Credentialing faculty in effective teaching and career guidance is one step institutions are taking to help students prepare for their future careers. This week, read about this other ways faculty are supporting their students through instruction—from creating assignments that students can actually complete to fostering communities of trust.
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6 Strategies to Prepare Students for Meaningful Careers
From Grinnell College’s “exploratory advisors” to intensive career-development workshops, institutions are rethinking how to prepare students for their futures. One initiative is the Consortium for Instructional Excellence and Career Guidance, a collaboration between ACUE and the Council of Independent Colleges. The program credentials faculty in effective teaching practices and career guidance. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
How to Hold an Audience Captive
While it’s not an instructor’s job to be entertaining, according to Emma Björngard-Basayne, understanding performance art can help instructors connect with their students. Wayne Trembly, an academic specialist and actor, offers strategies such as using facial expressions to convey enthusiasm for the material, injecting humor into lectures, and sharing personal stories. (UConn)
The First Day!
Although many first classes tend to begin with icebreakers and syllabus reviews, Patrick Bigsby suggests having a more productive and engaging session by sharing introductory course information via email before the first meeting and actually diving into the material to ignite students’ curiosity, among other strategies. (GradHacker)
What a New Professor Learned After His First Class
Garrett Reisman, a former NASA astronaut, discovered that even for accomplished professionals, teaching as a new instructor can be challenging. He is honing his instruction by using journal articles and case studies, borrowing from other institutions’ aviation courses, and injecting his experience into his course to help students apply theory to practice. (The Chronicle of Higher Education Teaching Newsletter)
What Students Say Is Good Teaching
In an event at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, undergraduate students shared their thoughts on what makes teaching effective. Students offered examples such as explaining all the details rather than skipping over steps that may seem obvious to instructors and emphasizing learning over grades, among other perspectives. (Inside Higher Ed)
Will Students Actually Believe They Can Do This Assignment?
“The more students feel that a goal is achievable, the more likely they will be motivated to pursue it,” David Gooblar writes. According to Gooblar, instructors can facilitate this outcome by designing courses with goals in mind, completing their own assignments, being transparent about the grading process, and giving feedback to allow students to self-correct. (Vitae)
I Trust That My Student’s Grandparent Died
When students approach an instructor needing accommodations due to a personal emergency, the instructor should respond with trust, writes Christopher Buddle. While some students take advantage of the system, Buddle believes they represent a minority and that lending support to students who are in need is more important than punishing outliers. (University Affairs)
Partner News
Alderson Broaddus University: Alderson Broaddus University elected to joinnational initiative to support teaching and learning (The Exponent Telegram)
Arizona State University: 16 years into Crow’s tenure, ASU is growing more than ever (The State Press)
Miami Dade College: Miami Dade College celebrates 58 years since opening (7 News)
Rutgers University: The 9 big projects transforming Rutgers campuses (NJ.com)
University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College: How education can bridge the skills gap (Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette)
West Virginia University: WVU and community colleges partnering to benefit students (WV News)
