FLIP: Focus on Learning, Innovation and Pedagogy is a faculty discussion group, ideas lab and learning community focused on topics related to the theory and practice of teaching and learning. FLIP is open to faculty members, instructors, postdocs and graduate students who want to study, discuss and try out various evidence-based approaches to instruction, including student-centered learning, discipline-based education research, flipped classrooms, problem-based learning (PBL), case studies and other forms of active learning.  More Information

Teaching large courses can present some real challenges for faculty. This is especially true in the online learning environment, where we don’t have the benefit of meeting with students face-to-face. Make plans to join your colleagues for this interactive workshop as we explore best practices for teaching large distributed learning courses. Register

If you plan to develop a new course, revise an existing one or simply want to think about the possibilities, consider an approach that begins with the end in mind, and don’t neglect the importance of student motivation in your redesign. Yes, grades motivate students — at least, most students. Therefore if the assessments, which determine the students’ grades in your course, are aligned closely with the goals of your course, then you have created a strong motivation for student learning.

Begin with the end in mind: What will students who successfully complete your course be able to do long after your course ends? This workshop will work step-by-step with the “backward design” model for course creation, providing you with ideas and examples for aligning your course content, goals and assessments, and addressing student motivation.  Register

Your teaching responsibilities at the university are premised on your academic credentials and discipline-specific expertise. How can you combine that content expertise with coaching to enhance student learning? As the “coach,” you could set the bar (high), assign the drills and watch the practice, then you could diagnose where instruction and correction are most needed.

Participants in this workshop will explore further this suggestion of the professor as a content-expert coach and begin practicing our coaching skills. Imagine — if we teach like coaches, will the pay follow?  Register

Be sure to participate in the final session in a new three-part webinar series in which you will learn the 3Ds of online course instruction: Design, Develop and Deliver. This webinar covers how to Deliver your online course for maximum impact. Log on to learn how to build rapport with students, foster a community of learners, provide meaningful feedback and prompt students toward thoughtful reflection on their learning experiences.  Register

Weaving integrative learning into your course design can enhance your students’ ability to achieve higher order thinking through connections made across significant course concepts and beyond the classroom experiences. This workshop will focus on practical methods of incorporating integrative learning to support your pedagogy, regardless of academic discipline or concentration. In addition, participants will identify examples of integrative learning through review of course assignments and students’ capstone e-portfolios.

Recommended methods for faculty to engage with USC Connect, including Graduation with Leadership Distinction, will also be highlighted.  Register

Did you know that closed captions on videos can help students learn? Closed captioning provides an on-screen reading guide for video viewers. Captioning can open up your video content to a larger audience of students, including deaf or hard-of-hearing viewers, or those who speak languages besides the one spoken in your video. Captions can also help students who prefer to learn visually. Also, captioning can help you meet ADA accessibility requirements.

In this workshop, you’ll learn how to use YouTube captioning, a free and easy tool that can help caption videos for you.   Register

Are you stressed? Who isn’t? Do you realize that “stressed” spelled backward is “desserts”? We sometimes turn to unhealthy behaviors to put a Band-Aid on stress. But there’s a better way.

In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore the body’s stress response and how to handle it. We’ll also discuss and practice long-term stress management strategies. You’ll learn how to debunk some stress myths and create practices that will help you sail through turbulent times.  Register

Research shows that learning communities lead to more engaged — and successful — students. You can build this sense of community in the online classroom by fostering discussion and collaboration among students through the Blackboard learning management system. Learn from a panel of experts how to set the stage for active participation and help students feel connected in a digital world.  Register

FLIP: Focus on Learning, Innovation and Pedagogy is a faculty discussion group, ideas lab and learning community focused on topics related to the theory and practice of teaching and learning. FLIP is open to faculty members, instructors, postdocs and graduate students who want to study, discuss and try out various evidence-based approaches to instruction, including student-centered learning, discipline-based education research, flipped classrooms, problem-based learning (PBL), case studies and other forms of active learning.  More Information

Are you interested in service learning? Would you like to learn how to develop a service-learning course? Using the National Youth Leadership Council’s Service-Learning Cycle as a framework, Jabari Bodrick will provide participants with step-by-step instructions on how to create a service-learning course.

