In the context of your courses, accessibility means making it possible for all students, regardless of physical or developmental impairment, to use all course materials and tools. A course is accessible to the degree that every student can get to, perceive, and navigate course content and assignments; submit assignments, and successfully use all course tools.…Read More
Usability and Findability
Usability, findability, and visual design are critical aspects of the way your students experience your course. A good student experience requires a functional and usable course. A great student experience also needs thoughtfulness. Think about how your students may feel when beginning a task or trying to navigate the course. Imagine someone close to you…Read More
Class Continuity Guidelines
Should an emergency occur that prevents you from coming to campus, or if the university closes, there are resources available that can support you in continuing to teach your classes. Communication A big part of making the transition to move your class online involves communication. Students should hear from you as soon as possible, letting…Read More
How to Keep Class Sessions on Schedule
This article on How to Get Students to Join You for Office Hours was originally posted on the EdSurge website and is reposted here with permission. It is part of the guide Toward Better Teaching: Office Hours With Bonni Stachowiak. You can pose a question for a future column here. Dear Bonni, How can I design my class sessions to fit the available…Read More
Culturally Responsive Teaching and Digital Pedagogy
In the Spring of 2020, the Institute for Faculty Development is conducting a survey regarding our faculty members’ use of culturally responsive teaching, as well as the ways in which we use educational technology to meet a more diverse student body. As we sent around a draft of the survey, several people mentioned that it…Read More
New Designing and Teaching for Impact Course
David Rhoads, our Director of Teaching Excellence and Digital Pedagogy, has customized an online course from Indiana University, one of the leaders in online learning across the nation. So far over 20 professors are currently enrolled and three professors have now completed the course and are now certified! Below are the topics included in the…Read More
Course goals and student motivation
Being Open Creates Opportunities for Student Openness, Success, and Growth Early on in my career in Higher Education, I worked as an admissions counselor. Our main goal as counselors was to begin our conversations with prospective students by finding out what their motivations were for going to school. I would just ask them simple questions…Read More
Responding to Gender-Based Microaggressions
Question: Does implicit bias between men and women working together in Christian higher education result in microaggressions? Vanguard University is an Assemblies of God University, which has credentialed women since its start and holds an egalitarian stance on issues around male and female roles. As 2020 begins, we celebrate our 100th birthday at the same…Read More
Columbia University Inclusive Teaching Online Course Overview
Over the summer of 2019, a group of about 15 of us at Vanguard took the online Inclusive Teaching Course offered through edX and developed by Columbia University. Their subtitle for the class offered the promise that we would “explore the principles of inclusive teaching and learn how to apply them in your classroom to…Read More
Changes are Coming to Canvas
There are changes coming to the Canvas LMS. This post provides an overview of what’s coming in terms of: the new gradebook, analytics, and quizzes. It also shares about an event coming up that will provide an overview of the changes and an opportunity to have your questions answered. New Gradebook (switches over for everyone on 01/18/20;…Read More
How to Get Students to Join You for Office Hours
This article on How to Get Students to Join You for Office Hours was originally posted on the EdSurge website and is reposted here with permission. It is part of the guide Toward Better Teaching: Office Hours With Bonni Stachowiak. You can pose a question for a future column here. Dear Bonni, I work at a small institution, where the…Read More
2019 Fall Events
What a wonderful season it has been experiencing all the beginning-of-the-year events. This year, we held our annual faculty gathering – and also added some new events to the mix to support our new and emerging faculty members. FACULTY GATHERING Our annual faculty gathering was held on August 20-21. The event kicked off with addresses…Read More
2019 Summer Reads (Recommended by Vanguard Faculty)
I invited some members of the Vanguard faculty to share their 2019 recommended reads. Thanks to each of you for these great ideas for what to read this summer. I’m not even sure where to start, as they all look like such superb books. The Accidental Creative: How to be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice by…Read More
How Do I Submit a Single Paper to TurnItIn?
There may be times when you want to manually submit a paper to TurnItIn, to have it checked for plagiarism, without needing to have it uploaded by a student or as an assignment. Follow these directions for submitting a single paper to TurnItIn (bypassing Canvas). Using Turnitin.com Q: How do I get an account on…Read More
Vanguard Shares HSI Research at the AHSIE Conference
A group of us faculty and staff presented at the annual conference for the Alliance for Hispanic-Serving Institution Educators (AHSIE). From the AHSIE Conference website: “The Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institution Educators (AHSIE) exists to support the work of the nation’s Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) as they seek to provide quality, relevant educational opportunities to…Read More