Every summer the Teaching and Faculty Support Center (TFSC) holds a Teaching Camp. Usually scheduled for August, Teaching Camp is faculty tradition. Camp is an informal 2-3 day opportunity to focus on one or more aspects of teaching in a relaxed, offsite venue. The program and topics vary each year, but the objective of the program is to spend time reflecting on teaching, engaging with other teachers, and jump-starting the academic year.

Teaching Camp 3 Minute Teaching Tips

  1. Send a “Welcome” email 1 week before class.
  2. Consider implementing an office “guest book” for students to sign when they come to visit you. (Have candy, chocolate, and tissues on standby).
  3. Show up early to class and talk to students in hallway. Walk up and down isles before class to greet students.
  4. Use a deck of cards to quickly form groups (e.g. group by suit, color, etc.).
  5. Develop rubric or questions for group members to routinely evaluate each other. (e.g. Who is contributing most? If you had 100 points, how would you disseminate the points among the group?)
  6. Send a follow-up email immediately after class the first week. (“I’m so glad to meet you. I’m here to support. Come by my office to meet me.”)
  7. Rather than asking, “Do you have any questions?” ask “What questions do you have?”
  8. Consider asking students to submit a “song of the day” – Requirements are the song must be clean and must be relevant to the topic to be covered that day.
  9. Consider passing out index cards at the beginning of the course with a few of the following questions to help with assigning students to groups:
    • When did you graduate?
    • What is your work experience?
    • With what software do you have experience?
    • What is your class schedule?
    • What is your work schedule?
    • **Assign students to groups as fairly as possible based on skills and experience.
  1. Consider using an index card with a grading rubric for group members to rate each other and administer periodically throughout the semester.
  2. Consider implementing “Brain Breaks.” (Ex. Stand up and complete large gross motor movements that involve crossing midline. (Google additional ideas)
  3. For online teaching:
    • When assigning discussion questions, require that they are answered by a certain time of day/deadline. Set settings on discussion board so that students are unable to see each other’s responses until all have responded to the initial question.
    • Consider dropping/adding an audio file to provide feedback for assignments. This can easily be completed on Word documents.
    • Consider implementing video blogging (1 to 5 minute reflections) relevant to course topics.
  4. Blackboard has a Journal feature that when activated allows students to communicate with the professor directly without other students seeing their responses/comments.
  5. Teach/provide clear list of expectations for how to write an appropriate/professional email.
  6. Blue Bag – Put random treasures/prizes (nothing over a few dollars) in a small bag and take to class each day. When students participate or answer a question, they get to draw a prize from the bag.
  7. When developing the syllabus: leave the evaluation section blank. Let students decide how they will be evaluated (require: everyone must have an opportunity to earn credit).
  8. Consider requiring students to turn in questions regarding notes/required readings before class starts. Use a couple student questions provided as test questions. These can also serve as a way to take attendance.
  9. Incorporate personal stories of successes and failures/personal growth in the course to allow students to interact and learn from you on a more personal level.
  10. Consider implementing more frequent and smaller assessments (fewer questions with shorter amounts of time allotted for examinations).
  11. Add resources for personal health and well-being on campus to syllabi so that students know you care about them on more than an academic level.
  12. A few weeks into the course, provide the students with a notecard and instruct them to answer the following questions:
    • What is going well in this course?
    • What can be improved in this course?
    • **All responses are anonymous
  1. Use note/index cards to learn names. Ask students to provide basic information and something unique about them. Choose 2-3 cards and seek those students out before class to chat with them. This helps students to feel valued and you to learn names.
  2. Get students moving in the classroom when possible.
  3. Student mixers – have students go around the room and introduce themselves to a few people. Then use the interactions as data for relevant course topics (e.g. use data for the spread of communicable diseases).
  4. Consider completing appreciative inquiries. (What have you learned today? What did you appreciate about today?)
  5. Consider implementing a debate series. Assign students to a particular side of the debate and just before the student begin the debate, require the students to flip the side for which they will be arguing.
  6. Consider implementing student led online lectures and discussions.
  7. Provide a sign-in sheet at the beginning of the class. Students are allowed to sign-in for only the first five minutes to receive credit.
  8. Consider interdisciplinary collaborations for course assignments.
  9. Remind students, “Everybody poops.” This helps students to feel more comfortable when speaking to their peers and making speeches/presentations.
  10. Talk about the value of the course and course information prior to reviewing the syllabus. Review the “why” for the course throughout the semester.