Ask a Tech Teacher

APRIL 28, 2025

Without face-to-face communication, building relationships with peers and instructors becomes challenging, hindering collaboration and support. Today’s students demand more than just traditional lectures and textbooks; they’re looking for an engaging, flexible, and personalized learning experience.

Hybrid Learning 141

Hybrid Learning Learning Styles Study Critical Thinking 141

Faculty Focus

JUNE 18, 2023

In a face-to-face class, students see the instructor and other students and, even if not interacting with them directly, know they are not alone. But asynchronous courses, and especially asynchronous independent study courses, present a different scenario with challenges for both instructors and students. Who is my instructor?”

Instructors 105

Instructors Syllabus Assignments Feedback 105

Edsurge

OCTOBER 22, 2020

And if incoming students do not see the difference between the online instruction offered by their community college and by a traditional four-year residential school, many university administrators should be nervous indeed. To stave off this potential defection, how can we instructors promote virtual community?

Instructors 211

Instructors Lecturing Course Evaluations Feedback 211

Edsurge

MARCH 11, 2020

First, the tips: The Simplest Way to Go Online is to Shift to a Video Conference Platform Stachowiak says that just lecturing to a webcam instead of an in-person class isn’t the best way to teach online, but it is the easiest way to switch. Or read the highlights here, edited and condensed for clarity and readability.

Instructors 207

Instructors Teaching Multiple Choice Questions Ethics 207

Edsurge

MARCH 18, 2022

In the pandemic many higher ed faculty, forced onto Zoom and other videoconferencing platforms, have continued teaching online just as they always did face to face, delivering lectures over streaming video as they did in person. In fact, many college instructors have been downright grumpy about having been thrown into a new teaching format.

Teaching 184

Teaching Lecturing Instructors Learning 184

Edsurge

JANUARY 16, 2023

There's a lecture mode in UNIVERSE. When class is about to start, the teacher can press that lecture mode button, and it will automatically have the students seated, their microphones muted and they have to pay attention. And, with UNIVERSE as a solution, you can bring in an instructor or lecturer from a different country.

Teaching 213

Teaching Lecturing Education Learning 213

Edsurge

JUNE 25, 2020

At Purdue University, leaders have famously announced they are installing plexiglass barriers in some classrooms that teachers will stand behind to lecture. And they'll be pretty isolated from each other during the lecture experience. So I was wondering if anyone has really started to rethink lecturing as an effective way of teaching?

Lecturing 176

Lecturing Instructors Communication Questions 176

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 8, 2024

These days students can have tools like Google’s NotebookLM turn their lecture notes into a podcast , where sunny-sounding AI bots banter and riff on key points. It’s not as simple as assuming that students are all cheaters, the instructor stresses. And those summaries aren’t just a series of quippy text in bullet points.

Study 215

Study Lecturing Instructors Students 215

Faculty Focus

FEBRUARY 13, 2024

Even though the number of international students and employees within US organizations is increasing (Rivas, Burke, and Hale, 2019), intercultural differences, language barriers, and a desire to avoid conflict and/or offensive language continue to be common communication struggles for both American and international individuals (Rivas et al.,

Culture 108

Culture Communication Instructors Lecturing 108

eSchool News

OCTOBER 23, 2024

The courses feature cinematically produced lectures by top-rated instructors and professors from renowned institutions, such as NASA, MIT, Harvard, and Yale. Since Outlier courses are offered asynchronously, students — no matter where they live — can try on the rigor of college-level courses that easily fit their school schedule.

Exams 272

Exams Learning Science Lecturing 272

Faculty Focus

FEBRUARY 13, 2024

Even though the number of international students and employees within US organizations is increasing (Rivas, Burke, and Hale, 2019), intercultural differences, language barriers, and a desire to avoid conflict and/or offensive language continue to be common communication struggles for both American and international individuals (Rivas et al.,

Culture 105

Culture Communication Instructors Lecturing 105

Edsurge

AUGUST 1, 2024

As more instructors experiment with using generative AI to make teaching materials, an important question bubbles up. Watkins is a lecturer of writing and rhetoric at the University of Mississippi and director of the university’s AI Summer Institute for Teachers of Writing, an optional program for faculty. “We

Teaching 217

Teaching Education Ethics Instructors 217

Edsurge

JULY 12, 2021

Particularly at the many institutions that had not previously offered online courses, instructors lacked the preparation time, resources or instructional design expertise required to develop and build an online curriculum—not to mention the infrastructure required to support their efforts at scale.

