by Chris Grabau, Instructional Developer, Reinert Center The ability to practice empathy has become a popular topic lately. As an important component for inclusive teaching and a crucial interpersonal skill necessary for a the 21st Century job market (Markham, 2016; National Research Council, 2013), empathy is often defined as a combination of behaviors that include… Continue reading Strategies to Enhance Empathy Development in College Teaching
Giving Students Agency: A Resource Guide
by James Fortney, Instructional Developer, Reinert Center Feeling a sense of agency, or “the intention and capability to take action with respect to one’s learning,” can be an empowering experience for students (Clarke et al., 2016, p. 30). However, many instructors find it challenging to design courses that give students multiple opportunities to act in… Continue reading Giving Students Agency: A Resource Guide
Discovering Student Metacognitive Learning Strategies Using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire
by Chris Grabau, Instructional Developer, Reinert Center Understanding college student’s internal motivations toward learning can provide useful insight when both designing and teaching a course. While there are a growing number of tools designed to investigate student motivations towards learning, the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) offers a social cognitive perspective to investigate metacognitive… Continue reading Discovering Student Metacognitive Learning Strategies Using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire
A Few Texts for Teaching To and Within the Jesuit Catholic Mission
We frequently get asked for recommendations on books to help people learn more about mission-focused teaching and Ignatian pedagogy. The following is a short list of five texts that can help anyone from novice to expert learn a little bit more in this area of teaching. Bergman, Roger. Catholic Social Learning: Educating the Faith That… Continue reading A Few Texts for Teaching To and Within the Jesuit Catholic Mission
The Graphic Syllabus
by Debie Lohe, Director, Reinert Center The syllabus is a fraught document. It needs to do different kinds of work, for different kinds of audiences, and often these differences seem downright contradictory. Although a dominant metaphor for the syllabus is that of a contract, other metaphors also apply - and often resonate more with faculty:… Continue reading The Graphic Syllabus
Book Review: Democracy and Education Reconsidered
by James Fortney, Instructional Developer, Reinert Center John Dewey’s seminal Democracy and Education is arguably one of the most influential books on education published in the twentieth century. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of its publication, a recent volume proposes “ways of revising Dewey’s thought in light of the challenges facing contemporary education and… Continue reading Book Review: Democracy and Education Reconsidered
Learning Styles Mini-Literature Review
by Sandy Gambill, Sr. Instructional Developer, Reinert Center The idea that individuals learn in different ways has been around for centuries. “As early as 334 BC, Aristotle said that “each child possessed specific talents and skills” and he noticed “individual differences in young children.” (Reiff, 92.) Research on learning styles in the 1970s (Kolb’s Experiential… Continue reading Learning Styles Mini-Literature Review
Person-Centered Perspectives on Inclusive Teaching
by Chris Grabau, Instructional Developer, Reinert Center "Learning of all kinds goes on best, lasts best, and tends to lead itself on more when it grows out of a real focus of interest in the learner." - Carl Rogers Establishing an inclusive learning environment can depend on how well instructors encourage and maintain working relationships… Continue reading Person-Centered Perspectives on Inclusive Teaching
A new resource guide on Assessment in Diverse Classrooms
A new resource guide on Assessment in Diverse Classrooms [LINK] has been posted to the Reinert Center website [LINK]. If you want to talk with someone about this topic in your own classes, you may request a teaching consultation by completing this form [LINK]. If you have ideas for resource guide topics you would like to see posted, share them here [LINK].
Collecting and Reacting to Student Feedback
by Mitch Lorenz, Graduate Assistant, Reinert Center When thinking about asking students for feedback there are a number of factors to consider. Your motivation as the instructor, the students’ motivation to provide authentic feedback, as well as your intentions for how to use the feedback all play a role in how the feedback might look,… Continue reading Collecting and Reacting to Student Feedback
The Notebook 