Ten Species in Danger of Extinction
Roll over each animal to view information about each.
Each animal is a hot spot where a text box with additional information shows up upon roll-over.
Source: PL476 week 5
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Religious course - Design a Christmas Card
Design a Christmas card. Decide
which birth story to use, or both. In a 2–3 page paper (double spaced) describe
the card and identify the elements of the Gospel story or stories that you are
incorporating into the card. Post a picture of your card as the cover page for
your paper.
There are three options to design
your Christmas card:
- Create a handmade Christmas card. Use your camera or
phone to take a picture of the card and insert the image to your paper.
- Create a Christmas card in a Word document. Here is a
Word template for your card. All you need to do is to insert some
images and text to the document.
- Create a Christmas e-card using one of the following
tools:
- PowerPoint
- Piktochart:
You can sign up for a free account and create your card using a blank canvas. There are
preloaded images for your use or you can upload your own. You can export
the file as an image (jpg) for use in your paper.
- Padlet: With
this tool you can build a wall and drag your images directly on to the
canvas.
Fraud Detection Interactive Game
Below is an interactive game ID&T built.
Fictitious Expense Schemes and Financial Statement Fraud
As a practitioner, you will learn that while there are more occurrences in employee theft, fictitious expense schemes, cash larceny and cash embezzlement schemes, fraudulent financial reporting is costlier. This discussion will contain two parts.
Part 1: Complete this interactive Fraud Detection Activity.
Are you able to identify all of the red flags from the invoices? In your prior work experiences, has your company been a victim of any of these fraud schemes?
Part 2: Explain the more common reasons why senior management might overstate or understate business performance. Also, identify the issues generally involved with improper financial statement disclosures. Cite sources used.
Source: AC4830 week 6
Fictitious Expense Schemes and Financial Statement Fraud
As a practitioner, you will learn that while there are more occurrences in employee theft, fictitious expense schemes, cash larceny and cash embezzlement schemes, fraudulent financial reporting is costlier. This discussion will contain two parts.
Part 1: Complete this interactive Fraud Detection Activity.
Are you able to identify all of the red flags from the invoices? In your prior work experiences, has your company been a victim of any of these fraud schemes?
Part 2: Explain the more common reasons why senior management might overstate or understate business performance. Also, identify the issues generally involved with improper financial statement disclosures. Cite sources used.
Source: AC4830 week 6
Creative final project
This assignment focuses on "Creative Expression." It gives adult learners options to choose what's relevant to them. It emphasizes on the learning journey, not something students can cram in a couple of hours at the end of the course and call it a final project.
At-Home Service Learning
Context: During the course of the past seven weeks, you have undertaken the study of several concerns in daily living, such as Food, Water use, Transportation, etc. Among the Jesuit goals for learning is “Contemplation in Action”. The At-Home Service Learning was meant to help you study components of daily life through which you could commit to real change in living as a conscious and caring Earthling.
Picture throwing a handful of pebbles into pond, and all the concentric and overlapping ripples resulting from the impact of those pebbles. Our lives and choices-daily, weekly, momentarily, for holidays, etc.-make ripples like those circles, ebbing and flowing out from what we do into the larger world.
Sometimes our service takes on a larger character, leaving our comfortable circles and reaching out to answer needs like after the September flood in Colorado a couple of years ago, or taking on a relationship with a young person in need, like through Boys and Girls Club. But how often do we realize that choices of how we use water at home, or what we put on the table for breakfast, or what clothes we buy and wear also make those ripples. So sometimes, our service of others in our Sacred Planet can be as invisible as what underwear we choose to wear, yet terribly significant in its impact.
Thus, this project was an opportunity to probe into those sort of unseen, or unexamined daily choices to discern how my life can contribute to the Common Good in ways we may never have thought of before. Hopefully, you have found the learning interesting, eye-opening, maybe fun, and worthwhile. Now is the time to give creative expression to the learning and journaling you have undertaken.
Task: “Creative Expression” is the key term here. What did you study? What did you learn? How did your learning address some of the issues you discovered in the footprint quiz? How do you want to share that learning with us? Examples could include (but are not limited to): Video; graph; outline; drawing, e.g., of seedlings you planted, or chart, e.g., of clothing sources. Photos of a trip to the CSA you joined (Community Supported Agriculture farm), recorded conversation with your teenagers about a changed food routine one night of the week. Receipt from the hardware store for the water-saving devices you bought to install on bathroom and kitchen fixtures. Or of course, you can always write up a few of your journal-entries that encapsulate your “aha’s” and “OMG’s” as you stepped out into new territory as Earthling-in-residence. In fact, you will probably need to offer a little commentary along with your creative expression.
