eSchool News

JUNE 11, 2015

Are any of us better than Google as an instructor? The point is, of course, that you probably can Google every single concept you currently teach and your students know this well. An added challenge is to grapple with the informal course designs that are popping up all over the net. area similar questions.

Teaching 280

Teaching Course Design Internet Instructors 280

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. Why College Instructors Matter: A Student’s Perspective I had a conversation with one of my students recently about this exact question. Schoeder, 2024).

Instructors 114

Instructors Motivation Critical Thinking Students 114

Edsurge

APRIL 8, 2020

The instructor can lecture and students can ask questions, or the instructor can lead a live discussion. She’s also the author of the book “ The Perfect Blend: A Practical Guide to Designing Student-Centered Learning Experiences ,” published by ISTE, EdSurge’s parent organization.

Teaching 218

Teaching Instructors Distance Learning Lecturing 218

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 21, 2018

What do you think is important for an instructor to do when using classroom response systems (polling software or clickers)? C) Ask students “Please discuss your answer with a neighbor.” And in the case of clickers and other classroom polling software, it largely depends on how instructors are using them. Select all that apply.

Instructors 142

Instructors Multiple Choice Questions Course Design Discussions 142

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

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 6, 2024

It’s important to consider the unique dynamics of each learning environment when discussing whether class caps for online and in-person courses should be the same. Given the absence of physical presence, online instructors must rely heavily on digital tools to communicate, facilitate discussions, and assess student progress.

Instructors 116

Instructors Course Design Students Authentic Assessment 116

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

AI integration can address diverse learning needs , promote data-driven decision-making , and spur class discussion. ISTE U serves as a digital hub offering top-tier professional learning courses designed to assist educators in developing fundamental skills for teaching and learning in a digital world.

Teachers 206

Teachers Intelligence Essay Social Studies 206

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 10, 2016

The emerging field of Learner Experience Design or LX design is about balancing the need for quality course design with the central role of human interaction in online learning. It’s a collaborative process that engages faculty in the design and improvement of online courses.

Blended Courses 165

Blended Courses Instructors Evaluation Participation 165

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

Edsurge

JULY 9, 2018

Unfortunately, most massive open online course (MOOC) platforms still feel like drafty lecture halls instead of intimate seminar rooms. The majority of online learning environments are no more than video-hosting platforms with quizzes and a discussion forum. This type of structure is not revolutionary.

Online Learning 158

Online Learning Instructors Learning Quizzes 158

Edsurge

JULY 1, 2017

Too many discussions of edtech focus on tools (like tablets, clickers, learning-management systems, smart boards, etc). More thought should be spent on the design of the classroom itself. The old arrangement strongly suggested—and really only supported—interactions between student and instructor or student and computer.

Active Learning 145

Active Learning Activities Learning Instructors 145

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 6, 2024

It’s important to consider the unique dynamics of each learning environment when discussing whether class caps for online and in-person courses should be the same. Given the absence of physical presence, online instructors must rely heavily on digital tools to communicate, facilitate discussions, and assess student progress.

Instructors 98

Instructors Course Design Students Authentic Assessment 98

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

JUNE 2, 2024

Those who participate in fully online courses, particularly asynchronous ones, may feel isolated from their instructor, their peers, and the university as a whole. Does everything work together to achieve the stated learning objectives of the course? Mental i llness.

Syllabus 131

Syllabus Course Design Learning Students 131

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

She also lets them decide if they want to reflect in a discussion forum with their classmates, or personally send her their reflections. “I Instructors should make sure students have the opportunity to build their own learning experiences, Parra argues. I have students really take all of those choices,” Parra said.

Culture 151

Culture Teaching Syllabus English 151

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

Edsurge

JANUARY 13, 2017

In the early days of "course cartridges”—an LMS feature that allowed instructors to plug published content right into their courses—online courses were essentially digitized versions of static (textbook) content. A few trees were saved, but courses weren’t any smarter. Designed Adaptivity.

Multiple Choice Questions 129

Multiple Choice Questions Instructors Textbooks Feedback 129

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

APRIL 15, 2025

In this light, designing and facilitating online discussions to increase student engagement, peer connection, and idea exchange, as well as creating a cohesive online learning community for knowledge creation, is far more important for the success of online education.

