Supporting Teaching, Learning, and Technology in the College of Letters and Science
Many instructors have a renewed interest in fostering uniquely human skills like teamwork. The ability to work effectively with others is often cited as a key “real-world” competency that benefits students in several ways. By working with peers, students can find social and cognitive support (Chang & Brickman, 2018), develop greater self-efficacy (Aikens & Kulacki, …
Created by Cory Sprinkel, Morgridge Center for Public Service & Molly Harris, L&S Instructional Design Collaborative. Providing students with opportunities to meaningfully apply their learning and skills to community interests can lead to transformative outcomes for their learning and development. Community-Based Learning (CBL) improves students’ critical thinking and civic responsibility (Strage, 2000), their ability to …
Active learning is broadly defined as involving students actively, rather than passively, in their own learning. Most often, this is shown in the contrast between students listening to a lecture and students working together to complete a task. Pick one Mini Discussion below and include a 10-15 minute conversation in your next group meeting. These …
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.
Patti Coffey shares how reflection, storytelling, and active engagement contribute to mutually beneficial partnerships between students and the community, with a focus on the area of prisoner reentry.
Helping students make personal connections in the classroom with instructors, peers, and disciplinary content can support students feeling like they belong. When learners develop a sense that they belong, they are better able to participate, sustain attention and motivation, and retain knowledge. This page offers strategies from research literature and our L&S colleagues that support …
For many students and instructors, the start of the semester is a time of high energy and motivation. For others, beginning a new term may feel daunting or alienating. Immediately helping students connect with you, other students, and your course content can help those who are eager and energized as well as those who feel …
In the second part of our series with TA Award Winners, we talk with Lucas Wiscons. He shares how the theory of “decentering” has helped him create an inclusive, engaging, and innovative classroom.
In the first episode of our miniseries on coaching and teaching, David Macasaet talks with Coach Jon Reader of UW-Madison Wrestling about the inclusive experience of communally conquering a challenge.
In this episode, Laura Schmidli speaks with Dr. Janet Batzli about inclusive practices in Biocore, experiential learning, student leadership and mentoring, threshold concepts, and ways of knowing within a discipline.