Delivery: Please post your response (video, photos, charts, poems, journaling, whatever format you worked in) to the assignment in the Weeks 7-8 Discussion Forum. Read and respond to the postings of at least one classmate.
Source: HU475 weeks 7-8
At-Home Service Learning
Context: During the course of the past seven weeks, you have undertaken the study of several concerns in daily living, such as Food, Water use, Transportation, etc. Among the Jesuit goals for learning is “Contemplation in Action”. The At-Home Service Learning was meant to help you study components of daily life through which you could commit to real change in living as a conscious and caring Earthling.
Picture throwing a handful of pebbles into pond, and all the concentric and overlapping ripples resulting from the impact of those pebbles. Our lives and choices-daily, weekly, momentarily, for holidays, etc.-make ripples like those circles, ebbing and flowing out from what we do into the larger world.
Sometimes our service takes on a larger character, leaving our comfortable circles and reaching out to answer needs like after the September flood in Colorado a couple of years ago, or taking on a relationship with a young person in need, like through Boys and Girls Club. But how often do we realize that choices of how we use water at home, or what we put on the table for breakfast, or what clothes we buy and wear also make those ripples. So sometimes, our service of others in our Sacred Planet can be as invisible as what underwear we choose to wear, yet terribly significant in its impact.
Thus, this project was an opportunity to probe into those sort of unseen, or unexamined daily choices to discern how my life can contribute to the Common Good in ways we may never have thought of before. Hopefully, you have found the learning interesting, eye-opening, maybe fun, and worthwhile. Now is the time to give creative expression to the learning and journaling you have undertaken.
Task: “Creative Expression” is the key term here. What did you study? What did you learn? How did your learning address some of the issues you discovered in the footprint quiz? How do you want to share that learning with us? Examples could include (but are not limited to): Video; graph; outline; drawing, e.g., of seedlings you planted, or chart, e.g., of clothing sources. Photos of a trip to the CSA you joined (Community Supported Agriculture farm), recorded conversation with your teenagers about a changed food routine one night of the week. Receipt from the hardware store for the water-saving devices you bought to install on bathroom and kitchen fixtures. Or of course, you can always write up a few of your journal-entries that encapsulate your “aha’s” and “OMG’s” as you stepped out into new territory as Earthling-in-residence. In fact, you will probably need to offer a little commentary along with your creative expression.
Delivery: Please post your response (video, photos, charts, poems, journaling, whatever format you worked in) to the assignment in the Weeks 7-8 Discussion Forum. Read and respond to the postings of at least one classmate.
Source: HU475 weeks 7-8
Learning experience - mindful practice
Here's an active learning example that focuses on learning experiences. It's not another "read the textbook and respond to these questions" type of assignment, but it brings learning to students' everyday life.
Mindfulness Practice Commentary
Context: Buddhism, with its many schools and interpretations of the various teachings on the nature of reality, is a profoundly intellectual and scholarly approach to spirituality. However, the quintessential component that most approaches to the Buddhist teachings share is an unremitting emphasis on meditation practice as the means through which the individual may realize their Buddha nature, the intrinsic human capacity for enlightenment, the development of boundless wisdom and compassion.
Task: Assignment #2 (for both Undergraduate and graduate students) is presented as a mini retreat of mindfulness practice. Mindfulness is a meditation technique to develop attentiveness through disciplining one’s mind to stay in the “now.” No escaping to daydreams of the past or promises of the future. No indulgent forays into long streams of discursive thoughts. Being present to the moment is the portal through which an individual can develop awareness: wisdom and compassion.
This “retreat” has several sections. The most crucial element of the retreat is to STOP YOUR SPEEDING and distracted state. You will be preparing and serving a sacred meal. You should allow all the time needed to thoughtfully, appreciatively, do the shopping and preparation. It is not necessarily a solemn occasion but rather a time of staying constantly present and relating to every detail completely: sights, sounds, smells and tastes.
Make out your shopping list first. Consistent with the work of Thich Nhat Hanh, a famous Buddhist practitioner whom you will read in this section, please think of a VEGETARIAN meal and ingredients (Thich Nhat Hanh’s community is vegetarian and vegan, because they do not want to consume suffering).
Leave yourself sufficient time for preparation. If possible, engage your family’s help. Set the table so that it is aesthetically pleasing with flowers at the center. Take infinite care with the details, utensils just so, etc.
