by Luke Yarbrough, Assistant Professor, Department of History Last week a student in one of my courses told me that she was feeling frustrated. In the course—an advanced seminar on how the concept of “jihad” has been interpreted historically—students break up each week into three “task forces,” each of which works to master an assigned primary or… Continue reading Encounters with Primary Sources: On Teaching Critical Thinking in History
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One Key to Pedagogical Success: Questions and Enduring the Awkward Silence
by Kenneth L. Parker, Steber Professor in Theological Studies At the beginning of each academic year, I have to relearn the same lesson: enduring the awkward silence after a question has been asked. At the start of my career this “skill” seemed unendurable. It felt far easier to fill the empty void of fifty or seventy-five… Continue reading One Key to Pedagogical Success: Questions and Enduring the Awkward Silence
Critical Thinking in Medicine: Reflections of a Third Year Student
by Priya Parikh, Graduate Student, School of Medicine “So, what is your assessment and plan for this patient?” As a third year medical student, I am used to hearing this question during rounds when we present the patients we have been following to our residents and attending physician. Early on in the year, this was… Continue reading Critical Thinking in Medicine: Reflections of a Third Year Student
Mind Body Spirit: Teaching in the Jesuit tradition
by Stephen Belt, Assistant Professor, Aviation Science I started riding my bicycle to work again. Finally. A week before classes began I made the (quiet) commitment to ride to work 80% of the time- 4 out of 5 days. Two weeks in and I’m at 75%. For you overachievers, I consider that a victory. I’ll… Continue reading Mind Body Spirit: Teaching in the Jesuit tradition
Communicating Engagement, Engaging Communication
by James Fortney, Instructional Developer, Reinert Center The term “engagement” continues to be fashionable in conversations about teaching, research, and the role of service in higher education. It often functions as a buzzword, referenced here and there to signify a thing we value and strive to achieve in our work. And yet, we are rarely… Continue reading Communicating Engagement, Engaging Communication
Thinking Critically, Thinking Creatively: Considerations of a Theme
by Debie Lohe, Director, Reinert Center As we welcome new faculty and students to campus, the Reinert Center is gearing up for its focus this year on Thinking Critically, Thinking Creatively. This theme will inform some of our regular programs, including workshops in our Certificate Program, our annual Winter Institute, and our Teaching with Technology… Continue reading Thinking Critically, Thinking Creatively: Considerations of a Theme
The Reinert Center Welcomes New Staff
The Reinert Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning enthusiastically announces the newest members of our staff. Instructional Developer: James Fortney James has been teaching undergraduate courses on communication, identity, and difference for nearly a decade. Prior to joining the Center, he was faculty in the Department of Communication Studies at Western Washington University. He also… Continue reading The Reinert Center Welcomes New Staff
Embracing Challenging Students
by Mitch Lorenz, Graduate Assistant, Reinert Center Following thoughtful class design, lecture preparation, online class portal updating, and first day of class clothing selection comes the time when we, as teachers, must step into the classroom and actually interact with students. Regardless of the degree of preparation, unexpected problems may arise as students begin to… Continue reading Embracing Challenging Students
New Resource Guide: Making Student Work Public Online
The Reinert Center has a series of brief resource guides designed to provide quick information on topics related to teaching. Our latest resource guide, Making Student Work Public Online, addresses some of the major considerations needed when using online platforms for student assignments. As more assignments go online, it is important for faculty to know some of the ethical and… Continue reading New Resource Guide: Making Student Work Public Online
Effective Classroom Demonstrations
by Kelly McEnerney, Graduate Assistant, Reinert Center As pedagogical tools for engaging students, demonstrations serve a useful role in the classroom, particularly when used to introduce concepts that are difficult to convey in words. To extend this point, imagine a classic example of a child learning to tie shoes. Take a few seconds to formulate… Continue reading Effective Classroom Demonstrations
The Notebook 