Finding community and humor in a changed classroom
Despite the initial challenge, my spring semester students created an environment filled with community and humor, and it ended up being one of the most memorable classes I have ever taught.
Effective distance teaching through flexibility
Pros and cons of three distance-education methods — audio conference, video conference and online — from UAF’s rural-oriented programs.
My journey teaching an online course
I have been teaching Principles of Genetics (BIOL F260) face-to-face at UAF for the past 15 years. It’s a required course for biology majors and a prerequisite for medical school. In 2019, my department chair asked if I would consider developing the course for online...Fostering engagement in online discussion
Creating active discussions in a course can be challenging. In times of COVID-19, fostering that space for community exploration and making connections between content and the current world can become the anchor that keeps the momentum.
Early reflections about what worked and what we learned
With an unprecedented semester behind us, some faculty share their perspectives on how they adapted their teaching in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keeping the door open
Now more than ever, you are an important tether between our students and campus. Here are some tips for keeping the door open to maintain a relationship with your students.
Impermanence, vulnerability and slowing down: Lessons from meditation
In times of uncertainty, we can apply principles from meditation to our teaching practices. Let’s reflect on a few of these principles: impermanence, slowing down and vulnerability.
Connecting with your students during crisis
Empathy is a powerful tool for social connection. Reaching your students now is critical not only to their academic success but also their overall health and wellbeing.
Collaborative student research brings diversity to course content
Course content in the Arts is often lacking in diverse perspectives. Involving your students in collaborative research can help in a variety of ways to reinvent that curriculum to reflect our modern world.
Try Flipgrid for more engaging discussions
Flipgrid is one way to engage students in an interactive discussion and can be utilized without creating additional work for the student or faculty member.
Three ways to encourage student resilience
Today’s college students are excessively stressed. These suggested strategies can make your course less stressful without reducing rigor.
Easter eggs in videos can increase student engagement
See how two UAF instructors are using Easter eggs – hidden features – in their instructional videos to retain student engagement in their online classrooms.
Creating a culture of mentorship
Explore the value of mentorship in academia and get ideas for how you can intentionally promote peer mentorship via course design and departmental initiatives.
Strategies for the first six weeks of class
The first six weeks are critical to student success (and UAF’s retention goals). Here are three small things you can do to help your students succeed this semester.
Coaching students toward success
As UAF eCampus launches its eCoaching program, it’s important to remember how our coaching role can lead to student success.
Ways to support your military students
You may see an increase in the number of service members in your online courses, the result of a new UAF program for deploying military. Here are suggestions for supporting these students and their unique needs.
Get students in the lab early
The early immersion approach gets students involved in the research process as early as possible. Students are able to conceptualize, design, conduct and disseminate research faster when included from the beginning.
Grade efficiently with Gradescope
Gradescope is a grading tool that can save instructors time. UAF instructors are already using it in their courses, including Professor of Mathematics Gordon Williams. Learn how to take advantage of this resource and how he is using it to streamline the grading process in his courses.
Designing effective online labs
A strong laboratory component is at the heart of any science program, but it is also one of the most challenging features to do effectively at a distance. As more science courses in higher education are being redesigned to move online, there is growing interest in successfully handling required practical components such as teaching laboratories and field work.
Swimming with the Sharks … and Loving It!
When I decided to apply for the Graduate Fellowship back in April 2018, I had an idea in mind, however nascent, that I felt was worth exploring. The desire to apply was not urgent, and it took a brief chat with the Lab coordinator in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry to finally give it a shot.