Be sure you, your family and friends lock away phones and computers during all sections of the practice. No electronics including cameras. Please do not take photographs at the sacred meal retreat. One of the fundamental Buddhist tenets is that everything, all phenomena, is changing constantly, so trying to freeze a moment on film is a denial of this quality of existence. We are going to be purists for the duration of the retreat. In daily life many Buddhists are avid photographers. People might leave their watches behind and turn clocks facing the wall when possible.
No more than eight people at table works best. You should offer thanks for the bounty of the Earth which you are about to enjoy and which you had the honor to prepare for your family/guests. Enjoy the meal and the presence of the participants. Everyone should engage in the cleanup with as much attention to detail and as much pleasure and appreciation for the meal so thoughtfully prepared and happily eaten.
The final section of this “retreat” is to write a commentary on your experience of preparing and eating the sacred meal. Include the following ideas: Why might the meal qualify as sacred even though Buddhist belief does not include a “God” principle either as a specific deity or an abstract principle? What was the mood or the quality of the exchange among guests? Did you think people were trying to stay mindful, not only with the food and drink, but also in their conversation? What was the group sound like during the meal: joyful, boisterous, argumentative, delighted?
Write a 500 word commentary on your experience, including responses to the above questions. In your commentary include a response to Thich Nhat Hanh’s poem in Earth Prayers p348-349. Did any of these ideas enter your thoughts while participating in the sacred meal retreat?
Source: HU475 week 5
Mindfulness Practice Commentary
Context: Buddhism, with its many schools and interpretations of the various teachings on the nature of reality, is a profoundly intellectual and scholarly approach to spirituality. However, the quintessential component that most approaches to the Buddhist teachings share is an unremitting emphasis on meditation practice as the means through which the individual may realize their Buddha nature, the intrinsic human capacity for enlightenment, the development of boundless wisdom and compassion.
Task: Assignment #2 (for both Undergraduate and graduate students) is presented as a mini retreat of mindfulness practice. Mindfulness is a meditation technique to develop attentiveness through disciplining one’s mind to stay in the “now.” No escaping to daydreams of the past or promises of the future. No indulgent forays into long streams of discursive thoughts. Being present to the moment is the portal through which an individual can develop awareness: wisdom and compassion.
This “retreat” has several sections. The most crucial element of the retreat is to STOP YOUR SPEEDING and distracted state. You will be preparing and serving a sacred meal. You should allow all the time needed to thoughtfully, appreciatively, do the shopping and preparation. It is not necessarily a solemn occasion but rather a time of staying constantly present and relating to every detail completely: sights, sounds, smells and tastes.
Make out your shopping list first. Consistent with the work of Thich Nhat Hanh, a famous Buddhist practitioner whom you will read in this section, please think of a VEGETARIAN meal and ingredients (Thich Nhat Hanh’s community is vegetarian and vegan, because they do not want to consume suffering).
Leave yourself sufficient time for preparation. If possible, engage your family’s help. Set the table so that it is aesthetically pleasing with flowers at the center. Take infinite care with the details, utensils just so, etc.
Be sure you, your family and friends lock away phones and computers during all sections of the practice. No electronics including cameras. Please do not take photographs at the sacred meal retreat. One of the fundamental Buddhist tenets is that everything, all phenomena, is changing constantly, so trying to freeze a moment on film is a denial of this quality of existence. We are going to be purists for the duration of the retreat. In daily life many Buddhists are avid photographers. People might leave their watches behind and turn clocks facing the wall when possible.
No more than eight people at table works best. You should offer thanks for the bounty of the Earth which you are about to enjoy and which you had the honor to prepare for your family/guests. Enjoy the meal and the presence of the participants. Everyone should engage in the cleanup with as much attention to detail and as much pleasure and appreciation for the meal so thoughtfully prepared and happily eaten.
The final section of this “retreat” is to write a commentary on your experience of preparing and eating the sacred meal. Include the following ideas: Why might the meal qualify as sacred even though Buddhist belief does not include a “God” principle either as a specific deity or an abstract principle? What was the mood or the quality of the exchange among guests? Did you think people were trying to stay mindful, not only with the food and drink, but also in their conversation? What was the group sound like during the meal: joyful, boisterous, argumentative, delighted?
Write a 500 word commentary on your experience, including responses to the above questions. In your commentary include a response to Thich Nhat Hanh’s poem in Earth Prayers p348-349. Did any of these ideas enter your thoughts while participating in the sacred meal retreat?
