Today we’re going to look at ways we can increase human motivation and give faculty a sense of autonomy. We’ll talk about the Motivation Hygiene Theory, where although someone can be highly motivated they can also be highly dissatisfied. We’ll also discuss the Job Characteristics Theory, where skill variety, task identity, test significance, autonomy and feedback all help in the meaningfulness of work – we’ll specifically relate this to faculty development. Lastly, we’ll go over recognizing intervention points to promote health and wellness. We dig deeper into looking at the structures of work, how to shape people’s daily working lives, and how to make choices that improve people’s health. Katherine Sanders will be guiding us in creating a healthier academic environment.Recommended Resources:20-Minute Mentor: How Can Faculty Development Increase Faculty Engagement?20-Minute Mentor: How Can Shifting from Symptoms Thinking to Systems Thinking Make Your Campus Healthier?20-Minute Mentor: How Can Systems Thinking Strengthen Faculty Development?Publication Subscription: Supporting FacultyThis episode is sponsored by the Teaching Professor Online Conference. Learn teaching practices you need to help your students succeed in the comfort of your own space! 

Do you remember your first year as a college student? Were you nervous, scared, excited, lonely, happy, sad? Maybe you felt all of these emotions, which is a lot for anyone to take on. Add to that figuring out your class schedule, where things are on your campus, the dialogue of instructors using words you’ve never heard before. Today, we’re going to focus on how you can continue to support first-year students in their educational journey. We’ll talk about being purposeful in your course design from studying habits to evaluations, and then we’ll talk about discussion board labs for first-year students to help them engage in discussion and increase their confidence in their abilities. Lastly, we encourage you to ask your students: What’s working well and what do we need to change? What do we need to improve upon? How can we continue to better meet what you need? These questions and tactics can help your first-year students become more successful and confident.Recommended resources:20-Minute Mentor: How Do I Create a Class that Supports First-Year Students?20-Minute Mentor: How Can I Use the Discussion Board to Stimulate Engagement and Build Confidence for First-Year Students?Magna Seminar: Practical Ways to Support First-Generation College Students in the College Classroom

In today's episode, we will explore the topics of resiliency, stress management, wellbeing, and grit. Stress definitely has a significant impact on our wellbeing and overall mindset, so we'll discuss work-related stressor strategies including the benefits of a 10-year journal and the concept of "eating the frog" in the morning.  We will offer valuable insights on fostering resilience and utilizing tools like appreciative inquiry, growth mindset, and grit in overcoming teaching challenges. By implementing these concepts into our teaching practices and daily lives, we can cultivate more happiness and better navigate the emotional costs of daily stressors. Recommended Resources:FREE 20-Minute Mentor: What Can I Do to Manage and Reduce Academic Job Stress? (Special offer ends Friday, June 2, 2023)20-Minute Mentor: How Can I Apply a Resilient Mindset to My Teaching Practice?Magna Online Course: The Wellbeing ElixirWellbeing Webinars (different wellbeing topics each month for only $25!) Don’t forget! Expand your love of teaching at the Teaching Professor Annual Conference in New Orleans, June 9-11, 2023. Give yourself something to look forward to at the end of your school year: a conference to network, learn, and refocus on why you got into teaching in the first place! 

Here’s to having a little fun in class. Here’s to using creativity to connect with students and connect students to the content. Here’s to playing games in the classroom. Your lecture doesn’t have to snooze students to sleep😴. Today, we’re going to talk about how to foster creativity and connection in the classroom; we’ll talk about how to use tools such as AutoDraw, Pixlr, and ThingLink to strengthen student engagement; and lastly, we’ll talk about specific games you can use to engage students with the content and with you. Recommended Resources:20-Minute Mentor: How Can I Introduce Creativity to My Classes to Build Connection with Students20-Minute Mentor: How Can I Inspire Creative Confidence in the Classroom?20-Minute Mentor: What 5 Play-based Activities Can I Use to Create an Active, Learning-centered Class? Don’t forget! Expand your love of teaching at the Teaching Professor Annual Conference in New Orleans, June 9-11, 2023. Give yourself something to look forward to at the end of your school year: a conference to network, learn, and refocus on why you got into teaching in the first place! 

Every now and then it’s important to take a step back to self-reflect and listen to advice from other educators. With an exhausting past few years, here’s your reminder that your purpose as an educator is so impactful and so important. Today, we’ll talk about mindful teaching and how you can use the acronym HEARTS to be mindful of your presence as an instructor. And then, Ken Alford will talk about his 40-year teaching career, the best advice he’s received, and how you can experience more career satisfaction and effectiveness. We hope you can take these tips and techniques as a reminder that you are not alone – we are rooting for you.Recommended Resources:Magna Online Seminar: Contemplative Pedagogy for Purposeful Teaching20-Minute Mentor: What Are 14 Strategies to Take My Teaching Career from Good to Great?20-Minute Mentor: What is the Best Teaching Advice I Ever Received?Don’t forget! Expand your love of teaching at the Teaching Professor Annual Conference in New Orleans, June 9-11, 2023. Give yourself something to look forward to at the end of your school year: a conference to network, learn, and refocus on why you got into teaching in the first place!

