Share Your Teaching Story

Have you tried something new in your classroom that you’re excited about? Maybe you’ve explored using GenAI, experimented with different assessments, or found a lecturing technique that really connects with your students. Or perhaps you’re passionate about making your teaching more inclusive and accessible. Whatever your story, we’d love to hear it! Sharing your experiences can inspire fellow educators and contribute to a growing community of practice here at U of I. If you’re interested in sharing, please reach out to Robert Baird at r-baird@illinois.edu.

Hold the Dates - 2024 Fall Faculty Series on Teaching & Learning Begins September 18

The theme of this semester’s series is: “The Art of the Engaging, Responsive Lecture.” Join a dynamic learning community by participating in this specially designed workshop series for faculty (across all disciplines and rank). This six-part weekly series will begin Wednesday, September 18  from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. The topics range from implementing student feedback; designing an innovative, creative class session; grading fairly; using humor; to creating a lively, thoughtful discussion. This series is open to first-time and previous attendees. Dates and registration are now open on our CITL calendar. Click here for the flyer. 

Creating an Engaging Classroom with Student Support Services - The Art of Teaching Lunchtime Seminar Series

Mark your calendars for an insightful lunchtime seminar with Reba Daniels on September 5, 2024, from 12 - 1 p.m. on Zoom. Reba will share her proven strategies for building connections between students and support services, no matter the class size. Learn how just 5 minutes can make a significant impact, and gain practical tips to enhance student engagement in classrooms of 20 to 400+ students. Don’t miss this chance to engage and empower your students early on! Registration is open.

Join the Illinois Online Teaching Community on Microsoft Teams

Are you looking for a place to share your online teaching strategies and experiences, make meaningful connections, or find inspiration? We invite you to join our dynamic online teaching community here at Illinois on Microsoft Teams. Whether you want to join the conversation, post something interesting, or make a new friend by asking a question, our community is the perfect place for you. Come be a part of this exciting and supportive environment! Join us today and start connecting with others!

2024 Fall CITL Faculty Book Club: Creating Wicked Students 

Connect with colleagues and explore innovative teaching strategies in the CITL Faculty Book Club, meeting in 156 Armory. This semester, we’re reading "Creating Wicked Students: Designing Courses for a Complex World" by Paul Hanstedt (2023). It is free ebook through the U of I library. Learn how to design courses that challenge students with real-world problems, preparing them for life after college. Benefits include free access to the book, a CITL notebook, an Accredible badge, and the chance to suggest future reads. Faculty and post-docs are welcome! Register Here.

Check your calendar to determine if you can commit to attending all of our meetings at Room 156 Armory Building from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Sep 12, Sep 26, Oct 10, & Oct 24. 

Canvas Open Office Hours
Every Thursday, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. 
Zoom
Host: CITL Instructional Support Team

Creating an Engaging Classroom with Student Support Services: Art of Teaching Lunchtime Seminar Series
Thursday, September 5, 12 - 1 p.m.
Zoom (Registration Link)
Speaker: Reba Daniels
Host: Jordan Leising (CITL)

Developing Your Professional ePortfolio
Wednesday, September 11, 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Zoom (Registration Link)
Host: David Favre (CITL)

CITL Faculty Book Club: Creating Wicked Students
Thursday, September 14, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Room 156 Armory Building (Registration Link)
Host: David Favre (CITL)

Using Informal Early Feedback
Tuesday, September 17, 2 - 3:30 p.m.
Zoom (Registration Link)
Host: Lucas Anderson (CITL)

F'24 Faculty Workshop Series on Teaching & Learning, wksp #1: Maximizing Informal (IEF) and Formal (ICES) Student Feedback to Enhance Teaching & Learning (I wish I had known that earlier)
Wednesday, September 18, 11:30am - 1:00pm
Location: Room 182, Armory Building (east side of the building)
Registration Link
Host: Cheelan Bo-Linn (CITL)

Stay tuned for this semester's events! Bookmark the CITL Event Calendar for all upcoming workshops and the Training Services (formerly FAST3) Calendar for additional training opportunities. 

Getting Students Ready for Classroom Engagement

It started with lower-than-expected ICES scores. Student achievement went up, but Gary Smith’s course evaluations went down. Students were complaining about having to engage in hands-on learning activities with their peers during class, instead of having him lecture all the time. Head slap. Didn’t students understand why he was asking them to learn this way?

Smith came up with a strategy called First Day Questions. On the first day of class, he asked students which of these was most important to get out of their college education and this course:

1. Acquire information.
2. Learn how to use information in new ways.
3. Develop lifelong learning skills.

Their responses were mostly divided between choices 2 and 3. Naturally all three are important goals and students discussed this, as well as the hierarchy implied in the list. This was a good start. Then he asked the students what they think is the best way to accomplish these goals. Learning, he reminded them, is not a spectator sport, it takes work—inside and outside of the classroom. So, of those three goals, which did they think they could accomplish on their own, outside of class through reading and studying, and which would be better accomplished in class with their classmates and instructor?

This time the polling was unanimous. Students agreed that acquiring information was easy to accomplish on their own, whereas the other two goals would be improved with peer and instructor involvement. Progress. This led to a discussion of best approaches to accomplish goals 2 and 3. Would they prefer to be lectured to, or might they learn more by being actively engaged in discussing, practicing, and applying what they are learning?

Eureka! Smith had gotten his students to understand that active learning opportunities offered during class are necessary for them to succeed in their goals. He also helped them understand that having successful in-class experiences would require them to come to class prepared—having read the text, watched the videos— so that they could participate fairly and successfully with their peers.

Will these First Day Questions work for you? Yes. Students may not have much experience with active learning, but understanding the reasoning behind it will make them more willing to try.

For more information on student engagement in class, see evidence-based research as well as this study from Harvard showing that students learn more from active engagement than they think.