This fall semester brings more complications than any semester before. However, many fundamental aspects of teaching at Iowa State University remain the same.
Student wearing a facemask in a classroom
CELT Teaching Tip • August 12, 2020
Helping students achieve success
This fall semester brings more complications than any semester before. However, many fundamental aspects of teaching at Iowa State University remain the same. Our students bring their dreams and their aspirations with them to Ames. Whether the students know exactly what to study or are still figuring out their focus, it is our opportunity and responsibility to help them succeed.

Provide a roadmap to success
Share with your students why what they are learning is essential. What does it matter for the major and for their future careers? Provide a roadmap for them to succeed using transparent assignments that give students enough information to know how to meet the learning objectives.

Create connections between students, content, and you
Students bring with them the desire to not only learn the material but also to learn more about themselves and others. Students are still forming their identities shaped by their experiences. Provide multiple ways for students to connect, the content, and with you, the instructor. In all modalities, face-to-face, hybrid, and online, there are many ways to encourage connections. Such as synchronous meeting times, the formation of small pods of students, group projects that require the group to work together (but apart) on weighty problems significant to the discipline, and the use of discussion boards. Discover these strategies and more via the Engage Students Online webpage.

Care for our students, and ourselves
The university-wide Syllabus statement clarifies how we can keep each other safe and be sure to use the COVID-19 health and safety requirements statement. The Dean of Students office has extensive resources/services, including helpful scenarios to consider. If you are concerned about a student's well-being or behavior, contact the Dean of Students Office at 515-294-1020, send an email to studentassistance@iastate.edu, or use the "refer a student" link at the top of the Office of Student Assistance page.

Good luck and best wishes for the fall semester,

Sara Marcketti, Director
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching
Use the Start of Semester Checklist and Quick Start Guide

  • Quick Start Guide: Apply these strategies to help you prioritize and communicate with your students this fall, Quick Start Guide.
Panel: Achieving academic integrity
This Friday - Aug. 14 (11:30 a.m.- 1p.m.)
Attend the ISU Online Learning Community for an online panel discussion about achieving academic integrity (see achieving academic integrity page). Sara Kellogg (Director, Office of Student Conduct, Assistant Dean of Students) and Monica Lamm (Associate Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Faculty Fellow, CELT) will discuss best practices for proactively promoting academic integrity in your course, and how you can address integrity with your students. Register to attend via this Webex registration form.

CELT 2020 Programs (August-September)
Register for the online events listed below by searching CELT’s Upcoming Events page or CELT’s channel on the ISU Events Calendar. Additionally, we can help register you by emailing celt@iastate.edu with your name, email, department, and which program offering.

Course Design: Design, re-design, and maximize your online courses!
  • Synchronous communication tools from Webex to Zoom to teams: An overview and best practices, Aug. 18 (2:10-3 p.m.), Aug. 26 (3:20-4:10 p.m.)
  • ISU Online Learning Community (ISU-OLC), Aug. 14 (11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.), Sep. 11 (11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.)
  • Strategies for quizzes & exams in Canvas, Aug. 13 (9-10 a.m.)
  • Canvas Blueprints: The do's and don'ts, Sept. 7 (12:05-12:55 p.m.)
  • Let’s talk Canvas gradebook, Sept. 15 (3:10-4 p.m.)
  • Series: Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR), Sept. 17 & 18 (9 a.m.-1 p.m.)
  • Effectively utilizing course materials in Canvas, Sept. 21 (11 a.m.-12 p.m.)

Technology Tools and Strategies: Enhance your teaching, any modality!
Choose your instructional tool adventure. Held on the following Thursday from 3-3:30 p.m.:
  • Aug. 13: Effective virtual student/office hours (Scheduling w/ Webex, sync/async, live chat)

Engage Students: With content, instructor, and fellow students
  • Effectively managing disruptive conduct in learning spaces, Sept. 2 (3:20-4:10 p.m.)
  • Social media in the university classroom #BestPractices (Dr. Megan Myers), Sept. 3 (1-2 p.m.)
  • Teaching large enrollment courses online (Teaching and Learning Community), Sept. 8 (3:10-4 p.m.)
  • Discuss Published Education Research in Your Discipline (DBER Journal Club), Sept. 14 (4-5 p.m.)
  • Teaching Gen Z: In the classroom and beyond, Sept. 10 (2-3:30 p.m.)
  • Teaching Talks: Introduction to sketchnoting (Verena Paepcke-Hjeltness), Sept. 22 (12-1 p.m.)
  • Data visualization for online conference presentations, Sept. 23 (2:15-3:15 p.m.)
  • Learning assessment techniques, Dr. Ann Gansemer-Topf) Sept. 30 (12:05-1:30 p.m.)

Equity & Inclusion: Enhance your teaching practices
  • Navigating controversial topics in the classroom, Sept. 8 (12:10-1 p.m.)
  • White supremacy and nationalism in education (Dr. Jeremy Best), Sept. 9 (3:20-4:20 p.m.)

Mindfulness & Contemplative Pedagogy: Deepen awareness and insight
  • Panel: Mindful and contemplative pedagogy practitioners, Sept. 9 (12:05-12:55 p.m.)
 
Award-Winning Seminar Series: Learn strategies and find inspiration
  • Reflecting on one's mentoring experiences (Dr. Tera Jordan), Sept. 11 (1:30-3 p.m.)
  • Sharing mentoring philosophies: A panel discussion with Margaret Ellen White Award Recipients, Sept. 18 (1:30-3 p.m.)
  • Alignment, trust, and inclusiveness (Tera Jordan), Sept. 25 (1:30-3 p.m.)
The Summer Institutes on Scientific Teaching series is brought to you by Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Summer Institutes on Scientific Teaching.
Course delivery modes self-paced training
20-Minute Mentors are video-based programs designed to answer a specific question related to teaching and learning. Each video delivers actionable insights in highly focused 20-minute presentations designed to fit busy schedules. Access the CELT curated 20-Minute Mentor videos to guide your exploration on course delivery modes:
Where to go for support
A red button with a question mark and Help in white writing
For help with the Canvas, contact Canvas Support via the ?Help menu in Canvas:
  • Chat with Canvas Support use the live chat tool
  • Ticket support. Open the ?Help menu in Canvas and click Report a Problem
  • 24/7 phone support. Call 515-294-4000 (listen to prompts to connect to Canvas support).
  • Find answers to common questions in the Canvas Instructor Guides.
  • Use the resources in the NEW Canvas @ ISU site (https://bit.ly/canvas-isu)

For help with the Start-of-semester checklist and using ISU Admin Tools for enrolling students contact the ISU Solution Center:
  • Email solution@iastate.edu
  • Call 515-294-4000 and follow the prompts to receive support from Solution Center staff

To receive one-to-one assistance, contact the CELT Response Team
  • Call us through the CELT Response Team 515-294-5357 (Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.). We have staff across campus willing to assist. If needed, the campus partners will meet with you virtually using Webex.
  • Email celt-help@iastate.edu
  • Additionally, you may wish to contact one of the support units directly. Please note which program, department, or college each unit serves and contact the unit for your area.
Prefer a Print version?
To view the Teaching Tip as a printable document with the web addresses, download the CELT Teaching Tip for August 12, 2020 (PDF) (https://bit.ly/31Me860)