Teaching Tips

Below are a variety of short posts related to tips for teaching for all instructional modes.

  

  • Oct 2024 Podcast Recommendation October 17, 2024 -  We have been listening to many teaching and AI related podcasts. We suggest two episodes from the Teaching in Higher Education podcast. This podcast is hosted by Bonni Stachowiak, Dean of Teaching and Learning at Vanguard University. From the Teaching in Higher Education podcast website, “The podcast focuses on topics such as excellence in teaching, […]
  • World Campus Students provide insights into designing courses for student success August 21, 2024 - There are upwards of 14,000 students who enroll and participate in Penn State’s World Campus programs each semester. They live all over Pennsylvania, the United States, and the world. These students enroll in Penn State’s World Campus to earn a quality degree with the flexibility that online learning affords. Recently, members of the World Campus […]
  • Cultivating Student Motivation as Higher Ed Instructors in the Age of AI May 2, 2024 - As we reach the close of another semester, I reflect on the many conversations I’ve about artificial intelligence and its impact on teaching in higher education. There is great concern of how to maintain academic integrity in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). I think that as we continue to see how artificial intelligence influences […]
  • Promoting Collaboration and Engagement Using VoiceThread in Online and Residential Courses March 8, 2024 - Are you exploring avenues in which students can work collaboratively yet asynchronously on a presentation in your online course?  Would you like for students to practice and submit a draft presentation for constructive feedback before delivering it in a residential course? Moreover, have you considered enabling the students to provide a video, text, or audio […]
  • Gen AI and Teaching Toolkit available January 30, 2024 - Many changes have been brought about by text-based GenAI tools like ChatGPT and the many similar tools produced since its release. Those teaching in higher education have certainly had to contend with the changes that these tools have brought. In the hopes of supporting faculty as they face teaching in the age of AI, a […]
  • December 2023 Podcast Recommendation December 5, 2023 - For this month’s podcast recommendation, we suggest an episode entitled Harnessing AI: A Toolkit For Success In Work & Learning from the Innovative Educators Friday 5 Live! podcast featuring host Ms. Meg Foster. She is a First-Year Experience Instructor and Academic Coach at Piedmont Virginia Community College. The Friday 5 Live! series are live sessions […]
  • November 2023 Podcast Recommendation November 9, 2023 - For this month’s podcast recommendation, we suggest an episode entitled Enhance Critical Thinking Skills with the Six Thinking Hats Activity from the Lecture Breakers podcast featuring host Dr. Barbi Honeycutt. She is a teaching and learning consultant, instructional coach, author, and speaker. From the Lecture Breakers podcast website, “The Lecture Breakers podcast is the place […]
  • Approaching an Academic Integrity Conversation in Suspected Use of AI November 1, 2023 - ChatGPT and other large language model platforms have made artificial intelligence for writing easily accessible to all. In the semesters since the release of ChatGPT, concerns have grown about academic integrity in the age of artificial intelligence. There are instructors who have shared that they have suspected that their students have used artificial intelligence to […]
  • October 2023 Podcast Recommendation October 27, 2023 - For this month’s podcast recommendation, we suggest an episode entitled Design for Learning from the Teaching in Higher Education podcast. This podcast is hosted by Bonni Stachowiak, Dean of Teaching and Learning at Vanguard University. From the Teaching in Higher Education podcast website, “The podcast focuses on topics such as excellence in teaching, instructional design, […]
  • Tech Tool Highlight – Speaker Coach September 22, 2023 - What is Speaker Coach? Speaker Coach is a tool within PowerPoint that can be used to provide real-time and post-presentation feedback. When enabled, Speaker Coach can be used while practicing a presentation to provide feedback on your pacing, pitch, your use of filler words, informal speech, euphemisms, and culturally sensitive terms.  How do I use […]
  • August 2023 Podcast Recommendation August 18, 2023 - For this month’s podcast recommendation, we suggest an episode entitled Ways of Being Intentionally Inclusive from the Teaching in Higher Education podcast. This podcast is hosted by Bonni Stachowiak, Dean of Teaching and Learning at Vanguard University. From the Teaching in Higher Education podcast website, “The podcast focuses on topics such as excellence in teaching, […]
