Did you know that the single most influential factor in student learning and success is the teacher? This is true for in-person and online courses (Kennette and Redd, 2015; Kim and Thayne, 2015). And did you know that two significant challenge of online education are a real or perceived...

I suspect many of you are shifting to using videos to deliver your course content online. Videos are a great way to bridge the gap initially when transitioning from an in-person lecture-based format to online. Remember, the goal of this immediate situation is to help the students successfully...

The process of ensuring that your program is aligned and compliant with the new edition of the ARC Standards should be happening sooner than later, even if you are not scheduled for a site visit until years from now.  

I have completed an in-depth review of the B Standards section to...

I would venture to guess that most of us are very familiar if not most comfortable with, single answer multiple-choice type exams to evaluate student knowledge. However, when it comes to assessing performance, either on a skills type exam such as a simulated patient encounter or venipuncture, or...

There are two common questions I get related to course instructional objectives. First, do I have to teach or cover every objective in class, and second, do I need to have a test question for every objective? 

The operative word in both of these questions is every. The first question of...

Each year during orientation, I would talk to the new students about the importance of self-care behaviors. These behaviors include eating well, exercising, staying hydrated, taking time with loved ones, and getting enough sleep. And yet, every year after a few months into the program many...

The use of digital devices contributes to why students continue to believe they can multitask. We all do know the truth about multitasking, that it is not really possible. The reason I say “not really” possible is that depending on the tasks and the part of the brain being...

If you have been in education even for a short while, I suspect you may have heard that lecture is the least effective teaching method and has the lowest retention rate. This information has been published in the educational literature for decades, commonly appearing in what is known as the...

Although there are different types and forms of syllabi, a growing amount of research is emerging about the importance of a learner-centered syllabus (LCS). A learner-centered syllabus takes a student-centered approach versus a content-centered approach. What this means is that instead of...

A quick way to check to see if you have things educationally aligned in your syllabus is to check for what I call outcome/objective/assessment alignment. As we all know, our syllabi must contain course learning outcomes, instructional objectives, and the inclusion of student assessment methods....