Faculty Focus

MARCH 14, 2023

These pedagogies provide instructors a powerful opportunity to create learning environments that effectively support all students, minimize student stress, and support overall student mental health, without sacrificing academic rigor. Described below are three ways that instructors support student well-being and mental health.

Syllabus 131

Syllabus Exams Instructors Assignments 131

Edsurge

MARCH 2, 2023

In the early days of online education, I imagined that virtual classrooms would follow the same basic model as in-person ones, with an instructor leading the same number of students typical in a campus class. Students attend WGU entirely on screen, with instructors engaging with them virtually by email, phone, text and video.

Teaching 180

Teaching Instructors Syllabus Assignments 180

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. Easy access to lecture materials and study guides added to their convenience. 

Syllabus 126

Syllabus Instructors Peer Review Lecturing 126

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 20, 2018

She recalled one instructor who told her that 11 students in her class of 35 turned in the exact same assignment using materials from Course Hero, a website where students can share and access course study materials. Searching for a particular phrase can often take an instructor to the website where it was taken from.

Academic Integrity 157

Academic Integrity Exams Assignments Instructors 157

Faculty Focus

MAY 15, 2025

The surveys included over 20 demographic questionscovering areas like housing, food security, disability status, and employmentfollowed by 1540 experience-based questions exploring academic confidence, mental health, study habits, and perceptions of inclusion. These findings dont argue against academic rigor.

Disabilities 54

Disabilities Course Design Lecturing Students 54

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. So, I moved onto showing them the “About Your Instructor” icon in our LMS.

Student Engagement 116

Student Engagement Activities Syllabus Instructors 116

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. Easy access to lecture materials and study guides added to their convenience. 

Syllabus 111

Syllabus Instructors Peer Review Lecturing 111

Edsurge

APRIL 30, 2020

We heard from Albat and Stephanie Del Tufo, assistant professor in the School of Education at the University of Delaware, who studies individual differences in learning, language and literacy. 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

Edsurge

SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

Instructors who flunk a student on an exam can reasonably expect to see an email from a concerned parent every so often. The researchers’ findings will be published in the October 2016 issue of the Journal of Child and Family Studies. Tech plays middleman. And colleges have their own parent portals. See one from St.

Syllabus 165

Syllabus Exams Instructors Study 165

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. Co-create classroom norms with your students.

Teaching 119

Teaching Syllabus Feedback Instructors 119

Faculty Focus

MAY 9, 2024

As educators and students grapple with what is allowed when using generative AI (GenAI) tools, I have compiled five tips to help you design or redesign academic integrity statements for your syllabus, assignments, exams, and course activities. Write your own GenAI policy to include in your syllabus.

Academic Integrity 137

Academic Integrity Writing Syllabus Exams 137

Edsurge

MARCH 28, 2018

But it wasn’t until her current gig, serving as an instructor for a course on water supply and demand in California, that she got her feet wet with open educational resources. Water is a unique discipline, it’s not like math or history or communication studies were major publishers put out multitudes of textbooks on,” she says.

Textbooks 136

Textbooks Instructors Syllabus History 136

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. I begin with a caveat. I am not an academic librarian. In fact, I have never worked in a library.

Syllabus 98

Syllabus Instructors Learning Assignments 98

Faculty Focus

MARCH 14, 2023

These pedagogies provide instructors a powerful opportunity to create learning environments that effectively support all students, minimize student stress, and support overall student mental health, without sacrificing academic rigor. Described below are three ways that instructors support student well-being and mental health.

Syllabus 98

Syllabus Exams Instructors Assignments 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

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. Co-create classroom norms with your students.

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. So, I moved onto showing them the “About Your Instructor” icon in our LMS.

Student Engagement 98

Student Engagement Activities Syllabus Instructors 98

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 21, 2024

Five strategies to foster sense of belonging Be caring and authentic: Syllabus policies and language, as well as introductory comments on the first day of class, set the tone for an entire term. I often embed study and time management strategies into the curriculum. Analyze your course policies (i.e.,

Syllabus 132

Syllabus Exams Students Motivation 132

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

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

Remember CliffsNotes, the predecessor of Course Hero and similar web-based study resources? Like many GenXers, I had a few of those study guides with yellow-and-black covers in my L.L. Sometimes I wonder about those long-gone study guides. Some instructors are frustrated and tired of talking to students about it.

