Back to School: First Day of Class Strategies (Various contributors, Faculty Focus) – This article features eight different approaches to setting a positive tone for the semester to come.

How to Teach a Good First Day of Class (by James M. Lang, The Chronicle of Higher Education) – Using the pillars of curiosity, community, learning & expectations, this article offers clear, actionable ways to teach a good first day of class. (Hint: it doesn’t include reviewing the syllabus!). 

Resources for Active Learning (by Bonni Stachowiak, Teaching in Higher Ed Podcast) – From research through implementation, learn how to move from a passive to an active learning classroom.

Motivating Students (Compiled by Lois Rosen, Phd., Instructional Consultant for the Office of Faculty and Organizational Development, Michigan State University) – A list of annotated resources from theory & research to ready-to use strategies.

Three Effective Ways to Engage Students (by J. Mark McFadden, Inside Higher Ed) – The suggestions in this article are sure to get students talking about & engaging with course materials.

How People Learn II, 2018 Edition (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine) – This book (pdf available free online) provides an update to its predecessor published in 2000; it discusses the scientific mechanisms of how the brain learns as well as how sociocultural & environmental factors impact learning. 

Learning Principles: Theory & Research-Based Principles of Learning (Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation, Carnegie Mellon University) – Based on research from a variety of disciplines, this brief article outlines the principles that “underlie effective learning.”

Promoting Student Learning Through Effective Course & Syllabus Design (Center for Teaching Excellence, Duquesne University) – Starting on pg.5, this worksheet uses “backwards design” as a framework to guide instructors to build a course using desired outcomes as a foundation.

How to Hold a Better Class Discussion (by Jay Howard, The Chronicle of Higher Education) – If you’re looking to freshen up your approach to class discussions, this is the article for you; read about why discussions matter, how to grade discussions, how to respond to poorly developed responses and how to handle divisive topics.  

The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies (by Jennifer Gonzalez, Cult of Pedagogy) – Listen to the podcast or read the article, this post offers 15 different formats for structuring a class discussion.