Kim Bigelow

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

“Let your students be creative - they will wow you! Instead of an exam or deliverable that only the instructor will see, allow students to showcase what they've learned by creating a video, recording a podcast, delivering their findings to the community, etc. I've seen student interest, motivation, and learning soar when they are empowered.”

Carlos Gardeazábal Bravo

Global Languages and Cultures

"I have found that sharing key details about the process behind my research achievements with my students not only helps them understand the importance of critical thinking in the humanities, but also inspires them to pursue their own research endeavors."

Michelle Cox

HSS/Nursing

“Working with course designers to make my course sites and online courses more engaging, appealing, and accessible has been very beneficial over the years! They are the experts!"

Gloria Dodd

International Marian Research Institute (IMRI)

“After the announcements, starting my class with a prayer brings peace to me and to my students to start the class in the right frame of mind.”

Andrew Edelblum

Management and Marketing

"The key word is empathy. This means remembering what it was like to be in your students' shoes—when you first learned the concepts you now teach. I find that this practice of remembering is critical not only for structuring thoughtful instructional material, but also for keeping in perspective how COOL the things we get to teach really are. It's easy to forget when we're so used to knowing it."

Thomas Falk

Teacher Education

Scott Friend

Management and Marketing

"I try to remember that my intent always needs to align with learning. Thus, at the end of the semester, the evaluation is not whether or not I did a good job at teaching (e.g., teacher was passionate about the topic, teacher enjoyed teaching, teacher was an expert). Rather, the evaluation must focus on whether students learned (e.g., the student developed a passion for the topic, the student enjoyed learning, the student became an expert). In the end, I must avoid ever saying "I taught students the material, they just didn't learn the material."

Sean Gallivan

Physical Therapy

"Physical therapists' subject matter is movement. As movement has so many physical, mental, psychological, and emotional benefits, I like to get my students up and moving, especially in the midst of a long class. I also have my students adopt disabilities as we learn about them...walk with a limp, talk with a lisp...and embrace other moving experiences to enhance learning."

Dongfang Gaozhao

Political Science

Eddie Glayzer

Sociology, Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work

"When I am trying to stimulate discussion among students in class or when I break them into small groups, I have found that I get a lot more participation if I make the questions simpler and more personal rather than complex and abstract."

Melissa Layman-Guadalupe

Psychology

"On the first day of class, I now try to get students talking right off the bat before doing anything else. The syllabus can wait! Hopefully this sets the expectation that we will be actively discussing topics in the class."

Nathan Henderson

Teacher Education

"At their core teaching and learning are joyous experiences. I enjoy finding opportunities to sprinkle in fun to learning experiences and to teaching."

Erica Hunter

HSS/Nursing

“Offering active learning has been a satisfier for students in nursing. Another teaching tip is listening to students and making them feel heard builds trust. After trust comes content engagement. Bingo!“

Alan Kelley

Communication

Jaey Kim

MIS, OSC, and Business Analytics

"I firmly believe in the power of continuous improvement and intentional experience, for both my students and me. For me, patience and resilience are keys to the learning process."

Allison Kinney

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

"I have found that explaining the rationale behind teaching methods is helpful when assigning work that students find challenging (for example, assigning an ill-defined open-ended project). It helps students to understand WHY the challenging work will be helpful to their learning. I continue to remind students of the rationale throughout the semester and establish a supportive environment where they know that they have access to the tools and support to be successful (even when faced with a challenge)."

Brenda Lecklider

Office of Learning Resources

“Sharing a personal example of getting stuck on the Aurora Ice Drift and Icebreaker "Cruise" in Japan, I explain why "breaking the ice" can also be important in our class. I have the students participate in class icebreakers for the first few days to help build familiarity and community with one another.”

Gayan Warahena Liyanage

Mathematics

"Throughout my teaching career, I have always learned from my peers and students. In addition, I have been flexible in adapting my teaching and communication strategies as I continued to learn. On the very first day of classes, I give my students the impression that I am eager to build a long-term teacher-student relationship and am committed to ensuring their success."

Robert Menafee

Economics and Finance

"I would recommend two books that I've found very helpful - Mindset (Dweck) and The Courage to be Disliked (Kishimi & Koga)."

Marda Messay

Global Languages and Cultures

Mark Morgan

Criminal Justice and Security Studies

Chad Painter

Communication

"When you speak to students, you are your discipline. You are its history, methods, controversies, importance, etc. That is an absolute duty because it might be their only interaction with the discipline. So, show your passion for the subject and encourage your students to become excited about the material. The goal is for students to leave each class, and the course overall, curious, critically aware, and eager to read, to engage, and to discuss the subject further."

Pothitos Pitychoutis

Biology

Mrigendra Rajput

Biology

Brian Rigling

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Dario Rodriguez

Psychology

“I've found that taking a few minutes to review at the beginning of each class helps students keep track of the most important concepts and see how they fit together to form the overall arc of the course.”

Lacie Stiffler

Computer Science

Jeri Taylor

Intensive English Program

Verb Washington

History

Holly Wehmeyer

Intensive English Program

“Let students see how much you love your specialty. It can be hard to be passionate about every lesson, but how can we expect students to be interested, if we don't seem interested? And some days you just have to pretend. Teaching is often an acting job.”

Lisa Wellinghoff

Mathematics