Supporting Teaching, Learning, and Technology in the College of Letters and Science
Created by Laura Schmidli and edited by Maria Widmer. Many instructors have collected a final paper or project, only to be disappointed that students missed the mark. This can stem from the gap between a complex prompt and students’ ability to organize the work and learning required. Breaking down complex tasks and providing temporary support …
Created by Molly Harris and edited by Laura Schmidli. You may have heard a college student refer to their experiences outside the classroom as “real life.” How can we dispel the impression that what happens in the classroom is somehow disconnected from students’ lives? How can we make our courses more “real” to students? And …
L&S undergraduate students share stories about what makes an assignment spark curiosity, how interdisciplinary learning brings value to their lives, and why they love a challenging course.
Mike Wagner shares how he uses assignments and group projects to engage students in issues relevant to their lives, while building students’ practical skills.
This mini episode features two real-world questions from L&S instructors. We discuss a practical tool for scheduling office hours on demand and a recommendation for weekly assignments in Canvas.
Created by Laura Schmidli and edited by Jonathan Klein and Molly Harris. As generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) continues to become more sophisticated and ubiquitous, the utility of Gen AI tools, perspectives about their use, and cultural acceptance of them will continue to change. This landscape of larger societal change will continue to inform our …
Sam Pazicni shares how his background in music performance and the Science Practices from the Next Generation Science Standards have influenced his approach to creating authentic, equitable assessment.
Emily Hall and Angela Zito share insights into crafting inclusive writing assignments, fostering belonging through writing, and teaching writing in the age of AI.
Created by Laura Schmidli and edited by Jonathan Klein. Imagine a student attends your office hours and expresses frustration at performing poorly on an exam – despite hours of preparation. One way to troubleshoot with the student is to focus on the quality, rather than duration, of their preparation. What did they do to prepare? …
Created by Laura Schmidli and Antonella Caloro. Transparent assignments make expectations clear to all students in advance. The less time and energy students spend figuring out what to do, the more time and energy they have to devote to course work. Clear expectations are also an important part of equitable teaching, as they help students …
Created by Laura Schmidli and edited by Molly Harris. Having learning goals, whether they be program outcomes, course outcomes, or learning objectives for a specific activity, helps make learning clearer to everyone involved. Clear learning goals can: L&S Design for Learning Series Table of Contents Program & Course Outcomes In the College of Letters & …
Created by Laura Schmidli and Antonella Caloro One huge advantage of using Canvas is its ability to calculate final grades. However, extra credit can be difficult to integrate into your existing Canvas grading structure and calculations. Three methods we recommend are listed below, from easiest to more difficult. The best choice for your course depends …