Congratulations! You have made it to the end of an unprecedented, non-stop semester. During this interlude between holidays, I encourage you to (1) reflect on your classes this fall and (2) start planning for the spring.
Reflect
Before diving into your CIFs, take a moment to evaluate your own teaching. What went well this semester? What would you do differently next semester? Did you make any mid-semester changes? If so, what was the impact? Did your students meet the learning goals for the course? Overall, what did you learn (about effective dual-mode practices, about your students, etc)?
Now, consider the student perspective. Read your CIFs with care and consider only the feedback that is constructive. Treat your course evaluations as a self-assessment exercise. If you’d like guidance in interpreting your CIFs or reflecting on your teaching practice, feel free to schedule an individual consultation.
Plan
Incorporate your reflections and feedback from this semester into the next, and start planning early. Our programming this winter focuses on specific things you can do in December and January to be ready for the Spring semester.
If you’re planning to teach a new (or new to you) course, consider attending the Course Design Week in January for an in-depth look at course design. Each morning, you will learn about a key step in course development and begin drafting your materials.
If you’re updating an existing course for the spring semester, consider attending the 2021 Course Tune-up. In this workshop, you’ll answer some of the following questions: What tweaks do you need to make to your existing course to get it ready for a potentially bumpy Spring 2021 semester? How do you rethink your assignments and exams to be more meaningful for you and your students while also being less likely to cause stress or be vulnerable to cheating? How will you approach class time to best promote learning in a masked, distanced, dual-mode environment?
These are just two of many workshop offerings–for more information and to register, click here. We also continue to offer drop-in office hours Monday through Friday from 9am to 11am or consultation appointments throughout the week.
We’ll be back with more blog posts in the new year. Until then, we wish you a restful holiday break (and happy planning)!
