{"id":16256,"date":"2020-08-12T19:57:01","date_gmt":"2020-08-12T19:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/?p=16256"},"modified":"2021-06-07T14:49:18","modified_gmt":"2021-06-07T18:49:18","slug":"strategies-and-tools-for-fall-class-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/blog\/2020\/08\/12\/strategies-and-tools-for-fall-class-planning\/","title":{"rendered":"Strategies and Tools for Fall Class Planning"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Coulter Faculty Commons often entertains questions throughout the summer about ideas for fall teaching. Here, we share some of those commonly asked questions and our responses.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q. Can a shift in the syllabus verbiage encourage a better learning environment?<\/strong><\/span>
\nA. Ken Bain, who conceptualized the term \u201cthe promising syllabus,\u201d argues yes, in his book What the Best College Teachers Do<\/em>. You can find an excerpt \u2013 and strategies for incorporating self-determination theory into a course, visual design elements, and more, on the Montclair State University website<\/a>. You can find his book<\/a> in the WCU library.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q. What can I do in\u00a0the\u00a0first week of class\u00a0to keep my students engaged all semester<\/em>?<\/span><\/strong>
\nA. A professor from the<\/span>\u00a0University of New Mexico, Gary Smith, has shared a strategy he used on the first day, after many years of feeling his students were only learning at a surface level.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the first day of class, he asked his students the following question: \u201cI\u2019d like you to think about your college education and this course in particular. Which of the following is most important to you?<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Acquiring information (facts, principles, concepts)?<\/span>
\n2. Learning how to use information and knowledge in new situations? or\u2026<\/span>
\n3. Developing lifelong learning skills?<\/span><\/p>\n

He writes about the back-and-forth negotiation – and the wonderful outcome it had on his students and his course \u2013 in an article entitled First-Day Questions for the Learner-Centered Classroom<\/em> <\/a>(Smith, 2008). A highly recommended reading!<\/span><\/p>\n

Q. Am I required to use the WCU syllabus template?<\/strong><\/span>
\nA. The WCU syllabus template has been offered for many years as a single document\/place where institutional policies are maintained and updated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q. Is there anything new in the WCU syllabus template for fall 2020?
\n<\/span><\/strong>A. Yes, and they have been substantial. Over the past few months, the Coulter Faculty Commons has been steadily making changes to the university syllabus, based on the impacts brought about by COVID. In May<\/strong>, we included a statement about the use of Respondus Lockdown Browser and Lockdown Monitor, including instructions for students to download the software. In June<\/strong>, we provided the university statement on the wearing of masks (this was revised again in August<\/strong>\u00a0to include faculty processes when students are non-compliant). In August, <\/strong>we also published an update to the Course Recording and Broadcasting <\/strong>sub-section. The two major changes are 1) the need for faculty to obtain student waivers (to adhere to FERPA), 2) the particular need for waivers if faculty intend to use a video for a governed research project (outside normal class use case), and 3) language in a faculty syllabus if they intend to use Lockdown Browser or Lockdown Monitor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q. Have there been recent changes to the CFC Syllabus webpage?
\n<\/span><\/strong>A. Yes. In early August, we added a MWF and TR calendar document for faculty to use and distribute to their students. These are for fall 2020. We also added a link to Rice University’s\u00a0Course Workload Estimator<\/strong> tool, to help faculty allocate hours and minutes to each activity, assignment, or lecture in an assigned week for a course in development (note: this tool is useful at any week in the term, for what lies ahead in a class). Due to the shift in online and remote teaching, we have had a lot of questions about “how much work is too much?” This tool helps you decide.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q. Do I need to include all the institutional policies in my syllabus?
\n<\/strong>A. As stated above, if your syllabus includes a statement pointing to the Academic Toolbox, then you do not need to include those statements in your syllabus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q. What technology will be available in my classroom?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A. Upgraded Audio Features in Standard Classrooms
\nThe Instructional Technology Team has been hard at work all summer trying to meet as many of the unprecedented needs of this coming fall as possible.\u00a0 The CFC wanted to highlight a few things for faculty who are just returning to the university to teach hybrid courses.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As part of the preparations for hybrid teaching in WCU classrooms, additional audio connectivity was installed to allow for the use of a personal microphone, as well as to assist in the use of common software tools using the classroom audio system.<\/span><\/p>\n

These enhancements include:<\/span><\/p>\n