Inclusive Teaching. The literature is clear: creating classroom spaces, virtual or in-person, where students feel like they belong is an important step to ensuring students are retained and progress to graduation. Amy Pate , Associate Director for Faculty Support within SOLS, and I ran a session recently, co-hosted by the RISE Center for Research in Inclusive STEM Education , that focused on the frameworks that educators use to evaluate whether a given course or curriculum is designed to create such inclusive spaces. The recording of that session can be found here . The session was well attended and interactive, but perhaps you were not able to attend or you are only now hearing about this topic. Below are the highlights of the ideas presented and the questions we grappled with. We need to start with some definitions Inclusive Pedagogy: A student-centered approach to teaching where instructors create an inviting and engaging learning environment for ALL students with diverse background...

Summer. That time of year you think you’ll catch up and have more time for “light” reading and thinking. And yet, here we are, summer in the rearview mirror, a new semester already begun. Perhaps you did successfully catch up on your projects? Way to go! One success we had was hosting a “light” version of our SOLS Reading Group. We chose to meet every other week on a Wednesday afternoon, ultimately reading five articles from June through July. One thing we realized is, even if you don’t have the time to devote hours to developing your teaching methods and crafting better learning experiences for students, you can find small moments to read shorter articles with evidence-based practices that you can implement. I encourage you to take breaks from your screen, get a cup of coffee or tea, and spend 15 minutes each day or week reading to develop yourself for teaching. Set a timer. Create a habit. Schedule it into your calendar, and don’t give it up. It’s your time to develop yourself for th...

While it is important to test your students' knowledge in a course, it is even more important to do formative, or low stakes, assessments. Formative assessments assist you in gauging student comprehension and identifying those areas that need re-teaching. And they don't have to be complicated or time-consuming for you as the instructor, or for your students! This week's TeachTalk webinar was presented by Mark Fogelson and Katrina Fogelson , Instructional Designers from Arizona State University's College of Health Solutions. In addition to discussing best practices for incorporating formative assessments into courses, Mark and Katrina shared a helpful guide that rated the effort needed by the instructor and the potential reward for the students for each type of formative assessment. Specifically they provided ratings that considered: creation time, ease of delivery, turnaround time, level of engagement, and utility. Mark and Katrina also showcased a too...

Palm Walk, Arizona State University, Tempe Campus. While Fall is not in the weather for Arizona, the Fall semester has arrived on campus! As we get back into the swing of things, we've read some interesting articles that are relevant to you as the semester begins. How to Prepare for Class Without Overpreparing This article by James M. Lang (author of our forthcoming reading group book pick!), gives us permission to take it easy when preparing for our classes. He provides four quick ways he has adjusted his courses to engage students. You may find that you're already doing some of them! How to Make Smart Choices About Tech for Your Course This article by Michelle D. Miller, has extensive and excellent advice on considering the technology you choose to include in your course. She poses THE great question that Amy and I often have, "Is it necessary? Will it improve the learning?" The author also includes several resources that are worth checking out. How to...

How do you feel now that the semester is almost over?  Our final TeachT@lk Webinar for 2015 was a terrific way to wrap up the year. So often we are overwhelmed with grading, and just submit grades and walk away, never thinking about the course until we teach again. This is not an effective way to end the semester, and loses some great opportunities to reflect on your course and make improvements for the next time you teach. Dr. Peter van Leusen shared 7 Action Tips for wrapping up the semester.  They included: Collect student feedback Get student permissions for exemplary work Archive important information on your course Document the experiences from student interactions and reactions to assignments Get additional feedback from peers, TAs and Instructional Designers Prioritize and make a plan for any changes Take action now to prepare for next semester Participants went through this worksheet , and took time to write comments about their courses for each of ...