New Faculty Resources

Preparing a Course for the First Time

Chuck Gobin, Ph.D., Assoc. Dean Curriculum & Pedagogy
It is tempting to begin a new course prep with the calendar and texts (course content) alone. To focus the course on student learning outcomes, instead of reducing it to timelines and content, resist the temptation and follow these tips.

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Making the Most of the First Day of Class

Carnegie Mellon University
"The first day of class always creates some nervousness, even for seasoned instructors. It helps to have a mental checklist of objectives to accomplish so that you and your students come away with the impression that the course is off to a good start."

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Getting Students to Do Their Assigned Readings

Michelle Schwartz
"The failure of students to complete their assigned readings before class is an unfortunately common occurrence at every level of higher education and in every discipline...In order to motivate students to do their assigned readings, it is important to understand the reasons why the compliance rate is so low. This document will review some of these reasons, and then present some methods that can be used to motivate students to do their assigned readings."

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The Distracted Classroom: Transparency, Autonomy, and Pedagogy

James M. Lang
"For this final column in the series, I want to focus on what all of this means for a brick-and-mortar college or university classroom. That’s where traditional approaches to teaching and learning — lectures, discussions, group work — have become increasingly intertwined with technologies of all kinds."

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Steps to Respond to Classroom Incivility

Barbara Lee, Kathleen Rinehart
Be Prepared to Address Hot Topics
If a Discussion Becomes Intense or Threatening
If You Receive an Official Complaint

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Teaching Tone and Pacing

Tone
Pacing
Grades
Other

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