Syllabus 124

Syllabus Academic Integrity eLearning Assignments 124

Edsurge

APRIL 20, 2018

But how should instructors foster rich, inclusive dialogues with diverse students—and do so online where everyone might be anonymous? He referenced a study at his university that found that the majority of students who fell below a 2.0 Shellgren later said that instructors must also check their own biases and set norms for themselves.

Instructors 105

Instructors Syllabus Learning Discussions 105

Faculty Focus

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

Remember CliffsNotes, the predecessor of Course Hero and similar web-based study resources? Like many GenXers, I had a few of those study guides with yellow-and-black covers in my L.L. Sometimes I wonder about those long-gone study guides. Some instructors are frustrated and tired of talking to students about it.

Syllabus 119

Syllabus Academic Integrity eLearning Assignments 119

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

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., Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors.

Plagiarism 122

Plagiarism Syllabus Ethics Feedback 122

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

SEPTEMBER 29, 2024

HSC clarified their questions with SSC then conducted a literature and policy review; developed two policy briefs at any level (local, state, federal); and presented them to their SSC partners who chose the brief that best addressed the social justice movement and their studies of social sciences.

Syllabus 105

Syllabus Science History Communication 105

Faculty Focus

NOVEMBER 6, 2022

Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Acrobat) to apply built-in page layouts Tables do not work well with screen readers, so consider alternative organizational elements Use descriptive wording for hyperlink text rather than “click here” Post most instructor-created content within LMS content pages (i.e.,

Disabilities 144

Disabilities Exams Lecturing Education 144

Faculty Focus

FEBRUARY 18, 2024

Irish Educational Studies 42 (4), 949-969. Studies in Higher Education, 49 (1), 157-177. British Journal of Educational Studies, 53 (2), 129-147. Fostering a positive and inclusive community culture is essential for creating an environment where students feel empowered to learn, contribute, and thrive. link] Golden, B.

Culture 130

Culture Syllabus Critical Thinking Intelligence 130

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 29, 2023

Several meta-analysis research studies have already shown that blended learning leads to consistently better effects on students’ academic outcomes compared to traditional in-person learning (e.g., They could annotate the class syllabus in a Google Doc or use Hypothes.is 2019; Vallée et al.,

Blended Learning 132

Blended Learning Lecturing Education Learning 132

Scholarly Teacher

NOVEMBER 20, 2024

Students as Learners and Teachers (SaLT) is an innovative teaching approach where students and instructors collaborate to improve educational experiences ( Cavazos et al., What does the language in the syllabus/assignment assume about students (e.g., 2024; Cook-Sather, 2020). language choices for turning in assignments?

Teaching 98

Teaching Instructors English Languages 98

Faculty Focus

SEPTEMBER 29, 2024

HSC clarified their questions with SSC then conducted a literature and policy review; developed two policy briefs at any level (local, state, federal); and presented them to their SSC partners who chose the brief that best addressed the social justice movement and their studies of social sciences.

Syllabus 98

Syllabus Science History Communication 98

Faculty Focus

MAY 9, 2024

As educators and students grapple with what is allowed when using generative AI (GenAI) tools, I have compiled five tips to help you design or redesign academic integrity statements for your syllabus, assignments, exams, and course activities. Write your own GenAI policy to include in your syllabus.

Academic Integrity 98

Academic Integrity Writing Syllabus Exams 98

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 21, 2024

Five strategies to foster sense of belonging Be caring and authentic: Syllabus policies and language, as well as introductory comments on the first day of class, set the tone for an entire term. I often embed study and time management strategies into the curriculum. Analyze your course policies (i.e.,

Syllabus 101

Syllabus Exams Students Motivation 101

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

Faculty Focus

FEBRUARY 18, 2024

Irish Educational Studies 42 (4), 949-969. Studies in Higher Education, 49 (1), 157-177. British Journal of Educational Studies, 53 (2), 129-147. Fostering a positive and inclusive community culture is essential for creating an environment where students feel empowered to learn, contribute, and thrive. link] Golden, B.

Culture 110

Culture Syllabus Critical Thinking Intelligence 110

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., Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors.

Plagiarism 98

Plagiarism Syllabus Ethics Feedback 98

Faculty Focus

SEPTEMBER 3, 2024

These questions draw from information on the syllabus (which they are provided with the week before we meet) as well as general trivia like what’s Netflix’s most watched series, what is the most desired corporate stock, etc. It is a nice balance of learning and pop-culture.

Exams 116

Exams Syllabus Group work Assignments 116