The Benefits of Peer Teaching When we ask students to work in groups or turn to their neighbor to discuss course content, many of us wonder whether this kind of collaboration is worthwhile. Students aren’t experts, so could they be teaching each other incorrect information? Or perhaps what they discuss is superficial or watered down? […]
One of the most challenging aspects of education is getting our students to use prior knowledge and to connect that with the new information we are trying to teach them. It seems as if students walk into each class and compartmentalize it in their brain, often, it feels as if they do this for each […]
“I miss getting to really know my students. It’s just not the same.” “There’s no way of knowing who is on the other side of the screen.” Sound familiar? If so then you aren’t alone. Not only do some instructors feel this way about online learning, but students do as well. Often they feel isolated, […]
Self-Care Strategies for Faculty For most faculty (and students), the end of the semester is an exhausting race to the finish. Endless cups of coffee, maybe even a Red Bull or two, sustain you through grading marathons and conversations with students that begin with “I really need an A.” Once you surface for a breath […]
One of the things that I enjoy most about being an Instructional Technologist is that I am constantly required to stay up to date on the newest learning technologies and instructional strategies. Part of my job involves designing and delivering professional development sessions to faculty at the College of Charleston. As we all know, technology […]
Make Group Work More Efficient with Google Apps Collaboration and project management are important skills for college students to learn. Unfortunately, many students grumble about group work and faculty spend too much time managing logistics. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were tools that could make in-class group work more efficient and productive? I have […]
Most faculty members have lectured to their students at some point in their careers. In traditional lectures, this means that the isntructor speaks while students listen. While some lectures can be dynamic, engaging, and even entertaining, research has shown that student concentration typically drops after 10-15 minutes. With many questions during a traditional lecture being […]
Flipping the classroom seems to be the newest buzzword in education, both in higher ed and in k12 but what are the benefits of this method and what exactly is a “flipped classroom”? Flipped Classroom A flipped classroom is a reversal of the norm, where class time that is usually spent lecturing […]
The crux of a class period, and perhaps the most challenging to plan, are the beginning and ending. Unfortunately, these are the two parts of a lesson that faculty typically devote the least amount of attention. Often, the first few minutes of class are spent taking attendance, setting up technology, or rattling off reminders. This […]
Starting a new semester can be daunting but let us help you with our Start of Semester Checklist! This checklist gives you a list view of important tasks to complete to make sure your semester starts off smoothly, it also tells you how to complete most tasks. Some of the tasks and include: Verifying your course shell […]
