“Educator” is used throughout this paper to represent professor, instructor, teacher, or any person or team that leads learning sessions. Scheduling and delivery of courses offered in various modalities can be problematic for colleges and universities. These various delivery modes may be referred to as asynchronous online, synchronous online, synchronous in the classroom, HyFlex (three […]

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In spring 2021, inspired by feedback from students, I redesigned my two undergraduate education courses as blended learning courses. While I was familiar with the benefits of blended learning (e.g., flexibility, increased student engagement, improved academic achievement), what I didn’t realize was how essential this model was for teaching in the wake of a global […]

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Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, many have wondered whether education will ever be the same again. Here, at the Catholic University of America Center for Teaching Excellence, we found ourselves building new training programs (remotely) and supporting faculty as they navigated constant unpredictability. We helped faculty continue to adjust to a new world of teaching: how […]

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The COVID-19 pandemic has had an overwhelming impact on students in higher education. For students who were looking forward to living on campus and having the college experience, COVID-19 affected how they consumed instruction, their sense of community, as well as their sense of well-being. Graduate students working toward advanced degrees found educational experiences were […]

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It is well known that hands-on activities are an inseparable part of the nature of science. Experiments allow learners to understand and engage in a process of constructing knowledge by doing science.  Ideally, students work with real equipment, and there’s no doubt that experiments in a real, wet laboratory are the best.  But there may […]

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Online learning—sometimes referred to as “distance learning” or “e-learning”—nowadays refers to any form of education delivered via the Internet. In the pre-Covid era, online earned a mixed reputation for several reasons. Criticisms leveled at online courses included: inequitable access to technology, online courses were text-heavy, students were offered minimal opportunities to respond, and online courses […]

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Keeping students engaged in online courses takes careful consideration. Technology options are available to help create a virtual learning environment that promotes social interaction. Occasionally, engaging students in synchronous online learning activities is one option for facilitating connections and a sense of community between faculty and students. Virtual video conferencing platforms, such as ZOOM, have […]

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Online teaching. Online learning. Online engagement. You’ve heard it all when it comes to online pedagogy. But have you come across a resource that contains all the online pedagogy techniques and tips you could ever want and imagine about online teaching? You want to create effective online videos, but you also want to make your […]

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Some students become busy, overwhelmed, or unmotivated by the middle of the semester. This phenomenon has become even more apparent with COVID-19 protocols. Which is why building a community of learners has become so important despite physical distancing, but it’s also much more challenging. Below are six scenarios with strategies and ideas to encourage accountability […]

The post Encouraging Student Engagement During Synchronous Meetings: Preventing Midterm Drop-Off appeared first on Teach Strats | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning.

Our mid-sized state university decided to institute a blended synchronous delivery model this year. A facilitated online workshop was offered over the summer to assist faculty in designing classes for the new learning environment, where almost 600 faculty registered. One area we explored included alternative assessments. We, as educators, are aware of the benefits of […]

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