Early on in my teaching career, I was in the middle of a medical terminology class when the projector shut down in the classroom. Most of my students had brought either a laptop or tablet to class, which would have made it easy for them to open the slides and eBook on their own so we could continue, but a few of them hadn’t, so they weren’t…

Read more

The UDOIT accessibility tool in Canvas is really helpful, but using the subtitles filter for YouTube videos to add to courses has been really helpful.

Thanks,
Andie

This semester, I had my med law students bring a rough draft of a paper they were writing to class in order to swap them with a classmate and “grade” each other’s papers using the assignment rubric. The students received points just for participating, rather than what their rough drafts looked like, but it allowed them an opportunity to see…

Read more

Hey Everyone,

My two words to focus on for professional growth and my courses would be “continuous improvement”. I tell my students all the time that no one is asking for perfection, but for continued improvement in learning and understanding. That should also apply to myself as an instructor and the quality of my courses and course content.…

Read more

Hey Everyone,

I use a combination of detailed planning and free-spirited wandering. I plan some things in advance, but I really enjoy having time to see where the day takes me. I use this in my teaching by setting aside enough designated time to complete specific activities or cover certain information, but leave enough wiggle room for my…

Read more

I just finished reading “While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence” by Meg Kissinger. It’s been a while since I read a book as quickly as I did that one. The author does an excellent job of discussing mental illness within her family, and how it affected her work as she became an adult. It’s funny,…

Read more

This year, I learned that I’m a more competent instructor than I believe myself to be. I tend to think of myself as still learning, since I’ve only been teaching for less than four years, but I was approached by one of my colleagues to partner with her on a summer innovation project, and it gave me a little confidence boost.

Hey Everyone,

So far, my students have taught me to consider some different perspectives that I hadn’t thought about previously. For instance, one of my students is originally from Malawi, and a simple conversation about organ transplantation and rationing in my medical law and ethics course became a deep discussion about the implications…

Read more

1. Arthur was the 21st president, Illinois is the 21st state, there are 21 letters in the Italian alphabet, and there are 21 topics in the Quick Study guide.

2. Vera

• My most essential teaching tool is my authenticity!
• The one thing I always forget to bring to my 8 a.m. class is wakefulness.
• I know it’s the middle of the semester when I see my students showing up to class in crocs every day.

I definitely connect with students to try to help them finish the semester on a high note and make sure all of their assignments are completed. I also ask them about winter plans and discuss some of the fun things they’re doing to rest and reset for spring.

Thanks,
Andie

Hey Everyone,

I’m thankful for the support I’ve received from my supervisor and other leaders at the college. They encourage my ideas and truly make me feel valued.

Thanks,

Andie

Hey Everyone,

Out of all the pies listed, pumpkin is definitely my favorite. Then I would say apple, pecan, cherry, and finally blueberry. We make pies at home, but my specialty is cheesecake. I always make some sort of holiday-themed cheesecake, and they’re nice and thick!

Thanks,

Andie

Hey Everyone,

Instead of green bean casserole, we make Cajun green beans at our house! It isn’t a recipe that we’ve ever written down, nor do we ever actually measure any of the ingredients. Everything is sort of eye-balled and based on how the dish tastes, but I’ve included the ingredients, estimated measurements, and steps below. Enjoy!…

Read more