Weekly Teaching Tips

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 […]

Empathy as a Learning Goal We often say that students come to college to decide who they want to be. As university faculty, we’re not only preparing our students for success in their downstream courses; we’re also helping to prepare them for work and for life. In all of these domains, empathy is essential: Health […]

Goals for the First Day of Class When we’re planning for a new semester, it’s always important to think about the conditions in which our students will be learning. We’re all facing stressful circumstances again, which will shape how we and our students feel and behave during the first week of class. In the midst […]

A Learning Guide for Students As we begin another academic year in uncertain circumstances, some aspects of our teaching remain familiar: We’re preparing our courses, writing our syllabi, meeting our new students, and helping them to grow intellectually, professionally, and personally during our time together this semester. The Center for the Advancement of Teaching is […]

Making the Most of a Short Semester Congratulations again on making it through a challenging academic year. We hope you have plans for some well-deserved rest. But if you’re teaching this summer, you may be in the midst of planning a six-week course. “Compressed” or “intensive” classes, like those in summer B or C, challenge […]

Congratulations & Thank You Phew. Today marks the end of Spring 2021 classes, and only finals remain. We made it through a marathon, and even if we’re limping toward the finish line, we’ve done more than just endure. As we reflect on the last year, it would be natural to focus on—and to grieve—our many […]

Missing Assignments: Exhaustion & Procrastinationå In the last few days, several colleagues have mentioned that more students than usual have been missing class or not turning in assignments here at the end of the semester. A host of reasons spring to mind, beginning with the most likely: stress and burnout. Like us, many students are […]

Celebrating at the End of a Difficult Semester For many of us—both faculty and students—this semester has been uniquely difficult. With Spring Break canceled because of the pandemic, many students are exhausted and have just been focusing on doing the best they can in a difficult situation—so much so that they may not yet be […]

How Are We Measuring Learning? Finals week is sneaking up on us this spring. This semester has been another tough one: students are exhausted and isolated, as well as frightened and distressed by the multiple acts of violence in the news. (Many faculty and TAs are similarly overwhelmed, of course). This is an important time […]