There’s been a lot of chat about ChatGPT and artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of higher education. From concerns about academic integrity to prohibiting this all-knowing AI, but today, I want us to see AI from a different perspective. What if you could use AI at your university to help students experiencing food insecurity and connect them with resources? What if you could use AI for your syllabus and lesson plan ideation? What if you could minimize the temptation to cheat? In this episode, Jeremy Caplan, Flower Darby, and Liz Norell discuss how educators can embark on this new technological journey.  Additionally, we'll meet Reggie, Ocean County College's virtual chatbot who can communicate with students and better meet their needs. Remember, both of these Magna Online Seminars are 20% off with coupon code PODCAST20. You don't want to miss out on these full, one-hour discussions!Recommended Resources:Facing the Future: Educators Discuss Teaching in the Era of ChatGPTUsing an AI Chatbot: Programmed for SuccessFREE Special Report: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education

Have you ever been asked this question by a student: Will this be on the exam? Do I need to know this? In today’s episode, Maryellen Weimer will offer evidence-based study strategies that you can implement into your course to help prepare students for exams. Rather than cramming the night before, you can encourage students to take more responsibility in their review techniques and redesign exams to promote learning.Recommended resources:Magna Online Seminar: An Integrated Approach to Student ExamsMagna Online Seminar: What are Five Methods that Help Students Become More Effective Learners?20-Minute Mentor: How Can I Make My Exams More About Learning, Less About Grades?

Have you ever had a student say, "Wow, this class is so hard!" or "These homework assignments are impossible!" Many students might even do their own research before taking your class, trying to determine what the workload might be or what the level of difficulty is. For this reason, it’s important to understand how you can communicate your definition of academic rigor and ensure your goals are aligned with the expectations of your students. In this episode, we’ll go through the research on growth mindset. We’ll cover how you can foster growth mindset in your own course to improve learning and how you can make connections with your students to emphasize the task at hand, and then, we’ll cover specific strategies to inspire students to keep on trying even when it gets tough. Recommended Resources: Magna Online Seminar: Aligning Student and Faculty Perceptions of RigorMagna Online Seminar: Building a Tougher Student: Applying the Research on Intellectual Development20-Minute Mentor: How Can I Manage the Disconnect Between Faculty and Student Perceptions of Rigor to Increase Learning?Join us this year in New Orleans for the Teaching Professor Annual Conference from June 9 - 11.  Give yourself something to look forward to at the end of your school year: a conference to network, learn, and refocus on why you got into teaching in the first place! 

In this episode, we're going to talk about a Twitter thread that went viral. Dr. Liz Norell's thread on her night class now has more than 800,000 views. On it, Norell talks about ice breakers, her liquid syllabus, ungrading, a "punchy" Word document syllabus she created the night before, and communicating the message of care and belonging.  When it comes to ungrading, Norell tells students that learning is change happening in their minds, something that you can't always see. "And so my hope is that by the end of the semester...students really embrace ungrading, because I find, contrary to my own expectations, they do more work because they care, because they're interested, and they're not doing it for a grade." Additionally, Norell explains that a delightful consequence of ungrading is that students learn how to self-advocate and take ownership of the work they've done. From ungrading to a liquid syllabus to bringing snacks to class, Norell's main goal is  communicating a message of care and belonging to every person in the classroom.  Recommended Resources:Liz Norell's ResourcesThe viral Twitter thread: Last night, a professor walked into a night class for the first time since 2016. Here's what happened...Liz Norell's YouTube video: Why I Think Grades are StupidHappiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

Today is all about the memory, from short-term to long-term. Do you still remember your childhood phone number? What about your high school fight song? Or the street you lived on when you were eight years old? We might remember some of these things, but sometimes we forget what we read this morning or what we ate for breakfast two days ago. Don’t worry, there are numerous proven ways to manipulate and develop our ability to remember! So, what small changes can you integrate to help students remember your content? In this episode, we’ll start with the academic research on memory and how you can create a more successful environment so that you can apply cognitive theory in your courses. Next, we’ll go over strategies that you can incorporate to improve student learning and memory, such as semantic encoding, cueing, peer teaching, and more. And lastly, we’ll cover how microactivities are a great way to check in with students and move information closer to long-term memory. Recommended Resources:Using Brief Interventions to Maximize Student LearningWhat Key Concepts Improve Student Learning and Memory?How Can I Use Microactivities to Engage Students and Improve Learning and Retention?

