Category: Effective Teaching

Getting Students to Participate in Breakout Rooms

Reading Time: 7 minutes“[B]reakout rooms do not always magically create engagement and higher levels of learning.” (Saltz & Heckman, 2020, para. 16) Breakout groups are used as a discussion technique to increase participation and group-based learning. However, pair and group activities can be cumbersome in online synchronous meetings, especially when, as professor, you cannot see all groups and monitor student conversations at the same time...

Indigenous Resources

Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe following is a message from Conestoga College’s Library Services department Whether for self-education or as learning resources for your students, consider exploring the library’s collection of eBooks, articles, and videos as one of the many ways to learn about Indigenous history, culture, and identity. For a pathway to available resources, consult Library & Learning Services’ Indigenous Resources guide.  Articles,...

Adult Learning Principles for College Teaching

Reading Time: 5 minutesHow can we be sure our practices reflect the fact that all of our students are adult learners? Conestoga’s youngest students are 17 year-olds who finished high school in Ontario. However, the average student age is about 22 years old, with an increasing number of adult learners who are older and who have years of work experience, additional post-high school...

What To Do in the First Weeks of Class

Reading Time: 9 minutesThis teaching tip provides a checklist of what you can do in the first week or two of class to share important information and create an atmosphere that supports learning. This tip shares ideas for Creating a positive learning environment Explaining key course information Setting expectations for behaviour Encouraging a focus on learning Sharing expectations for technology use Use these...

Helping Students Understand Assignments in Your Course

Reading Time: < 1 minuteThis learning pathway video introduces new faculty to some important ideas and considerations for ensuring that their students understand the assignments in their course. Helpful Resources Related to Assessment Preparing for Assessment Pathway – Marking Assignments in eConestoga Grading Bias: Making Marking More Equitable for All Learners Creating a Rubric Interested in Learning More About Assessment? Teaching and Learning offers...

Group Work for Effective Learning and Assessment

Reading Time: < 1 minuteView this video introduction to the learning path to better understand some best practices for setting up group assignments, guiding groups, and marking group work. Teaching and Learning Conestoga (2022, November 15). Group Work as an Effective Learning and Assessment Experience [Video]. YouTube. What’s Next? After you’ve viewed this video, you may also want to take a look at some...