  • Turnitin Resources for Teaching in the Age of AI August 2, 2023 - ChatGPT and other generative AI writing tools continue to dominate many discussions for academic institutions. The mindset still ranges from banning it to embracing it. The Center for eLearning Initiatives, other offices at Penn State, other institutions, and tech companies have all been working to make thoughtful decisions about how to navigate the impacts being […]
  • An Easy to Use Lesson Planning Tool on the Teaching Tools website July 10, 2023 - As you begin to think about preparing for the start of the semester, we wanted to share an interactive lesson planning tool found at the website Teaching Tools. This tool was created by Dr. Michael McCreary, a PhD candidate and educational developer. The website has two main resources – an Active Learning Library and the […]
  • June 2023 Podcast Recommendation June 28, 2023 - For this month’s podcast recommendation, we suggest an episode from The Daily, a podcast created by The New York Times. The Daily typically covers one major news story for the day, so it isn’t too surprising that ChatGPT is one major news story that has caught the attention of this more general media outlet. ChatGPT […]
  • May 2023 Podcast Recommendation May 23, 2023 - For this month’s podcast recommendation, we suggest an episode entitled Create Engaging Virtual Environments with Dr. Joanne Ricevuto and Dr. Laura McLaughlin from the Lecture Breakers podcast. This podcast is hosted by Barbi Honeycutt. She is a teaching and learning consultant, instructional coach, author, and speaker. From the Lecture Breakers podcast website, “The Lecture Breakers […]
  • Tips for Encouraging Students to Complete Class Readings April 18, 2023 - Most college courses have reading assignments at their core. Reading textbooks, articles, websites and other documents are often required for students to be the most successful that they can be in a college course. But many faculty share that they struggle to get students to complete the assigned readings. While this may be an ever […]
  • Podcasts to Follow April 12, 2023 - As we turn toward the end of the semester, we wanted to share the top educational and teaching podcasts that we listen to. We have featured episodes from these podcasts over the last year. We encourage you to check these podcasts from time to time to browse their latest episodes. You can also “follow” the […]
  • Using One Button Studio for Classroom Teaching and Learning March 20, 2023 - What is One Button Studio (OBS)? Behrend’s One Button Studio can be found in the Lilley Library. It is a designed space set up so that instructors and students can do a video recording without any previous video production experience. The design of the studio allows useres to create high-quality and polished video projects without […]
  • March 2023 Podcast Recommendation March 1, 2023 - For this month’s podcast recommendation, we suggest an episode entitled How to Use ChatGPT as an Example Machine from the Cult of Pedagogy podcast. This podcast is hosted by Jennifer Gonzalez, a former K-12 language arts educator. From the Cult of Pedagogy podcast website, “Teaching strategies, classroom management, education reform, educational technology — if it […]
  • AI and ChatGPT in Higher Education February 10, 2023 - The Center for eLearning Initiatives has been following the explosion of discussion around the use of artificial intelligence (AI), specifically ChatGPT, in higher education. In the article below, we give a brief overview of what ChatGPT is and how to use it. Next, we have provided an example of what the bot can do by […]
  • February 2023 Podcast Recommendation February 9, 2023 - For this month’s podcast recommendation, we suggest an episode entitled Course Trailers Revisited from the Teaching in Higher Education podcast. This podcast is hosted by Bonni Stachowiak, Dean of Teaching and Learning at Vanguard University. From the Teaching in Higher Education podcast website, “The podcast focuses on topics such as excellence in teaching, instructional design, […]
  • January 2023 Podcast Recommendation January 5, 2023 - For this month’s podcast recommendation, we suggest an episode entitled “What will ChatGPT Mean for Teaching?” from the EdSurge podcast. This podcast is hosted by Jeff Young. A description of the podcast series from the Edsurge Podcast website, “A weekly podcast about the future of learning. Join host Jeff Young and other EdSurge reporters as […]
