Practice object-based teaching
Though I’ve long practiced the technique of Object-Based Teaching (OBT) in face-to-face and online classrooms alike, I’d never really looked into the scholarship behind it until recently. I’d also not really considered the pedagogical principles behind it, nor whether my pedagogy needed any scrutiny and modification. It turns out that there were some aspects of my practice I needed to modify.
Looking back on five lessons learned
I can’t say that I’ve mastered the art of a balanced life, but I do have some tips for those new to teaching. These are some hard-won lessons I’ve gathered over the last two decades teaching at UAF.
An Interview with Gordon Williams
In this interview with Gordon Williams, we found out how he developed Calculus III (MATH F253X) for online students and why video became an important tool.
Q: What was important to have ready before the class started?
It would have been nice to have everything ready, but I had to settle with just having two weeks worked out in advance given the time constraints.
Q: Explain some of the pedagogical decisions you’ve made while building a course as it’s running.
A lot of the techniques I’m using in the course came from the suggestions and practices of my colleagues. For example, using worksheets in combination with (preferably brief) lecture videos using the same template, having students complete those worksheets by following along on the video, and having students submit them weekly is a reasonably handy way of ensuring students view and follow the content of the videos.
Teaching Writing in the STEM Classroom
Writing is a Process Learning to write well takes years. Accept the fact that students in your classroom are at wildly varying places along the path to being a good writer. Rather than teaching them to master grammar and spelling, your goal should be to help your...Data Visualization
Teaching Data Visualization Resources Questions for Discussion Why is data visualization important in your field? What tools do you use to generate images? What do your data visualization assignments look like right now? What tools are available to your students? How...“Art and science collide in ‘Microbial Worlds’”
Art and science collide in ‘Microbial Worlds’
BY JOSH HARTMAN · FEBRUARY 12, 2017
UAF Sunstar
“Microbial Worlds,’ an art exhibit with a scientific twist, sought to teach visitors about microbiology.
Interface literacy for faculty and students
You probably use hundreds, if not thousands, of gestures, keyboard commands and icons every day to navigate the web, perform various actions on a device and interact with others. Doing this in a skilled way is called interface literacy, and it’s an emerging literacy that faculty not only have to acquire themselves, but also must impart to their students.
Implementing the Field Trip in Your Online Classroom
**Make Your Next Field Trip Virtually Good by Dan LaSota (Teaching Tip) A Field Trip Activity Instructions: Ultimately you will create a “thing” and share it by completing the following steps: Choose an interaction with meat-space mediated...iTeach+: The Interactive Syllabus
In Practice A syllabus is no good if no one’s reading it. Being specific, succinct, and organized are the first steps to readability, but design matters too. Check out the examples below for creatively designed and organized syllabi: Northern Lit Syllabus, UAF with...Virtual iTeach+: Stealth Assessment – Blurring the Lines between Teaching and Assessment
Wednesday, April 5th, 12-1pm Join Dan LaSota and Sean Holland for this week’s Virtual iTeach+: Assessment at its best can educate, while letting instructors and students know the level of acquired mastery. At its worst, it interrupts learning flow and wastes...TCC Online Conference on Teaching and Learning
UAF eCampus has purchased a UA group registration for the TCC Online Conference on Teaching and Learning, one of the longest running and consistently interesting online education and technology conferences. All UA Faculty, Staff and Students can use the invitation...Build-a-Course #1: Building Your Course and Learning Objectives
Resources Measurable Learning Objectives (iTeachU) The Effective Syllabus (iTeachU) Outcomes Evidence (iTeachU) Calendars and Schedules (iTeachU) eCampus Syllabus Template in Google Docs Central Florida’s Objective Builder...iTeachU relaunches with more services for faculty
Are you working on a new course, an assignment, or a teaching idea and need a place to start? Start at iTeachU, UAF eCampus’s online headquarters for all your questions about course design. Learn on your own with our Pedagogy Resources, featuring tips and deep dives on course design, technology concepts, examples, links, and more.
A few notes on the iPad Pro
Like many of you, I still use a mix of analog and digital tools in my teaching practice. I use an old fashioned notebook and pen to keep up with ideas and to-do’s. Things like note taking, providing feedback on papers, and screencasting have all been awkward for me until now. The iPad Pro is broadening my options for practices that involve handwriting or drawing.
If This Then That
My life is complicated and technology sometimes complicates it rather than simplifying it. However, I can use automation to turn a frustrating series of tasks into a single task by using a tool called If This Then That.
Download our Teaching Tips compilation for 2014!
Download Teaching Tip for Fall 2014!
It’s in the syllabus – part two
How many times do you find yourself answering questions whose answers are outlined clearly in your syllabus? Probably more than you’d like. So how do you get students to read the darn syllabus?