Higher education has traditionally taught from theory to practice. Students first learn the underlying principles of a subject, such as the forces that determine bridge load, and then apply those principles to examples. But this is not the only way to teach. Socrates taught in
Higher education has always looked for ways to bridge theory and practice through applied learning practices, such as internships. Simulations are also an excellent way to give students experience with real-world situations, but setting them up can take a tremendous amount of work. I found
Faculty and course developers today are being asked to implement Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into their course design, but many are not sure how to do that. AI can come to the rescue by analyzing assignments and other course content and suggesting changes to
“Zip! Zap! Zop!” my 15-year-old son cried as he wildly waved his arms. “My math teacher makes us do this exercise halfway through class. You should try it with your students.”
We academics are lucky in many ways. Most individuals herald January 1 as a big time for resolutions, aiming to change big behaviors with the start of the New Year. When you teach, you have at least two (on the semester system), sometimes three opportunities
As he reflected on his upcoming 60th birthday, Rob LaZebnik, a writer for The Simpsons, saw his worst fear coming true: He was becoming boring. Rather than embracing the challenge and growth that comes from novel experiences, he found himself settling into the comfort of
Large language models like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Llama have become powerful tools that can boost productivity and learning support, but they also undermine academic integrity by making it easier for students to submit unoriginal or automated work. How can we keep assessments purposeful, relevant, and
Building rapport with students from the very first day of class is a cornerstone of effective teaching, and a fundamental, yet often overlooked, step in this process is learning their names immediately. While it might seem like a minor detail amid the hustle and bustle
Have you ever invested a lot of time and energy into planning a new learning activity or assignment only to be disappointed with the response you received from students? Prototyping and testing your new design may help.
What does it mean to succeed without learning? That is a question I have wrestled with since last spring, when students in an introductory programming course I teach submitted assignments with computer code that was unusually advanced, well-structured, efficient, and carefully annotated. But when faced
