effective teaching strategies

Hosting a guest speaker virtually or in the classroom is potentially a highlight of the semester, but more often than not it is a letdown.  The pitfalls are many, and include unprepared and unmotivated students who...

One-minute papers have deservedly become one of the more common classroom activities deployed by teachers.  This is consistent with Lang’s (2016a) perspective that “frequent low-stakes writing assignments...

With PhD in hand, I joined the academy without any real teaching training.  As I sought to establish my teaching routine and define my teaching philosophy, I found an author who provided useful guidance: James M. Lang...

Some students become busy, overwhelmed, or unmotivated by the middle of the semester. This phenomenon has become even more apparent with COVID-19 protocols. Which is why building a community of learners has become so...

In spring 2020, faculty across the country stood up to the challenging task of not only transitioning and adapting to online modes of instruction but also multi-tasking through learning new technology, advising, having...

Higher education has recently changed in faster and more dynamic ways than anticipated. COVID-19 is an immediate factor, but the access to information is more prevalent now than 15 years ago. Many students’ learning...

I once started a speech performing the motions for Itsy Bitsy Spider, and one-by-one, the business men and women joined in, first with the motions and then with the words. These individuals came from all walks and...

Have you ever struggled to get students to do required readings? Do your students treat them as optional? Perhaps they do the readings, but when you ask them to engage in critical discussion or think deeply about the...

What can you implement in your classes that can review content, establish a foundation for the day’s topic, encourage student participation, and get students prepared for the day’s activities? Whether you call them...

A song of the day. Dungeons & Dragons. Foldable, flap notes. Plickers. This is only a glimpse of the tactics the 2020 Teaching Professor Virtual Conference covers. Here, I provide a sneak peek of tips and tricks...

Although teaching first-time freshmen across all content areas presents challenges, first-year experience (FYE) courses also have unique obstacles which must be overcome, especially with the shift to online learning....

As educators, we often struggle to provide an effective learning environment for the students who are easily distracted and clamoring for more support. Technology in the classroom has the potential to engage students...

Since accepting my first tenure-track faculty position, I have wanted to create a safe environment for students to ask questions and discuss concepts. My passion for teaching and learning physics has pushed me to create...

This spring, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many to make a sudden transition to online teaching, a field with its own rich body of research, best practices, and good ideas. While few of us have had time to fully immerse...

This spring our campuses were closed, and we quickly moved all classes online due to COVID-19. Though we have continued to work and teach together, many of us did not get to say goodbye or formally celebrate our time...

Students can have a hard time seeing how general education requirements and foundational classes help them achieve their goals. Students, especially adult learners, want to make measurable progress toward their degrees...