Jabari will also explain how service learning is defined at USC, provide USC service-learning assessment data and highlight the benefits of service-learning to students, faculty members and community agency representatives. In addition, Lisa Sisk will share her experiences as a service-learning course instructor and, in conjunction with Jabari, answer any questions participants may have about teaching a service-learning course.  Register

Wrapping up the semester and wondering what you need to do next? Want the transition between Fall and Spring semester courses on Blackboard to go smoothly? Need to alleviate student anxiety about your upcoming course? UTS- Teaching and Technology Services is here to help you. Come learn some special tips and hints to assure a smooth transition for next year. 

Some of the topics will include entering final grades on Banner, showing grades in the Grade Center, easily and efficiently re-using tests and assignments and utilizing the wonderful Course Copy function of Blackboard which will save you lots of time and aggravation. Register

Many of our instructors tell us that they wish they had been provided guidance in developing a syllabus before they taught their first course. In this workshop, we’ll begin to develop a syllabus for the course of your choosing. We will discuss the importance of learning outcomes, and interactively craft one or two as we discuss their role in the syllabus.

The development of thoughtfully designed learning outcomes will then guide you in subsequently creating quality learning activities, assignments and, finally, assessments for the course. More tips and advice for syllabus development, along with examples of good and bad syllabus construction, will be discussed with other participants in a small group setting.  Register

Wrapping up the semester and wondering what you need to do next? Want the transition between Fall and Spring semester courses on Blackboard to go smoothly? Need to alleviate student anxiety about your upcoming course? UTS- Teaching and Technology Services is here to help you. Come learn some special tips and hints to assure a smooth transition for next year. 

Some of the topics will include entering final grades on Banner, showing grades in the Grade Center, easily and efficiently re-using tests and assignments and utilizing the wonderful Course Copy function of Blackboard which will save you lots of time and aggravation. Register

Wrapping up the semester and wondering what you need to do next? Want the transition between Fall and Spring semester courses on Blackboard to go smoothly? Need to alleviate student anxiety about your upcoming course? UTS- Teaching and Technology Services is here to help you. Come learn some special tips and hints to assure a smooth transition for next year. 

Some of the topics will include entering final grades on Banner, showing grades in the Grade Center, easily and efficiently re-using tests and assignments and utilizing the wonderful Course Copy function of Blackboard which will save you lots of time and aggravation. Register

Wrapping up the semester and wondering what you need to do next? Want the transition between Fall and Spring semester courses on Blackboard to go smoothly? Need to alleviate student anxiety about your upcoming course? UTS- Teaching and Technology Services is here to help you. Come learn some special tips and hints to assure a smooth transition for next year. 

Some of the topics will include entering final grades on Banner, showing grades in the Grade Center, easily and efficiently re-using tests and assignments and utilizing the wonderful Course Copy function of Blackboard which will save you lots of time and aggravation. Register

Wrapping up the semester and wondering what you need to do next? Want the transition between Fall and Spring semester courses on Blackboard to go smoothly? Need to alleviate student anxiety about your upcoming course? UTS- Teaching and Technology Services is here to help you. Come learn some special tips and hints to assure a smooth transition for next year. 

Some of the topics will include entering final grades on Banner, showing grades in the Grade Center, easily and efficiently re-using tests and assignments and utilizing the wonderful Course Copy function of Blackboard which will save you lots of time and aggravation. Register

FLIP: Focus on Learning, Innovation and Pedagogy is a faculty discussion group, ideas lab and learning community focused on topics related to the theory and practice of teaching and learning. FLIP is open to faculty members, instructors, postdocs and graduate students who want to study, discuss and try out various evidence-based approaches to instruction, including student-centered learning, discipline-based education research, flipped classrooms, problem-based learning (PBL), case studies and other forms of active learning.  More Information