Doug Ward


Report on student engagement shows we all have work to do


Report on student engagement shows we all have work to do

Learning is a partnership, I tell students. As an instructor, I do my best to provide interesting and relevant material, use class time wisely, and grade student work fairly. I also make time in and out of class to help students better understand material they struggle with.

I can do only so much, though, I explain, and I certainly can’t make students learn. Learning takes place only when students engage themselves in their education, complete their work meaningfully, come to class prepared, and participate in discussions and projects.

So, I’m Preparing to Flip an Engineering Design Course…


So, I’m Preparing to Flip an Engineering Design Course…

Storage tanks and steel structures So, I’ve decided to flip a class.  [File this blog post under ‘Confessions’.]  Specifically, I’m going to flip a course this Spring semester, titled “Design of Steel Structures.”  It’s a fourth-year design class taken by civil and architectural engineers.

The right mentor can make all the difference to grad students


The right mentor can make all the difference to grad students

My trips to the office of Paul Jess often seemed liked counseling sessions.

I was a master’s student at KU in 1990, and I’d go to Jess’s office with a stream of problems: My students weren’t responding as well as I’d hoped, and some even seemed hostile toward me in the classroom. My thesis wasn’t going as well as I’d expected, and I didn’t know where to begin a search for doctoral programs.

It all seemed so grave then (and seems so innocuous now).

Hey, GTAs. Let’s talk about teaching. (Lunch is on us.)


Hey, GTAs. Let’s talk about teaching. (Lunch is on us.)

CTE is hosting a series of lunchtime workshops for experienced GTAs who want to discuss facets of teaching in higher education. The workshops will take place from noon to 1 p.m. on the final Friday of every month, through April, in 135 Budig Hall.

To participate in a session, register at cte@ku.edu at least two days before the event. A light lunch will be provided. Please note that space is limited. If you have any questions or need accommodations, contact Judy Eddy at jeddy@ku.edu.

Those halfhearted students? They may just be good scientists.


Those halfhearted students? They may just be good scientists.

Saundra McGuire urges faculty members not to judge students’ abilities too quickly or too harshly.

She speaks from experience. As a chemistry professor at Cornell and Louisiana State universities, she used to make snap judgments about her students, separating them into achievers and non-achievers.

Then she realized that those students who skipped class and didn’t study but then acted surprised at bad grades were “just being good scientists.”

From a variety of disciplines, goals of teaching converge


From a variety of disciplines, goals of teaching converge

Students trying to solve a problem in a class
Participants in the Best Practices Institute work on a backward design exercise at the Spahr Engineering Classroom.

I’m always surprised at the common themes that emerge when faculty members talk about teaching.

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