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April 10, 2021
Making a first impression with your syllabus
From semester to semester, syllabi are dynamic, living documents. Although many institutions push for a syllabus to be a listing of university rules and policies, even going so far as to use the wording that the syllabus is a “contract”, there is language and approaches we can select to use for the syllabus to be more inviting, to be more inclusive, and to make an even better first impression for students beginning their semester/quarter journey with us.
August 15, 2017
Five items for Fall Semester 2017
Here are five topics on the minds of faculty as we gear up for the start of the Fall 2017 semester. What direction will you go with these issues?
August 17, 2015
Items for the start of the 2015-2016 academic year
I have written several posts since I started GeoEd Trek that cover course design to course activities. Feel free to stop and explore these items of interest (along with this curious fellow from Rocky Mountain National Park!).
August 12, 2015
What content to put in the syllabus (and what to leave out)
To include, or not to include certain content in a course syllabus… you will find some thoughts, ideas, and valuable links in this post to consider (helpful to all of us that are struggling until the last-minute with our course design!)
August 27, 2014
Getting students to read the syllabus with a Syllabus Quiz
We spend much time writing a syllabus, including all the required information by our universities… and yet, we struggle getting the students to read our masterpiece! Perhaps a syllabus quiz can motivate our students to learn about our courses from Day 1.
August 6, 2014
Graphic syllabus and outcomes map – new additions to your fall syllabus?
Graphic syllabus = a one-page diagram, flowchart, or concept map of the topical organization of a course. Outcomes map = a one-page flowchart of the sequence of student learning objectives and outcomes from the foundational through the mediating to the ultimate. — Nilson (2007) Each semester, and for every course we teach, we are required to create a course syllabus. Each of our institutions have some variations as to what …
Laura Guertin is a Distinguished Professor of Earth Sciences at Penn State Brandywine in Media, PA. Her research focuses on how technology can enhance teaching and student learning in introductory-level geoscience courses for non-science majors. Her blog focuses on geoscience education/outreach, science communication, and technology tools in the classroom, online, and in the field.