Category: Pedagogy and Andragogy

Creating Space for Radical Openness in the LMS

April 5, 2023 by Shane Lanning (they/them)

How can we use digital space of an online LMS to work towards creating a space of Radical Openness for co-creating with students and engaging them in shaping the course? I recently stumbled upon a 2017 blog article by Dr. Jesse Stommel in which he considers what kind of Learning Management System (LMS) bell hooks […]

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First-gen Pedagogy: Who are First-generation Students?

March 29, 2023 by John Carter

How do we “view” our first-generation students? Who are they and what identities and backgrounds do they bring with them to the classroom beyond their first-generation status? From childhood memories of hanging out in academic offices to late night co-working sessions decades later as a graduate student, growing up with a mother who was a […]

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Six Tangible Ways to Support First-Generation Students

March 22, 2023 by Cheri Madewell

Help first-generation and other students unfamiliar with higher education navigate the business of being a student with transparent course materials, agency, and guided learning through your course design. As a first-generation college student, neither of my parents (or their parents) attended college. The small and private, four-year liberal arts college I attended may as well […]

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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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Creating a Reflective Space in Canvas

March 1, 2023 by Shane Lanning (they/them)

Learn how to set up a dynamic reflective space for your learners through the creative use of built-in Canvas tools. Reflection has been a huge part of my learning, and I engage my students in some of that deep thought in my courses. I value reflection because it provides learners and instructors with the opportunity […]

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The Siren Song of Comprehensiveness

February 22, 2023 by Eva Grouling Snider

Are teachers too focused on comprehensiveness, trying to cover everything about their topic? What would teaching look like if we all just taught a little less? How much should my students learn in my course? This may seem like a strange question—especially compared to the more salient what students should learn—but it’s been on my […]

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Creating Space and Connections with Discussion Board Roles in Canvas

February 8, 2023 by Kat Greene

When a few students take on all the “heavy lifting” in your online discussion boards, it doesn’t feel equitable. Learn how to facilitate equitable, meaningful dialogue in your course with discussion board roles. Making Online Discussions Equitable Spring 2021 was the first semester I incorporated assigned roles into weekly discussion boards in my Introduction to […]

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What We Can Learn from the Learning Styles Myth

February 1, 2023 by Eva Grouling Snider

Learning styles are a myth – the research is conclusive. What can we take away from this myth, though? What, if anything, can be salvaged from learning styles theory and its relation to empirically-backed learning theories? I have a confession to make. Until recently, I believed in learning styles. I may not have been a […]

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Less Worry, More Learning: How Ungrading Has Changed My Student Experience

January 25, 2023 by Shane Lanning (they/them)

Read about how ungrading in a graduate class changed the author’s experience and helped them center their own reasons for taking the course. The Teaching Innovation Team offered a summer book club for faculty in which we read Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead). In its literal sense, ungrading is […]

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You Don’t Need to Be a YouTube Star

January 18, 2023 by Eva Grouling Snider

When recording videos for your class, polish matters less than you think. Learn why and how to let go of the idea of a “perfect” video and embrace some jankiness in your teaching. If you’re tentative about making videos for your students, this post is for you. When I started making videos for my classes, […]

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