Let's Talk Teaching

Connections can make all the difference when it comes to student success. Evidence shows that authentic learning, and authentic assessment of learning, can be achieved more successfully when there's a rapport between teacher and learner, between learners, and between learners and what they need to learn. But how do you pull that off? In January, hundreds of instructors, support staff, and graduate students will come together (both physically and virtually) to search for answers. In this episode, CTLT director Dr. Jennifer Friberg and faculty developer Dr. Dana Karraker join Jim to discuss the upcoming 2022 University-Wide Teaching & Learning Symposium. The theme-- Listen, Encourage, Inspire, Challenge: Building a Relationship-Rich Campus. Learn about the unique perspectives represented by this year's two keynote presenters and how this year's event will blend the best of both online and face-to-face modalities. The Symposium is free for all ISU faculty, staff, and graduate students. Register for the event by December 17, 2021, at prodev.illinoisstate.edu/Symposium.

Connections can make all the difference when it comes to student success. Evidence shows that authentic learning, and authentic assessment of learning, can be achieved more successfully when there's a rapport between teacher and learner, between learners, and between learners and what they need to learn. But how do you pull that off? In January, hundreds of instructors, support staff, and graduate students will come together (both physically and virtually) to search for answers. In this episode, CTLT director Dr. Jennifer Friberg and faculty developer Dr. Dana Karraker join Jim to discuss the upcoming 2022 University-Wide Teaching & Learning Symposium. The theme-- Listen, Encourage, Inspire, Challenge: Building a Relationship-Rich Campus. Learn about the unique perspectives represented by this year's two keynote presenters and how this year's event will blend the best of both online and face-to-face modalities. The Symposium is free for all ISU faculty, staff, and graduate students. Register for the event by December 17, 2021, at prodev.illinoisstate.edu/Symposium.

What does it take to create a truly powerful online learning experience for our students? A year of remote instruction thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic has left many more of us in a position to better appreciate that question. For this episode, Jim is joined by two colleagues from CTLT: Linda Summers is the coordinator for Blended and Online Learning, and Dr. Steve Travers is the coordinator for Student Success Initiatives. Together, they examine how a quality online course differs in both design and delivery from the more "just in time" experiences necessitated during the pandemic. Linda and Steve showcase two CTLT professional development programs, DART Online and TOP. They also discuss other, less involved learning opportunities for instructors who want to teach blended or online content.

What does it take to create a truly powerful online learning experience for our students? A year of remote instruction thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic has left many more of us in a position to better appreciate that question. For this episode, Jim is joined by two colleagues from CTLT: Linda Summers is the coordinator for Blended and Online Learning, and Dr. Steve Travers is the coordinator for Student Success Initiatives. Together, they examine how a quality online course differs in both design and delivery from the more "just in time" experiences necessitated during the pandemic. Linda and Steve showcase two CTLT professional development programs, DART Online and TOP. They also discuss other, less involved learning opportunities for instructors who want to teach blended or online content.

We return to face-to-face classroom instruction at Illinois State for the fall of 2021, but with a twist. Students and instructors will have to wear face coverings. How do we make masks work? Jim is joined by CTLT's director, Dr. Jennifer Friberg, who is also a speech pathologist by training. They discuss how a little piece of cloth can cause some big challenges when it comes to communicating clearly in class. Jen provides some tips for adjusting our environments and our approaches to speaking to maximize understanding. They also explore ways to take students "emotional temperature" now that their faces are being obscured.

We return to face-to-face classroom instruction at Illinois State for the fall of 2021, but with a twist. Students and instructors will have to wear face coverings. How do we make masks work? Jim is joined by CTLT's director, Dr. Jennifer Friberg, who is also a speech pathologist by training. They discuss how a little piece of cloth can cause some big challenges when it comes to communicating clearly in class. Jen provides some tips for adjusting our environments and our approaches to speaking to maximize understanding. They also explore ways to take students "emotional temperature" now that their faces are being obscured.

Students don't have to feel like they're "teaching themselves" when taking an online, asynchronous course. Dr. Hulda Black, an associate professor in the College of Business, joins us to highlight ways to make communication work through course design, establishing habits, and timely feedback. She and Jim Gee discuss in importance of creating a "rhythm" through scheduled communications, including announcements through ReggieNet and weekly videos to explain learning goals and give general feedback on student work to the class. They also discuss how to approach office hours using meeting tools like Zoom.

We talk a lot about civic engagement as a core value at Illinois State University. But what does it look like when practiced in our courses? We explore that question in this episode, a preview of the 2021 University-Wide Teaching & Learning Symposium, Civic Engagement in Extraordinary Times. Dr. Katy Strzepek and Harriet Steinbach from the Center for Civic Engagement join Dr. Dana Karraker and Jim Gee from CTLT for an in-depth look at the ties between public higher education and engendering a life-long sense of civic learning in students. The group highlights ways, both big and small, to incorporate civic engagement in classes. They also examine the lessons learned from a semester of teaching and activism during a tumultuous election season, the national spotlight on social justice, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, they preview the three "rock stars of civic engagement" who will keynote the January 6, 2021 Symposium.

We talk a lot about civic engagement as a core value at Illinois State University. But what does it look like when practiced in our courses? We explore that question in this episode, a preview of the 2021 University-Wide Teaching & Learning Symposium, Civic Engagement in Extraordinary Times. Dr. Katy Strzepek and Harriet Steinbach from the Center for Civic Engagement join Dr. Dana Karraker and Jim Gee from CTLT for an in-depth look at the ties between public higher education and engendering a life-long sense of civic learning in students. The group highlights ways, both big and small, to incorporate civic engagement in classes. They also examine the lessons learned from a semester of teaching and activism during a tumultuous election season, the national spotlight on social justice, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, they preview the three "rock stars of civic engagement" who will keynote the January 6, 2021 Symposium.

As an extraordinary semester wraps up, we check in with three undergraduate students from Illinois State about their experiences learning in the age of COVID-19. They highlight what's worked in their classes this semester, what instructors have done to help them to succeed, and how the new tools we've all had to embrace - things like Zoom, recorded lectures, and other apps - have actually offered some expanded opportunities. They also explore some surprising ways they connect with other students. Plus, they weigh in on synchronous versus asynchronous learning and how those insights have impacted their choices of classes for the spring semester.