat community got together to discuss and debate: How Can Alternative Assignments Effectively Assess Student Learning? Ideally, exams should be used more as a learning tool than an assessment tool. Yes exactly.

Assignments 101

Assignments Exams Instructors Learning 101

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. Instead of just reading and writing weekly assignments from a book, students read and write in service of completing a larger project. Establish good course practices. Present material in different ways.

Education 279

Education Syllabus Instructors Feedback 279

Cult of Pedagogy

MAY 11, 2025

There are multiple pathways to holding students accountable for their evidence of learning; one is to focus on cheating, the other is to focus on integrity. A claim about integrity is supported by a learners ability to transparently document and reflect on the learning process and explain or expand on their results.

Academic Integrity 88

Academic Integrity Learning Assignments Feedback 88

Edsurge

OCTOBER 29, 2018

Any tips on keeping my eye on the teaching/learning objectives while having two major LMS’s in play simultaneously? Adjunct at a tier 1 research university in the mid-Atlantic Even a little bit of effort toward streamlining content that could be moved to multiple learning management systems (LMSs) can have a big payoff.

Syllabus 142

Syllabus Mobile Devices Learning Assignments 142

Edsurge

JULY 19, 2019

What if you could map every book and article assigned in college courses around the world and see which authors are making the most impact? It’s called the Open Syllabus Project , and this week its leaders released a new version of their tool that analyzes assignment lists from more than six million syllabi. But version 2.0,

Syllabus 167

Syllabus Assignments History Knowledge 167

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 15, 2021

Much has changed since then, as the world of online learning built for working adults has grown. As an advisor at an online college, I know that adults are attracted to the flexibility of an asynchronous online learning environment and the pace of accelerated semesters. Don’t wait for an assignment notification to get started.

Online Learning 187

Online Learning Instructors Coaching Syllabus 187

eSchool News

OCTOBER 25, 2024

I typically assign a hefty 20-page final project in my STEM course, but I decided to take a more playful and hands-on approach for this group of students. We would conclude each class with an observation/ feedback session, allowing the pre-service teachers to share their experiences and learn from each other.

Teaching 278

Teaching Teachers STEM Syllabus 278

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 15, 2023

In my experience working with face-to-face faculty, I have observed a wide range of usage patterns regarding the Learning Management System (LMS). Faculty were eager to learn out of necessity, and we were thrilled to witness double-digit participation in online trainings that would typically draw only a handful of attendees.

Syllabus 126

Syllabus Instructors Peer Review Lecturing 126

eSchool News

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023

Just look at Sesame Street, which was once considered a wild, controversial experiment leveraging television for learning. Yet, by 1979, nine million children were watching the show , and kindergarten teachers had to upgrade their curricula because children were showing up knowing their ABCs and numbers and eager to learn more.

Ethics 338

Ethics Essay Syllabus Feedback 338

Faculty Focus

MAY 15, 2025

This article includes a free, open-access resource for educators: What Your Students Arent Telling You: Listening, Learning, and Leading with Empathy. The book, co-authored with students, offers actionable strategies and insights to help create more inclusive and humane learning environments. Textbook format and cost mattered.

Disabilities 55

Disabilities Course Design Lecturing Students 55

Faculty Focus

JUNE 2, 2024

Aside from a bare-bones syllabus, the professor never showed up. 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? I emailed the professor and waited…and waited…and waited—silence.

Syllabus 131

Syllabus Course Design Learning Students 131

Edsurge

JUNE 6, 2024

Tech giants Google, Microsoft and OpenAI have unintentionally assigned educators around the world major homework for the summer: Adjusting their assignments and teaching methods to adapt to a fresh batch of AI features that students will enter classrooms with in the fall.

Lecturing 216

Lecturing Education Assignments Syllabus 216

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 15, 2023

In my experience working with face-to-face faculty, I have observed a wide range of usage patterns regarding the Learning Management System (LMS). Faculty were eager to learn out of necessity, and we were thrilled to witness double-digit participation in online trainings that would typically draw only a handful of attendees.

Syllabus 111

Syllabus Instructors Peer Review Lecturing 111

Edsurge

APRIL 18, 2018

Why is it so hard to teach K-12 educators how to promote student agency and to provide choices around content and pacing—why is it so hard to teach educators how to personalize learning? It’s easier to provide a syllabus with structured projects and assignments that have assigned due dates and clear grading parameters.

Teaching 163

Teaching Education Learning Syllabus 163

Edsurge

JANUARY 9, 2019

Dear Bonni: How can we make student-to-student interaction more personable and engaging in online learning? Andrea Fuentes, Director of Online Learning, Doral College Cultivating an engaging environment can be a challenge when teaching online. This past semester, each student submitted reading notes as an assignment in the LMS.

