Faculty Focus

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

Ever wonder why students dont read the syllabus, despite the time and effort we put into creating it? Yet, many students simply arent motivated to read it. Simply standing in front of the room and reading through the syllabus page by page isnt the most engaging way to showcase what your class has to offer.

Syllabus 124

Syllabus Students Activities Instructors 124

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 17, 2023

I wanted to provoke them, to get them to ask questions, and to start using these tools—not to cheat—but to flip their learning on its head. Putting ChatGPT on trial I first became aware of ChatGPT last February when I began reading mind-blowing comments of several progressive educators. Now create a syllabus, complete with readings.”

English 335

English Syllabus Intelligence Assignments 335

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 31, 2023

Recently, I attended a conference and was sharing my new visual syllabus with some colleagues. After several interactions, I noticed the most frequent comment was, “What a cool syllabus…but is it accessible?” I was ecstatic to hear this question! Illustration 1 : Page 1 of my Pokémon-themed syllabus.

Syllabus 116

Syllabus Accessibility Quizzes Disabilities 116

Faculty Focus

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

Ever wonder why students dont read the syllabus, despite the time and effort we put into creating it? Yet, many students simply arent motivated to read it. Simply standing in front of the room and reading through the syllabus page by page isnt the most engaging way to showcase what your class has to offer.

Syllabus 98

Syllabus Students Activities Instructors 98

eSchool News

AUGUST 29, 2024

Let’s unravel these questions. Social annotation as an e-learning vehicle within UDL Social annotation tools can improve reading comprehension and student interaction. The same study also concluded that it “promotes motivation for reading and contributes to higher frequency of positive emotions and lower frequency of negative emotions.”

Learning 303

Learning Syllabus Universal Design Quizzes 303

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 31, 2023

Recently, I attended a conference and was sharing my new visual syllabus with some colleagues. After several interactions, I noticed the most frequent comment was, “What a cool syllabus…but is it accessible?” I was ecstatic to hear this question! Illustration 1 : Page 1 of my Pokémon-themed syllabus.

Syllabus 98

Syllabus Accessibility Quizzes Disabilities 98

eSchool News

OCTOBER 7, 2015

Taking part in class discussions by consistently asking leading questions, extending student thinking, and contributing relevant, instructive subject matter expertise will build a strong foundation for collaboration and engagement. Check for questions frequently and provide timely feedback on progress. Establish good course practices.

Education 279

Education Syllabus Instructors Feedback 279

Edsurge

JULY 31, 2024

Recently, I found myself in Barnes and Noble, captivated by a "Read with Pride" display in the Young Adult section. In those days, my reading experiences at school stalled my understanding of my emerging queer identity and limited my knowledge of others that might have shared my experiences. Who is missing from the stories?

Syllabus 193

Syllabus English Learning Students 193

Edsurge

MARCH 6, 2019

The course, titled “The Reading Experiment: The Power of the Book,” takes place every other Friday beginning at 9:30 a.m. Students put away their technology and read for four hours. It’s a rediscovery of uninterrupted reading,” Peña-Guzman said last Friday while pulling up slides about the assigned readings.

Reading 162

Reading Teaching Lecturing Syllabus 162

eSchool News

AUGUST 12, 2024

Between budgetary constraints, bandwidth crunches, and a constantly changing syllabus, teachers have their hands full when it comes to structuring and building their class’s lessons and lectures. Fortunately, AI has the capability to absorb vast bodies of text and come up with meaningful questions as long as it is steered correctly.

Quizzes 293

Quizzes Lecturing Exams Ethics 293

Edsurge

JANUARY 9, 2019

You can pose a question for a future column here. Students tell me that when they encounter a discussion board, they expect to see a long discussion prompt from the instructor with some questions they are supposed to answer in 300 to 400 words. This past semester, each student submitted reading notes as an assignment in the LMS.

