Ask a Tech Teacher

JUNE 27, 2024

When my friend, Emma, was preparing for finals, she used Trello to organize her study schedule, Quizlet for flashcards, and weekly Google Meet sessions with classmates to discuss tough topics, transforming her test stress into an effective study routine. Why so many digital crutches? Because studying for exams can feel overwhelming.

Exams 158

Exams Study Syllabus Essay 158

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 She said that one of the ways she implements active participation is through participatory course design in some of her courses, where students take part in brainstorming what the course will look like.

Culture 154

Culture Teaching Syllabus English 154

Edsurge

MARCH 7, 2024

The unusual idea seems in some ways like a publicity stunt to call attention to a the academic major it offers in artificial intelligence — and local TV news stations pounced on the notion that nonhuman classmates would be participating side-by-side in hybrid college classes with T-shirt-clad young people.

Intelligence 212

Intelligence Syllabus Feedback Assignments 212

Faculty Focus

MARCH 12, 2023

The first day or week of the semester is often referred to as what students call “syllabus week,” because professors typically spend the first day of class reviewing the syllabus—interject a big yawn here. I consistently wanted to integrate community building activities for the students to participate in and feel safe and comfortable.

Student Engagement 116

Student Engagement Activities Syllabus Instructors 116

Edsurge

MAY 26, 2019

It’s a 6-lesson course that gathers coworkers to discuss trending educational topics and philosophies, and our colleagues have found that it has been helpful in helping them succeed in their roles. Then, we ask Seminar participants put their entrepreneurial hats on and pitch ideas for a business.

Syllabus 157

Syllabus Education Failure Knowledge 157

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 18, 2024

I was handed a syllabus, a classroom, and students, and left to figure out the rest on my own. 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. Encourage student participation.

Teaching 119

Teaching Syllabus Feedback Instructors 119

Faculty Focus

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

In fact, the long-term impact of discussing academics with the instructor was greater than that of participating in study groups and clubs (Schudde, 2019). You could include personal information and/or a photo, in addition to the course syllabus and other course-related information.

Instructors 122

Instructors Syllabus Attention Teaching Assistants 122

Faculty Focus

MAY 13, 2025

The instructor typically arrives, distributes a syllabus outlining course policies and expectations, explains assignments and grading criteria, and may include a brief activity or icebreaker. It reframes the syllabus not as a fixed legal document, but as a living agreement shaped by both instructor expertise and student input.

Syllabus 105

Syllabus Instructors Learning Confidentiality 105

Edsurge

APRIL 30, 2020

On the latest installment of our monthly online discussion forum, EdSurge Live , we explored accessibility in this unusual era of emergency remote teaching. Start with your syllabus, make your syllabus accessible and then do one document per week. Del Tufo: I feel your pain so much.

Accessibility 218

Accessibility Disabilities Universal Design Syllabus 218

Faculty Focus

MAY 15, 2025

Over multiple semesters, more than 2,000 students voluntarily participated in IRB-approved surveys and follow-up interviews. A reworded syllabus, an anonymous feedback survey, or a mid-semester check-in can shift a students entire trajectory. Each chapter is co-authored with students who lived the realities we discuss.

Disabilities 54

Disabilities Course Design Lecturing Students 54

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 21, 2025

Collaborative syllabus design: During the first class, engage students in setting community and classroom norms and goals. A co-created syllabus session fosters accountability and trust, as students feel ownership of the course structure (Cook-Sather et al., 2014; Agarwal, 2019).

Plagiarism 98

Plagiarism Syllabus Ethics Feedback 98

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 18, 2024

I was handed a syllabus, a classroom, and students, and left to figure out the rest on my own. 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. Encourage student participation.

Teaching 111

Teaching Syllabus Feedback Instructors 111

Faculty Focus

MARCH 12, 2023

The first day or week of the semester is often referred to as what students call “syllabus week,” because professors typically spend the first day of class reviewing the syllabus—interject a big yawn here. I consistently wanted to integrate community building activities for the students to participate in and feel safe and comfortable.

