Designing Soft Participation Policy for Remote Instruction

By Mengxin Wang, Industrial Engineering and Operations Research Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2022 During my first remote teaching experience in the fall of 2020, I observed that without seeing students face to face, it is hard to monitor student learning and adjust the teaching pace and depth. Conventionally, an instructor Continue Reading >>

Student-led Discussions Foster Compassion

By Anna Tomi, Scandinavian Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2022 When teaching Reading and Composition, I often encounter a wonderful group of students enthusiastic to display their knowledge and engage with the instructor. But when it’s time for the students to talk to each other, they withdraw into silence. This is Continue Reading >>

Hands-on Simulation of Frog Development and Experimental Embryology Engages Students and Promotes Learning

By Danielle Spitzer, Molecular and Cell Biology Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2022 Problem: MCB 141 (Developmental Biology) is an upper-division lecture course that covers fundamental concepts of animal embryonic development. The students learn about foundational experiments in the field which involve precise manipulations to animal embryos in three-dimensional space. They Continue Reading >>

Transportation Planning: From Theory to Practice

By Marcel Moran, City and Regional Planning Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2022 A fundamental challenge of teaching transportation planning is bridging the divide between abstract material and the realities (and messiness) of the profession itself. No textbook chapter, white paper, or academic article can fully convey the prospect of altering Continue Reading >>

Disability Visibility and Inclusive Design in STEM Pedagogy

By Taormina Lepore, Integrative Biology Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2022 Teaching is most effective when it reaches students in an equitable way. One issue I’ve encountered in my teaching is that individual accommodations are provided for disabled students, but very often, disability accessibility isn’t included as a core facet of Continue Reading >>

There’s No Shame in Asking Questions

By Dhruva Karkada, Physics Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2022 Physics students often struggle to voice their confusion when presented with challenging material. In my experience, both as a student and as an instructor, this hesitation is often deeply rooted in a sense of shame: asking questions, especially in front of Continue Reading >>

Starting Co-Constructed Dialogue Through Video Essay Feedback

By Joy Esboldt, Education Teaching Effectiveness Award Essay, 2022 Bettering one’s writing is a never ending task. However, receiving and giving feedback on written assignments is riddled with challenges. In my years of teaching, I have found that given the numerous demands and commitments students juggle, engagement with formative feedback Continue Reading >>