Newsletter - University of Southern Indiana

CETL Weekly Newsletters

Please send me the newsletters! Sign up for the CETL mailing list.

Two-staged Exams: September 28
Transparent Assignment Design: September 21
Gathering Mid-semester Feedback: September 14
Metacognitve Wrappers: September 9
Attendance, attention, and What do the best learners do?: August 31
Late Assignments; Teaching Journal: August 24
Ice Breakers, Getting to Know Your Students; AI Assessment Scale: August 17
First Week of Class Tips, Learning Student Names: August 11
Process-focused learning; Learning outcomes: July 28
AI considerations in writing assignments; specs grading: June 29
Wrapping up Summer I; Getting ready for Summer II: June 15
Human wisdom and AI; Reframing capacity: June 3

2025-2026 Newsletters

2024-2025 Newsletters

2023 - 2024 Newsletters

2022 - 2023 Newsletters

Communications policy, Trends in Teaching: July 24
Believing and Teaching; Curiosities for SoTL: July 10
Coaching and ghosting: June 26
Student engagement through choice; Refining your course: June 12
Livelier online discussions; Make the most of conferences: May 30
Videos that students want to watch; Condensed-format courses: May 15
Analyzing Student Feedback: May 8
Grading tips: May 2
Last class strategies, AI guidance: April 24
Belonging and growth mindsets: April 17
Conveying your expectations; Social cognition: April 10
Feedback students will read; Mitigating ChatGPT: April 3
Assessment and more ChatGPT tips: March 27
Student Well-Being and Mental Immunity; Guidance on AI Tools: March 20
Equitable learning, Experiential learning, Neurodiverse students: March 14 (250th newsletter!)
Exam Wrappers; Accountability Partners; Who's Left Out?: February 27
Post-Covid, Burnout, Microlectures: February 20
Student engagement, case studies, mid-semester feedback: February 13
Discussion prompts, Mindful learning, ChatGPT: February 6
Office hours, Inclusive teaching, Task tracking: January 30
More ChatGPT, Using OERs, Tidying up: January 23
ChatGPT Considerations: January 17
First Day of Class; Icebreakers; Learning Names: January 9
First day of class and Syllabus tips: January 4
Pay it forward assignments; Interpreting student evaluations: December 19
Fast and Equitable Grading; Blackboard Tips: December 12
Late Work, Course Evaluations, Blackboard Tips: December 5
Asking for help; Grumpy season; Validation: November 28
10 Ways to Make a Better Lecture: November 21
Making students cheat; Flipped classes: November 14
Renewing student engagement; Mental health: November 7
Active Learning, OERs, Resilience: October 31
Minute paper, Asynch videos, Student success: October 24
Office Hours: October 17
Color-blind friendly graphics; Labor-based grading: October 11
Mid-semester pep and slump: October 3
Attendance questions and Specifications grading: September 26
Why students skip class; Collecting Mid-semester feedback: September 19
Giving Wise Feedback; Growth Mindset: September 12
Developing a Grading Philosophy; 'Teaching Fails': September 6
Belonging, Confidence, and Time Management: August 29
First day and week of class ideas: August 22
Writing a syllabus that supports your students: August 16
Syllabus tips; Teaching Persona: August 8

2021- 2022 Newsletters

Hot moments; One person can make a difference: July 11
Navigating expectations, Growth mindset: June 27
Podcasts, Multiple-project paralysis, 4 Tips from graduation speeches: June 13
Making shareable links; Summer writing blues: May 31
Metacognition in Everyday Life; Summer Course Tips; Semester Reflection: May 17
Notes on students, Analyzing student feedback, Portfolio preparation: May 9
Grading Tips: May 2
Last Week of Class Ideas; Increasing Student CPS Response Rates: April 25
Ideas for the Last Week of Class: April 18
Multiple-choice questions, Rubrics, Dynamic Lecturing, Regrets: April 11
Course content sharing, Notice and focus, Engaging students: April 4
Feedback, Discussions, Assessment/ Grading Strategies: March 28
Holistic advising, Exam Anxiety, Flexibility: March 21
Warm-ups, Preparing for Unmasking; Helpful Feedback: March 14
Supporting Student Success, Email Sorting: February 28
Tips for PPT Slides, Reducing Grading Workload, Time Management: February 22
Low-stakes Assessments/Assignments: February 14
Due dates, Mid-semester feedback, Connecting with students: February 7
Tipped class, Exam Wrappers, Specifications Grading: January 31
Getting students to read; Peer education: January 24
Prior Knowledge, Minute Paper, 21 Beautiful Truths: January 18
Motivating Students and "Wise" Feedback: January 10
First Day and Syllabus Tips: January 5
Grading Tips: December 13
Tips for the Last Class: December 6
Finding our Mentors; Clear Instructions; Cheating: November 29
High Impact Practices; Go Back to Go Forward: November 22
Task-based Learning; 4 Laws of Learning: November 15
Authentic Assessment; Art of Answering Questions: November 1
Asking Questions, Student-led Discussions, Cognitive Empathy, and 2 Modes of Thinking: October 25
Designing for Accessibility; More Think-Pair-Share and Mid-semester Questions: October 18
Think-Pair-Share; Fall Words: October 4
Minute & Muddiest Point Papers; Truth-tellers; Mid-semester Feedback: September 27, 2021
Culture of caring, Grading rubrics, Mid-semester feedback: September 20, 2021
Trauma-informed teaching, Social annotation, Supporting student learning: September 13, 2021
Reusing Pre-Recorded Videos; Reflecting on course Changes; Feedback on Student Work: September 7, 2021
Post-Class Reflection Notes; Routines; Tips for Students: August 30, 2021
Prior Knowledge, First Day, Workload Estimator, and Adult Learners: August 23, 2021
First Day of Class; A Plan to Save Time: August 16, 2021
Making Your Syllabus Relevant; Course Facilitation: August 9, 2021

