Innovation Abstracts, NISOD’s flagship teaching strategies publication, provides an excellent opportunity for community and technical college educators to learn about and share best ideas about programs, projects, and strategies that improve students’ higher education experiences.

18 Sep, 2019

Workforce Development: How Do We Prepare Students for the Workforce?

2020-06-15T18:03:07-05:00

Volume XLI, No. 35 | September 19, 2019 Workforce Development: How Do We Prepare Students for The Workforce? Each time a school term ends, I wonder if I have prepared my students appropriately for the workforce in their selected field. Could I have done more?  How can we best prepare our students for [...]

Workforce Development: How Do We Prepare Students for the Workforce?2020-06-15T18:03:07-05:00
11 Sep, 2019

Team-Based Learning—Spicing It Up!

2020-06-15T18:03:53-05:00

Volume XLI, No. 34 | September 12, 2019 Team-Based Learning—Spicing It Up! As an instructor, I thrive in a flipped classroom environment. This model of teaching flips common institutional approaches and often centers student-led learning. I have experimented with flipped assessments, providing class time for students to thoroughly review their tests with [...]

Team-Based Learning—Spicing It Up!2020-06-15T18:03:53-05:00
4 Sep, 2019

Using Free Online Resources in Freshman English Composition

2019-09-05T17:09:15-05:00

Volume XLI, No. 33 | September 5, 2019 Using Free Online Resources in Freshman English Composition Community college students in freshman English are required to master both analyzing academic readings and producing academic writings. In other words, the process and the product. Unfortunately, many college English textbooks include a multitude of narratives [...]

Using Free Online Resources in Freshman English Composition2019-09-05T17:09:15-05:00
28 Aug, 2019

The Skeletons in Our Closets: Creating New Bones for OER Development

2019-08-28T20:32:32-05:00

Volume XLI, No. 32 | August 29, 2019 The Skeletons in Our Closets: Creating New Bones for OER Development Open Educational Resources (OER) are taking education by storm and the dust is still settling for many instructors who may be confused about not only what OER is but also where to start. [...]

The Skeletons in Our Closets: Creating New Bones for OER Development2019-08-28T20:32:32-05:00
21 Aug, 2019

The First Day of Class

2022-10-31T16:34:23-05:00

Volume XLI, No. 31 | August 22, 2019 The First Day of Class One of the most important times in the semester is the very first day of class. The first class is an opportunity to make an immediate impression on your students and to set the tone for the course. What [...]

The First Day of Class2022-10-31T16:34:23-05:00
14 Aug, 2019

Faculty Onboarding: Lessons Learned From Creating a Program From Scratch

2022-10-31T16:34:21-05:00

Volume XLI, No. 30 | August 15, 2019 Faculty Onboarding: Lessons Learned From Creating a Program From Scratch When students begin college for the first time, many of them are unsure of where to go, what to do, and what’s expected of them. New faculty members can feel the same way. Often, [...]

Faculty Onboarding: Lessons Learned From Creating a Program From Scratch2022-10-31T16:34:21-05:00
7 Aug, 2019

This Essay About Analogies Is a Lot Like an Old Man at a Country Store: It’s Filled With Useful Information

2022-10-31T16:34:21-05:00

Volume XLI, No. 29 | August 8, 2019 This Essay About Analogies Is a Lot Like an Old Man at a Country Store: It’s Filled With Useful Information Occasionally, the content we teach fails to reach the majority of our students. In these instances, it’s as if the more we speak, the [...]

This Essay About Analogies Is a Lot Like an Old Man at a Country Store: It’s Filled With Useful Information2022-10-31T16:34:21-05:00
31 Jul, 2019

Create Your Own Canvas: Get Ready to Make a Splash

2022-10-31T16:38:20-05:00

Volume XLI, No. 28 | August 1, 2019 Create Your Own Canvas: Get Ready to Make a Splash Although Canvas is the learning management system used by many college instructors to deliver coursework, there are opportunities for Canvas to meet numerous other needs at your institution. Canvas can be used for professional [...]

Create Your Own Canvas: Get Ready to Make a Splash2022-10-31T16:38:20-05:00
24 Jul, 2019

Engaging Students With Off-Topic Discussions

2022-10-31T16:38:19-05:00

Volume XLI, No. 27 | July 25, 2019 Engaging Students With Off-Topic Discussions “Participation” and “engagement” are academic buzzwords associated with making learners active participants in the learning process. Classroom discussion has the potential to engage learners in classrooms and make students active participants in the learning process. However, the inability to [...]

Engaging Students With Off-Topic Discussions2022-10-31T16:38:19-05:00
17 Jul, 2019

The Myth of the Teacher/Leader: Reframing the Role of the Department Chair

2022-10-31T16:38:19-05:00

Volume XLI, No. 26 | July 18, 2019 The Myth of the Teacher/Leader: Reframing the Role of the Department Chair In The College Administrator’s Survival Guide,C.K. Gunsalus (2006) says that “One of the most puzzling aspects of higher education is that its front-line leaders are almost always selected for qualities other than [...]

The Myth of the Teacher/Leader: Reframing the Role of the Department Chair2022-10-31T16:38:19-05:00