Good teaching practices

Good Teaching Practices

What Are They?Opportunities: Develop group projects using Wiki or Blogs,Have Groups communicate through: Email, Collaborative Tools, Discussion Boards, Wikis and BlogsUse Surveys as a means to provide feedback on the group activitySeven Principles of Good PracticeEncourages contact between students and facultyDevelops reciprocity and cooperation among studentsEncourages active learningGives prompt feedbackEmphasizes time on taskCommunicates high expectations, and Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.#1: ContactEncourages contact between students and facultyFactor in keeping students motivated and involvedAugments face-to-face contactOpportunities:

Opportunities: Announcements: What to expect at next classChat virtual office hoursVirtual Classroom Hold class online with a whiteboard Email send email to students especially if their grades are slippingDiscussion Threads Create threads where students can talk about non-course-related itemsUse Assignment Content type, and allow students to view their gradePost grades as soon as possibleUse the Early warning system to spot possible issues with a students gradeSurveys Learn what students know the first day, use to get post-course feedback

4#2: Reciprocity & CooperationDevelops reciprocity & cooperation among studentsCollaborative/social vs. competitive/isolatedFacilitation of group study, discussions, & problem solvingOpportunities: Email, Group Work, Collaborative Tools, Discussion Boards, Wikis And Blogs, SurveysOpportunities: Email: Group work: Set groups based on learning styles, change groups if used on more than one assignmentChat: Set rules for netiquetteDiscussion thread assignments: Expect sustentative responsesWiki and Blog tools: (Learning Objects)Surveys: To get feedback on the group learning experience

6#3: Active LearningUses active learning techniquesStudents canTalk & write about itRelate it to the pastApply it to the presentOpportunities:

Opportunities: Simulation: Create Assignments, folders, Learning Units with multiple, sequential (Adaptive Release) tasks i.e. Capstone ProjectassignmentsAsynchronous communication: chat and Virtual Classroom, Synchronous: Email and boardsBlogs: use as a journal

8Opportunities: Use folders and Learning Units with multiple tasks to facilitate Capstone ProjectsHave students actively discuss lectures, video presentations, or class presentations using Collaborative Tools,(Asynchronous Communication), or Discussion Boards (Synchronous Communication), Use Blogs as a Journaling tool for personal reflection #4: Prompt FeedbackGives prompt feedbackCritical observationAssessment of knowledge & competenceFrequent assessmentOpportunities:Opportunities: Assignment (content type): When graded, students see their gradeGradebook: Assignments added outside of Blackboard are added to the Gradebook, so that students see a grade as soon as it is gradedEarly Warning System: Lets instructor and student know that there may be a problem with their gradeStatistics Tracking: Allows instructor to see when, (date and time) and how often students are accessing both course and content. Instructors can inform students of poor study habits

10#5: Time on TaskEmphasizes time on taskAllow proper amount of time to complete tasksSet time limits to complete tasks Opportunities:

Opportunities: Adaptive release rules: set restrictions for Learning UnitsDate restrictions on content12#6: High ExpectationsCommunicates high expectationsA self-fulfilling prophecy; students respond to what is asked of them.Opportunities:Opportunities: Syllabus, discussion boards, chat, or assignments. In all of these areas, set standards for content when posting the assignment. This can include:Length and quality of discussion posts and responsesGrammar, usage and spelling expectationsPromptness on assignment submissionsCourse Documents: Post rubrics for projects and papers

14#7: DiversityRespects diverse talents and learning stylesDifferent students = different talents & stylesDiversity in race, color, religion, incomeDiversity also relates to the quality of a students educational foundationOpportunities: Learning Units, Folders, groups

Opportunities: Learning Units & Folders: Create learning opportunities through multiple task assignments encompassing various learning styles (video, audio, multimedia, PowerPoint, essay, external links to the Internet, reflection / journaling, or Podcasts), wikis, blogs, groupsCreate groups that include different learning styles

16Resources for Further StudyChickering and Gamson. Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. The American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, March, 1987.http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/7princip.htm

Chickering and Ehrmann. Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever. The TLT Group: Teaching, Learning, and Technology. (Originally published in AAHE Bulletin, October, 1996, pp. 3-6).http://www.tltgroup.org/programs/seven.html

Resources for Further StudyChickering & Gamson. Development and Adaptations of the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, no. 80, Winter 1999.http://www.umflint.edu/resources/centers/tclt/resources/evaluating_teaching/pdf-bin/Development%20and%20Adaptations%20of%20the%20Seven%20Principles%20for%20Good%20Practice%20in%20Undergraduate%20Education.pdf