Source: HU475 week 5
Go beyond written texts in Discussions
Online courses tend to become text-heavy and monotonous. Here's an example to demonstrate how to incorporate visual arts to discussions. A great technique to battle boredom.
Discussion - Journey of the Universe Artwork
Context: Journey of the Universe is visually rich, and sometimes conceptually difficult - it’s a challenge to get one’s head around the notion of the birth of a star, for instance. Oftentimes, creating works of art around the subjects we are studying can help us to understand a topic more deeply than can writing and reading alone.
Task: Take an image or scene from Journey of the Universe that you found particularly moving, or that made a big impression on you (positive or negative), and complete the following steps.
Draw that image or scene on your own blank piece of paper (you may choose the size of your drawing and your use of color in it, but please create your image on a sheet of paper that is at least 8x10 large).
Scan or take a photograph of that image, and upload it to your post in the Discussion Forum.
In the post you create, please also offer a description of your art work, as well as a brief reflection on how drawing the image helped you to understand the concept in perhaps a different or a deeper way.
NOTE: If you prefer another mode of art work, you may also paint your picture, etc. If you truly do not enjoy or feel that you have any ability at drawing/painting, you may create a poem of the image or scene, as poetry is another form of artistic expression that can help you deeply to explore and understand a topic. However, you are encouraged to draw or otherwise create an art work, as you will not be graded on your artistry, nor on the strength or accuracy of your representation of the image or scene you selected. This assignment is not about your artistic ability; rather, it was designed around the notion that the very act of creation-by-hand can be useful for learning! If you have any questions about this assignment, please email your instructor.
Delivery: Please post your drawing (or other art work or poem), and your brief reflection on it, to the questions in the Week 2 Discussion Forum. Read, view, and respond to the postings of at least two classmates.
Source: HU475 Week 2
Discussion - Journey of the Universe Artwork
Context: Journey of the Universe is visually rich, and sometimes conceptually difficult - it’s a challenge to get one’s head around the notion of the birth of a star, for instance. Oftentimes, creating works of art around the subjects we are studying can help us to understand a topic more deeply than can writing and reading alone.
Task: Take an image or scene from Journey of the Universe that you found particularly moving, or that made a big impression on you (positive or negative), and complete the following steps.
Draw that image or scene on your own blank piece of paper (you may choose the size of your drawing and your use of color in it, but please create your image on a sheet of paper that is at least 8x10 large).
Scan or take a photograph of that image, and upload it to your post in the Discussion Forum.
In the post you create, please also offer a description of your art work, as well as a brief reflection on how drawing the image helped you to understand the concept in perhaps a different or a deeper way.
NOTE: If you prefer another mode of art work, you may also paint your picture, etc. If you truly do not enjoy or feel that you have any ability at drawing/painting, you may create a poem of the image or scene, as poetry is another form of artistic expression that can help you deeply to explore and understand a topic. However, you are encouraged to draw or otherwise create an art work, as you will not be graded on your artistry, nor on the strength or accuracy of your representation of the image or scene you selected. This assignment is not about your artistic ability; rather, it was designed around the notion that the very act of creation-by-hand can be useful for learning! If you have any questions about this assignment, please email your instructor.
Delivery: Please post your drawing (or other art work or poem), and your brief reflection on it, to the questions in the Week 2 Discussion Forum. Read, view, and respond to the postings of at least two classmates.
Source: HU475 Week 2
Contemplative Walk exercise
Encourage students to become active learners. Get off the couch, go outside and experience nature! The following exercise can be implemented in different disciplines.
Contemplative Walk -- Attuning to Nature
Context: In this activity, you will participate in a contemplative walk. The purpose of this exercise is experiential and reflective.
As human civilization has progressed, people have increasingly moved to urban areas (World’s population increasingly urban with more than half living in urban areas, 2014). On the one hand, urban centers provide many benefits, including closer proximity to goods and services, work, and social activities. But on the other hand, urbanization also distances us from nature. It is difficult to see the beauty of the natural world amidst the towering skyscrapers, concrete roads, and paved sidewalks, and this is true even if the cities we live in are “eco-cities,” which are planned with sustainability and green space in mind.
But geography isn’t the only thing that separates us from nature. The busyness of our post-industrial and technologically-driven lives remove us from the natural world. Many of us spend our lives working in offices, and even when we venture outside the confines of the office, we turn our attention to our cell phones. We are so distracted by technology that The National Safety Council has now identified “distracted walking” as a serious cause of injuries and even death (Church, 2015). Time at home often centers on the computer or the television.
