Ask a Tech Teacher

AUGUST 12, 2019

I teach a lot of online classes and as such, have used many different platforms. It’s clear to me that the course design–how I lay out the mix of resources, homework, classwork, and more–affects how students absorb and share knowledge. All of this starts with a good course design.

Course Design 90

Course Design Students Exams Feedback 90

eSchool News

JULY 22, 2024

We can’t discuss online and hybrid learning without acknowledging the role the COVID-19 pandemic played in forcing districts to move fully online for virtual instruction, later paving the way for hybrid learning as classrooms slowly reopened for small groups of students. We were course designing and co-teaching,” she said.

Hybrid Learning 284

Hybrid Learning Learning Blended Learning Discussions 284

Edsurge

JANUARY 2, 2019

During my early days of teaching in graduate school, educational technology was sold more for its posh than performance. But there has been progress, both with the tools themselves and the teaching practices we employ to incorporate technology into the classroom. How do we do that?

Technology 167

Technology Teaching Intellectual Development Instructors 167

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 1, 2017

An online discussion platform called Piazza has taken off among faculty at the University of California at Berkeley in recent years. Professors can easily integrate the platform into an LMS, allow students to engage with one another and course material online, and faculty see data on how student are learning. But there’s a catch.

Discussions 129

Discussions Education Learning Course Design 129

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

Instead of just superheroes, she invites students to think about their own cultural icons and cultural representations, and use that to design a character. The student and professor both shared the story last week during a session on culturally-responsive teaching in online courses at the 2017 OLC Accelerate Conference, in Orlando.

Culture 153

Culture Teaching Syllabus English 153

Faculty Focus

MAY 11, 2025

He visited my office and in the course of our conversation he asked me how I thought I would use AI as a college instructor moving forward. He said that students have had access to the information we teach prior to AI. We should embrace this role as we teach in the age of AI. Saucier, Ph.D. 2023, August 25 th ). Faculty Focus.

Instructors 98

Instructors Motivation Critical Thinking Students 98

Faculty Focus

MAY 15, 2025

After years of teaching, I noticed how often students carried academic, emotional, and personal burdens without sharing them. From Curiosity to Campuswide Inquiry The project began in two large general education courses I teach at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: FSHN 101: The Science of Food and FSHN 120: Contemporary Nutrition.

Disabilities 55

Disabilities Course Design Lecturing Students 55

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

AI integration can address diverse learning needs , promote data-driven decision-making , and spur class discussion. Leveraging AI in the classroom can enhance teaching while preparing students for a future where AI is integral to the workforce. This later became a great discussion point with my students.

Teachers 207

Teachers Intelligence Essay Social Studies 207

Edsurge

DECEMBER 4, 2018

For starters, the space is dedicated to “active learning,” a term that often refers to teaching styles that go beyond a one-way lecture format. That could range from simply giving students a chance to pause and discuss with peers, to role playing, to polling students during class, and more.

Active Learning 126

Active Learning Activities Lecturing Teaching 126

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 29, 2024

In my college-level Fundamentals of Business course, I’ve found success using unconventional but effective instructional strategies to teach leadership styles: superheroes. Yang (2003) found that using comic books as a teaching tool increased student motivation. Other educators have also found this approach useful. In Wikipedia.

Assignments 115

Assignments Teaching Ethics Fairness 115

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 24, 2023

Here’s an inconvenient truth about inclusive teaching: there are no quick fixes. In other words, we need to take the time to create inclusive learning communities if we’re going to make the most of teaching and learning. It’s inconvenient because faculty are stressed. Do they respect and trust each other? Resources Bartlett, J.

Teaching 122

Teaching Syllabus Instructors Disabilities 122

Edsurge

MAY 6, 2020

Recent class discussions have focused on the difficulties of getting through to students without in-person contact, especially during a time of enormous stress. From our experience both in the online classroom and in training teachers to teach online, this is familiar territory and typically happens about six weeks into a new school session.

