Lessons from the FBI: Students and Cheating
Given suspicions that a student has cheated in a course, one of the most common recommendations is that an instructor meets with the student to
Miriam Bowers-Abbott
April 26, 2024
A FREE PUBLICATION FROM THE CREATORS OF THE TEACHING PROFESSOR
Miriam Bowers-Abbott
Probing the Value of Online Student-Student Interaction
Classic online course standards emphasize the value of three types of interactions: student-instructor interaction, student-content interaction, and student-student interaction. But a recent pointed query from
Miriam Bowers-Abbott
July 5, 2023
What are We Doing About AI Essays?
The November newsfeed heralded the arrival of AI essay writing. AI (or Artificial Intelligence) essay writing recruits online software that sifts through information and generates
Miriam Bowers-Abbott
January 4, 2023
The Straight Scoop Syllabus
There is no shortage of professorial eye rolling when it comes to the subject of students and syllabi. Students might read the syllabus, but they typically
Miriam Bowers-Abbott
October 16, 2020
Teaching with Unknowns: Finding Meaning in Your Online Course Delivery
This article is featured in the resource guide, Effective Online Teaching Strategies. While there is no shortage of data about COVID-19, finding meaning within that
Miriam Bowers-Abbott
June 8, 2020
Prepare for Change: Old APA versus New APA
One of the most popular guides for academic writing standards across the curriculum is scheduled for some changes. It’s been a decade since The American
Miriam Bowers-Abbott
September 27, 2019
Desirable Difficulties in Convenient Coursework
The phrase “desirable difficulties” was first coined in the nineties by psychologist Robert Bjork to describe learning conditions that introduced inconveniences to yield greater learner retention of material. According to the literature, the more work that is required to learn a concept, the greater the mastery (Sparks, 2011). To illustrate, a classical example of a desirable difficulty is found in the use of flashcards as study tools. Flashcards typically display only partial information, as a cue for the user to recall a more complete set of facts. When compared to lecture notes, flashcards require a student to work harder in recalling materials and are therefore especially effective study tools. As such, flashcards have been popular among students for decades.
Miriam Bowers-Abbott
May 8, 2019
Five Lessons Online Faculty Can Learn from the IRS
Another Tax Day is upon us. I’ll keep this post brief, just in case you haven’t yet filed.
The Internal Revenue Service is good for lots of things, but it’s not usually viewed as a source of sound teaching advice. In 2016, however, the government agency created an online publication called the Behavioral Insights Toolkit. At just 72 pages, the toolkit is a relatively short guide for IRS employees and researchers to help promote compliance and improve taxpayer engagement by leveraging strong communication practices.
Miriam Bowers-Abbott
April 15, 2019
From Summiting Bloom’s to Promoting Lifelong Learning
Bloom’s Taxonomy has long been regarded as the holy grail in leading students through a process of content mastery. The traditional journey begins with imparting information to learners and finds its apex in enabling learners to evaluate and assess knowledge claims. In theory, each step of the journey to mastery builds on prior steps.
Miriam Bowers-Abbott
February 20, 2019