Teaching Idea Sparks
This online shared repository contains “Teaching Idea Sparks” to help inspire innovative and effective teaching at East Carolina University. This is intended to be a growing resource with information, ideas, and suggestions from fellow faculty and academic literature. If you’ve got a resource or idea spark to share, please submit it through the form on the right side of the page.
Also, if you’re looking for more teaching inspiration, check out our “Captain’s Quest” web game, where you can collaborate with other faculty to help solve common problems of teaching practice!
Teaching Idea Spark Topics
Clinical Settings and Internships
The ultimate outcome of clinical or internship preparation of students is safe quality patient care. Clinical rotations may also include simulation hours. We hope you find some of the resources helpful as you design your Canvas course.
Creating Instructional Objectives
Thinking about course objectives and learning outcomes at the beginning of the course design process can help instructors create more effective and meaningful learning experiences for students (Wiggins 2005). The resources on this page provide strategies for achieving measurable, efficient and enduring learning outcomes.
A rubric can be used to evaluate student learning through essays and authentic assessments, including projects, papers, and essay portions of exams. While they can be time consuming to develop, rubrics can be used by students to understand assignment expectations, deepen learning, and enhance the feedback instructors provide to students.
Diversity and Creating Inclusive Learning Environments
Considering diverse backgrounds and viewpoints is vital to creating courses that are inclusive for all students. The resources on this page are designed to help further knowledge about diverse populations like those at ECU and provide ways to create a learning atmosphere that is respectful for students of all kinds.
Discussion boards/forums are a great way to provide opportunities for interaction for your students. We have compiled resources that can make course discussion boards even more effective and engaging for students.
Facilitating Synchronous Conversations
Engaging discussions are one of the hallmark characteristics of a college course, and facilitating them can take many formats. Use the resources on this page to spark fresh ideas for creating rich synchronous dialogues – whether you are teaching face-to-face or online.
You’ve probably heard the terms “Flipped,” “Hybrid” or “Blended” learning before. All three are valid approaches to teaching with documented evidence of student success. All three require some element of online teaching, but can still provide great results in a primarily face-to-face setting. We’ve compiled some resources, ideas and literature that can help you develop “flipped,” “hybrid” or “blended learning activities in your courses.
High-enrollment online courses come with a unique set of challenges and opportunities. We’ve compiled resources, ideas and literature that can help you and your students get the most out of a high-enrollment online course.
Looking for ways to help your students grow as leaders? Check out these resources for teaching leadership skills in your courses!