“Brain breaks” are exactly that – giving the working brain a break. By doing so, learning and retention can be enhanced (Willis, 2006; Young 2020). Although the idea of taking a break, for example, when studying, isn’t new, the intentional use of planning breaks in your...

I am sure by now, many of you have explored and used breakout rooms in some capacity to simulate an in-class, in-person dynamic lost to us as a result of COVID. The breakout room is how we do small group work in an online course. If you have been struggling with it or not sure if it is useful,...

After teaching a class, have you ever wondered whether your students grasped the concepts you taught? Have you wondered what their knowledge base is before you begin a discussion on a particular topic? Are you curious about what items they may be confused about after the class or lesson?

Using...

There are more similarities than differences in a syllabus for an online versus an in-person course. However, some concepts are essential when creating an effective online course syllabus. Although both syllabi contain all of the same sections and components, an online syllabus must account for...

I have long been fascinated by the role of the teacher. Perhaps, this is because my teachers were so influential in my life, starting with my fourth-grade teacher and continuing through high school. During my undergraduate educational training to become a teacher, what we knew about how learning...

Just recently, I came across an article presenting the results of a survey about learning and teaching satisfaction since moving on-campus education online.  The survey included responses from over 4200 students and about 500 faculty in higher education. Due to the sudden shift to online...

In the November 1^st edition of The PA Educator, the topic of extra credit was presented. According to the literature, the use of extra credit in higher education appears to be more in favor these days than previously (Izienicki & Setchfield, 2019; Norcross et al., 1989; Norcross et al., 1993;...

As someone who spends a lot of time ensuring that curriculum, teaching, and assessment are aligned so we can confidently conclude and provide evidence that our students learned what they needed to know, a question posed by a colleague gave me pause. Though his question focused more on the...

The other day I came across two interesting videos, one by Dr. Michelle Thaller, a NASA astrophysicist, and the other by Dr. Carol Dweck, a psychologist best known for her groundbreaking work in motivation, specifically, the growth mindset. For some reason, I listened to them one after the other,...

The concept of self-care has gotten a lot of attention lately, given the new requirement added to the ARC accreditation standards. Although the standard speaks to teaching it to our students, I believe it is also a call for us to revisit it for ourselves. As clinicians, how many times did we...