Student Engagement 98

Student Engagement Activities Syllabus Instructors 98

Edsurge

JUNE 6, 2024

Now that such tools are out there, Watkins suggests that professors look for more ways to do active learning in their classes, and to put more of what he called “intentional friction” in student learning so that students are forced to stop and participate or to reflect on what is being said.

Lecturing 216

Lecturing Education Assignments Syllabus 216

Faculty Focus

MAY 13, 2025

The instructor typically arrives, distributes a syllabus outlining course policies and expectations, explains assignments and grading criteria, and may include a brief activity or icebreaker. It reframes the syllabus not as a fixed legal document, but as a living agreement shaped by both instructor expertise and student input.

Syllabus 98

Syllabus Instructors Learning Confidentiality 98

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 13, 2024

As generative AI evolves rapidly, it is essential to explore and discuss its impact on teaching and learning for both faculty and students. We asked them to share their initial thoughts on AI, the tools they had tried, the professional development they had participated in, and their reflections at the end of the semester.

Syllabus 119

Syllabus Assignments Feedback Teaching Assistants 119

Edsurge

MARCH 4, 2021

Members of the audience then participate in facilitated discussion about problems they noticed and interventions that might help. A sketch about first-generation college students is rooted in discussions with those students. I tend to leave thinking, ‘I can imagine how I can change my syllabus.’” Photo by Tae Hoon Yoo. “We

Culture 168

Culture Syllabus Discussions Study 168

Edsurge

MARCH 2, 2023

Students gain access to their courses — syllabus, main project, required engagements, discussion forum and other materials — a week prior to the start of class. Sessions are divided into week-long modules, opening Monday mornings and ending Sunday evenings. Undergrad courses run for eight weeks; graduate courses are 10 weeks long.

Teaching 177

Teaching Instructors Syllabus Assignments 177

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 29, 2023

Participants represented a range of public, private, not-for-profit, and for-profit institutions. Be open to a discussion of the course you teach or plan to teach. Include in the conversation a copy of a draft syllabus, required assignments, and any concerns you have about academic integrity.

Syllabus 98

Syllabus Instructors Learning Assignments 98

Faculty Focus

NOVEMBER 6, 2022

If a student wants to discuss accommodations, try to do so during office hours or via email. For instance, when assigned to work in groups during class, students who may have trouble focusing or even hearing the discussion due to the noise level may ask the professor for permission to work in the library or outside.

Disabilities 144

Disabilities Exams Lecturing Education 144

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 13, 2024

As generative AI evolves rapidly, it is essential to explore and discuss its impact on teaching and learning for both faculty and students. We asked them to share their initial thoughts on AI, the tools they had tried, the professional development they had participated in, and their reflections at the end of the semester.

Syllabus 111

Syllabus Assignments Feedback Teaching Assistants 111

Edsurge

MARCH 6, 2019

The last hour of class is dedicated to discussing the reading. His answer is simply class participation, plus in-class and take-home writing assignments. When the syllabus says no laptops unless you have a disability, it automatically sort of outs those students,” he said. There’s also a pause for lunch around noon.

Reading 163

Reading Teaching Lecturing Syllabus 163

Faculty Focus

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

In fact, the long-term impact of discussing academics with the instructor was greater than that of participating in study groups and clubs (Schudde, 2019). You could include personal information and/or a photo, in addition to the course syllabus and other course-related information.

Instructors 98

Instructors Syllabus Attention Teaching Assistants 98

Faculty Focus

JUNE 2, 2024

Aside from a bare-bones syllabus, the professor never showed up. Those who participate in fully online courses, particularly asynchronous ones, may feel isolated from their instructor, their peers, and the university as a whole. My first and only fully online class taken as an undergraduate student was a complete disaster.

Syllabus 131

Syllabus Course Design Learning Students 131

Ask a Tech Teacher

JULY 3, 2019

Educators participate in this three-week hands-on quasi-writer’s workshop as they learn to use widely-available digital tools to help their students develop their inner writer. Student joins a Google Classroom-based class and meets weekly with instructor to discuss class activities and assignments. What Do You Need to Participate.

