Getting started for each new semester often feels like an opportunity for a refresh! That’s one of the many unique things about working in higher education; we have built in resets at start of each new fall, spring, and summer terms.
As you take a step back and consider how you might prepare for the upcoming spring semester consider the following things:
- If you’re teaching course(s) that you’ve previously taught, what went well the last time you taught the course? What didn’t go as well as you would have liked it to? What approach(es) might you take to further improve this course?
- What feedback did you receive from students and might you use this feedback to further improve the course?
- If you’re teaching a new course, what do you need to do to prepare for it? Are there learning materials (readings, videos, etc.) that you need to locate? Are there assignments you need to create?
- What evidence of student learning do you need to collect? (i.e. what will students be doing in this course to demonstrate their understanding of key ideas and concepts?)
- Regardless of whether you’ve taught your course(s) before or not, what do you need students to walk away from the course with? What learning outcomes do you hope students to achieve in the Spring 2024 semester?
Questions such as these can help us reflect on our instructional practice, which can subsequently lead to enriched students experiences and learning. In considering these questions, you might consider taking a look at the Arts & Science Teaching by Design website. This site offers a wide range of resources and approaches for instructors teaching either in-person or online courses.
In addition, while it might be tempting to create your gradebook as the semester progresses, setting up your gradebook at the very start of the semester can save you time (and headaches!) and also improves student experiences throughout a course. Students, by and large, prefer being able to independently check their progress in a course by accessing the Grades tool in Brightspace. Please feel free to refer to the Brightspace Grades documentation or schedule a consult with your A&S Office of EdTech liaison.