Let's Talk Teaching

It takes more than just an ace team of enrollment managers to meet students' needs on a campus like ours. Faculty play a role in students' choices to come to, or return to, Illinois State. Dr. Jana Albrecht, Associate Vice-President for Enrollment Management, talks about how instructors impact these important decisions. She and Jim also discuss ISU's plans to pilot a "Test Optional" application process for new student applicants starting in the fall.

Dr. Julie-Ann McFann returns to our podcast, this time to discuss a special summer-long professional development opportunity for Illinois State graduate students. Learn how Instructional Design for Future Faculty helps to prepare the next generation of university level instructors by exploring course design, teaching portfolios, and more.

It's week one of completely online teaching at Illinois State University in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Claire and Jim reflect on this extraordinary shift in teaching and learning. They discuss how the new reality has forced us all to be "life-long learners" and how to carry on that example to our students. Plus, they briefly rundown the extensive support available to faculty and students at Illinois State.

Conferences can be an important part of one's growth as a college teacher... or even as a professional developer. Conferences can also be expensive. How do you get the most developmental bang for your buck? In this episode, Claire and Jim brainstorm ways to optimize the conference experience (in Jim's case, it's actually going). Claire shares how she plans ahead for big gatherings. Plus, learn Claire's evil plan to put Jim off his diet on their next trip to Atlanta.

Reporting midterm grades may seem like just more paperwork, but it can be vital to our students' success. In this brief episode, Claire and Jim unpack the uncertainty students sometimes have about their grades and kick around some strategies for giving meaningful feedback… even when you haven't accumulated many points yet in the semester.

We take a break from teaching tips and expert advice to talk about the next big change coming to the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology. Find out what our move to Williams Hall... and, eventually, to destinations beyond... means for Illinois State instructors.

We're excited to be joined by Stacy Ramsey, Associate Director for Enrollment Management at Illinois State, about a new program to help ease students into the their complex digital life on campus.

A new semester is close at hand-- get excited and inspired to teach. CTLT Director Dr. Claire Lamonica shares her top five tips for starting your semester off successfully. She and Jim explore advice about your syllabus, classroom space, breaking expectations the first day of class, and much more! Plus, the talk about why it's okay... even important... to take a little "me" time before classes begin.

Dana Karraker joins Claire and Jim to discuss the 2020 University-Wide Teaching & Learning Symposium. They begin by unpacking the theme, Intentional Technologies: Reclaiming Our Spaces. They draw connections to the works of the 2020 the keynote speaker: educator, musician, and author of Teaching Naked, Dr. José Antonio Bowen. With the call for proposals now open, the three also explore the formats of potential presentations and how they are selected. If you have an idea for a presentation at the 2020 Symposium, the deadline to submit it is Monday, September 30, 2019. Find out more at prodev.illinoisstate.edu/Symposium.

Co-teaching can bring a potent combination of unique expertise and diverse perspectives to a course, affording students to a rich, deep learning environment. Dr. Jen Friberg is the Endowed Cross Chair in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at Illinois State. She, along with her colleague, Dr. Lisa Vinney, sit down to discuss their journey in creating a truly co-equal collaboration. We discuss how to build trust and confidence in the co-teaching relationship, the importance of communication, and how to avoid missteps. Plus, we look at some of the important questions colleagues must ask each other, and themselves, when trying to determine if co-teaching is right for them.