  • Using Adobe Express for Student Introductions January 5, 2023 - Student introductions to classmates are a common assignment to include in online classes. This practice is promoted by QM Standard 1.9 Learners are asked to introduce themselves to the class. The introductory discussion board is a great way to begin building student interaction and community in the online classroom. While there are many ways to […]
  • December 2022 Podcast Recommendation December 1, 2022 - For this month’s podcast recommendation, we suggest an episode entitled Ungrading: Re-Thinking Teaching, Learning, and Assessment in Higher Education from the Lecture Breakers podcast. This podcast is hosted by Barbi Honeycutt. She is a teaching and learning consultant, instructional coach, author, and speaker. From the Lecture Breakers podcast website, “The Lecture Breakers podcast is the […]
  • November 2022 Podcast Recommendation November 11, 2022 - In this month’s podcast recommendation, we are sharing a podcast from the archives (July 2019). This episode is from the Getting Smart Podcast and features Dr. Scott McLeod, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Colorado Denver. The episode can be found on the Getting Smart Website for the episode or below. This […]
  • Gathering Student Feedback: Tips and Examples for Online Courses November 3, 2022 - Feedback is ever-present in many aspects of our lives. We get feedback on our job performance. We get asked for our feedback from almost every business we interact with. Have you bought a new car? You get asked for your feedback from the dealership, the manufacturer, and others who were involved in that process. Did […]
  • October 2022 Podcast Recommendation October 10, 2022 - In this month’s podcast recommendation, we are sharing a podcast from the Teaching Online Podcast. The hosts of the podcast are Dr. Thomas Cavanagh and Dr. Kelvin Thompson, who work for the University of Central Florida. Their podcast focuses on online and blended learning in higher education. The episode we recommend for this month is […]
  • Using Group Work and Teamwork in Online Courses October 3, 2022 - As written in an article from Inside Higher Ed, “Online students don’t have to work solo.” Group work and teamwork are key ways to create a collaborative learning environment.  Group work can be as simple as creating study groups so that students feel connected to specific students who they can then ask for help. Teamwork […]
  • Communicating with Students in Online Courses August 30, 2022 - Online instructors are required to maintain regular and substantive interaction with their students. Guidelines from the Department of Education have been updated to be more descriptive and clearer in their expectations, specifically to differentiate between correspondence courses versus distance courses. Most of the courses offered online by Behrend and through World Campus are distance courses. […]
  • New Beginnings – Mindset and Goals August 10, 2022 - The start of a new semester can be an exciting and stressful time. There is a sense of renewed hope and promise that can be felt in new beginnings like the start of the semester brings with it. Whether you are starting your first semester as an instructor or starting your fifth year, tenth year, […]
  • August 2022 Podcast Recommendation August 9, 2022 - In this month’s podcast recommendation, we are sharing a podcast from The Ed Up Experience Podcast. The host of this podcast, Dr.Joe Sallustio, interviews people from all sectors related to higher education to discuss the latest trends and other insights from the brightest minds in higher education. The episode we recommend for this month is […]
  • Inclusive Syllabus and Course Design Tips July 15, 2022 - As instructors begin to think of the start of the upcoming semester, many start with a review and revision of their course syllabus. As you think of how you might prepare your syllabus, we wanted to share some information from a book that we read entitled “What Inclusive Instructors Do: Principles and Practices for Excellence […]
  • July 2022 Podcast Recommendation July 5, 2022 - As we turn our calendars to the second half of the year, you may be starting to think about the Fall 2022 semester. What better place to start than with the syllabus? We have two recommended podcast episodes for you this month. Both are from the Teaching in Higher Education podcast and both are focused […]
  • Discussion Boards in Online Courses – Ed Tech Tools to Enhance Engagement June 15, 2022 - In our last Teaching Tips post about discussion boards, we shared several frameworks that can be used to help facilitate better discussions with online students. In this post, we will share several tech tools that can be integrated into Canvas to facilitate discussions and enhance student engagement. These platforms can help you and your students […]