How do you make your online classroom feel welcoming and safe for your students? Unlike the face-to-face classroom, you don’t always have the opportunity to greet students with a warm smile and ask them how they’re doing. So, how do you bring these in-class approaches to your online environment? In this episode, we’ll cover techniques on how to be culturally responsive in your online courses, we’ll provide tips on how you can format your online class to be warm and welcoming, and we’ll cover assimilation strategies for nontraditional and marginalized students in the online environment. From student testimonials to a name story exercise and community rubric, your online classroom will be a safe space for all of your students.Recommended Resources: 20-Minute Mentor: How Can I Become a Better Online Instructor?20-Minute Mentor: How Do I Establish an Engaging Atmosphere in My Online Classroom?Magna Online Seminar: Online Engagement and Assimilation Strategies for Nontraditional and Marginalized Students

There’s a trickle effect with happiness. When teachers are mindful and intentional about practicing happiness and spreading joy, students also reap the benefits. In this episode, Sara Rutledge talks about several things that herself, the instructors on campus, and her overall university, Mount Aloysius College, are doing to foster positivity despite the hurdles campuses worldwide are facing. From walk and talk office hours, a hot chocolate bar, tea with the teacher, customized camping chairs and class outside, to virtual study nights, volunteering with the students, and alumni panels, there are numerous ideas to inspire faculty and students, and bring a sense of community to your campus again. This week’s episode is sponsored by The Wellbeing Elixir, Magna’s brand-new wellness course for educators, where experts will help guide you through wellbeing and resilience. Dr. Sara Rutledge serves as the coordinator of the Newer Faculty Mentoring Program and as Chair-Elect for Faculty Assembly. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators, the Editorial Review Board for the Kappa Delta Pi Record, the Journal of the International Honor Society in Education, and on the Technology and Teacher Education Committee of the Association of Teacher Educators.  

Almost everyone loves a good game. In this episode, we'll go through specific gamification strategies and play-based activities you can implement into your own class. From creating badges and leaderboards to playing word associations or the "sometimes, always, never" game, you'll have a toolbox full of ideas you can bring back to your courses. Additionally, we'll discuss how gamification, when integrated correctly, can increase student persistence and student engagement. Although gamification can be an adventure of fails and successes, it's important to have fun and embrace the power of failure. Recommended resources:What 5 Play-based Activities Can I Use to Create an Active, Learning-centered Class?How Do I Design Effective Combinations of Gamified Elements to Encourage Deeper Learning?How Can I Use Simple Gamification Strategies to Engage My Students?What is Gamification and How Can it Promote a Growth Mindset?

Social media polling. Instagram trivia Tuesdays. Virtual study halls. Get ready for a toolbox of new ideas!How can you be strategic about implementing social media into your course? Whether it's just one assignment or the entire course, Debbie Fetter offers insight on how she created a strategic social media plan to implement in her own course. Fetter explains how social media can help teach students how to craft a direct message to a specific audience, and how these tools can be used for future employment. Additionally, she often adds polling and trivia via Instagram for low-stakes grades, extra credit, or small prizes. Last year, she also created what's known as, "Dr. Fetter's Study Hall." By rebranding her office hours into a study hall and creating practice questions specifically for this, Fetter increased the attendance and virtual community these study halls fostered. 

As an instructor, giving feedback might come easily. You do it day in and day out when grading papers, offering insight to student responses or peers, and proofing assignments. But what about receiving feedback? Receiving feedback as an instructor can be nerve-wracking and stressful. It can undoubtedly impact your confidence as a teacher. But what if there were ways that no matter the feedback, good or bad, you could learn to use student feedback constructively, and also better prepare your students to provide feedback that could help make you a more effective teacher. This episode dives into how you can foster a classroom culture that encourages student feedback, whether online or in-person. Recommended Resources:20-Minute Mentor: How Can Improving Student Feedback Improve the Quality of Each Educational Encounter?20-Minute Mentor: How Can I Get Useful Feedback to Improve My Online Teaching?Magna Online Seminar: Using Student Feedback to Immediately Improve Teaching20-Minute Mentor: How Can I Gain Valuable Insight from Course Evaluations? 20-Minute Mentor: How Can Talking through Course Evaluations Improve My Teaching?

