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The 15-Minute Course Tune-Up

As a learning experience designer, my to-do list often feels like a living creature, always growing and demanding attention. So I get it. When I sit down with a faculty member, the conversation often shares a common starting point. They know their course needs a refresh and some TLC to help students be more successful, but they feel too overwhelmed to even start. In that moment, I feel a deep sense of recognition. We’re all being asked to do more with less. How do we make progress when a full-scale revision feels impossible? Continue reading →

Stop Guessing: How UX Research Builds Better Educational Experiences
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Stop Guessing: How UX Research Builds Better Educational Experiences

Is your syllabus clearly organized? Will your students understand it? Is your course site laid out intuitively? Can students identify where to start and how to find different kinds of information?

Just because it’s easy for you to navigate and interpret your course materials doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy for your students–you have a wealth of information about the discipline and course structure that students don’t have when they first encounter it. And it’s very difficult to look at your course through the eyes of someone who doesn’t already have that context.

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Spark Bird: What Birding Taught Me About Close Reading

Spark bird, noun
A species that triggers a lifelong passion for birding

It all started with a yellow bird: the American Goldfinch. After seeing a steady stream of Northern Cardinals flit in and out of my backyard for the last couple years, it was exciting to see a bird this vibrant. Within a couple weeks, I put up some new bird feeders, and even got a new pair of binoculars for my birthday. Continue reading →

Banner image featuring a stack of colorful papers on the right with playful, hand-drawn red and blue scribbles, arrows, question marks, and shapes scattered around the text in the center, reading: "Failing Forward: Embracing Productive Failure in Education."
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Failing Forward: Embracing Productive Failure in Education

After a particularly rough term in high school, my mom tried to comfort me by saying, “When you fail, you learn more.” I replied, “Then I must be a genius!” Cheeky, yes—but she wasn’t wrong. In fact, research shows that productive failure plays a vital role in how we learn. In the classroom, however, the fear of failure often prevents students from taking risks, asking questions, or engaging deeply, especially in higher education, where grades and perfection are prized. So, how can we shift this narrative and build a classroom culture where failure is seen not as defeat, but as a powerful learning tool? Continue reading →

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Checking in on Student Mental Health, Generative AI Usage, and Academic Integrity

In his book The Nineties, Chuck Klosterman sets the stage for his analysis of the 1990s by setting up how generations tend to view each other, a theme he’s built on across many of his essay collections:

“Younger generations despise older generations for creating a world they must inhabit unwillingly, an impossible accusation to rebuff. Older generations despise new generations for multiple reasons, although most are assorted iterations of two: They perceive the updated versions of themselves as either softer or lazier (or both). These categorizations tend to be accurate. But that’s positive. That’s progress. If a society improves, the experience of growing up in that society should be less taxing and more comfortable; if technology advances and efficiency increases, emerging generations should rationally expect to work less. If new kids aren’t soft and lazy, something has gone wrong.”

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“I want that!” The Ins and Outs of Third-Party Tools and the Technology Adoption Process
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“I want that!” The Ins and Outs of Third-Party Tools and the Technology Adoption Process

“Man! I LOVE this tool!”

Have you discovered a tool that changes everything in your teaching? Maybe it makes your grading simpler or easier, or maybe it provides a more interesting or thought-provoking way to engage your students with the material. 

You may have even heard that the tool you like can integrate with your learning management system (LMS), and are wondering about the process of getting the tool adopted on a larger scale for your department, college, or even the whole institution.

Here’s a handy guide to everything “third-party”, and how you can best make use of these resources in your class. Continue reading →

Classroom of engaged college students using laptops, with bold text overlay reading "Increase Students' Engagement Through Feedback."

Increase Students’ Engagement Through Feedback

As instructors, we know the importance of feedback and checking for students’ understanding of course material. However, we often rely on traditional methods of assessment, like essays and exams. These methods are effective but don’t always allow for timely and constructive feedback. Giving feedback to students in real time helps them identify areas for improvement, deepen their understanding of course material, and develop essential critical thinking skills. Below I’ve shared some strategies to solidify your students’ knowledge prior to a high-stakes assessment. Continue reading →