Nguyen Anh-Huong (2006), a Buddhist dharma teacher, aptly describes our postmodern human condition: “In the midst of our chaotic world, we tend to lose touch with the peace and joy that are available in each moment: the sunshine, the bird’s singing, the autumn leaves, a baby’s smile” (p. 1).
This experiential and reflective activity is designed to help you attend to nature and to attune yourself to its wonder.
Task: After reading about the walking meditation, take at least 10 minutes to an hour to go on a walk. Before you begin, close your eyes and take a deep breath in and a deep breath out. Relax your shoulders, open your eyes, and begin walking. (If you must take your cell phone, please turn it off, so you will not be tempted to distraction).
As you walk, allow yourself to notice the world around you. What do you see? What do you hear and smell? As you notice each thing (sight, smell, or sound) acknowledge it, let it go, and attune yourself to the next thing that presents itself. You may use the “gatha” (a Sanskrit word for a verse, which is often used as tool of meditation) discussed in the online article, but you are not required to do so.
Delivery: After your walk, craft a 200-250 word post that describes your experience. How did you feel before the walk? How did you feel after the walk? What stood out to you as you walked and why? What will you take away from this experience?
Source: HU475 week 1
Contemplative Walk -- Attuning to Nature
Context: In this activity, you will participate in a contemplative walk. The purpose of this exercise is experiential and reflective.
As human civilization has progressed, people have increasingly moved to urban areas (World’s population increasingly urban with more than half living in urban areas, 2014). On the one hand, urban centers provide many benefits, including closer proximity to goods and services, work, and social activities. But on the other hand, urbanization also distances us from nature. It is difficult to see the beauty of the natural world amidst the towering skyscrapers, concrete roads, and paved sidewalks, and this is true even if the cities we live in are “eco-cities,” which are planned with sustainability and green space in mind.
But geography isn’t the only thing that separates us from nature. The busyness of our post-industrial and technologically-driven lives remove us from the natural world. Many of us spend our lives working in offices, and even when we venture outside the confines of the office, we turn our attention to our cell phones. We are so distracted by technology that The National Safety Council has now identified “distracted walking” as a serious cause of injuries and even death (Church, 2015). Time at home often centers on the computer or the television.
Nguyen Anh-Huong (2006), a Buddhist dharma teacher, aptly describes our postmodern human condition: “In the midst of our chaotic world, we tend to lose touch with the peace and joy that are available in each moment: the sunshine, the bird’s singing, the autumn leaves, a baby’s smile” (p. 1).
This experiential and reflective activity is designed to help you attend to nature and to attune yourself to its wonder.
Task: After reading about the walking meditation, take at least 10 minutes to an hour to go on a walk. Before you begin, close your eyes and take a deep breath in and a deep breath out. Relax your shoulders, open your eyes, and begin walking. (If you must take your cell phone, please turn it off, so you will not be tempted to distraction).
As you walk, allow yourself to notice the world around you. What do you see? What do you hear and smell? As you notice each thing (sight, smell, or sound) acknowledge it, let it go, and attune yourself to the next thing that presents itself. You may use the “gatha” (a Sanskrit word for a verse, which is often used as tool of meditation) discussed in the online article, but you are not required to do so.
Delivery: After your walk, craft a 200-250 word post that describes your experience. How did you feel before the walk? How did you feel after the walk? What stood out to you as you walked and why? What will you take away from this experience?
Source: HU475 week 1
Interactive book
This is an example of presenting text- heavy information in a fun and engaging manner.
Source: HU475 week 1
Source: HU475 week 1
Monday, October 7, 2019
A list of active learning strategies
1. Picture Prompt–Show students an image with no explanation, and ask them to identify/explain it, and justify their answers. Or ask students to write about it using terms from lecture, or to name the processes and concepts shown. Also works well as group activity. Do not give the“answer” until they have explored all options first.
2. Choral Response–Ask a one-word answer to the class. The whole class can create a word cloud response to the question.
3. Instructor Storytelling–Instructor illustrates a concept, idea, or principle with a real-life application, model, or case-study.
4. Ask questions –Place a complex, intricate, or detailed image on the screen and ask students to generate questions about items they don’t understand in the forum.
5. Quote Minus One–Provide a quote relevant to your topic but leave out a crucial word and ask students to guess what it might be: “I cannot forecast to you the action of ______; it is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” This engages them quickly in a topic and makes them feel invested.
6. Everyday Ethical Dilemmas–Present an abbreviated case study with an ethical dilemma related to the discipline being studied.
