Graphic with a word MINIMAL bu Fakurian Design on Unsplash

Presenting a “MINIMAL” approach to faculty training

My presentation that introduces an innovative, fully individualized “MINIMAL” approach to faculty training was accepted for the May ’22 TEACHx Conference at Northwestern U. (click the title to read more…)

Does listening to music help learning?

That listening to music while studying (specifically, reading assigned content for comprehension) is good for you, is one of those myths that persist, despite irrefutable evidence to the contrary…

SIMPLE? How I missed the obvious (or maybe not, after all)

This is a short (and somewhat embarrassing, but instructively useful) post that reflects on a recent development in my work designing online courses… and shows how easy it is to assume that something is “obvious” (when it’s not).

Develop Online Course Activities that Produce Results

Most recent decade has seen increased interest in conducting well-designed studies that provide actionable guidelines for the design of online activities, based on measurable change in student knowledge…

Blinkist-style book-club activity: manageable book-reading

What’s the best approach to get grad students to read complete books, without overwhelming them with work? Here I explore a solution inspired in one of my favorite phone apps, Blinkist, and merging it with an old-fashioned book-club idea…

Plan the Rhythm of Your Course Carefully

Create a calendar with a focus on rhythm for most of the course. Setting the rhythm is one of the most important factors – people are creatures of habit a repeating pattern will help students plan better, and – consequently – be successful.

Beyond Pandemicopticon: Remote Quizzes and Exams Now…

Cheating is a major concern when it comes to remote exams. Many people believe that throwing $$$ at the problem, is the way to go (cameras, cameras everywhere, and not a thing you’d like to see!). But is this the only option?

Really Useful Books on TandL (No Edu-Junk Here!)

Every year hundreds of new T&L books are published, and 90% of them are not very useful (I call these edu-junk). Some are quite useful, but could have worked much better as an article or a blog post instead. Here is a very minimalist, curated super-short list of long-time favorites, and a few new acquaintances with a lot of promise (click the covers for amazon.com link, or click “more info” for… more info!).