2020-2021 Newsletters

Student Engagement in Synchronous Online: July 12, 2021
Assignment Instructions via Quiz; Backcasting: June 28, 2021
Self-study of teaching; Dictation tools: June 14, 2021
No more easy button, scaffolding, and 7 types of rest: June 1, 2021
Collaborative Note-Taking; Course, Value; Study Skills: May 17, 2021
Year-end reflection; Two-minute rule; Procrastination: May 10, 2021
Thinking and Decluttering: May 3, 2021
Last class finale; Increasing CPS response rates: April 26, 2021
Tips for Exams; Online discussion ideas to foster metacognition; Responding to Microaggressions: April 19, 2021
Study Strategies, More Discussion Ideas: April 12, 2021
Discussion Ideas, Building Criteria with Students: April 5, 2021
Group work, Online discussion ideas, and Peer tutoring: March 29, 2021
Reading the Online Room, Inclusive Teaching, Reducing Cheating: March 22, 2021
Take a Breath: March 15, 2021
Would You Rather; Mastery-based Grading: March 8, 2021
Rubrics, communications tips, Student workload: March 1, 2021
How to Get Students to Read; Gathering Feedback: February 22, 2021
Late work, Email tips: February 15, 2021
Grading tips and "First" day of class: February 8, 2021
Estimating Student Workload: February 1, 2021
How to Avoid Overprepping: January 25, 2021
Overcoming the "busywork" dilemma: January 18, 2021
Ideas for the First Day of Class: January 11, 2021
Syllabus Tips: January 4, 2021
Happy Holidays: December 14, 2020
How are You? Recommendation Letters: December 7, 2020
End of Semester Tips: November 30, 2020
Wrapping Up Your Course; Managing Screens & Zoom : November 23, 2020
More Assessment and Grading Tips: November 16, 2020
Rethinking Assessments: November 9, 2020
Students in Quarantine; Teaching & the Election: November 2, 2020
Grading Tips: October 26, 2020
Zoom-in Student Engagement: October 19, 2020
Mid-semester Student Feedback part 2: October 12, 2020
Why Students Can't Focus: October 5, 2020
Mid-semester Student Feedback, Assessing Students Online, and Cultivating Student Learning: September 28, 2020
Assessment Ideas and Cognitive Wrappers: September 21, 2020
Connections, Hexagonal Discussions, Transparent Directions: September 14, 2020
Discussion boards, virtual offices hours, and watching videos: September 8, 2020
Strategies for student engagement: August 31, 2020
Tips for the Start of this Semester: August 24, 2020
Getting Ready for Fall 2020: August 17, 2020
Tips for Students Adapting to Online Learning: August 10, 2020
Advancing Learning during COVID-19: August 3, 2020
Learning Outcomes, Rubrics, & Productivity Tools: July 27, 2020
Flipped Learning: July 20, 2020
Hybrid/Blended Learning Tips: July 13, 2020
Syllabus for Every Student; Tech & Academic Integrity: July 6, 2020
3 Questions to Improve Your Teaching: June 29, 2020
Backward Design and More on Microlectures: June 22, 2020
Creating Microlectures and Learning through Note-taking: June 15, 2020
Building a Social Presence Online: June 8, 2020
Adjusting Expectations for Empathy, Equity, and Inclusivity: June 1, 2020
COVID-19 Burnout, Online Teaching Tips: May 26, 2020
Transparent Assignments, Course Tune-ups: May 18, 2020
Reflection, Syllabus Template, Cognitive Load: May 11, 2020
Providing Closure to Your Course: May 4, 2020
Escaping Grading Jail: April 27, 2020
Planning for Finals: April 20, 2020
Student Anxiety and Cheating: April 13, 2020
Zoomed Out: April 6, 2020
Being Kind to Ourselves: March 30, 2020
Supporting Each Other and Our Students: March 23, 2020
Switching to Online: March 16, 2020

Connect With
Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning