The Humane Syllabus

By Cynthia Rutz, Director, Valparaiso Institute for Teaching and Learning (CITAL) As we know all too well, both faculty and students have been worn down by the pandemic. In particular, the mental health of our students has suffered. Even before COVID, the teen suicide rate had increased so much in the last decade that it […]

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Using Student Groups Effectively

By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL Putting students in groups during class improves engagement, retention of knowledge, and deep learning according to several studies (see list of further resources at the end of this article). Students learn better when they can build knowledge together or when a fellow student explains a concept in […]

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What to Do for the Last Week of Class

By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL Does your last week of class look like every other week of the semester?  If so, you may be missing a chance for a memorable finale that will fix the semester’s learning in your students’ minds. In this article some of your colleagues share their ideas about […]

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