7. Polar Opposites–Ask the class to examine two written-out versions of a theory (or corollary, law of nature, etc.), where one is incorrect, such as the opposite or a negation of the other. In deciding which is correct, students will have to examine the problem from all angles.
8. Pop Culture–Infuse your lectures, case studies, sample word problems for use during class with current events from the pop culture (doesn't have to be the pop culture, but something that is relevant to the student population) world. Rather than citing statistics for housing construction, for instance, illustrate the same statistical concept you are teaching by inventing statistics about something students gossip about, like how often a certain pop star appears in public without make-up.
9. Make Them Guess –Introduce a new subject by asking an intriguing question, something that few will know the answer to (but should interest all of them). Accept blind guessing for a while before giving the answer to build curiosity. Reveal answers at the end of the week.
10. Make It Personal –Design class activities (or even essays) to address the real lives of the individual students. Instead of asking for reflections on Down’s Syndrome, ask for personal stories of neurological problems by a family member or anyone they have ever met.
11. Word of the Day–Select an important term and highlight it in the course content, working it into as many concepts as possible. Challenge students to use the term as much as they can in discussions and assignments.
12. Goal Ranking and Matching–Students rank their goals for the class, then instructor combines those with her own list. We can work this into a self introduction activity in week 1.
13. Provocative Picture–Begin the lecture with a picture meant to provoke discussion or emotion (another option: a cartoon)
14. The Half Class Lecture – Divide the class in half and provide reading material to one half. Lecture on that same material to the other half of the class. Then, switch the groups and repeat, ending with a recap by pairing up members of opposite groups.
15. Photo Homework – Students are assigned to use a smartphone to snap a picture of
something at home (or out in the city) that captures a specific concept from the class, as
assigned by the teacher.
16. Time Traveler – Students video themselves at the start of the semester answering
questions similar to the eventual final exam, then critique it near the end of the term.
17. Infographic – Students use online services (visual.ly, infogr.am) to create an
infographic that combines flowchart logic and visual presentation
18. Bookmark Notes - Distribute full-length paper to be used as a bookmark for the
current chapter. On it, record prompts and other “reading questions”, and require
students to record their notes, observations, and objections while reading onto these
bookmarks for collection and discussion in class.
19. “Real-World” – Have students discuss in class how a topic or concept relates to a realworld application or product. Then have students write about this topic for homework.
Variation: ask them to record their answer on index cards
20. Advice Letter – Students write a letter of advice to future students on how to be
successful students in that course.
21. Bumper Stickers – Ask students to write a slogan-like bumper sticker to illustrate a
particular concept from lecture. Variation: can be used to ask them to sum up the entire
course in one sentence.
22. One-Sentence Summary – Summarize the topic into one sentence that incorporates all of who/what/when/where/why/how creatively.
23. Directed Paraphrasing – Students asked to paraphrase part of a lesson for a specific audience (and a specific purpose).
24.Word Journal – First, summarize the entire topic on paper with a single word. Then
use a paragraph to explain your word choice.
25. Objective Check – Students write a brief essay in which they evaluate to what extent their work fulfills an assignment’s objectives.
26. Student Storytelling – Students are given assignments that make use of a given
concept in relation to something that seems personally relevant (such as requiring the
topic to be someone in their family).
27. Pro and Con Grid – Students list out the pros and cons for a given subject.
28. Harvesting – After an experience/activity in class, ask students to reflect on “what” they learned, “so what” (why is it important and what are the implications), and “now what” (how to apply it or do things differently).
29. Focused Autobiographical Sketches – Focuses on a single successful learning
experience, one relevant to the current course.
30. Profiles of Admirable Individuals – Students write a brief profile of an individual in
a field related to the course. Students assess their own values and learn best practices for this field
31. Reading Rating Sheets – Students fill out a ratings sheet on the course readings, on how clear, useful, and interesting it was
32. Teacher-Designed Feedback Forms – Rather than use standardized evaluation
forms, teachers create ones tailored for their needs and their classes. Especially useful
midway through the term
33. Peer Review Writing Task – To assist students with a writing assignments, encourage them to exchange drafts with a partner. The partner reads the essay and writes a three paragraph response: the first paragraph outlines the strengths of the essay, the second paragraph discusses the essay’s problems, and the third paragraph is a description of what the partner would focus on in revision, if it were her essay.
34. Invented Dialogues – Students weave together real quotes from primary sources, or invent ones to fit the speaker and context.
