Author Archives: Holly Buckland Parker
Are effective group work assignments possible?
How often have you heard things like: “Oh no, not another group assignment!” from students? Or from faculty, “Why don’t group projects go the way I intend?” We know that valuable transferable job skills are learned during group work and … Continue reading
Thinking About the Start of the Semester
As the air outside starts to cool, we begin to focus on the Fall semester and introducing our courses to the incoming class of students. You might be wondering what to keep in mind for the first day. Traditionally, students sit … Continue reading
Fostering a Comfortable Classroom Environment
It’s that time of year again when faculty are thinking about how to better engage their students in the classroom. The first class meeting can often set the tone for the whole semester, and establishing norms for classroom interactions goes … Continue reading
Universal Design for Learning and Kolb’s Learning Theory
Recently, a new faculty member asked me about how David Kolb’s Learning Styles, that developed out of his Experiential Learning Theory, and the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) intersect or relate to course design. Why and when would … Continue reading
Student Career Planning and Advising
It’s that time of year when “senioritis” runs rampant and many students are either avoiding the need to search for a job or they’re not sure how to begin. Tomorrow, April 11th, we’re offering a workshop in collaboration with the … Continue reading
Postsecondary Education and Universal Design for Learning
Do you sometimes feel like you are trying your best to teach to all the students in your classroom, but something isn’t working because, on the midterm exam, half the class gets below a 70? How could this be? In … Continue reading
Using Rubrics for Student Assessment
Did you ever hear a student say, “I wish I understood what the professor wanted with this assignment?” Have your students ever asked how you came to a specific grade? Have you felt the need to create more clarity around … Continue reading
iClickers and Universal Design for Learning
The iClicker is one of many types of student response systems and, at the University of Vermont, we have adopted the iClicker as our preferred version of a student response system. We are in the process of installing iClicker base … Continue reading