Online Learning 217

Online Learning Learning Counselling Instructors 217

Edsurge

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

From the very start of digital education, the big question has always been: ”How can students learn effectively, if they’re not face-to-face with their instructors?” I’d send instructors off into virtual classrooms, practically on their own, with little or no support. Sink or swim. million students. All you need is your imagination.”

Online Learning 158

Online Learning Lecturing Learning Instructors 158

Edsurge

MARCH 19, 2020

That’s the view of Jesse Stommel, a digital learning fellow and senior lecturer at the University of Mary Washington. “I We need to be communicating with one another. Except—striving for continuity may be a bit delusional right now. Or it may be an effort that betrays misplaced priorities. I don’t want there to be ‘continuity.’

Grades 217

Grades Questions Instructors Motivation 217

Edsurge

OCTOBER 19, 2016

Most MOOCs, despite the claims of innovation and disruption, consisted of video lectures and text-based assignments. Thus, the impression that most people have of online education is an attempt to create an online lecture. The empathy shown by [our instructor] drove me to wanting to get it done.

Technology 162

Technology Lecturing Instructors Beliefs 162

Ask a Tech Teacher

MARCH 25, 2025

” –Albert Einstein Peer-to-peer learning–acquiring knowledge from a peer group–has become a popular strategy as teachers move from a teacher-lecturer education model to teacher-guide. Lack of Expert Guidance : Without a qualified instructor, misinformation can spread if no one catches errors.

Feedback 157

Feedback Instructors Critical Thinking Learning 157

eSchool News

JULY 19, 2016

The ability to communicate effectively is increasingly recognized as an important skill for students entering the workforce. 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.

Critical Thinking 135

Critical Thinking Communication Education Lecturing 135

eSchool News

FEBRUARY 4, 2022

Galaxy Next Generation introduced G2 LINK , a classroom audio system that enhances teacher communication and student engagement in the classroom and throughout the school community. Teachers can access the front office, enable daily communications campus-wide, or initiative an emergency alert from the touch of a button.

STEM 338

STEM Math Internet Mobile Devices 338

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 9, 2015

A free online course from Rice University uses attention-grabbing videos, interactive lab activities, dramatic physics demonstrations, engaging instructors and a free online textbook to help high school students prepare for the Advanced Placement (AP) Physics 1 Exam. MOOC uses new AP Physics curriculum, could aid both students and teachers.

Exams 165

Exams Lecturing Textbooks Instructors 165

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 17, 2023

An instructor can ask students to take out their mobile phones and check for the answers. Active participation from the instructor during a class activity holds equal significance. Instructors can engage students when they establish a practical connection between theory and practice. Can you find it? A smattering of humor.

Attention 122

Attention Teaching Instructors Minute Papers 122

Edsurge

JANUARY 19, 2021

Often, that meant moving completely away from replicating in-person, lecture-based models online. We minimized the “sage on the stage” instructional model where lecture dominates learning time, and intentionally built our traditional classes around small group learning structures.

Education 218

Education Lecturing Learning Feedback 218

Edsurge

JUNE 8, 2022

Many instructors describe accommodations they’ve tried, like loosening homework deadlines or offering asynchronous alternatives to class conversations, but some now wonder whether this kind of leniency actually makes the situation worse. In their anecdotes, fewer students are showing up to class and turning work in on time (or at all).

Student Engagement 200

Student Engagement Instructors Hybrid Courses Exams 200

Edsurge

AUGUST 25, 2021

In one focus group I attended, faculty members recommended that online courses include real-time sessions, that the school stream on-campus lectures and events to remote students, and that faculty establish a uniform and consistent online course evaluation rubric following industry best practices.

Lecturing 207

Lecturing eLearning Instructors Course Evaluations 207

Edsurge

MARCH 27, 2020

But it has been enough of a concern that it was the subject of an email sent on March 24 by USC’s president and provost to its community. The note began: “We are sorry to report we learned today that some of our online Zoom classes were disrupted by people who used racist and vile language that interrupted lectures and learning.

Disabilities 218

Disabilities Internet Communication Participation 218

Edsurge

JULY 6, 2020

In fact, when instructors prioritize building rapport with their students—making real human connections with them and creating relationships grounded in trust and communication—they can eliminate the retention gap entirely. Online students want professors who communicate and engage with them.

Feedback 199

Feedback Lecturing Instructors Communication 199

Edsurge

AUGUST 8, 2017

Robert Talbert would get the nagging, unsettling sense that the lectures he gave in his Calculus courses just weren’t sinking in. “I EdSurge: Like most professors, you’ve spent most of your career lecturing. You mention that in the traditional lecture model, students get addicted to professors teaching, and not in a good way.

Failure 147

Failure Lecturing Syllabus Instructors 147

Edsurge

MARCH 13, 2020

self-paced experiences with very little instructor engagement). You can record lectures. And more lectures. In the first online course we designed and taught together, one of us had never taught in a strictly online environment before, and the other had only designed asynchronous online learning experiences (i.e.,

Teaching 218

Teaching Education Lecturing History 218

Edsurge

DECEMBER 30, 2018

The convergence of these challenges is making it much harder for faculty to engage students in traditional lecture-style classes. Instructors are innovating, and technology could serve to drive cross-departmentally and cross-institutional sharing of best practices, which, in turn, could fuel massive improvements in learning outcomes.

Authentic Assessment 156

Authentic Assessment Instructors Textbooks Lecturing 156

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 15, 2023

Washington (2019) studied the face-to-face instructor experience, and we already had anecdotal information, along with some survey data, from our own faculty regarding their use and preferences regarding the LMS. Clarity and communication  The importance of clarity and communication cannot be overstated. Avoid confusing instructions.

Syllabus 126

Syllabus Instructors Peer Review Lecturing 126

Edsurge

MAY 16, 2024

Some schools do, but a lot of schools generally leave absence management up to individual instructors. I mean, from the pandemic we've learned, ‘Oh, I can get lecture notes, I can get slides, I can get a video of the classroom, I can get all of the content that I need outside of the classroom, so why do I go to class?’

Students 202

Students Instructors Lecturing Participation 202

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 17, 2023

An instructor can ask students to take out their mobile phones and check for the answers. Active participation from the instructor during a class activity holds equal significance. Instructors can engage students when they establish a practical connection between theory and practice. Can you find it? A smattering of humor.

Attention 105

Attention Teaching Instructors Minute Papers 105

eSchool News

JANUARY 3, 2022

Much like participation in an athletic team, esports players learn how to work together as an effective team by communicating and collaborating with each other. Additionally, the tablet has Bluetooth, so I am able to carry on a lecture while walking around the classroom monitoring students as they take notes or work through problems.

Learning 363

Learning Communication Hybrid Learning Languages 363

Faculty Focus

JULY 13, 2023

Lecturing has long been the primary method of conveying information to groups of students. It gives instructors great control over what is taught within a limited time, allowing them to explain complex concepts and clarify confusing points for students. These strategies are adaptable for any length of lectures and easy to follow.

Lecturing 98

Lecturing Instructors Minute Papers Students 98

Faculty Focus

JULY 13, 2023

Lecturing has long been the primary method of conveying information to groups of students. It gives instructors great control over what is taught within a limited time, allowing them to explain complex concepts and clarify confusing points for students. These strategies are adaptable for any length of lectures and easy to follow.

Lecturing 98

Lecturing Instructors Minute Papers Students 98

Edsurge

APRIL 18, 2019

And that has led to new teaching practices, mainly flipped classrooms where professors require students to watch video lectures for homework and use class time for more active discussions or hands-on activities. Video also has greater “bandwidth” for communication, than text discussion forums, adding images to audio.

Assignments 166

Assignments Teaching Learning Lecturing 166

eSchool News

APRIL 5, 2024

Key points: Traditional classroom learning is now modernizing Debates remain about online vs. classroom learning Stay up to date on the latest in classroom learning trends Classroom learning remains a cornerstone of education, fostering a dynamic environment where students engage with peers and instructors in real-time.

Learning 130

Learning eLearning Instructors Learning Styles 130