David I. Smith’s On Christian Teaching continues to challenge me. It challenges me both as a professor and as a person of faith. That’s the sign of a good book! This post invites you to join me in the challenge of teaching authentically. I’m exploring the specific idea of prayer in class, but the heart…
Tag: online education
Making Meaningful and Engaging Online Discussion Questions
While the online classroom may be a new learning environment for many students and professors, certain truths remain the same no matter the medium. Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that relationships are key to learning. Student – professor communication is important, but so too is student-student communication. One of the best ways…
Quickly Establishing Class Vibe and Values in the Online Classroom
At ACU Online, we operate on a short semester system. We have six semesters a year, and each semester lasts seven weeks. Short semesters keep things fresh for everyone involved. Professors and students must quickly establish what some call a “class culture” or “class values.” It’s what I, an Austin-raised hippie, call the class vibe….
Equipping Adult Online Learners to Creatively Demonstrate Mastery
We’re only a few weeks into 2021, but it’s already been a year of academic growth and exploration. With exploration often comes a sense of being lost, and that’s where I am right now, ha ha! Hence, the map image below: Maybe y’all can help me out. As a graduate professor and simultaneously as a…
Sleep and Let Grow: Rhythms and Seasons in Online Higher Education
In The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective, author and Franciscan friar Richard Rohr advises that those of us focused on achievement should contemplate the agricultural parables of Christ. In them, we learn are reminded that growth comes not from sheer will and brute force, but from patient nourishing and care over time. We cannot force a…
In Online Education, Who Is My Neighbor?
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has developed several standards to serve as a framework for those working with ed tech to do so responsibly. Whether one implement a single standard or focuses only on some, they give plenty of opportunity for self-reflection and assessment. Recently I’ve sat in my big recliner in…