35. Make it a Story - Encourage students to submit their group projects as a comic or story created online (bubblr, StripCreator, StoryJumper, or Storify)
36. Pass the Problem – Divide students into groups. Give the first group a case or a
problem and ask them to identify (and write down) the first step in solving the problem
or analyzing the case (3 minutes). Pass the problem on to the next group and have them
identify the next step. Continue until all groups have contributed.
37. Lecture Reaction – Divide the class into four groups after a lecture: questioners (must ask two questions related to the material), example givers (provide applications),
divergent thinkers (must disagree with some points of the lecture), and agreers (explain
which points they agreed with or found helpful). After discussion, brief the whole class.
38. Interactive Video Quizzes - Using annotations (text boxes) and making them
hyperlinks to other uploaded videos, instructors can construct an on-screen “multiple
choice” test leading to differentiated video reactions, depending on how the student
answers. Requires filming multiple videos and some editing work
39. Follow an Expert – Luminaries in many disciplines, as well as companies and
governmental agencies, often publish a Twitter feed. Reading such updates provides a
way to stay current.
40. Historical Tweets – Students roleplay as historical figures (Lincoln, Napoleon) or
fictional characters (Hamlet, Three Little Pigs) and tweet as if in specific contexts
41. Community-Building - A Twitter group for your specific class creates inclusiveness
and belonging.
42. Twitter Projects - Tweetworks and other apps can enable student groups to
communicate with each other more easily.
43. Brainstorm - Small Twitter assignments can yield unexpected brainstorming by
students, since it’s happening “away” from the LMS.
44. Twitter Poll - PollDaddy and other apps enable Twitter to gather interest, information, attitudes, and guesses.
45. Compose a Musical Theme – Using free apps (like Synth), students create their
version of a “theme song” for an academic concept (recidivism, electron shells, etc) and
also justify WHY the composition includes the emotion or action it does.
46. Assertion Agreement – Pose an assertion at the start of class that students vote on
agreement; then revisit the same question after the class lecture/discussion has explored the concept more deeply.
2. Choral Response–Ask a one-word answer to the class. The whole class can create a word cloud response to the question.
3. Instructor Storytelling–Instructor illustrates a concept, idea, or principle with a real-life application, model, or case-study.
4. Ask questions –Place a complex, intricate, or detailed image on the screen and ask students to generate questions about items they don’t understand in the forum.
5. Quote Minus One–Provide a quote relevant to your topic but leave out a crucial word and ask students to guess what it might be: “I cannot forecast to you the action of ______; it is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” This engages them quickly in a topic and makes them feel invested.
6. Everyday Ethical Dilemmas–Present an abbreviated case study with an ethical dilemma related to the discipline being studied.
7. Polar Opposites–Ask the class to examine two written-out versions of a theory (or corollary, law of nature, etc.), where one is incorrect, such as the opposite or a negation of the other. In deciding which is correct, students will have to examine the problem from all angles.
8. Pop Culture–Infuse your lectures, case studies, sample word problems for use during class with current events from the pop culture (doesn't have to be the pop culture, but something that is relevant to the student population) world. Rather than citing statistics for housing construction, for instance, illustrate the same statistical concept you are teaching by inventing statistics about something students gossip about, like how often a certain pop star appears in public without make-up.
9. Make Them Guess –Introduce a new subject by asking an intriguing question, something that few will know the answer to (but should interest all of them). Accept blind guessing for a while before giving the answer to build curiosity. Reveal answers at the end of the week.
10. Make It Personal –Design class activities (or even essays) to address the real lives of the individual students. Instead of asking for reflections on Down’s Syndrome, ask for personal stories of neurological problems by a family member or anyone they have ever met.
11. Word of the Day–Select an important term and highlight it in the course content, working it into as many concepts as possible. Challenge students to use the term as much as they can in discussions and assignments.
12. Goal Ranking and Matching–Students rank their goals for the class, then instructor combines those with her own list. We can work this into a self introduction activity in week 1.
13. Provocative Picture–Begin the lecture with a picture meant to provoke discussion or emotion (another option: a cartoon)
14. The Half Class Lecture – Divide the class in half and provide reading material to one half. Lecture on that same material to the other half of the class. Then, switch the groups and repeat, ending with a recap by pairing up members of opposite groups.
15. Photo Homework – Students are assigned to use a smartphone to snap a picture of
something at home (or out in the city) that captures a specific concept from the class, as
assigned by the teacher.
16. Time Traveler – Students video themselves at the start of the semester answering
questions similar to the eventual final exam, then critique it near the end of the term.
