Faculty Professional Development

Choose "Preparing to Teach" under "Topics" in the top menu to access a treasure trove of practical articles on course design, syllabus design, first day of class, and assignments.

A very fun example of the effectiveness of icebreakers in building community within the classroom. The specific icebreaker used in this research could be adapted to any classroom with similar results.

Check out the section titled "Getting to Know You: The Importance of Establishing Relationships" for some unique icebreaker ideas. “10 Effective Classroom Management Techniques Every Faculty Member Should Know features 10 different approaches to classroom management from those on the front lines who’ve met the challenges head-on and developed creative responses that work with today’s students.”

Great resource with a myriad of different icebreaker ideas.

This resource from the Harvard Business School contains five key ideas for creating a more effective syllabus. It is geared specifically toward business students but could be adapted for other areas of study.

Check out the section titled "Exploring What the Syllabus Communicates" for information on effective syllabi.

A very brief article about different tips for setting up your syllabus in a way that helps communicate your expectations for the semester to your students.

Interactive in-depth tool from Cornell University. You can walk through step-by-step or jump into a specific topic.

Checklist for evaluating your syllabus from a social justice lens.

This teaching guide from Vanderbilt aims to help teachers leverage the design of their syllabus to better engage their classrooms over the course of the semester. This guide is more comprehensive than the previous resource and contains a host of example policies that may be effective and useful for designing your syllabus.

"In social justice education, it is common to establish guidelines for classroom discussions. We examine the limits of these guidelines in achieving the goals of social justice education, arguing that they are not responsive to power relations. Rather than creating a supportive space for dialogue, these guidelines actually can interfere with achieving social justice education goals. We also describe our efforts to engage alternative strategies for responding to power in the social justice classroom."

Many tips sheets here for small group discussions, making your lectures interactive, leading classroom discussions, diversity, inclusion and belonging, motivating students, and more …

Brookfield, S. D., & Preskill, S. (2012). Discussion as a Way of Teaching: Tools and Techniques for Democratic Classrooms. Wiley. We do not have the book but it is referenced by many.
This landmark book shows how to plan, conduct, and assess classroom discussions. Stephen D. Brookfield and Stephen Preskill suggest exercises for starting discussions, strategies for maintaining their momentum, and ways to elicit diverse views and voices. The book also includes new exercises and material on the intersections between discussion and the encouragement of democracy in the classroom.

Chapter 17 pages 235-242 only.
The phrase “teaching with technology” may conjure up a variety of different images depending on our own experiences as instructors, students, or even conference attendees. For some it might mean using PowerPoint or student classroom response systems in lectures; others may think of podcasting lectures; and still others may think of specific disciplinary applications, such as designing Web-based interactive learning modules and simulations to teach skills and concepts.

Harvard University Pedagogical Best Practices provides different modalities - only read what you need for your course format, Asynchronous, Synchronous , In-person (questions and discussions), Engaging students (remotely), and Labs

"Here are ten best practices for anyone just getting started in the online environment. Research and experience suggest that these practices contribute to an effective, efficient and satisfying teaching and learning experience for both faculty and students. Using these practices can help develop confidence, comfort, and experience in teaching online."

This teaching guide from Vanderbilt University provides an overview of and free templates for the Backward Design process.

A treasure trove of articles, templates, assessment ideas, study guides, and more from Understanding by Design co-author Jay McTighe.

This film featuring Understanding by Design co-authors Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe examines the Backward Design process. Use WCC Net ID and Password for access.

Helpful step-by-step guide to creating an effective lesson plan from the UofM Center for Research on Learning and Teaching.

This guide from the Center for Educational Innovation at the University at Buffalo provides an outline on scaffolding the learning process, scaffolding techniques, activites, and more.

Edutopia article detailing six scaffolding strategies with possible activities.

Article from Faculty Focus on how to integrate scaffolding into online learning environments.