Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn this episode, Rob McDole and Jared Pyles chat with Eric Stroud (Instructor of Communication at Cedarville University). They discuss his professional experiences prior to stepping into higher education and the adjustments he had to make during his first semester of teaching. Please take this opportunity to fill out our 2025 wrap-up survey. This survey should take 5-10 minutes and your responses are anonymous. If you would like to be entered for the Uncommon Sense Teaching drawing, you can share your name and email address at the end of the survey. Even if you enter the drawing, your survey response will remain anonymous. View a transcript of this week’s episode. Podcast links Resources Chat with us!
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Beginning of Semester Reminders and Tips
Reading Time: 2 minutesWelcome to the start of a new semester! Today we’re going be chatting about some tips and reminders to make the first week (and the rest of the semester) easier. We know there’s a big chunk of time between semester starts, so it’s easy for some of these things to slip your memory. Combining Canvas sections You may be teaching multiple sections of the same course but want to combine all your students into one section so you have a single place to work on the course. Canvas makes it simple to combine those multiple sections into one. A brief note: you’ll need to combine them before…
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Transform Your Teaching: Book Review – “Teach Like a Human” with Dr. Dave Mulder
Reading Time: < 1 minuteHow do Christian educators approach Generative AI with caution? How can educators find the balance between using GAI as a tool and having it take over their teaching? In this episode, Rob and Jared chat with Dr. Dave Mulder about his new book Teach Like a Human. View a transcript of this week’s episode. Podcast links Resources Chat with us!
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Submitting Final Grades from Canvas to the Registrar
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIt’s a simple process to submit your final course grades to the registrar from Canvas. Before you start this process, however, you’ll want to follow these three tips for checking your Canvas gradebook to make sure you’re all squared away. Once you’re ready, follow these three steps: 1. Click the “Submit Grades to Registrar” link in your course menu. If you don’t see the link there, click “Settings” in the course menu then the “Navigation” tab. Drag and drop “Submit Grades to Registrar” from the inactive items list to the active items list and click “Save.” 2. Scan the information on the “Submit Grades” page. Is…
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Transform Your Teaching: Mind Mapping for Systems Thinking with Dr. Larry Cox
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWe’ve discussed how mind mapping can impact teaching and learning, but what other applications exist? How can mind mapping help solve problems or organize thinking? Join Rob and Jared as they chat with Dr. Larry Cox II (Senior Instructional Designer at Virginia Tech) about his presentation on using mind mapping techniques in systems thinking while at the 2025 OLC Accelerate Conference. View a transcript of this week’s episode. Podcast links Resources Chat with us!
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Transform Your Teaching: Have You Tried…Mind Mapping?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWhat is mind mapping? How can it be an effective tool for making connections between concepts? How can it help us process knowledge more effectively? Join Rob and Jared as they discuss how mind mapping can help students and teachers work through ideas. View a transcript of this week’s episode. Podcast links Resources Chat with us!
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Transform Your Teaching: Have You Tried…Music as a Tool
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWhat impact can familiar and unfamiliar music have on students in teaching? Do beats per minute correlate to cognition? Join Rob and Jared as they reflect on their interview with Dr. Deforia Lane and discuss the usage of music in education. View a transcript of this week’s episode. Podcast links Resources Chat with us!
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Transform Your Teaching: Have You Tried…Storytelling?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWhat are the benefits of personal storytelling in the classroom? How can an anecdote enhance or support direct instruction? Join Rob and Jared as they discuss their own views on storytelling and reflect on their conversation with Dr. Q. View a transcript of this week’s episode. Podcast links Resources Chat with us!
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How I Used ChatGPT to Reimagine “Introduction to Literature”
Reading Time: 2 minutesWhen I was asked to teach a face-to-face section of LIT-2300 this semester, I was a bit hesitant. While I have experience teaching literature to high schoolers, I had never taught it at the college level. With the campus-wide subscription of OpenAI’s ChatGPT EDU in place, I decided to integrate AI not as a grading shortcut or a novelty (although a Gatsby bot that appends every answer with “old sport” is very tempting), but as a teaching assistant. Using a dedicated ChatGPT project (“LIT-2300 TA Bot), I developed lectures, discussions, and creative learning materials grounded in Cedarville’s theological framework. My first steps were to start like any…
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Transform Your Teaching: Storytelling with Dr. Quentin Schultze
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWhat are Dr. Q’s essentials for good storytelling? How can storytelling be used as an effective tool for teaching and learning? Join Rob and Jared as they chat with Dr. Quentin Schultze (PhD in Communication from the University of Illinois – Urbana) about how he uses storytelling to connect with his students and make content more memorable. View a transcript of this week’s episode. Podcast links Resources Chat with us!