by Kendell Newman | Sep 29, 2019
As the semester settles into a rhythm, the more daunting but less urgent projects that we’ve put off are beginning to demand attention. But where to start? Make a plan, commit to a practice and voila, the only work you’ll have to do is the work, not the managing of the anxiety about the work.
by Kendell Newman | Sep 9, 2019
EPIC: Home Activities Discussion Case Studies Resources Introductions: A List For our first activity in EPIC this semester, we’d like to get to know you as a teacher. We’d like to know not just what you teach, but how and why you teach. And what better way to learn...
by Kendell Newman | Sep 8, 2019
If we learned anything this summer, it’s that working under conditions of uncertainty and crisis makes it hard to get the work done. This is equally true for students, and it is true at the macro-level of statewide budgeting as well as the micro-level of individual...
by Kendell Newman | Jun 25, 2019
UAF eCampus’s iTeach is an in-person event for UAF faculty interested in exploring pedagogy, technology, and online learning. Over the course of multiple days, UAF faculty are invited to work closely with the eCampus instructional design team to explore course...
by Kendell Newman | Jun 17, 2019
We learn better when we are involved in constructing our own knowledge. Some of us know this from experience — it’s why we do research, why we collaborate, why we ask our kids questions when we read to them. But this is also a finding backed by decades of...
by Kendell Newman | May 23, 2019
Storytelling is a powerful tool for communicating a message. How can you leverage this power in your teaching? Whose stories are shared — yours? Students’? In this workshop, we’ll look at examples of how and where storytelling can be most impactful...
by Kendell Newman | Apr 29, 2019
With all the logistics that go into wrapping up the semester, it’s hard to think about almost anything else — painful to think about the whole semester that you’re just trying to move beyond. But of course, as teachers we know that there’s great value in...
by Kendell Newman | Mar 31, 2019
An agenda creates transparency and welcomes inclusion in the classroom. If these are qualities you strive for in your teaching, consider these principles for creating open, inclusive class agendas.
by Kendell Newman | Dec 2, 2018
Ideas for collecting feedback from your students and how to get them to participate.
by Kendell Newman | Aug 29, 2018
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.
by Kendell Newman | Jul 24, 2018
Reflective writing can help us carry ourselves through processes of change. Learning is a process of change and research shows that journal writing can support students across disciplines in connecting with and making meaning of their learning.
by Kendell Newman | May 15, 2018
Turning your course open with Open Education resources, practices, and pedagogy can have profound impacts on how students relate to the materials, to you, to their learning and their positioning relative to that learning. Ready to get started?
by Kendell Newman | Feb 16, 2018
We’re at a point in the semester when energy gets low. Students have gotten quiet on discussion boards, you’ve got grading to last you the rest of winter and winter isn’t near over yet. It can be hard to keep everyone engaged in your work together, but making a simple phone call could make a big difference.
by Kendell Newman | Dec 23, 2017
EPIC: Home Activities Discussion Case Studies Resources Discussion of “learning objectives” and “measurable outcomes” is common across educational settings. In many of the conversations you might have come across already, the debate is around...
by Kendell Newman | Dec 16, 2017
EPIC: Home Activities Discussion Case Studies Resources Inclusivity and accessibility are not controversial goals. But achieving them has not always taken priority in the design of learning in higher education. We will look at these issues through the frameworks of...
by Kendell Newman | Dec 8, 2017
EPIC: Home Activities Discussion Case Studies Resources This week we explore open education which includes topics of open educational resources (OER), open educational practices (OEP), open admission, and open access. Often, viewpoints you will encounter regarding...
by Kendell Newman | Nov 3, 2017
How do you guide your students not only through course material, but through navigating the university, their professional ambitions, a balance between personal and academic lives? This is the work of the teacher-as-mentor.
by Kendell Newman | Oct 27, 2017
EPIC: Home Activities Discussion Case Studies Resources How do you stay on top of all that you do? Or rather, how do you stay sane and energized and on track to keep doing it, even when you’re buried? There are a number of helpful tools and practices out there...
by Kendell Newman | Oct 5, 2017
In order for your course to go well, must it go as planned? Interrupt your class’s routine with tactics that make space for students to build and create.
by Kendell Newman | Jun 1, 2017
Annotating helps a reader engage with, analyze, and comprehend a text. Online, collaborative annotation tools afford these benefits plus the opportunity to interact with peers and other annotators around the world.
by Kendell Newman | May 9, 2017
WHY … What are students meant to take away from discussion? What impact does it have? Activity #2 You must post three times each week. Your first post should be an original thought with at least one secondary source. Your second and third posts should respond...
by Kendell Newman | Nov 28, 2016
When the world feels too big to shut out of your classroom, do you close the door or do you invite in what’s on the minds of so many? Integrating current events into your course is not only engaging for students, it teaches them to approach challenging conversations as learners and to defend their positions with evidence.
by Kendell Newman | Sep 13, 2016
The physical space of a campus blends student support into the learning environment: on the first day of school, students taking face-to-face courses walk onto campus, stroll past the library, the Writing Center, and their advisor’s office on the way to your class. They greet their classmates who, a few weeks into the semester, are the ones they will ask when they’re confused about your instructions.
by Kendell Newman | Jun 24, 2016
Summer is in full swing! You are camping, gardening, roadtripping, hiking, netflixing, swatting at mosquitoes — maybe even teaching. Meanwhile, you’re actively ignoring that buzz behind your ear: Fall’s coming … Teaching … Teaching … Teaching. No one will blame you for swatting that buzz away until, say, August. It’s summer, after all. But what if you could do something now to make your course development a month or two from now a bit easier?