Student Engagement 106

Student Engagement Instructors Lecturing Students 106

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

NOVEMBER 1, 2022

By informal, I mean posting a short video inviting them to participate in a discussion forum, journal entry, or an anonymous online poll. You could also use specific mid-semester exercises to learn about student experiences in your course. Adding small activities for engagement. as an example, let’s look at teaching with case studies.

Student Engagement 131

Student Engagement Lecturing Students Feedback 131

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 13, 2024

In creating a course shell, regardless of the course modality (face-to-face, hybrid, or online), it can be helpful to understand the things that students find most frustrating (and most helpful) about faculty use of the LMS. Make sure all links and media in the course are active and work when students need to access them.

Syllabus 122

Syllabus Instructors Assignments Faculty Development 122

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. Miller, S.

Course Design 142

Course Design Assignments Teaching Philosophy Instructors 142

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. This is why a well-designed course will have a balance of formative and summative assessments.

Fairness 122

Fairness Instructors Feedback Evaluation 122

Scholarly Teacher

NOVEMBER 13, 2024

This piece will suggest a few simple ideas that teachers of introductory STEM classes may implement in their course design to turn their lectures into active learning experiences for a large student body, without needing to completely revisit and change their whole teaching style.

Lecturing 98

Lecturing Active Learning Activities STEM 98

Faculty Focus

JUNE 2, 2024

Those who participate in fully online courses, particularly asynchronous ones, may feel isolated from their instructor, their peers, and the university as a whole. Does everything work together to achieve the stated learning objectives of the course? Mental i llness.

Syllabus 108

Syllabus Course Design Learning Students 108

Faculty Focus

JULY 4, 2023

Classic online course standards emphasize the value of three types of interactions: student-instructor interaction, student-content interaction, and student-student interaction. Of course, student contempt for a pedagogical tool shouldn’t ground its dismissal. Let’s begin with a general observation.

Exams 116

Exams Students Instructors Evaluation 116

Edsurge

APRIL 30, 2020

After all, “it's not just enough to put materials in Blackboard if it's not going to be accessible,” says Jennifer Albat, instructional designer at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. And are there any common ones that pop up in many classrooms or that instructors maybe encounter more often?

Accessibility 218

Accessibility Disabilities Universal Design Syllabus 218

Scholarly Teacher

SEPTEMBER 4, 2024

Introduction Generative AI in higher education has been widely discussed following the record-breaking uptake of ChatGPT in November 2022 (Dwivedi et al., Although the capabilities of generative AI tools will continue to expand, our guiding questions are designed to maintain relevance despite shifts in technologies. For students?

Ethics 102

Ethics Multidisciplinary Course Design Confidentiality 102

Edsurge

SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

So we did a follow-up study, interviewing both online instructors and the students enrolled in online courses to understand why students are withdrawing from online courses in a massive way, and why students struggle in terms of their performance. Students complain that they don't always see their instructors.

Instructors 131

Instructors Distance Learning Students Online Learning 131

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. This is why a well-designed course will have a balance of formative and summative assessments.

Fairness 111

Fairness Instructors Feedback Evaluation 111

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 15, 2023

Although its definition is somewhat abstract, active learning is an approach to instruction that involves actively engaging students with the course material through activities such as discussions, problem solving, case studies, and role playing. In this educational quagmire, Pecha Kucha is an answer.

Lecturing 122

Lecturing Instructors Active Learning Activities 122

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 13, 2024

In creating a course shell, regardless of the course modality (face-to-face, hybrid, or online), it can be helpful to understand the things that students find most frustrating (and most helpful) about faculty use of the LMS. Make sure all links and media in the course are active and work when students need to access them.

Syllabus 105

Syllabus Instructors Assignments Faculty Development 105

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 24, 2023

For so many instructors, whether they’re a TA, someone just starting out, or a seasoned professor with decades of experience, the answer is, “no.” Concrete tips and strategies around pronoun usage, inclusive discussions, or syllabus language are things instructors can do now , and they’re a crucial part of fostering community and connection.

Teaching 122

Teaching Syllabus Instructors Disabilities 122

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 21, 2024

Establish and maintain an inclusive community: During the first days of class, it is important to initiate an anonymous survey and a follow-up discussion about what makes students feel valued, seen, respected, included, challenged, and supported by the instructor and their peers.

Syllabus 132

Syllabus Exams Students Motivation 132