Reflecting on Reflecting
Contributed by Jean Otsuki, Associate Director, CTL I recently had the opportunity to attend a meeting of the New England Faculty Developer Consortium, where I participated in a workshop called “Unsettling Assumptive Worlds Through Shifting Perspectives: Approaches to Reflective Practice in Teaching and Learning,” led by Dana Grossman Leeman, Senior Associate Director at the Center for […]
Some thoughts on English grammar assessment from a non-native speaker
Contributed by Federica Bocchi, PhD Candidate in Philosophy of Science (5-minute read) In her previous blog post, Maya discussed the tension between recognizing the importance of grammatical accuracy in writing assignments and acknowledging the disadvantages this practice could induce, especially in non-native English speakers. As a multilingual learner and instructor, I would like to offer […]
Embodied Learning: Teaching and Learning with Reacting to the Past
Read the intense and exhilarating experience of attending the annual Game Development Conference, Reacting to the Past.
(Contributed by Maria Gapotchenko.)
CTL begins new partnership with MetroBridge
The Center for Teaching & Learning is excited to announce a new partnership with The Initiative on Cities’ MetroBridge experiential learning program. The partnership will be supported by a $25,000 grant over two years from the Davis Educational Foundation. Thanks to the Davis Educational Foundation and to David Glick, Faculty Director of MetroBridge, and Paige […]
Clarity of Assignment Prompts: Considering Multimodality
Contributed by Pary Fassihi (1 minute read) A clear assignment prompt will give students all the information they need to complete the assignment. Not only does this set the students up for success, but it also saves time and reduces any confusion they may experience. There are some common reasons students may find themselves confused […]
Announcing a new CTL Guide: Teaching in a Mask (at BU & beyond)
BU’s face covering policy, which requires masks “to be worn indoors in classrooms, offices, public common areas, the BU Shuttle, and healthcare facilities,” is designed to protect the BU community. Teaching in a mask, however, presents a unique set of challenges. This Guide presents tips to help instructors meet these challenges by protecting their voices, engaging […]
Safety, Curiosity, and the Joy of Learning
A recent webinar, “What Students Need This Academic Year,” hosted by The Chronicle of Higher Education, reminded us that “normal” is a relative and transitory feeling and space. Malik Singleton, a student speaker from Harris-Stowe State University, noted that he wants to “take charge of my own normal.” With that advice in mind, we wish […]
“Just-in-time” Resources to Prep for Fall 2021: Part 3—First Days of Class, Trauma-informed Teaching
In this final pre-semester post, we turn to the nitty-gritty, rubber-meets-road tasks to be done before classes begin. What exactly will you do in class on the first day, the second day, and the third? How can those activities set you up for a productive and enjoyable semester? To help think through these questions, we […]
“Just-in-time” Resources to Prep for Fall 2021: Part 2—Blackboard
Blackboard—now part of the pedagogical landscape at BU—can help organize course content, communicate with students, and act as an assignment portal (see its key features here). It can also act as a centralized location for students to find the most up-to-date information about their course. In the second part of this series, we present two […]
“Just-in-time” Resources to Prep for Fall 2021: Part 1
Ready to welcome students to your classroom(s)? Fall 2021 will present its own unique challenges, so we have pulled together a series of quick resources to support faculty as they make their last preparations for teaching. In this first post, we are pleased to offer the following: (1) final checklists for in-person teaching and syllabi; […]