CELT Teaching Tip • April 12, 2018
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Preparing for Final Exams, The Sound of Silence
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Last week, I asked my students in my 200-level “Creativity on Demand” course “how will you prepare for the final oral presentation to ensure it is professional?” You could have heard a pin drop. Hmm, I wondered, why were they all looking at me, but no one was responding? I waited the requisite 8 seconds and asked the question again. Crickets, nothing! Has this ever happened to you?
As you prepare your students for final exams, final presentations, and final projects, we can consider that sometimes the way that we ask questions can pose a challenge to undergraduate students. Trying to begin a discussion with a question that has “correct” answers can cause concern for students who do not want to look badly in the eyes or their peers. In this circumstance, students may wait it out until the instructor provides the answer to the question themselves. Something I did to my chagrin!
To solicit greater feedback, I could have asked the class something that they have all experienced. In my example above, perhaps I could have asked “what pitfalls have you seen that have made a presentation unprofessional?” Asking the question in this manner allows students to draw on experiences not necessarily central to themselves. I could have also written a concept on the board and asked students to suggest examples, either verbally or in small groups. For example, I could have written the words professional presentation on the board and asked students to suggest examples. This would have provided a wider option for responses rather than a very limited set of correct answers. Lastly, I could have asked the students to relate to examples of professional presentations (and unprofessional examples) that they may have read about in previous course materials. In this manner, students would have drawn on previous course material to think about their future presentation.
Next time you hear the sound of silence to a question that you pose, perhaps consider a different way to present the question to the students. I certainly will!
Sincerely,
Sara Marcketti, Interim Director
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching
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On June 1, Blackboard access ends... REALLY.
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Teaching in Canvas Summer 2018?
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Prepare to teach your summer course in Canvas by creating a blank course shell and building or copying your course by completing the following steps:
- Log into Canvas
- From the Help menu in the global navigation, select Global Course Administration. You will be asked to authorize the Global Course Administration tool before use.
- The Global Course Administration tool consists of two functionalities:
- Click “Prepare to Teach” if you are an instructor of record for any Summer 2018 courses. On the top of the Prepare To Teach page, select “Summer 2018” from the Term drop-down menu. You will see a list of courses in which you are designated the instructor of record in Summer 2018. You will be able to create Canvas course shells, combine sections, enroll students and publish/unpublish your courses.
- Use the “Request a New Course Shell” in Global Course Administration if you are NOT an instructor of record in Summer 2018. A course shell built here can be attached to your course later or used as a development course that only you see.
Note:
If you are an instructor of record for Summer 2018 courses and your upcoming semester’s course(s) are not in your course list in the Prepare To Teach functionality of the Global Course Administration tool, contact the representative via the
Registrar's department contacts
web directory.
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Accepting applications for the CELT Course Design Institute (May 21-24)
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The CELT Course Design Institute
is a new offering to take place on May 21 through May 24 and will focus on course design and development with Canvas. Participants will learn about practical and flexible ways to plan student-centric courses and how such courses feel and look like in Canvas. Learn more from the
CELT Course Design Institute: Build a pathway to student learning in Canvas
website.
Apply now by filling out the
online application form. The application deadline is April 30, 2018. You will be informed whether you have been selected by May 5, 2018.
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Conversation on Teaching Inclusively: Building an inclusive and learner-centered syllabus
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April 24 (4:00-5:00 p.m., 2030 Morrill Hall)
Now that this academic year is almost over, this conversation will be a starting place for thinking through how to implement inclusive pedagogy and learner-centered practices into your syllabus for the upcoming year. We will discuss strategies for producing a student-centered syllabus; as well as, the importance of establishing clear expectations and goals, using transparent teaching methods, and building rapport and community in your class.
Register for this conversation via the
Learn@ISU
website.
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- Meeting, ISU Online Learning Community (ISU-OLC), Apr. 13 (11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.)
- Conversation, Building an inclusive and learner-centered syllabus, Apr. 24 (4-5:00 p.m.)
- Workshop, Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) Workshop, Apr. 27 (8 a.m.-4 p.m.)
- Meeting, ISU Online Learning Community (ISU-OLC), May 11 (11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.)
- Workshop, Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) Workshop, May 18 (8 a.m.-4 p.m.)
- Inclusive Classroom Faculty Development Workshop, May 31 (9 a.m.-12 p.m.)
- Inclusive Classroom Faculty Development Workshop, June 19 (1:10-4 p.m.)
- 3-Part Series: The Research-Based Flipped Classroom - Team-Based Learning, June 26-28 (1:10 - 4:00 p.m.)
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