Syllabus 94

Syllabus Writing Internet Instructors 94

Edsurge

APRIL 20, 2018

Because of the relative anonymity of the online classroom, [discussion] turns into something that is vitriolic. Joshua Steele, University of Arizona “Because of the relative anonymity of the online classroom, [discussion] turns into something that is vitriolic,” said Joshua Steele, senior director of University of Arizona Online.

Instructors 93

Instructors Syllabus Learning Discussions 93

Faculty Focus

JUNE 25, 2023

Students might not be experts at course content, but if we engage them in codesigning a course, they will participate fully as colleagues in the teaching-learning experience. One-page syllabus On the first day of class, we reviewed their answers to the appreciative inquiry and discussed how we could be colleagues in this course.

Coaching 105

Coaching Syllabus Confidentiality Assignments 105

Faculty Focus

JULY 27, 2023

They provide a quick way to access a webpage that could be the syllabus, a poll, a list of resources, or a shared online space for a brainstorming activity. Then, the instructor proceeds to conduct a short lecture where course materials such as the syllabus, slides, or videos might be shared with everyone through a QR code (see Figure 1).

Student Engagement 98

Student Engagement Syllabus Students Lecturing 98

Scholarly Teacher

NOVEMBER 20, 2024

We share background about the student-faculty partnership program, define linguistic implicit biases, provide examples of how these biases manifest, offer recommendations for how to challenge them, and invite a dialogue through discussion questions. What does the language in the syllabus/assignment assume about students (e.g.,

Teaching 98

Teaching Instructors English Language 98

Edsurge

DECEMBER 30, 2016

EdSurge Independent is a student-run community that meets online once a week to discuss trends and ideas within postsecondary education, and share their experiences on a student-run Medium blog. Our aim: to amplify the voices of students from all backgrounds to shape how higher education is evolving. This Mongolian Teenager Aced a MOOC.

Syllabus 105

Syllabus Students Essay Language 105

Faculty Focus

JUNE 25, 2023

Students might not be experts at course content, but if we engage them in codesigning a course, they will participate fully as colleagues in the teaching-learning experience. One-page syllabus On the first day of class, we reviewed their answers to the appreciative inquiry and discussed how we could be colleagues in this course.

Coaching 98

Coaching Syllabus Confidentiality Assignments 98

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 29, 2023

design an infographic that showcases the historical events we discussed in class today). Asynchronous online instruction is when teaching and learning do not take place at the same time or place, such as going through an online tutorial or participating in an online discussion forum.

Blended Learning 132

Blended Learning Lecturing Education Learning 132

Faculty Focus

MARCH 7, 2024

First, I told students via my syllabus that if I received a report saying a paper had AI content, they could be considered to be cheating if they could not provide proof of authorship. In the first week of my course, students participated in a lesson about recursiveness and Google Docs.

Academic Integrity 116

Academic Integrity Essay Plagiarism History 116

Faculty Focus

JUNE 2, 2024

Aside from a bare-bones syllabus, the professor never showed up. Those who participate in fully online courses, particularly asynchronous ones, may feel isolated from their instructor, their peers, and the university as a whole. My first and only fully online class taken as an undergraduate student was a complete disaster.

Syllabus 109

Syllabus Course Design Learning Students 109

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 6, 2022

I typically don’t describe the idea in the syllabus. The follow-up that returns to an important point: “For the past few classes we’ve discussed how Shakespeare often employs double plot structure in his plays. I also make clear that afterthoughts definitely count toward quality participation points.

Ethics 98

Ethics Minute Papers Syllabus Course Evaluations 98

Faculty Focus

JULY 16, 2023

When students actively participate in conversation and process information verbally, they strengthen neural associations, ensuring that the information sticks with them long after the conversation ends. While convenient, this constant access to knowledge has led to a decline in memory recall.

Instructors 98

Instructors Lecturing Syllabus Knowledge 98

Faculty Focus

JULY 16, 2023

When students actively participate in conversation and process information verbally, they strengthen neural associations, ensuring that the information sticks with them long after the conversation ends. While convenient, this constant access to knowledge has led to a decline in memory recall.

Instructors 98

Instructors Lecturing Syllabus Knowledge 98