  • June 2022 Podcast Recommendation June 3, 2022 - For this month’s podcast recommendation, we suggest an episode entitled Creating Digitally Accessible and Visually Appealing Course Materials from the Lecture Breakers podcast. This podcast is hosted by Barbi Honeycutt. She is a teaching and learning consultant, instructional coach, author, and speaker. From the Lecture Breakers podcast website, “The Lecture Breakers podcast is the place […]
  • Discussion Boards in Online Courses – Ideas for Reframing Student Posts May 20, 2022 - General Tips regrading Discussion Boards Discussion boards (also referred to as discussion forums) are an important mode of interaction in an online course. There are several important considerations when creating effective discussion forum activities. Encourage responses that provide unique insights by asking open ended questions. Create discussion prompts that do not have simple, “correct” answers. […]
  • May 2022 Podcast Episode Recommendation May 4, 2022 - One way that the Center for eLearning keeps up-to-date with ideas related to teaching is by listening to podcasts. For this month’s podcast recommendation, we suggest an episode entitled Demystifying Online Group Projects from the Teaching in Higher Education podcast. This podcast is hosted by Bonni Stachowiak, Dean of Teaching and Learning at Vanguard University. […]
  • April 2022 Podcast Episode Recommendation April 8, 2022 - One way that the Center for eLearning keeps up-to-date with ideas related to teaching is by listening to podcasts. For this month’s podcast recommendation, we suggest an episode entitled How to create flexibility for students and ourselves from the Teaching in Higher Education podcast. This podcast is hosted by Bonni Stachowiak, Dean of Teaching and […]
  • The COVID Educational Disruption – Considerations for upcoming cohorts of students April 5, 2022 - Downloadable PDF With spring campus visits and summer orientations coming right around the corner, Penn State Behrend has much to look forward to as we think about the start of the next academic year. While we have begun to live in our “new normal” as a society that is trying to move forward after such […]
  • Enhancing learning through Virtual and Augmented Reality October 4, 2021 - Have you ever wanted to take your students scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef to see the impacts of climate change or visit the Serengeti to see the Great Migration as part of a unit on ecosystems? This may seem impossible to provide but through the use of immersive experiences as well as a little help from Behrend’s VAR Lab, you can incorporate these types of experiences and more into your courses.
  • Recapping the Students Speak Series September 7, 2021 - During the spring 2021 semester, students from across the commonwealth shared their insights on a variety of topics related to instructional strategies that increased their success. Many of these suggestions were discussed within the context of instructional methods used during remote instruction but can be applicable as we return to face to face instruction for […]
  • “Small Teaching” Tips – The Beginning, Middle, and End of Class August 9, 2021 - What is the theory of small teaching? The theory of ‘small teaching’ comes to us from James Lang (2016). He asserts that small teaching is the minor changes to course design, assessment structure, or communication with students that impact student engagement, motivation, and achievement. His book Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning […]
  • Enhance Your Class Sessions with “Small Teaching” – The Final Fifteen Minutes April 16, 2021 - In a series of posts, ideas from James Lang's Theory of Small Teaching will be presented. This final post discusses ways to incorporate small teaching techniques in the last fifteen minutes of class.
  • Enhance Your Class Sessions with “Small Teaching” – The Middle of Class April 9, 2021 - In a series of posts, ideas from James Lang's Theory of Small Teaching will be presented. This second post in the series discusses ways to incorporate small teaching techniques in the middle of class.
  • Enhance Your Class Sessions with “Small Teaching” – The First Fifteen Minutes April 2, 2021 - In a series of posts, ideas from James Lang's Theory of Small Teaching will be presented. This first post discusses ways to incorporate small teaching techniques in the first fifteen minutes of class.
  • Ways to Set Up a Document Camera in Your Office August 16, 2020 - If you’re looking for a solution to share documents during Zoom sessions or for recording video or taking pictures to share with your students later, watch the following video.
  • Getting Started with Kaltura Capture September 4, 2019 - Use Kaltura Capture to create videos in your course. This helpful guide will get you up-and-running.