Motivation 218

Motivation Education Learning Feedback 218

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 18, 2024

When I started as an adjunct faculty member, I had no teaching experience. 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.

Teaching 119

Teaching Syllabus Feedback Instructors 119

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 29, 2024

In my college-level Fundamentals of Business course, I’ve found success using unconventional but effective instructional strategies to teach leadership styles: superheroes. Yang (2003) found that using comic books as a teaching tool increased student motivation. Other educators have also found this approach useful. In Wikipedia.

Assignments 105

Assignments Teaching Ethics Fairness 105

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 18, 2024

When I started as an adjunct faculty member, I had no teaching experience. 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.

Teaching 111

Teaching Syllabus Feedback Instructors 111

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 21, 2018

C) Ask students “Please discuss your answer with a neighbor.” Faculty risk excluding certain students and impeding their ability to succeed when they aren’t intentional about design and facilitation. In our own teaching, we call these “typical test questions” or TTQs. Select all that apply. Yeah, me too.” How do we know?

Instructors 145

Instructors Multiple Choice Questions Course Design Discussions 145

Edsurge

JANUARY 27, 2023

I organize modules to include researched based articles, video messages and discussion boards centered around teachers’ learning objectives. Scheetz recently shared her sentiment with me: “We teach our students in person, but we’re asking our teachers to learn asynchronously in isolation.”

Teachers 213

Teachers Course Design Participation Discussions 213

Faculty Focus

NOVEMBER 12, 2024

The communicative method, which focuses on teaching language through interaction and real-life communication, traditionally prioritizes speaking and listening skills, emphasizing real-time language use. Each theme included prompt questions designed to encourage the use of specific vocabulary covered during the course.

Language 124

Language Languages Writing Communication 124

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 6, 2024

As an educator and instructional designer, I find this problematic. 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. Incorporating flexibility in course design can help with student engagement and motivation.

Instructors 116

Instructors Course Design Students Authentic Assessment 116

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 24, 2023

Here’s an inconvenient truth about inclusive teaching: there are no quick fixes. In other words, we need to take the time to create inclusive learning communities if we’re going to make the most of teaching and learning. It’s inconvenient because faculty are stressed. Do they respect and trust each other? Resources Bartlett, J.

Teaching 98

Teaching Syllabus Instructors Disabilities 98

Faculty Focus

MARCH 4, 2025

Teaching in a large-size classroom differs significantly from teaching in a small-size classroom in terms of engagement, interaction, and instructional methods (Wang & Calvano, 2022). Oppositely, small classrooms allow for more intimate interactions, personalized feedback, and flexible teaching methods (Wang & Calvano, 2022).

Teaching 94

Teaching Lecturing Gamification Interdisciplinary 94

Faculty Focus

MARCH 30, 2025

This article explores AI’s historical evolution, critically assesses its benefits and challenges for teaching, and provides evidence-based strategies for faculty to integrate AI effectively. A century later, AI is no longer fiction but a dynamic force in community college education, reshaping how faculty teach, and students learn.

Faculty Development 92

Faculty Development Teaching Instructors Academic Integrity 92

Scholarly Teacher

NOVEMBER 20, 2024

Cavazos , The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Ryan McBride , The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Key Statement: Student-faculty partnerships can foster asset-based approaches in teaching and learning that challenge implicit linguistic bias and enhance students’ linguistically diverse resources. 2024; Cook-Sather, 2020).

Teaching 98

Teaching Instructors English Languages 98

Edsurge

JULY 9, 2018

Yet most of our energy has been focused on designing physical learning spaces, even as more teaching and learning shifts online. Unfortunately, most massive open online course (MOOC) platforms still feel like drafty lecture halls instead of intimate seminar rooms.

Online Learning 159

Online Learning Instructors Learning Quizzes 159

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 10, 2016

The ID ticks off the boxes for alignment of learning outcomes and accessibility and sends the faculty on his or her way to teach the course. 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.

