By Ted Murcray In a nutshell Short answer: Maybe, but not likely. A recent study found that easing up on
Will grading easier result in higher course evaluation ratings?
Category: Teaching- Best Practices
How do you distinguish between spoon-feeding and student support?
by Kenneth Nehrbass Whenever the term “spoon-feeding” shows up in popular media, it is either used to insult students or
Is there a such thing as Christian teaching?
40% of Christian professors (n=2309) said that their faith does not influence their teaching methods (Smith, 2018, p. 145). In a compilation of nearly 300 books and articles on integration of faith and learning; I noted that very few resources discuss how Christianity
Questioning Types: Aren’t all questions the same?
By Ted Murcray
Often instructors are concerned with the way students interact with the material in class. They worry that students will not participate robustly in class
Does there need to be a graded assignment in every module?
By Kenneth Nehrbass You’ve heard “Every objective needs to be assessed.” But sometimes professors have many objectives throughout a course–
Mapping Student Engagement: Four types of engagement found in any form of course delivery
By Kenneth Nehrbass
This article challenges the notion that face-to-face instruction is not squarely located in the “Active” quadrant, with online instruction relegated far
Helping students choose up-to-date academic sources
By Kenneth Nehrbass
Professors often specify in their rubrics for term papers and presentations that the cited sources should be current and scholarly. And of course, they try to model this selectivity by assigning readings
Teaching as Scholarship: Your teaching load has been developing your research skills
By Ted Murcray
At a “teaching institution,” it is easy to get heavily involved in teaching classes and move away from a scholarly identity. Faculty members sometimes see themselves as teachers first,
Ted’s Tips: Managing Email
By Ted Murcray
Email can get the best of us! Too many email messages can make us feel like responding to email is a full-time job. As a professor, we want to be sure we respond in a timely manner, but sometimes there doesn’t feel like there is enough time.
The Grades Are In. Who Learned?
By Ted Murcray
The semester is over and the grades are done. Grading is my least favorite of the teaching tasks because it seems so finite – so immovable. I prefer the teaching moments when I am working directly with students