Transform Your Teaching

In this episode, Rob and Jared introduce their next series on technology integration. They talk about using technology as a teaching method to enhance a student’s understanding of the content rather than just integrating it for its own sake. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources. 

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Early on as a teacher, Jared started exploring how technology integration could be used in his classes. He discovered that embracing technology integration allows both students to engage the content in a new way and the teacher to use it as a tool for enhancing a student’s understanding of the content. It isn’t about “technology for technology’s sake” but rather using technology as a teaching method that will serve the student. This concept of “technology as a tool” can aid a teacher in making content more accessible and understandable. 

Jared and Rob used ChatGPT to generate a list of the benefits of integrating technology into teaching and learning. Technology integration can increase effectiveness of content delivery, provide personalized instruction, and give helpful student data. It can also enhance collaboration and aid in research. However, when integrating technology, we must also consider accessibility of content and whether students have access to the technology.  

Students can learn 21st century skills through technology integration. However, technology integration can become a crutch for students, relying on the technology instead of thinking critically. Regardless of how we decide to integrate technology, we must consider our students first and whether the technology we choose will serve them best in understanding our content. 

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Resources 

Using digital technology to promote higher education learning: The importance of different learning activities and their relations to learning outcomes.  

Educational technology: How important is it in today’s education industry? 

In this episode, Rob and Jared have a conversation with Dr. Heather Kuruvilla, senior professor of biology at Cedarville University. “Dr. K,” as she is known by her students, earned her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from State University of New York at Buffalo. She has a passion for developing curiosity and motivation in her students and also takes strides to make her content more accessible and interactive for students. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources.

Dr. K came to Cedarville to build the undergraduate research program because she sees teaching students as an opportunity for discipleship. Teaching research means that she is closely working with her students through every semester, and she encourages students to ask questions and find solutions. She stresses that she is on students’ side and wants to help them in whatever way she can.  

Dr. K recently introduced an online textbook as a way of helping lower costs for her students. This “Inclusive Access” pricing lowers the cost for students, but Dr. K also sees significant benefit beyond the cost. Because of the interactive features of the textbook, she has found that students are more engaged with the textbook and therefore more engaged with the content. She also implements Open Education Resources (OERs) to address content areas that the textbook is lacking in and help make content more accessible for both faculty and students.  

The love a faculty member has for their subject matter is contagious, and Dr. K encourages new faculty to pass that love on to their students and never give up on them.   

Resources 

- What is OER? 

- Inclusive Access Pricing Through OhioLink 

In this episode, Rob and Jared wrap up the servant teaching series. They highlight crucial points from their various guests and present some of their own takeaways on applying servant teaching. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources. 

Servant teaching defines who we are as believers in Christ, but any instructor—regardless of belief—can use servant teaching principles in their instruction. To implement servant teaching, consider these takeaways from our series.  

1. Be willing to reflect. Keep notes throughout the semester of topics that went well or didn’t go as planned. Make adjustments for the next time the course runs. Consider recording yourself or having someone observe you. Sometimes we are not aware of how we are teaching when we are in the midst of it. 
2. Consider the whole student. Use a holistic approach versus just connecting with the student just through the content. How can you listen to your students to prepare them for the next steps after they finish your class? Pay attention to the interests of your students as well. Is there are specific topic that they are really keying in on? Consider spending more time on it. Do they have goals that you can help them reach? How can you help them achieve those goals?  
3. Focus on one area of improvement. Don’t try everything at once! Servant teaching is a process, not an overnight change. 

Resources 

Amerstorfer, C. M., & Freiin von Munster-Kistner, C. (2021). Student Perceptions of Academic Engagement and Student-Teacher Relationships in Problem-Based Learning. Front Psychol, 12, 713057. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.713057 

Sybing, R. (2019). Making Connections: Student-Teacher Rapport in Higher Education Classrooms. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 19(5). https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v19i5.26578  

Tormey, R. (2021). Rethinking student-teacher relationships in higher education: a multidimensional approach. Higher Education, 82(5), 993-1011. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-021-00711-w 

FOCUS Blog: Introducing Servant Teaching   

FOCUS Blog: Servant Teaching: Listening and Learning  

FOCUS Blog: Four Practical Steps For Servant Teaching 

In this episode, Rob and Jared chat with Dr. Thomas Mach, the Vice President for Academics and a professor of history at Cedarville University. Dr. Mach—who received his PhD from the University of Akron—talks about motivating students to understand the importance of the content of a course. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources.