Blended Courses 166

Blended Courses Instructors Evaluation Participation 166

Faculty Focus

MARCH 30, 2025

This article explores AI’s historical evolution, critically assesses its benefits and challenges for teaching, and provides evidence-based strategies for faculty to integrate AI effectively. A century later, AI is no longer fiction but a dynamic force in community college education, reshaping how faculty teach, and students learn.

Faculty Development 89

Faculty Development Teaching Instructors Academic Integrity 89

Faculty Focus

MARCH 4, 2025

Teaching in a large-size classroom differs significantly from teaching in a small-size classroom in terms of engagement, interaction, and instructional methods (Wang & Calvano, 2022). Oppositely, small classrooms allow for more intimate interactions, personalized feedback, and flexible teaching methods (Wang & Calvano, 2022).

Teaching 89

Teaching Lecturing Gamification Interdisciplinary 89

Edsurge

MARCH 7, 2024

But the experiment points to interesting possibilities — and raises ethical questions — about how the latest AI tech might be used to improve teaching. Bowen asks, suggesting that doing so could bring new insights to people who design learning experiences. And he also hopes it might push the university to improve its teaching.

Intelligence 213

Intelligence Syllabus Feedback Assignments 213

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. Case Western Reserve documented its first - and second -year efforts to add two active-learning spaces and support faculty teaching in the space.

Active Learning 148

Active Learning Activities Learning Instructors 148

Faculty Focus

NOVEMBER 1, 2022

Unlike the end-of-semester feedback, when gathering formative feedback on what’s helping or hindering student learning might be too late, mid-term analysis of our teaching and student learning may help motivate students and enhance their learning. as an example, let’s look at teaching with case studies. Sound familiar?

Student Engagement 131

Student Engagement Lecturing Students Feedback 131

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 122

Feedback Course Design Instructors Education 122

Edsurge

OCTOBER 7, 2019

Today’s faculty is also tasked with something the school’s Jesuit founders could not have imagined: deciding not only which courses are taught but how to teach them—in person, online, or through a combination of both. Evenchik knew that delivering top-notch, online graduate-level courses required finding the right LXD team.

Learning 141

Learning Gamification Course Design Textbooks 141

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 6, 2024

As an educator and instructional designer, I find this problematic. 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. Incorporating flexibility in course design can help with student engagement and motivation.

Instructors 98

Instructors Course Design Students Authentic Assessment 98

Faculty Focus

DECEMBER 13, 2022

Here, a relatively simple approach to teaching and checking for student criticality is explained, where conceptual, alongside applied learning, is pervasive. The ability to critically analyze and evaluate is essential for student progression through degree courses. How to Teach Critical Thinking to Beginners. References.

Teaching 98

Teaching Learning Critical Thinking Evaluation 98

Faculty Focus

DECEMBER 13, 2022

Here, a relatively simple approach to teaching and checking for student criticality is explained, where conceptual, alongside applied learning, is pervasive. The ability to critically analyze and evaluate is essential for student progression through degree courses. How to Teach Critical Thinking to Beginners. References.

Teaching 98

Teaching Learning Critical Thinking Evaluation 98

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 21, 2025

When we approach teaching from this perspective, we move away from punitive measures, fear-based management, and skepticism about students honesty. Course Design: Scaffold, Support, and Empower A well-designed course sets the stage for trust by providing clarity, flexibility, and opportunities for growth.

Plagiarism 123

Plagiarism Syllabus Ethics Feedback 123

Faculty Focus

JUNE 2, 2024

The class was a required course in my field that I would go on to be responsible for teaching as a graduate student and, later, as a professor. Kind of wild that I never actually received instruction in the course, myself.) Faculty may be overloaded with other teaching, research, and service requirements.

Syllabus 131

Syllabus Course Design Learning Students 131