Instructors 166

Instructors Syllabus Peer Review Students 166

Edsurge

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

I think the phenomena of the infographic syllabus has been an effort by many teachers to make that document more accessible, more real,” she explains. “We We can solve a lot of problems as educators if we can just get people to read the syllabus upfront.”.

Syllabus 167

Syllabus Teachers Course Outline English 167

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 13, 2024

Since the pandemic, which necessitated the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Canvas or Blackboard, there is now an additional component to consider in developing our courses. Instead of thinking about the LMS as simply a repository for course essentials (syllabus, contact information, etc.), across the course.

Syllabus 122

Syllabus Instructors Assignments Faculty Development 122

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 153

Culture Teaching Syllabus English 153

Faculty Focus

MARCH 14, 2023

Integral to these efforts, the Center for Educational Innovation (CEI) designed and delivered several faculty development opportunities focusing on research-based teaching and learning strategies that support student mental health and well-being. Clear expectations for all assignments, homework, activities, etc. Wisner, 2022).

Syllabus 131

Syllabus Exams Instructors Assignments 131

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 23, 2016

For a few years the California State University system has had an unusual requirement for professors who win a grant to redesign their courses: They must post a summary and reflection about their teaching in a public Web collection so others can learn from their experiments. As scholars, we probably should do something like that. “As

Teaching Portfolio 167

Teaching Portfolio Teaching Syllabus Peer Review 167

Edsurge

MARCH 7, 2024

In fact, the experiment at the Michigan public college could be said to mark a new generation in an area known as “ learning analytics.” Bowen asks, suggesting that doing so could bring new insights to people who design learning experiences. So what could generative AI do to improve learning?

Intelligence 213

Intelligence Syllabus Feedback Assignments 213

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 29, 2023

However, as a former instructor of online courses, I have seen first-hand the power of introducing a librarian to a group of online students and how such exposure can lead to curiosity on a topic and deepen student learning. Be open to a discussion of the course you teach or plan to teach. This could be quite a revealing discussion.

Syllabus 98

Syllabus Instructors Learning Assignments 98

Faculty Focus

JUNE 2, 2024

Aside from a bare-bones syllabus, the professor never showed up. 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? I emailed the professor and waited…and waited…and waited—silence.

Syllabus 110

Syllabus Course Design Learning Students 110

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 17, 2020

For this installment of our semester-long Pandemic Campus Diaries series, we’ve asked our participants to reflect on what they’ve learned from this disrupted and stressful semester. The pandemic has forced some professors to rethink how they teach, and it has led some students to forge closer connections with their professors—and each other.

Exams 180

Exams Syllabus Lecturing Testing 180

Edsurge

OCTOBER 22, 2021

Argos is calling its courseware platform and marketplace Sojourner, and the goal is to make it a hub for professors and students to create, assign and use digital course materials, in a way that allows for rich analytics for professors, showing them how their students are using materials. going to be layering on a service.

Textbooks 179

Textbooks Syllabus Instructors Peer Review 179

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 151

Academic Integrity Exams Assignments Instructors 151

Faculty Focus

MAY 13, 2025

It means cultivating an inclusive and participatory environment where students feel seen, valued, and empowered to learn. Though deceptively simple in execution, this approach has consistently proven to be a meaningful and effective method for shaping collaborative and inclusive learning environments. How might we improve it together?

Syllabus 105

Syllabus Instructors Learning Confidentiality 105

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 13, 2024

Since the pandemic, which necessitated the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Canvas or Blackboard, there is now an additional component to consider in developing our courses. Instead of thinking about the LMS as simply a repository for course essentials (syllabus, contact information, etc.), across the course.

Syllabus 105

Syllabus Instructors Assignments Faculty Development 105

Edsurge

MARCH 2, 2023

Classes don’t start and end according to an academic calendar, but begin when a student clicks “start course” and gets assigned a faculty member. On average, instructors are assigned 230 students at a time--a big change from the 20 or 30 I was used to at NYU and Stevens. Southern New Hampshire’s course completion rate is 90 percent.

Teaching 176

Teaching Instructors Syllabus Assignments 176

Edsurge

OCTOBER 27, 2020

Much of the connection that came with teaching and learning has been lost, and we’re feeling it every day. My syllabus had a no-technology policy and it wasn’t perfect, but it helped. I can cut a lot of slack, extend deadlines or excuse assignments. For me, virtual learning helps me feel safe and less exposed.

Teachers 213

Teachers Syllabus Schools Students 213