Dr. Mach runs study sessions with his students which have a direct correlation to his philosophy of education. He wants to remove ambiguity and help students understand what is important as well as pique their interest in the content and communicate the importance of the class. The study sessions do this by helping students synthesize and reflect on content. There is an assumption that if we just impart information, students will take advantage of the opportunity. Servant teaching includes showing students why something is important as well as motivating them. 

In servant teaching, there is still an authority structure (teacher – student), but we can demonstrate that we care about students’ success. We need to be more than just content deliverers; we need to show care for their maturity, spiritual maturity, and academic success. To that end, Dr. Mach pays attention to his students’ feedback on course content. He will spend more time on a topic that students are more interested in and modify the course accordingly.

Resources 

• FOCUS Blog: Introducing Servant Teaching   
• FOCUS Blog: Servant Teaching: Listening and Learning  
• FOCUS Blog: Four Practical Steps For Servant Teaching 

In this episode, Rob and Jared chat with Professor Jim Leightenheimer, associate professor of Communication at Cedarville University. He has a M.A. in Telecommunications Management from Ohio University. Mr. Leightenheimer—“Mr. L”—talks about mentoring students and equipping them for life after their undergraduate degree. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources.

“If we work marble, it will perish; if we work upon brass, time will efface it; if we rear temples, they will crumble into dust; but if we work upon immortal minds and instill into them just principles, we are then engraving upon tablets which no time will efface, but will brighten and brighten to all eternity.” - Daniel Webster 

Mr. Leightenheimer believes that a key element of servant teaching is knowing your students well. He does this by building relationships with them to identify their desires and skills. He wants to create a passion for course content but also wants to be more than just a content deliverer. This kind of approach to teaching requires time and investment in your students. 

Mr. L challenges faculty to meet with students outside the classroom, be it through co-curricular activities (in his case: through student-run radio “Resound,” conferences, and team-building trips) or through advising sessions. These activities create opportunities for us to recognize a student’s unique gifts and seek out opportunities for students so that they can use their gifts effectively.  

He also realizes the importance of preparing students for life outside of college. Mr. L makes connections with his network of alumni to help meet students’ needs of finding future employers. He has built a substantial network of professionals and alums to provide opportunities for students to connect with mentors.

• FOCUS Blog: Introducing Servant Teaching  
• FOCUS Blog: Servant Teaching: Listening and Learning 
• FOCUS Blog: Four Practical Steps For Servant Teaching 

In this episode, Rob and Jared chat with Dr. Tom Hutchison. Dr. Hutchison – who received his PhD in Education from Marquette University and currently teaches in the School of Biblical and Theological Studies at Cedarville University – talks about servant teaching and preparing students for their careers and lives. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources.

Dr. Hutchison identified four variables in teaching: teacher, student, content, and context. Our understanding and reflection of each of those can help strengthen our teaching and make us better servant teachers. According to Dr. Hutchison, servant teaching is not necessarily a practice he employs, but a part of his nature and his mission because of his relationship with Jesus.

It is important to make sure our instruction is student-centered. Dr. Hutchison reminds us that we are not teaching content; we are teaching students. He even goes as far to plan his course with pictures of his students on his desk. What are students learning in your course besides the content? What real-world skills will they develop as part of your course?

It is also important to allow for space and flexibility in our courses. Dr. Hutchison will often move assignments or create a buffer for his assignments to account for the busyness of student life. Gathering student feedback is crucial. Knowing when to request feedback – and what kinds of feedback to ask for – can help you build your class to benefit students.  

• FOCUS Blog: Introducing Servant Teaching  
• FOCUS Blog: Servant Teaching: Listening and Learning 
• FOCUS Blog: Four Practical Steps For Servant Teaching 
• Servant Teaching: Practices for Renewing Christian Higher Education 

In this episode, Rob and Jared conclude their interview with Dr. Quentin Schultze.  Dr. Schultze—who has written several books, including one on servant teaching—talks about recording yourself teaching. These recordings are useful for you to reflect on and adjust your own teaching as well as for students to review material. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources. 

There is always room for improvement in our teaching. Being reflective about how we teach is an excellent way of finding areas for improving our instruction. Recording—video, audio, or both—our teaching can be an opportunity to reflect on our teaching and make adjustments. You’ll usually see the major flaws right away, but you also might encounter more subtle things that you never would have discovered otherwise.  