College is hard. That's why Ben Blood dedicates so much time to student success; it's also why he spends time teaching students about metacognition, time management, self-discipline, help-seeking, and resilience/perseverance. Here, you'll take away specific strategies you can implement into your class to help students succeed and also help students "find their why:" The reason they're in college; the reason this is important to them; and their reason why.“If you fail it’s not a signal, it’s not a sign that you should quit. It’s not a flare being shot up to tell you you’re not worthy of college. Instead, we need to use our failures as opportunities for growth.” -Ben Blood Recommended Resources:Ben Blood's blog with resources, access to his OER, and more: https://accountabiltycoachingforcollegesuccess.com/ Magna Online Seminar: Harnessing the Power of Open Pedagogy and Open Syllabi to Promote Student SuccessMagna Online Seminar: Applying Andragogy to Online Course Design to Increase Student Engagement and SuccessMagna Online Seminar: Teaching Underprepared Students to Take Control of Their Learning by Developing Metacognitive SkillsMagna Online Seminar: Teaching Underprepared Students: Strategies that Work

In the past year, many instructors worried that their online teaching presence might miss the in-person cues they picked up on with students in the classroom. In turn questions arose: How do you assess your students online? How do you make sure they’re learning the content? How do you gauge student learning through online activities? In this episode, we'll provide ideas on how you can implement check points into your online teaching, and how you can use student-created videos to assess students in your online class. Additionally, we'll touch on how you can create writing assignments that can be used as an effective means of assessment, and how focusing on the process of writing can help foster student learning.Resources mentioned:How Can I Gauge Online Learning Through Engaging Activities and Assessments?How Can I Assess Students in My Online Classes Through Student-created Videos?Effective Writing Assessment in the Online ClassroomThis week's episode is sponsored by the Teaching Professor Virtual Conference. Join the conference anytime and anywhere from June 7 through September 30, where you'll have on-demand access to plenaries, sessions, downloadable handouts, and networking opportunities. 

How can you help students overcome their distaste for collaborative group work online (and also thereby change your view of such work)? Wendy Trevor discusses how the timing of the assignment, the structure, instructor presence, feedback, and a grading rubric which privileges individual contributions, and signals the importance of engaging with others' views, can help students approach group work more positively. Additionally, she touches on how group projects can foster the kind of communication skills and cooperative work employers today value.Resources related to online group work:How Can Understanding Group Dynamics Lead to Better Group Work?Online Group Work: Making it Meaningful and ManageableHow Can I Make Online Group Projects More Effective?How Do I Assign Students to Groups?This week's episode is sponsored by The Teaching Professor Conference. Join us in-person at New Orleans from June 4 - 6, or join us virtually with on-demand sessions from June 7 - September 30. 

Your teaching philosophy helps examine who are you as a teacher and examines what beliefs and values are at the heart of what you do. In this episode, Maryellen Weimer reflects with other instructors on stories and vulnerabilities that helped shape their personas and philosophies in the classroom. Resources Mentioned:Who Am I When I Teach? Understanding Teaching PersonaConsidering the Courage and Practice of TeachingTeaching Philosophies: Time for a RevisitFree report: Examples and Tips on How to Write a Teaching Philosophy StatementThis week's episode is sponsored by The Teaching Professor Conference. Join us in-person at New Orleans from June 4 - 6, or join us virtually with on-demand sessions from June 7 - September 30. 

Glenn Walton gives us 9 ½ ways to humanize your teaching in an online environment. From rubber chickens to sound boxes and a screaming monkey, it’s never a dull moment in his classes.1. Use poll questions and chat box questions2. Be predictably unpredictable3. Be visually appealing4. Be trendy5. Explain your expectations6. Be everywhere7. Design your class to be more inviting and pleasant8. Course materials9. Human factors½. Half way and another half: Ours and yoursThis week's episode is sponsored by The Teaching Professor Conference. Join us in-person or virtually and pursue your passion to teach.Recommended resources:How Can I Maximize the First 10 Minutes of Remote Teaching to Spark Student EngagementHow Can I Incorporate Best Practices into My Online Teaching?Using Microlearning to Improve Student Understanding of Course Content

Online discussion boards. It’s something that’s come up a lot this past year as we’ve migrated to the online platform. One of the main questions is how do you get your online discussions to be more than just, “Hey Theresa! I agree with your statement, that’s a great point.” In this episode,  we’ll go over a few things you can do with your online discussion board, from using responses to give narrative shape to creating questions, and specific activities you can use in your discussion board to spark responses that aren’t so mundane. Mentioned resources:How Do I Create Questions that Stimulate Engaging Conversations in Online Discussion Boards? What Are Three Proven Ways to Manage My Online Discussion Board and Actively Engage Students?How to Design and Facilitate Online Discussions that Improve Student Learning and EngagementOther resources:Free article: How Superheroes Can Bring Your Online Discussion Board to LifeFree article: Leveraging Bloom's Taxonomy to Elevate Discussion Boards in Online CoursesFree report: Tools and Strategies for Engaging Online Students20-Minute Mentor: How Can Discussion Responses Give Narrative Shape to an Online Class?