Teaching Tip of the Week Archives

Move your Panopto videos from semester to semester in Canvas

Follow these steps to move your Pantopto recordings to your new Canvas course!  

Tips for bringing mindfulness into your classroom

When students are mindful, they are focused on the present, attentive, and aware of what is happening. Keep reading for more ways to bring mindfulness (i.e.: not meditation!) into your classroom.  

How to get your students to ask better questions

Getting students to ask questions can be like pulling teeth! Many students are unwilling or unable to ask their own questions, afraid of embarrassing themselves in front of their peers and their instructors. Find out some best practices to spark your students’ curiosity so they start asking critical questions.  

Implementing feedback from mid-term evaluations

Administering mid-term evaluations for your course is the first step to incorporating student feedback into your curricular design. Find out how to take the next steps.    

Resources for bringing active learning strategies into your classroom

Active learning gets students involved in their learning, creates an atmosphere for student engagement and metacognition in the learning process. Use these resources to learn more about bringing active learning into your classroom.  

Help students collaborate on assigned readings or annotate text on their own

Perusall is a free Canvas integration that gets students reading and collaborating!  

Find out what's new with Canvas

Now that you are no longer a Canvas novice, sign up for this 30-minute webinar to find out what newer options have become available!   

Keep it specific: Creating a communication plan for you and your students

Do you have a clear, explicit plan of communication for you and your students? Check out this teaching tip from Ada Youk, Pitt Public Health’s assistant dean of academic affairs and associate professor in the department of biostatistics!  

Interested in applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to your class?

One strategy for being more intentional about creating an inclusive course is to apply the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. Check out this resource as a starting point.   

Sixteen words advisors can use to get students to open up

Check out this Faculty Focus article to learn one question that can help get your advisees to open up and read more about holistic advising.  

Take action during Pride by revisiting your syllabus

This Pride month, Pitt’s Center for Teaching and Learning invites you to infuse your teaching practices with Pride! What does it look like to teach in ways that honor the diversity of your LGBTQIA+ students? How can you stay up-to-date on the needs and experiences of this population? Check out the LGBTQIA+ syllabus for resources or inspiration for your own.  

Educational podcast from the founder of Khan Academy

Now that the spring term has come to a close, it's the perfect time for reflection on the term and your teaching practice. We recommend that you check out this curated list of podcasts from the founder of the Khan Academy for some interesting conversations on various educational topics!  

Check out Spotlight: a new lecture series offered through the Teaching Center

Spotlight is a new series of short talks that focus on important trends in teaching, learning, and educational technology. The sessions will take a deep dive into a singular topic featuring subject matter experts from across the spectrum of higher education. The first talk is coming up on May 6 at noon and deals with the integration of mixed reality in higher education teaching and learning.   

Get more meaningful feedback from students on your OMET surveys

Improve not only the response rate for your OMET surveys but also the quality of feedback from students about your course. Find out how!  

Add an anonymous survey to your Canvas course

Follow the steps presented in this video to learn how to add an anonymous survey to your Canvas course!  

Faculty: register for an interactive ASPPH event on discussing racism in public health classes

An electronic hallway conversation, Facilitating Productive Classroom Conversations on Racism, Race, and Public Health, on April 22 from 1-2pm from the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health. Read more or register for login info.   

On-demand workshops available from the Center for Teaching and Learning

The University of Pittsburgh's Center for Teaching and Learning has created a one-stop-shop for recorded workshops on the topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The first two workshops to be included are titled: "Faculty Panel: Mental Health and Student Academic Success" and "Online Course Design and Teaching for Equity and Inclusion." Be sure to click on the headline to check them out!  

Increase accessibility with automatic captioning on Zoom

Zoom has recently enabled AI-generated live transcription capabilities for easy implementation into your next class or meeting. Find out how to use this newly-released feature before your next class meeting!  

Preferred pronouns now easily added to your Canvas profile

There is now a convenient way for you to add your personal gender pronouns to your Canvas account. Find out how!  

Save time while making your new Canvas course by copying materials

There is no need to upload materials to your Canvas course if you have used them in a previous course when you can easily copy them to your new course! Find out how.  

The semester is over...now what?

The end of an unprecedented semester is perfect for taking stock of your course and reflecting on your teaching.   

Preparing your online assessments in Canvas

Online assessments raise academic integrity red flags, but there are some ways to create your quizzes to reduce those risks.  

Ways to encourage student engagement in your synchronous virtual classes

In case you missed it: check out this Faculty Focus blog post that presents various scenarios and strategies for engaging students in your synchronous classes should you encounter any of them.  

How to use the chat box for student engagement

Balancing the various elements at play in a Zoom class may feel more like a juggling act. Learn some takeaways from an unlikely source regarding how to engage your students via the chat box.  

Set up Turnitin and let it detect plagiarism for you

Canvas' Turnitin integration allows for you to check for academic integrity violations in written assignments. Find out how to activate this plagiarism detection software in your Canvas course!  

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