teaching and learning – Page 2

February 11, 2020February 12, 2020

The Inclusive Syllabus Series: Fonts

Overview

This is the first in a sequence of posts designed to take a close look at the way we design our course syllabi. These documents are arguably the most important pieces of content we share with students in our classes, and understandably we spend a lot of time and energy crafting what we say in them.

But as we know, it’s not just what we say, it’s how we say it. This blog series, then, will focus on exactly that: the how.

Making intentional design choices in how we structure our syllabus documents allows us to be as inclusive as possible in our course design, right from the beginning. Weaving together principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), legal accessibility compliance, and attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts can seem daunting, but this series will highlight a few quick tips that are easy to implement. Getting in the habit of applying these to your syllabus, and eventually other course documents, will greatly improve the Geneseo experience for all our students.

February 4, 2020February 4, 2020

ASSESStivus 2020: Key Takeaway

SUNY Geneseo hosted ASSESStivus: Assessment for the rest of us at the start of the spring 2020 semester. This annual event, “organized and hosted by the College Assessment Council…[,] embraces the model of continuous improvement while highlighting assessment initiatives, sharing back information, and utilizing best practices.” Honing in on Geneseo’s Wildly Important Goal and following up to a fall 2019 post, six Canvas-based tools assisting with retention were reintroduced.

October 29, 2019October 29, 2019

Student Success and Retention

The decision to continue one’s pursuit of higher education is influenced by a multitude of factors in the personal and academic realms. It comes of no surprise that the role of faculty plays a primary part in shaping the degree to which students feel connected, or integrated, to academic life at their institution of choice. At Geneseo, where the retention of Knights between their first and second years is a Wildly Important Goal, our faculty hear often about the importance of regular, timely, and graded feedback. This post is, to some extent, an exception.

October 9, 2019October 9, 2019

Growth Mindset and accessibility: Keep growing yourself

Growth mindset is a topic and area of research that has exploded in the education world in recent years. While this topic is usually discussed in the context of supporting students to develop their abilities, it is equally important for those of us who work with students to continuously develop in our capacity to support our students—to have a growth mindset for ourselves in working with our students.

September 27, 2019November 8, 2019

Intersession Incentives Expanded

Following the Office of the Provost’s announcement of two new incentives for instructors who teach online in Intersession 2020, numerous questions were received by her team as well as CIT. This post offers guidance for faculty interested in pursuing these incentives and answers the question: “What specific requirements must be met to earn the incentives?”.

September 25, 2019September 25, 2019

Why Are You Taking Attendance?

You have undoubtedly heard the old trope, “Good students come to class.” The less frequently spoken second half of that saying is that, “poor students do not.” In your head you know this (and the research on the correlation between attendance and final grades bears this out) and in your heart you remember all the hours you have spent curating your content and crafting your lectures- Students shouldn’t miss this stuff. So, you decide to take attendance, whether through a paper sign-in system, electronic gadget, or the LMS’s Roll Call Tool. But, are you doing it for the students benefit or your own sense of hubris?

September 13, 2019November 8, 2019

Faculty Incentives for Intersession 2020 Instruction and Course Development

The Office of the Provost is excited to announce two new incentives for instructors who teach online in Intersession 2020. These incentives are being offered with an eye toward expanding the range and consistency of Geneseo’s intersession offerings, especially in courses that department chairs and deans have identified as “bottlenecks” to student progress in degree programs.

September 10, 2019September 10, 2019

What is Instructional Design?

An internet search for What is Instructional Design? returns over 110 million results. The most relevant websites are hosted by colleges encouraging faculty to leverage the expertise of instructional design professionals. Perhaps you have a difficult time describing the value of Instructional Design. Let’s explore how instructional design can benefit your new and existing courses.

May 9, 2019

#TechTipThursday: Interpreting attendance data in Canvas

Canvas includes many features designed to enhance the ease and efficiency with which faculty manage their courses. As their answer to the perennial question of tracking student attendance and participation in a course, Canvas built the “Attendance” tool into course navigation options. Learning how to use Canvas Attendance is not a daunting task. Interpreting the data it provides, however, can be challenging.

May 2, 2019May 21, 2019

#TechTipThursday: Managing A Learner’s “I” Grade

As we approach the end of a semester in higher education, the teaching and learning environment frequently experiences renewed focus on academic achievement. Conversations revolve around the availability of extra credit, final exams or seminar presentations, and the seemingly never-ending hours spent studying or grading in far greater frequency in the latter half of a semester than the former. While these topics may play a role in the lives of many within the teaching and learning environment, there are countless influences on a learner’s ability to complete course requirements. “A temporary grade of ‘I’ (incomplete) may be awarded when a student has been unable to complete a course due to circumstances beyond his, her, or their control” (2018-2019 Undergraduate Bulletin, SUNY Geneseo). Prior to awarding an incomplete, learners and faculty should be aware of institutional policies surrounding the grade and are encouraged to consult SUNY Geneseo’s 2018-2019 Undergraduate Bulletin for more information; this post highlights Canvas-based considerations for faculty when awarding an “I” (incomplete) grade.