Communicating with your students is the core of an online class. Active and timely communication supports teaching presence and when instructors participate supportively and frequently students perceive the instructor as both […]
The Teaching + Learning Team
We are writers, thinkers, teachers, learners, storytellers, librarians, technologists, questioners, readers, podcasters, statisticians, planners, contributors to others’ positivity and joy, and people made in the image of God.
Cognitive and Social Presence
Cognitive presence is central to successful student learning. The quality of cognitive presence reflects the quality and quantity of critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and construction of meaning occurring in student↔student and student↔faculty interactions. You […]
Establish and Maintain Instructor Presence
The concept of presence in teaching builds on the body of work on teaching and learning including Dewey, Chickering and Gamson, and many others studying the psychological and sociological aspects […]
Design Active Learning Experiences
In the framework of Backwards Design, learning activities include any type of activity that students undertake to work with the concepts and skills that lead to reaching the desired learning […]
Gather, Make and Structure Content
As you design your course based on your desired learning outcomes, it is important to think through what parts of your content are critical to support student achievement of those […]
Explore New Content Sources
It is usually easier to adapt or use existing materials than it is to design your own materials from scratch. Here are some repositories that may provide media or course […]
Plan and Develop Assessments
In any type of course it is important for students to get frequent feedback on how they are doing. Are they learning what they are supposed to be learning? Are […]
Align and Establish Assessments
Alignment between assessments and desired learning outcomes is foundational if your assessments are to be valid. Just like in a research study where you want to make sure that your […]
Develop or Revisit Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes guide your course design. They are the destinations on your course map. Once you know where you’re going, the other questions, “How will I know when students got there?” […]
An Approachable Syllabus Writing Style
A syllabus serves many functions in a class. In The Course Syllabus: A Learning Centered Approach (2008, 2nd Ed.) Judith Grunert O’Brien, Barbara J. Millis and Margaret W. Cohen identify at least […]