Feedback is distinct from grading, since we are not just evaluating work, but also encouraging future learning. For that reason, feedback is directly linked to persistence. Summative feedback is meant to evaluate student competency and summarize learning. Formative feedback is less focused on the evaluation and more on helping the student improve, both by helping […]
Archives: Topics
Instructional Delivery
“Instructional delivery” is about how we “deliver” the content of our courses to our students. Most of us are aware of the skepticism that has developed in the scholarship of teaching and learning about the idea of “delivering” curriculum, as if faculty transfer information to a passive student. The way we present our content is […]
Choosing Technology with Intention
The key aspect of this topic is not so much how to choose the right technologies for your courses and students as much as it is that what technologies you integrate into your teaching should indeed be an active choice that you make. Many times, technologies are chosen for us by others (by IT departments […]
The Technology/Pedagogy Dance
When talking about the use of technology within educational settings, it’s common to hear people say “It’s not about the technology; it’s about the teaching.” While ultimately, who you are as a teacher and the pedagogical philosophies and values you embrace should inform everything you do in the classroom, the relationship between teaching and technology […]
Affordances and Possibilities
As we think about the differences (and possible similarities) between formats, let’s also try to focus less on pros vs cons and more on the notion of affordances. No teaching modality is necessarily “deficient”; instead, each one offers us different possibilities for our teaching and our students’ learning. Take some time during this module to […]
(Why) Does Modality Matter?
We start this module by asking ourselves if the modality of a course matters and, if so, why it matters. In some ways, this question is a trick. Of course, the formats in which we teach will necessarily impact how we teach and how our students learn. But we’re interested in delving into the unspoken […]
The Structure of Design Forward
Understanding how DF is structured is another part of becoming oriented to the program. First, we encourage you to learn more about the various modules that make up DF. Of particular note: The only “required” module is Orientation. After completing Orientation, participants are welcome to take modules in whatever order makes sense for them. While […]
The Philosophy of Design Forward
As you start your DF experience, we want to take some time to introduce you to some of the fundamental ideas and values that underpin the design of the program. While DF is made up of a whole collection of modules, many of which will include opportunities to explore practical approaches to your teaching, the […]
Framing and Practicing Equity
Equity is at the heart of why so many of us pursue careers in education. We hope that learning is a path towards building a more equitable world, and that college can be a place where all students can learn both to make a positive impact and to create the life they desire. But equity […]
Resisting and Embracing Care
Incorporating care into our pedagogy may seem like a common sense idea, but, in reality, the concept of care is complex and often fraught. How do you define care (love? compassion? kindness?) and what does it actually mean to care for students? (or our colleagues? or ourselves?) What do you do when caring approaches seem […]