17. Infographic – Students use online services (visual.ly, infogr.am) to create an
infographic that combines flowchart logic and visual presentation
18. Bookmark Notes - Distribute full-length paper to be used as a bookmark for the
current chapter. On it, record prompts and other “reading questions”, and require
students to record their notes, observations, and objections while reading onto these
bookmarks for collection and discussion in class.
19. “Real-World” – Have students discuss in class how a topic or concept relates to a realworld application or product. Then have students write about this topic for homework.
Variation: ask them to record their answer on index cards
20. Advice Letter – Students write a letter of advice to future students on how to be
successful students in that course.
21. Bumper Stickers – Ask students to write a slogan-like bumper sticker to illustrate a
particular concept from lecture. Variation: can be used to ask them to sum up the entire
course in one sentence.
22. One-Sentence Summary – Summarize the topic into one sentence that incorporates all of who/what/when/where/why/how creatively.
23. Directed Paraphrasing – Students asked to paraphrase part of a lesson for a specific audience (and a specific purpose).
24.Word Journal – First, summarize the entire topic on paper with a single word. Then
use a paragraph to explain your word choice.
25. Objective Check – Students write a brief essay in which they evaluate to what extent their work fulfills an assignment’s objectives.
26. Student Storytelling – Students are given assignments that make use of a given
concept in relation to something that seems personally relevant (such as requiring the
topic to be someone in their family).
27. Pro and Con Grid – Students list out the pros and cons for a given subject.
28. Harvesting – After an experience/activity in class, ask students to reflect on “what” they learned, “so what” (why is it important and what are the implications), and “now what” (how to apply it or do things differently).
29. Focused Autobiographical Sketches – Focuses on a single successful learning
experience, one relevant to the current course.
30. Profiles of Admirable Individuals – Students write a brief profile of an individual in
a field related to the course. Students assess their own values and learn best practices for this field
31. Reading Rating Sheets – Students fill out a ratings sheet on the course readings, on how clear, useful, and interesting it was
32. Teacher-Designed Feedback Forms – Rather than use standardized evaluation
forms, teachers create ones tailored for their needs and their classes. Especially useful
midway through the term
33. Peer Review Writing Task – To assist students with a writing assignments, encourage them to exchange drafts with a partner. The partner reads the essay and writes a three paragraph response: the first paragraph outlines the strengths of the essay, the second paragraph discusses the essay’s problems, and the third paragraph is a description of what the partner would focus on in revision, if it were her essay.
34. Invented Dialogues – Students weave together real quotes from primary sources, or invent ones to fit the speaker and context.
35. Make it a Story - Encourage students to submit their group projects as a comic or story created online (bubblr, StripCreator, StoryJumper, or Storify)
36. Pass the Problem – Divide students into groups. Give the first group a case or a
problem and ask them to identify (and write down) the first step in solving the problem
or analyzing the case (3 minutes). Pass the problem on to the next group and have them
identify the next step. Continue until all groups have contributed.
37. Lecture Reaction – Divide the class into four groups after a lecture: questioners (must ask two questions related to the material), example givers (provide applications),
divergent thinkers (must disagree with some points of the lecture), and agreers (explain
which points they agreed with or found helpful). After discussion, brief the whole class.
38. Interactive Video Quizzes - Using annotations (text boxes) and making them
hyperlinks to other uploaded videos, instructors can construct an on-screen “multiple
choice” test leading to differentiated video reactions, depending on how the student
answers. Requires filming multiple videos and some editing work
39. Follow an Expert – Luminaries in many disciplines, as well as companies and
governmental agencies, often publish a Twitter feed. Reading such updates provides a
way to stay current.
40. Historical Tweets – Students roleplay as historical figures (Lincoln, Napoleon) or
fictional characters (Hamlet, Three Little Pigs) and tweet as if in specific contexts
41. Community-Building - A Twitter group for your specific class creates inclusiveness
and belonging.
42. Twitter Projects - Tweetworks and other apps can enable student groups to
communicate with each other more easily.
43. Brainstorm - Small Twitter assignments can yield unexpected brainstorming by
students, since it’s happening “away” from the LMS.
44. Twitter Poll - PollDaddy and other apps enable Twitter to gather interest, information, attitudes, and guesses.
45. Compose a Musical Theme – Using free apps (like Synth), students create their
version of a “theme song” for an academic concept (recidivism, electron shells, etc) and
also justify WHY the composition includes the emotion or action it does.
46. Assertion Agreement – Pose an assertion at the start of class that students vote on
agreement; then revisit the same question after the class lecture/discussion has explored the concept more deeply.
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