Let's Talk Teaching

As an extraordinary semester wraps up, we check in with three undergraduate students from Illinois State about their experiences learning in the age of COVID-19. They highlight what's worked in their classes this semester, what instructors have done to help them to succeed, and how the new tools we've all had to embrace - things like Zoom, recorded lectures, and other apps - have actually offered...

Tackling tough social issues is often a minefield in which few instructors wish to tread… and for good reason. From political polarization to the isolation of the global pandemic, a multitude of forces are shaping, and sometimes stifling, our ability to have deep, important conversations in our classes. But it can be done and done successfully. We talk with Dr. Joseph Zompetti from the School of C...

We speak with Dan Taube, Illinois State University's Chief Information Security Officer, about how to keep ourselves and our students safe as we teach and learn online. As college instructors, we don't usually think about our teaching in terms of the exchange or storage of data. But it's an important consideration not just in terms of our personal online habits, but also in terms of ensuring stude...

To say the Fall 2020 semester has been a challenge is to undersell it. But still, students say they're having positive learning experiences despite the global pandemic and all it means for higher education. In this episode, we talk with three returning Illinois State undergraduates, who bring a unique perspective about how things have changed since last fall. They share what their professors are d...

Communication is key to coping with the extraordinary challenges to learning brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. That's the number one conclusion we came to in this special edition of our podcast. We sat down with three faculty members to discuss their approaches to teaching this fall, with a special emphasis on supporting students' attendance and helping them to keep learning, even when the nove...

It takes more than just an ace team of enrollment managers to meet students' needs on a campus like ours. Faculty play a role in students' choices to come to, or return to, Illinois State. Dr. Jana Albrecht, Associate Vice-President for Enrollment Management, talks about how instructors impact these important decisions. She and Jim also discuss ISU's plans to pilot a "Test Optional" application pr...

Dr. Julie-Ann McFann returns to our podcast, this time to discuss a special summer-long professional development opportunity for Illinois State graduate students. Learn how Instructional Design for Future Faculty helps to prepare the next generation of university level instructors by exploring course design, teaching portfolios, and more.

It's week one of completely online teaching at Illinois State University in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Claire and Jim reflect on this extraordinary shift in teaching and learning. They discuss how the new reality has forced us all to be "life-long learners" and how to carry on that example to our students. Plus, they briefly rundown the extensive support available to faculty and students a...

Conferences can be an important part of one's growth as a college teacher... or even as a professional developer. Conferences can also be expensive. How do you get the most developmental bang for your buck? In this episode, Claire and Jim brainstorm ways to optimize the conference experience (in Jim's case, it's actually going). Claire shares how she plans ahead for big gatherings. Plus, learn Cla...

Reporting midterm grades may seem like just more paperwork, but it can be vital to our students' success. In this brief episode, Claire and Jim unpack the uncertainty students sometimes have about their grades and kick around some strategies for giving meaningful feedback… even when you haven't accumulated many points yet in the semester.

We take a break from teaching tips and expert advice to talk about the next big change coming to the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology. Find out what our move to Williams Hall... and, eventually, to destinations beyond... means for Illinois State instructors.

We're excited to be joined by Stacy Ramsey, Associate Director for Enrollment Management at Illinois State, about a new program to help ease students into the their complex digital life on campus.

A new semester is close at hand-- get excited and inspired to teach. CTLT Director Dr. Claire Lamonica shares her top five tips for starting your semester off successfully. She and Jim explore advice about your syllabus, classroom space, breaking expectations the first day of class, and much more! Plus, the talk about why it's okay... even important... to take a little "me" time before classes beg...

Dana Karraker joins Claire and Jim to discuss the 2020 University-Wide Teaching & Learning Symposium. They begin by unpacking the theme, Intentional Technologies: Reclaiming Our Spaces. They draw connections to the works of the 2020 the keynote speaker: educator, musician, and author of Teaching Naked, Dr. José Antonio Bowen. With the call for proposals now open, the three also explore the formats...

Co-teaching can bring a potent combination of unique expertise and diverse perspectives to a course, affording students to a rich, deep learning environment. Dr. Jen Friberg is the Endowed Cross Chair in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at Illinois State. She, along with her colleague, Dr. Lisa Vinney, sit down to discuss their journey in creating a truly co-equal collaboration. We discuss...

CTLT's Charles Bristow returns with good news about the next update to ReggieNet, Illinois State University's customized learning management system... including the debut of a long-awaited new feature! Charles and Jim take a look at the new Rubrics tool, discuss an updated, cleaner interface for managing Tests & Quizzes, and more. Learn all you need to know about changes and improvements that awai...

We celebrate our 50th episode with a discussion about THAT phrase… the buzz word of buzz words in the college teaching profession: active learning. We always hear about it, we often talk about it… but are we really doing it? Jim and Claire unpack this ubiquitous phrase and explore examples of what it actually looks like. They highlight the three different components that make active learning "acti...

Dreading all of that grading at the end of the semester? Wish you could snap your fingers and make it all go away? Claire and Jim explore how much feedback your students really need after those final exams and projects are turned in. They discuss ways of putting a final flourish on their learning without burying yourself under a mountain of feedback that, let’s face it, they may never see.

Claire is teaching a new graduate course this semester, and she says her fresh approach to it is "life changing." She's shifted her methods so her students replace her at the center of their learning. We'll discuss what she's doing in detail and how it can be applied to other classes. Plus, Jim ponders a mystery: Why has this semester seen a jump in absenteeism and late work? All that and more in...

What are your students really thinking? In this episode, we discuss CTLT Director Claire Lamonica's new research into Midterm Chats, also known as Small Group Instructional Diagnoses. She provides a preliminary look at how faculty members at Illinois State believe this process improves their teaching. Also, Claire and Jim talk about the importance of making little changes, instead of wholesale rev...

We take a first look at the theme for the 2019 University-Wide Teaching & Learning Symposium, Contemplative Teaching: Connecting Meaning, Purpose, and Values. Dana Karraker joins us to talk about this wide-ranging approach to making teaching a first-person act. We also talk mindfulness, posters, sessions, and preview both our keynote speaker’s morning workshop and luncheon talk. Plus, breaking new...

We take a deep dive into the concepts surrounding critical thinking. What is it and how do you know it when you see it? And just how do you get your students to do it? Jeff Rients, Senior Teaching and Learning Specialist at Temple University (and former CTLT graduate assistant) helps us explore critical thinking from a basic definition to advanced ways to assess it as a course-level goal. We also...

We kick off our Fall 2018 season with a look at ReggieNet, Illinois State University's customized learning management system. Instructional Developer Charles Bristow joins Jim Gee to discuss new features like the Attendance and Commons tool, introduced in the latest system upgrade. Plus, they look at some long-requested improvements to popular tools like Assignments, Tests & Quizzes, and the Grade...

Dr. Bill Anderson, an associate professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, is one of the 2017 Outstanding University Teaching Award winners. In this jam-packed episode, Bill and Jim explore the power of interrupted case studies-- a way to foster students' creative thinking by giving them structured opportunities to engage in inference and prediction. They also discuss the value o...

Jim and Julie-Ann continue their conversations exploring ways to organize student experiences, including through the use of storytelling. They discuss the importance of moving students from behavior to cognition, and Julie-Ann introduces a new way for students to learn with those tired, old flashcards!