Volume XXXIX, No. 18 | September 7, 2017 Capitalizing on Social Presence in Online Course Design: Five Strategies That Work How can we create a more effective, efficient online-course experience for students and instructors? One thing we know: social presence matters. Social presence, briefly defined as the connectedness between and among students [...]
Volume XXXIX, No. 17 | August 31, 2017 Using Icebreakers to Build Community It’s the first day of class, and students nervously find their seats. They may or may not know anyone in the class. Tension of the unknown is palpable. Students are unsure what to expect: What will this course be [...]
Volume XXXIX, No. 15 | April 27, 2017 Raise Your Hand if You Have Questions In traditional face-to-face classes, it’s easy to know when students have questions. Typically, we don’t even need to wait for students to raise their hands because we see a sea of blank stares and bewildered faces. In online [...]
Volume XXXVIII, No. 26 | November 3, 2016 Is Fair Grading Futile? Evaluating and Rethinking Assessment "Teachers often replicate what they experienced as students.” –Pula Stitt Educator Challenges What is one of the most challenging aspects about your job as an educator? The usual suspects come to my mind: time constraints, course load, [...]
Volume XXXVIII, No. 15 | May 6, 2016 Economics: The Not-So-Dismal Science Economics has a reputation for being a dismal science. You can make the argument that any subject matter is dismal, and that how it’s taught is what makes all the difference. I think economics is anything but dismal. Economics is the [...]
Volume XXXVIII, No. 14 | April 29, 2016 Educating Through Coaching: Defining Your Role and Instilling a Dynamic Classroom Environment “Pressure Is a Privilege.”—Billie Jean King Think back to the very first moment you received confirmation that you are officially a “teacher.” Whether that was an affirming call from your department’s dean, an [...]
Volume XXXVIII, No. 6 | February 26, 2016 Teaching as Storytelling: Bringing Interest Back to the Classroom “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story?”—Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda We’ve all been in many classrooms: high school history, undergraduate math, graduate level humanities, theatre, philosophy, biology, etc., etc. Look back through your educational career. Who [...]
Volume XXXVII, No. 9 | March 27, 2015 Strategies to Increase Confidence in the Classroom: A Problem Solver The single best fulfillment that a teacher can witness in a learner is self-confidence. Although many students are capable of solving problems and thinking critically, they often don’t possess the confidence to display those [...]
Volume XXXVII, No. 15 | May 8, 2015 Roll Out the Welcome Mat: Using Hope, Hospitality, and Humor to Create a Comfortable Classroom The welcome mat is often the first thing that many of us see when we visit someone. It sends a clear message to visitors that they are entering a welcoming [...]
Volume XXXVII, No. 14 | May 1, 2015 The First Day of Class: People Before Paper The first day of class is arguably the most important day of the school term, since this is when impressions are made, trust starts, and relationships either begin or are dashed. As teachers, we must think about [...]