Notes on Teaching and Learning

Happy fall break from the Kaneb Center! As you prepare for the second half of the semester, we challenge you to plan one new active learning strategy for your class. Research shows that active learning leads to increased student motivation and better learning outcomes. Here are some suggestions for active learning strategies you could employ […]

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A wealth of education literature suggests that using active learning techniques in class leads to more positive learning outcomes, including greater retention of course material, higher levels of student engagement, and increased opportunities for critical thinking. In spite of this evidence, some educators may be hesitant to include active learning techniques in their courses. Busyness, […]

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The first presidential debate of 2016 between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump had the highest viewership of any presidential debate in history. Yet how many of us actually integrated this groundbreaking event or the myriad of currently contested political issues into our class discussions? Surely, this election season is a field day for many political […]

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The following entry from the 2016-2017 Teaching Issues Writing Consortium: Teaching Tips was contributed by Renee N. Saris-Baglama, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Community College of Rhode Island ————————————————————————————————————– Many new college students earn poor grades in introductory-level and gateway courses despite having strong confidence in their ability to earn high grades. Students often appear dumbfounded when they […]

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  In the second session of the Kaneb Center’s Foundations of Teaching series this fall, questions regarding the purpose and efficacy of quizzing came up during the discussion of a sample lesson plan that included an ungraded quiz at the end of a class period to measure learning. While some participants appreciated the low stress […]

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Seasoned instructors and new TAs alike wonder if they have assigned the right amount of work and how to get the students to complete it.  Though the general rule of thumb is to assign two hours of homework for every hour spent in class, what does that mean in terms of the number of pages […]

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One of the most common complaints about participation grades from both students and teachers is their subjectivity. Whether these grades are assigned once or twice per semester or for every class period, most participation grades involve teachers evaluating students on how often and how well they engage in class discussion. While there is nothing inherently […]

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“5 page minimum, 12 point Times New Roman, double-spaced, one inch margins, with 0pt spacing between paragraphs and your name in the upper right-hand corner of the first page.” Teachers go to great lengths in their syllabi to ensure that students are actually doing course work rather than (ab)using loopholes to meet the minimum requirements. […]

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Ever wish you could spice up that first day of class so that it doesn’t just include you reading from the syllabus? Below are some efficient ways to disseminate syllabus information that may be more dynamic and interesting than simply reading out the text of the syllabus word by word: The book, Teaching What You […]

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From my childhood I remember going to my elementary school with my mom a day or two before the start of the new academic year where we’d excitedly find out who would be my new teacher. With either joy or anxiety and we’d would head off to meet the teacher and wander around the new classroom for the first time. Checking […]

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