Fostering Intrinsic Motivation In Introductory Classes
Fostering students’ motivation to learn is complicated in intro classes with a highly heterogeneous demographic. Learn ways to foster your student’s intrinsic motivation.
(Contributed by Federica Bocchi.)
Using Self-Explanation in an Introductory Biology Lab
Explores how to implement self-explanation to enable students to apply theories they have learned in lecture to the living biological world.
(Contributed by Maria Valadez Ingersoll.)
Self Explanation Exercise in Philosophy
An example of a self-explanation exercise used in a philosophy course shows how self-explanation is a useful pedagogical technique.
(Contributed by Federica Bocchi.)
Introduction to Self-Explanation
Learn how educators can encourage contextualized learning over memorization of steps with the process of self-explanation.
(Contributed by Maria Valadez Ingersoll.)
Including Diverse Role Models in STEM Curricula
Including Diverse Role Models in STEM Curricula Contributed by Bryanne McDonough In most areas of the STEM workforce, racial minorities, people with disabilities, and women are still underrepresented [1,2]. As college educators, we have a critical role to play in retaining and encouraging underrepresented students in STEM. One way to accomplish this is by creating […]
Mid Semester Feedback
Contributed by Jean Otsuki The middle of the semester is a valuable time to check in with students – to solicit their feedback about how the course is going, and to reset and refocus for the remainder of the term. Why collect feedback? While instructors typically receive feedback about their teaching in the form of course […]
Clarity of Assignment Prompts: Considering Multimodality
Contributed by Pary Fassihi (1 minute read) A clear assignment prompt will give students all the information they need to complete the assignment. Not only does this set the students up for success, but it also saves time and reduces any confusion they may experience. There are some common reasons students may find themselves confused […]
“Just-in-time” Resources to Prep for Fall 2021: Part 3—First Days of Class, Trauma-informed Teaching
In this final pre-semester post, we turn to the nitty-gritty, rubber-meets-road tasks to be done before classes begin. What exactly will you do in class on the first day, the second day, and the third? How can those activities set you up for a productive and enjoyable semester? To help think through these questions, we […]
“Just-in-time” Resources to Prep for Fall 2021: Part 2—Blackboard
Blackboard—now part of the pedagogical landscape at BU—can help organize course content, communicate with students, and act as an assignment portal (see its key features here). It can also act as a centralized location for students to find the most up-to-date information about their course. In the second part of this series, we present two […]
“Just-in-time” Resources to Prep for Fall 2021: Part 1
Ready to welcome students to your classroom(s)? Fall 2021 will present its own unique challenges, so we have pulled together a series of quick resources to support faculty as they make their last preparations for teaching. In this first post, we are pleased to offer the following: (1) final checklists for in-person teaching and syllabi; […]