Category: Teaching Tip

Quick and short tips on teaching practices.

CELT Restructuring Update (Teaching Tip)

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People working on a project together

As the rhythm of the fall semester takes hold, we wanted to share a CELT restructuring update with you.

As you know, Iowa State developed a comprehensive strategy for online education – Iowa State Online – that brings together talented staff from across campus (and beyond) to create a seamless unit focused on quality online instruction and student experience, as well as online program growth and innovation. This new structure, which is embedded in CELT, will help promote a consistently high level of quality across all course modalities.

Where are we today?
Much of the work since announcing the CELT expansion with the formation of Iowa State Online has focused on bringing everyone together into a (much larger) CELT family in preparation for the full launch on January 3, 2023.

Key leaders have been identified for the primary functional areas of the unit:

  • Susan Arendt, Director for Iowa State Online
  • Matt Carver, Senior Manager for Enterprise Instructional Technology
  • Clark Coffman, Interim Director for Instructor Development
  • Lesya Hassall, Senior Manager for Course Design and Quality

We’re also still hiring, with several positions available.

What’s happening now?
The CELT leadership team continues gathering important information from key stakeholders and diligently works on operational and logistical details. Be on the watch for a CELT survey or town-hall style meeting soon to gather your input and feedback.

What happens next?
You’re probably wondering how things may change in January, or even now as you prepare for your spring classes.

  • If you are planning your winter session or spring semester classes, continue working with the same person and office you have in the past.
  • Iowa State Online will take a strategic approach to program offerings with decisions made as an institution. We will continue to offer robust instructor development and support for instructors across all modalities.
  • Programs and services such as the Miller Faculty Fellowship, #CyThx, consultation and observation services, Online Learning Community, and programming will continue with little change – but more people to support this work!
  • Further details about CELT’s services are forthcoming and will be well-publicized within the CELT teaching tip, Inside Iowa State, and through college communications.

And, of course, if you have never taught online but are ready to jump in or are looking to optimize your current or future classes, please email celt@iastate.edu or call 515-294-5357. We’re ready to help and have the expertise and resources you need to succeed.

With a joy for teaching,

Sara Marcketti, Assistant Provost and Executive Director
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

Full Teaching Tip

View the published CELT Teaching Tip: CELT Restructuring Update (October 13, 2022).

Prefer a Print Version?

To view the Teaching Tip as a printable document with web addresses, download the CELT Teaching Tip for October 13, 2022 (PDF).

Seeking student feedback (Teaching Tip)

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We often ask, how well are your students learning? What tweaks could be made to improve your teaching and enhance student learning?

The Plus/Delta tool is an easy way to seek valuable feedback from your students. It has students focus on advancing their learning in the course and what could be improved by the instructor and the student. It helps students think about their responsibility to the course and what they should continue doing to learn (PLUS) and what they need to change for the course to improve for them (DELTA) (Helminski & Koberna, 1995).

Students can complete the plus delta online using Canvas, or other anonymous survey software by responding to these four open-ended questions:
Plus

  • What is helping me to learn in this class?
  • What am I doing to improve my learning in the course?

Delta

  • What changes are needed in this course to improve learning?
  • What do I need to do to improve my learning in this course?

Once the students complete the plus delta, you collect the information and summarize it to report each category’s themes back to your class in the next session. The feedback loop creates the opportunity to discuss the shared responsibility for teaching and learning in your course. You may further specify what modifications will (or will not) implement based on their feedback. To learn more, visit CELT’s Using a PLUS/DELTA Assessment Technique webpage.
With a joy for teaching,

Sara Marcketti, Director
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

Helminski, L. & Koberna, S. (1995). Total quality in instruction: A systems approach. In H. V. Roberts (Ed.), Academic initiatives in total quality for higher education (pp. 309-362). Milwaukee, WI: ASQC Quality Press.

Full Teaching Tip

View the published CELT Teaching Tip: Seeking student feedback (September 10, 2020 – Constant Contact) page.

Prefer a Print version?

To view the Teaching Tip as a printable document with web addresses, download the CELT Teaching Tip for September 10, 2020 (PDF).

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