Weekly Teaching Tips

Considering Cognitive Load If you were going to teach someone how to drive, would you rather start in a large, empty parking lot or on a busy interstate? The answer is obvious, but the reasoning is worth exploring because of the implications for teaching other things. Experienced drivers know that driving on a busy interstate […]

Setting Priorities for the Last Few Weeks Believe it or not, there are only two and a half more weeks of regular classes left in this semester. With days off for holidays toward the end of the term, sometimes the fall semester can feel like a long climb followed by a steep downward slope to […]

Building a Teaching Community Sometimes teaching can seem like a paradoxical “alone together” moment: We’re in a room with maybe hundreds of students, but there’s only one of “us.” Much of the behind-the-scenes work of teaching also tends to be done in isolation: writing syllabi, selecting course materials, planning activities, writing feedback, grading. Working alone […]

Exercise Can Be a Study Strategy Faculty and students alike may be exhausted at this point in the semester. It’s common to experience a mid-semester slump, which can be worse for people experiencing ongoing pandemic-related stress. We can all benefit from breaks, physical activity, and a change of scenery, so even when we’re busy, no […]

Building Knowledge at the Beginning of Class When designing our courses, most of us sequence the topics, assignments, and activities to build on one another. This approach tends to work well because our courses are also a series of experiences through which students construct knowledge and develop skills over time. Between class meetings, though, students […]

So You Collected Midsemester Feedback. Now What? Last week, we suggested collecting midsemester feedback from students, to check in on how things are going for them so far this term. By the time we typically get their feedback, on our course evaluations, it’s too late to incorporate their suggestions or address their concerns. Surveying them […]

Midsemester Feedback with a Focus Around this time each term, we suggest gathering feedback on how the course is going for students so far. Checking in with them at midsemester (or at several points) is much more helpful than waiting until the end of the term because there’s still time to use what they say […]

Exam Wrappers After students have taken an exam, they usually focus on their grade and how it will factor into their final grade in the course. This focus on scores is understandable, considering the powerful impact of grades on students’ academic progress, financial aid, future goals, and even self-perceptions. But this focus doesn’t help students […]

Bringing Assignments Into Focus Have you ever tried doing a project that you assign to your students? Or have you ever listed all of the steps—and all of the knowledge, skills, and resources needed for each of those steps—involved in completing a project that you assign? If you haven’t tried either of those activities, doing […]

Communication Tips & Time-Savers Even in a normal semester, students have lots of questions. Whether about course concepts, assignment instructions, class logistics, or technology, students seek a variety of information, confirmation, and reassurance in person, online, and by email. Overall, questions are a good thing, because for every student who asks a question, there are […]

Informal Feedback A tricky but important part of building and maintaining a positive relationship with our students is helping them to see feedback as an essential part of our communication. Grades or points could be thought of as one form of feedback, and many students like to monitor those, but grades also tend to be […]

Learning Names + NameCoach In 2020, the switch to remote teaching put many of us on a steep learning curve, but one thing Zoom made easier was knowing most students’ names, since they were listed right there on the screen. Although most of us have more experience teaching face-to-face, the transition back to doing it […]