Search Results for: community

Chemistry and Diversity & Inclusion at DePaul University: A Metaphor

Traditionally, Colombia celebrates Chemist’s Day (El día del Químico) every year on October 31st. The Colombian Council of Professional Chemists organizes events or meetings to help celebrate the day (https://cpqcol.gov.co/eventos/dia-del-quimico/). In short, today is certainly a big day for chemists around the world, but especially in my home country, Colombia. On account of this day, … Continue reading Chemistry and Diversity & Inclusion at DePaul University: A Metaphor →

What a 3D Printer Taught Me About Learning

If you aren’t an ardent follower of the maker movement, or involved in it yourself, you might have missed the hype about 3D printing. 3D printing has grown from a niche market for creating small prototypes or parts into a multi-billion dollar business spanning industries from medicine to even residential home construction. Supporters of 3D … Continue reading What a 3D Printer Taught Me About Learning →

3 Simple Ways to Learn Your Students’ Names

Learning the names of your students is often cited as a simple way to create an inclusive environment in your classroom. It shows your students you care and helps to foster a sense of community. Furthermore, researchers have found that students have a more positive attitude about a course if they perceive that the instructor … Continue reading 3 Simple Ways to Learn Your Students’ Names →

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Preparing for the Future When the Virtual is so Real

Like any mom of teens, I am trying to pull my 13-year-old son away from his game console and get him to try something that I think would benefit him for his growth—something like reading! “But books are history,” Grant claimed. “And this…” he tilted his head toward the screen with his hands still fixated … Continue reading Preparing for the Future When the Virtual is so Real →

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READY STUDENT ONE? Risks and Rewards of VR and AR in the College Classroom

While I’ll beg your forgiveness for the obvious hype-train connection in my title to the release of the film READY PLAYER ONE, the film does raise many questions about the future of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). For me, this question often comes up in the context of VR and AR in education, … Continue reading READY STUDENT ONE? Risks and Rewards of VR and AR in the College Classroom →

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Importance of Play in Skill Acquisition

In the field of coaching there is more and more research that shows that when an athlete is in an environment where they feel supported and where they are having fun, skill acquisition comes more easily (for an interesting talk on this, listen to this podcast from Olympic coaching educator Wayne Goldsmith). This is not to … Continue reading Importance of Play in Skill Acquisition →

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Imposter Syndrome, Creation and Negotiation of Identity, and Freshman Fear of Failing

“What if they find out who I really am?” Every quarter, I meet a new group of (mostly) freshmen students in my First Year Writing courses, and every quarter, there’s one conversation I can’t wait to have. I always make sure that we have a discussion of “Discourse Communities” and what it means to become … Continue reading Imposter Syndrome, Creation and Negotiation of Identity, and Freshman Fear of Failing →

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Raspberry Pi and the Benefits of Diving into the Deep End

Recently, on “Pi Day” (3.14, or March 14 for the non-nerds out there) I was reading an article about the benefits of learning programming on the Raspberry Pi, a micro-computer that costs only $35 dollars, and all the ways that it helps tinkerers learn programming and solve obscure issues by creating their own software and hardware … Continue reading Raspberry Pi and the Benefits of Diving into the Deep End →

Reframe Intelligence to Help Students Succeed

I teach in the First-Year Writing program at DePaul, and during Autumn Quarter especially, my classes consist mostly of freshmen. I love to watch how their demeanors evolve throughout the quarter as they become more confidently part of DePaul’s academic community—but joining this community isn’t natural for everyone (and wasn’t for me when I was … Continue reading Reframe Intelligence to Help Students Succeed →

Embracing Adjunct Faculty

For the past year and a half I have had the opportunity to work with a lot of great faculty members at DePaul University.  I design online courses for the School for New Learning (SNL), DePaul’s online school. As a result, I rarely get the opportunity to meet in person many of the adjunct faculty … Continue reading Embracing Adjunct Faculty →