Support for ENGL 1301 & 1302 at Northeast College: Faculty Book Clubs

Building rapport with students can revive the promise of online education, leading to greater success for students, more fulfilling teaching experiences for faculty, and improved enrollment for universities. More students than ever before are taking online classes, yet higher education is facing an online retention crisis; students are failing and dropping out of online classes at dramatically higher rates than face-to-face classes. Grounded in academic research, original surveys, and experimental studies, Connecting in the Online Classroom demonstrates how connecting with students in online classes through even simple rapport-building efforts can significantly improve retention rates and help students succeed. Drawing on more than a dozen years of experience teaching and researching online, Rebecca Glazier provides practical, easy-to-use techniques that online instructors can implement right away to begin building rapport with their students, including * proactively reaching out through personalized check-in emails; * creating opportunities for human connection before courses even begin through a short welcome survey; * communicating faculty investment in students' success by providing individualized and meaningful assignment feedback; * hosting non-content-based discussion threads where students and faculty can get to know one other; and * responding to students' questions with positivity and encouragement (and occasionally also cute animal pictures). She also presents case studies of universities that are already using these strategies, along with specific, data-driven recommendations for administrators, making the book valuable for faculty, instructional designers, support staff, and administrators alike. The science-backed strategies that Glazier provides will enable instructors to connect with their students and help those students thrive. Speaking to the paradox of online learning, the book also explains that, although the great promise of online education is expanded access and greater equity--especially for traditionally underserved and hard-to-reach populations, like lower-income students, working parents, first-generation students, and students of color--the current gap between online and face-to-face retention means universities are falling far short of this promise.

Are you satisfied with your current and traditional grading system? Does it accurately reflect your students' learning and progress? Can it be gamed? Does it lead to grade-grubbing and friction with your students? The authors of this book - two professors of mathematics with input from colleagues across disciplines and institutions - offer readers a fundamentally more effective and authentic approach to grading that they have implemented for over a decade. Recognizing that traditional grading penalizes students in the learning process by depriving them of the formative feedback that is fundamental to improvement, the authors offer alternative strategies that encourage revision and growth. Alternative grading is concerned with students' eventuallevel of understanding. This leads to big changes: Students take time to review past failures and learn from them. Conversations shift from "why did I lose a point for this" to productive discussions of content and process. Alternative grading can be used successfully at anylevel, in anysituation, and anydiscipline, in classes that range from seminars to large multi-section lectures. This book offers a comprehensive introduction to alternative grading, beginning with a framework and rationale for implementation and evidence of its effectiveness. The heart of the book includes detailed examples - including variations on Standards-Based Grading, Specifications Grading, and ungrading -- of how alternative grading practices are used in all kinds of classroom environments, disciplines and institutions with a focus on first-hand accounts by faculty who share their practices and experience. The book includes a workbook chapter that takes readers through a step-by-step process for building a prototype of their own alternatively graded class and ends with concrete, practical, time-tested advice for new practitioners. The underlying principles of alternative grading involve Evaluating student work using clearly defined and context-appropriate content standards. Giving students helpful, actionable feedback. Summarizing the feedback with marks that indicate progress rather than arbitrary numbers. Allowing students to revise without penalty, using the feedback they receive, until the standards are met or exceeded. This book is intended for faculty interested in exploring alternative forms of learning assessment as well as those currently using alternative grading systems who are looking for ideas and options to refine practice.

In a book written by and for college teachers, Kelly Hogan and Viji Sathy provide tips and advice on how to make all students feel welcome and included. They begin with a framework describing why explicit attention to structure enhances inclusiveness in both course design and interactions with and between students. Inclusive Teaching then provides practical ways to include more voices in a series of contexts: when giving instructions for group work and class activities, holding office hours, communicating with students, and more. The authors finish with an opportunity for the reader to reflect on what evidence to include in a teaching dossier that demonstrates inclusive practices.

By all people, for all people, regardless of technical background, and affiliated with NYU’s Institute of Human Development & Social Change.