Author: Sarah Ackermann

Leaning into my Strengths as an Instructional Designer

April 3, 2024 by Sarah Ackermann

Learn more about how to focus on your own strengths when planning and designing a course. What Are My Strengths? As an educator I’m regularly reflecting on my instructional practice. Whether it’s thinking about my next brand-new course or how I might improve a previous class, I will often find my brain wandering in the […]

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Designing with the Learner in Mind: How I Use Canvas to Support My In-Person Students

January 5, 2024 by Sarah Ackermann

Learn how I leverage our institution’s learning management software as a crucial and effective resource for in-person teaching and learning. Bear with me as I take you on a little stroll down memory lane. How many of you remember the days when organizing and printing lengthy, spiral bound packets was the best (and perhaps only) […]

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How I Brainstorm New Courses

October 4, 2023 by Sarah Ackermann

Learn how brainstorming your next course topic like a big adventure can shift your mindset and set you, and your learners, up for meaningful success. As a person who loves traveling, I often compare course development to planning my next big trip. I plan a travel schedule to make sure I get from point A […]

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Using Personality Quizzes to Motivate and Engage Learners in Self-Reflection

August 23, 2023 by Sarah Ackermann

How many of you cringe at the thought of planning one more ice-breaker activity for the start of the school term? I think we can all agree that it’s important to set the right tone at the start of the class, and for students to get to know each other right away for meaningful learning […]

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Embracing a More Accessible, Affordable, and Equitable Way: Our Journey to OER

March 15, 2023 by Sarah Ackermann, Laura Suman

What does Open Educational Resources (OER) mean to you? Hear from two Ball State team members about how OER has helped them embrace a more accessible, affordable and equitable pathway for students. Consider one of your courses. What resources are you using to enhance the learning experience for students? What are the strengths and weaknesses […]

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Opening Your Door (And Your Heart) to Peer Feedback

January 11, 2023 by Kathleen Jacobi, Sarah Ackermann

We know that teaching is a highly personal experience for faculty at Ball State, and that gaining feedback isn’t as easy as simply opening up your door for someone to peek inside. At Ball State we’ve put together structures and supports to facilitate a faculty-forward peer review program. Classroom observations are common practice in the […]

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How I Caught the Bitmoji Bug

December 21, 2022 by Sarah Ackermann

Is there a place for Bitmoji in Higher Education? How might it serve as a means for humanizing the students and educators behind computer screens, creating a pathway for meaningful learning and collaboration? It was the peak of the pandemic and educators across the country were in a perpetual state of figuring it out. In […]

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I Was a Visual Learner. What Am I Now?

October 26, 2022 by Sarah Ackermann

Debunked or not, there is value in reflecting on our learning style. How can we support this kind of self-reflection from our students? It was June 2022, and I was attending a free event hosted by Adobe. As an Adobe School, Ball State faculty members and employees are invited to attend a variety of yearly […]

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Ready for Anything: Building Our Swiss Army Knife of Teaching Strategies

October 12, 2022 by Sarah Ackermann

What tools do you quickly have at hand to make a good impact on your learners? What can we learn from reflecting on our competency levels? Did you know that there is a historical town in Switzerland (Swiss Family Fun 2015) where you can learn about the history of the iconic Victorinox company, and build your […]

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Humanizing Your Classroom with Regular Video Updates

September 13, 2022 by Sarah Ackermann

Learn how you can use simple videos to connect with your students and help them feel welcome in your course. I remember the first time I sat down in front of the computer to create a video for my students. I was nervous but prepped. I had written a script, created notecards for reference, staged […]

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