Instructors 164

Instructors Syllabus Peer Review Students 164

Edsurge

APRIL 30, 2020

They also addressed audience questions about how to get faculty motivated to adjust their courses to improve accessibility. Listen to the conversation below, or read a partial transcript, lightly edited for clarity. Del Tufo: Reading is probably the most prevalent one that I see. Del Tufo: That's a great question.

Accessibility 218

Accessibility Disabilities Universal Design Syllabus 218

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 15, 2021

All too often, they would wind up needing to ask their instructor a question about the assignment but had no time to receive an answer before the deadline passed. They can check announcements during work breaks or read discussion posts while waiting for a flight at the airport.

Online Learning 185

Online Learning Instructors Coaching Mobile Devices 185

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. Here, they were free to ask me any questions. I put the document on a screen and reviewed it with them.

Student Engagement 116

Student Engagement Activities Syllabus Instructors 116

Edsurge

DECEMBER 30, 2021

The practice is a common retrospective technique known as Start/Stop/Continue, and it poses three questions: • What are we not doing, that we should start doing? If I said what the things were that I cut from my syllabus or my department chair duties, I would probably get in trouble. This is a real question.

Education 185

Education Syllabus Instructors Intelligence 185

Edsurge

APRIL 9, 2020

For example, a philosophy professor at University of Notre Dame designed an introductory course that draws on “ interactive digital essays ” published on mobile-friendly web pages attached to the online syllabus, reports Inside Higher Ed. Of course, these programs may take significant time to develop. LA schools did indeed close.

Distance Learning 212

Distance Learning Syllabus Internet Learning 212

Edsurge

JUNE 6, 2024

The software will automatically use your recording to make notes, flashcards and quiz questions,” she says in the promotional video. Encourage students to do annotations — to read with pen or pencil or highlighter. She describes opening up the company’s tool on her laptop during class and clicking a record button.

Lecturing 216

Lecturing Education Assignments Syllabus 216

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 23, 2016

Plenty of colleagues on other campuses were wrestling with the same question, she saw in the portfolios, and they were finding ways that tried new approaches without throwing out the old completely—call it turning the class on its side rather than making a full flip.

Teaching Portfolio 167

Teaching Portfolio Teaching Syllabus Peer Review 167

Edsurge

MAY 26, 2019

The class reads about Common Core and completes a few samples of Common Core assessment questions to understand the student and teacher experience using these materials. Read the updates too: parts one and two. Do you have any thoughts on the reading? One of the sessions is dedicated to examining education standards.

Syllabus 156

Syllabus Education Failure Knowledge 156

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 23, 2022

But this year, with the arrival of the World Cup, I came prepared, and my students knew it when they saw our sports journalism unit built into the syllabus on the first day. All too often, the books on these reading centered traumatizing and marginalizing protagonists. Are these days blocked off for the World Cup?!” they exclaimed.

English 199

English Culture Syllabus Writing 199

Ask a Tech Teacher

MAY 1, 2015

You can read more here and here. What I want to do today is go over the most common questions I’ve gotten regarding sign ups: Q: What is the cost to register? Email the instructor at askatechteacher at gmail dot com throughout the week and/or bring up your question at the weekend Google Hangout or TweetUp. And welcome!

Questions 71

Questions Syllabus Instructors Curriculum 71

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 13, 2024

Instead of thinking about the LMS as simply a repository for course essentials (syllabus, contact information, etc.), Students now expect the use of this tool by their professors for more than simply providing lecture slides or links to readings. consider how it might be used as a tool for enhancing student learning and engagement.

Syllabus 122

Syllabus Instructors Assignments Faculty Development 122

Faculty Focus

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

Did teachers know that students were reading them? On one hand, the CliffsNotes founders were bibliophiles, who touted the guides as a way to promote the readings of original texts, not as a substitute for them (About CliffsNotes). Sometimes I wonder about those long-gone study guides. Did using CliffsNotes constitute cheating?

Syllabus 124

Syllabus Academic Integrity eLearning Assignments 124

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. Here, they were free to ask me any questions. I put the document on a screen and reviewed it with them.