Will students stop coming to class if we make our recordings available? In Dr. Schultze’s case, attendance did not go down. In fact, attendance went up. Many students will take advantage of available recordings by going back over their notes while reviewing the material. Lecture recordings also make your content accessible to those with learning difficulties as well as those who are “on the go” and want to access your content whenever and wherever. 

Resources from today’s episode: 

Servant Teaching: Practices for Renewing Christian Higher Education 

For more information on Dr. Schultze or his works, check out his website: quentinschultze.com 

In this episode, Rob and Jared continue their interview with Dr. Quentin Schultze.  Dr. Schultze--who has written several books, including one on servant teaching--talks about cheating and how to discourage cheating. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources.

Many students will cheat without realizing that they are cheating. They could be citing sources incorrectly or asking a student about a test they just took. Other students will cheat intentionally, doing things like acquiring completed assignments. The truth is that we cannot completely monitor cheating, so how can we disincentivize it? 

Dr. Schultze spoke about the relationship between respect and cheating. He advocated for respecting students as a way to serve them, but he also noted that this often leads to students being more likely to respect teachers enough to reject cheating and instead to engage and learn. 

Cheating has a direct relationship with how we view our students. Therefore, employing servant teaching and the associated respect is vital. When students know that we respect them, they are likely to work hard in our classes.  

When you suspect that a student has cheated, ask them questions. We shouldn’t assume the worst of our students. The goal should not be to “catch” our students, but instead to care about their success. 

One of the more recent tools that students could use for cheating is ChatGPT/OpenAI. In order to disincentivize improper uses of ChatGPT, it could be helpful to use our own terminology adapted for the course – course-specific jargon or lingo that would not show up in a ChatGPT-generated response. Find ways of leveraging AI to your advantage, like having students generate a response using AI and critique the response given.  

Resources from today’s episode:  

Focus Blog - ChatGPT: The New Frontier  

Focus Blog - ChatGPT: Issues in Teaching and Learning 

Dr. Schultze's Book - Servant Teaching: Practices for Renewing Christian Higher Education 

For more information on Dr. Schultze or his works, check out his website: quentinschultze.com 

In this episode, Rob and Jared welcome Dr. Quentin Schultze into their continuing conversation on servant teaching. Dr. Schultze--who has written several books, including one on servant teaching--talks about potential obstacles to being a servant teacher and provides practical solutions for overcoming those obstacles. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. Visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources.

Students have a life outside of being a student. So, how can we see our students as a “whole person”? How can we empathize with our students? Knowing our students will make us more effective servant teachers.

Many professors in higher education did not receive a whole lot of training on how to teach. This should cause us to examine ourselves and say, “How well are we really doing?” 

There are obstacles to servant teaching. Our teaching is often not very student-focused. We often see teaching as short-term which leads to regurgitation rather than life-long learning. 

In order to overcome these obstacles, we should ask students about our teaching and seek feedback from the students. It can also be helpful to adapt our office hours to make ourselves more available to students. 

To the best of our ability, we need to take the essentials and make those essentials accessible to our students. 

Resources from today’s episode: 

Servant Teaching: Practices for Renewing Christian Higher Education 

For more information on Dr. Schultze or his works, check out his website: quentinschultze.com

In this episode, Rob and Jared introduce the topic of "Servant Teaching". They discuss the philosophy behind servant teaching as well as provide the biblical basis for being a servant teacher. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. Visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources. 

We define servant teaching as “empowering learners by removing barriers, building on their unique strengths, and providing opportunities to succeed.”
Everyone has a philosophy of education that is born from their personal philosophy. Consider questions like: What’s real? What’s right, and how do we know it’s right? What do we do with it? 

You have a philosophy of education, and whether you have thought about it extensively or not at all, we are here to help you! 

Ultimately, our goal is to make the implicit, explicit. We define implicit as “what we do because it’s the way we’ve always done it or seen it done.” Explicit: those things we do because we’ve thought about why we’re doing it. 

Practically speaking, we need to begin with three things: 

1. We need to seek wisdom (James 1; Proverbs 4:7) 

2. We need to ask ourselves, “why do I do what I do?” (The 5 Whys) 

3. We need to ask others 

This concept of “Servant Teaching” is really the underpinning of what we do at the Center for Teaching and Learning at Cedarville University. It is our “lens” by which we see things, especially our philosophy of education. 

Resources from today’s episode: 

The 5 Whys