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Results for "coursedesign" on CTL Weekly Teaching Note

Going Beyond Passive Listening

Blog | Mar 03, 2016

Active learning promotes "deep learning." Active learning can encompass anything from focused listening that helps students digest new information, to short writing exercises that helps students reflect and react, to group work where students collaborate and apply course content to real-life or new situations. Students who are active learners are more likely to prepare for class, make connections across topics, and carry what they’ve learned into the next courses they take.


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Reflective Practice: SKAP – Skills, Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice

Blog | Feb 11, 2016

"Reflective Practice" involves reflecting and debriefing on an experience as part of the learning experience. Instruction or experience alone may not lead to true learning; reflective practice is an essential ingredient to deep understanding and increases the probability of application and transfer of learning.


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Encouraging Students to Ask Questions

Blog | Nov 19, 2015

Curiosity is an essential ingredient when it comes to motivating learners. Help your students develop their questioning skills as a way to build their curiosity.
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Innovative Ways to Prevent Conflict in Student Groups

Blog | Nov 12, 2015

Help your students learn constructive ways to solve the inevitable conflicts that arise when working in student groups.
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Using Bloom's Taxonomy as a Framework for Student-led Discussions

Blog | Nov 05, 2015

Teaching your students about Bloom's taxonomy can help stimulate higher quality discussions.
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Five Guidelines for Teaching with Transfer in Mind

Blog | Oct 28, 2015

Transfer, the ability to apply previously-learned concepts and skills to a new context, is one of the most valued aspects of learning. Here are five guidelines for teaching that skill.
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The ADA Syllabus Statement: Moving Beyond the Boilerplate

Blog | Sep 09, 2015

As an instructor, you want your students to learn. You don't want a student to struggle unnecessarily, especially when a simple accommodation like a distraction-free test environment or a recording device for lectures would have made the difference between success and failure. You want to create the conditions in which accommodations are viewed not as inconveniences but as integral parts of an inclusive classroom, an environment where our diverse bodies and minds are valued for their differences.
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Include High-Impact Teaching Practices to Make Learning Stick

Blog | Apr 28, 2015

Research on high-impact practices (HIPs) such as undergraduate research, learning communities, capstone courses, study abroad, internships and service learning documents the association between participating in those activities and achieving desirable learning outcomes.
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Use Elements of Cognitive Constructivism to Design Effective Learning Activities

Blog | Apr 21, 2015

Learning activities become more effective when we include four major elements in the design of the activity: activation of prior knowledge; surprise; opportunity to apply and evaluate the new knowledge; and reflection.
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Develop Expertise in Students by Creating Cognitive Apprenticeships

Blog | Apr 08, 2015

Learning in a discipline involves more than acquisition of content knowledge. Development of expertise requires students to develop skills in reasoning and strategies for solving disciplinary problems or applying disciplinary models to real-world applications. Fields with tradition of teaching through apprenticeships include trades and crafts dominated by skills and tasks that students can easily observe (e.g., building a cabinet, tailoring a piece of clothing). Academic disciplines present challenges because disciplinary strategies for reasoning and problem solving are cognitive strategies and are not readily observable. Nevertheless, students must acquire these skills to develop advanced skills in the discipline.
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