This section is full of timely and evidence-based practices to apply in your teaching.
- Visual Representation and UDL: Videos are a great way to engage and interact with students. Many students benefit from learning through visual representation, and sharing videos as an option for learning is also a great way to practice UDL. To improve the accessibility of instructor-created videos, consider using a script that includes descriptive language during the recording process. Using descriptive language in videos you create for lectures, demos, and presentations will eliminate the need for inserting audio description after recording. Check out Tips for Writing Descriptive Scripts to get some helpful descriptive language techniques.
- VOISES Panel Takeaways | Students in Recovery and Experiencing Addiction: Our most recent VOISES Panel centered the stories of students experiencing addition and in recovery during National Recovery Month. Panelists courageously shared their experiences and reminded us of the key role that faculty play in providing structure and support for students who may be experiencing or recovering from addiction. We encourage all members of the campus community to complete Mental Health First Aid training to become more adept at navigating mental health and substance-use challenges and connecting students with essential resources. Be sure to read the full summary of take-aways and tips from this panel.
- Addressing Burnout: “Burnout is not something we talk about in higher education.” – Dr. Rebecca Pope-Ruark, author of the upcoming book, Unraveling Faculty Burnout. Faculty often discuss the many competing demands for their time and feeling overwhelmed. It’s important to talk to others about how you are feeling, recognize the signs of burnout, and learn how to respond accordingly in healthy and authentic ways. Dr. Pope-Ruark’s blog and podcast series, The Agile Academic, has a number of resources addressing ideas about how to set boundaries vs. detachment. Dr. Pope-Ruark also recently discussed faculty burnout on an episode of the Teaching Inside Higher Ed podcast.