Student Engagement 98

Student Engagement Activities Syllabus Instructors 98

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 20, 2024

We may not have a storefront window to attract attention, but we do have something that students see before the start of the semester that can grab their attention, set the tone, and get them excited about entering the class…your syllabus! Exhibit 2: Thompson’s Barbie themed class syllabus (Spring 2024). Let Them Play!

Syllabus 111

Syllabus Attention Assignments Activities 111

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 20, 2024

We may not have a storefront window to attract attention, but we do have something that students see before the start of the semester that can grab their attention, set the tone, and get them excited about entering the class…your syllabus! Exhibit 2: Thompson’s Barbie themed class syllabus (Spring 2024). Let Them Play!

Syllabus 111

Syllabus Attention Assignments Activities 111

Edsurge

MARCH 21, 2019

You can pose a question for a future column here. Dear Bonni, My question is how to prepare yourself for a doctorate in leadership in higher ed, even when you are over 50! I have created what I’m calling my “prep syllabus” and hope to set a solid foundation for myself. Thanks so much!

Syllabus 138

Syllabus Writing Schools Research Methods 138

Faculty Focus

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

Did teachers know that students were reading them? On one hand, the CliffsNotes founders were bibliophiles, who touted the guides as a way to promote the readings of original texts, not as a substitute for them (About CliffsNotes). Sometimes I wonder about those long-gone study guides. Did using CliffsNotes constitute cheating?

Syllabus 119

Syllabus Academic Integrity eLearning Assignments 119

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. Ask students to complete a pre-semester survey.

Teaching 119

Teaching Syllabus Feedback Instructors 119

Ask a Tech Teacher

APRIL 26, 2017

To help you make your decision, I want to share the most common questions I’ve gotten regarding sign ups: Q: What is the cost to register? Email the instructor at askatechteacher at gmail dot com throughout the week and/or bring up your question at the weekend Google Hangout. 3-4 weeks, lots of resources and hands-on help.

Questions 68

Questions Online Learning Learning Syllabus 68

Ask a Tech Teacher

APRIL 22, 2016

What I want to do today is go over the most common questions I’ve gotten regarding sign ups: Q: What is the cost to register? Email the instructor at askatechteacher at gmail dot com throughout the week and/or bring up your question at the weekend Google Hangout or TweetUp. June 20th through August 7th. I’m not very techie.

Questions 68

Questions Online Learning Learning Syllabus 68

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 13, 2024

As the lazy days of summer start to dwindle, it’s time to trade in beach reads for textbooks and flip-flops for sensible shoes. Whether it’s whipping up dazzling PowerPoint slides, rewording a syllabus, or designing a new and exciting lesson, AI has you covered. Need a YouTube video summarized or some awesome questions?

Syllabus 119

Syllabus Assignments Feedback Teaching Assistants 119

Ask a Tech Teacher

JUNE 27, 2024

Maybe even a rewarding one (yes, you read that right). For example, with Quizlet, you can create digital flashcards and practice tests tailored to your syllabus. Here are some of the best digital study techniques that can make your study sessions more effective and help you ace all your exams.

Exams 157

Exams Study Syllabus Testing 157

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 13, 2024

Instead of thinking about the LMS as simply a repository for course essentials (syllabus, contact information, etc.), Students now expect the use of this tool by their professors for more than simply providing lecture slides or links to readings. consider how it might be used as a tool for enhancing student learning and engagement.

Syllabus 105

Syllabus Instructors Assignments Faculty Development 105

Edsurge

SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

In an age where college students can Skype, email and Snapchat with their families faster than it takes to read this sentence, it’s easy for parents to stay involved in the lives of their children who’ve flown the coop. Reed and her colleagues surveyed 461 college students at FSU and asked questions about parental involvement.

Syllabus 158

Syllabus Exams Instructors Study 158

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. Ask students to complete a pre-semester survey.

Teaching 111

Teaching Syllabus Feedback Instructors 111

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. Now, think about your students.

Academic Integrity 137

Academic Integrity Writing Syllabus Exams 137