Reading Time: 2 minutesIn this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared Pyles introduce their next series on technology integration. Check out the episode to hear about using technology as a teaching method to enhance a student’s understanding of the content rather than just integrating it for its own sake. Additionally, we would love to get your feedback! Please fill out our survey to help improve our podcast and serve you better. Podcast links Show notes Early on as a teacher, Jared started exploring how technology integration could be used in his classes. He discovered that embracing technology integration allows both students to engage the content in a new way and…
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Turnitin Adds AI Writing Indicator to Similarity Report
Reading Time: 3 minutesIt’s no secret that ChatGPT’s popularity is growing. And plagiarism detecting tools are aware of that – and the need to adjust their offerings to help identify when student work may have been supplemented or entirely created by AI. Turnitin recently announced that it will now display a score to instructors within the Similarity Report to indicate what percentage of a paper is highly likely to be generated by AI. Turnitin is quick to say that their detection isn’t foolproof and the percentage displayed “should not be used as a definitive measure of misconduct or punitive tool.” The AI percentage is presented to inform instructors and give…
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Transform Your Teaching: A Conversation with Dr. Heather Kuruvilla
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared Pyles have a conversation with Dr. Heather Kuruvilla, senior professor of biology at Cedarville University. “Dr. K,” as she is known by her students, earned her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from State University of New York at Buffalo. She has a passion for developing curiosity and motivation in her students. Check out this episode to hear how she takes strides to make her content more accessible and interactive for students. Podcast links Show notes Dr. K came to Cedarville to build the undergraduate research program because she sees teaching students as an opportunity for discipleship. Teaching research means…
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Canvas Update: Grade by Question in SpeedGrader
Reading Time: 2 minutesWith the update releasing April 15, Canvas is adjusting how instructors can review and grade New Quiz questions in SpeedGrader. Previously when scoring questions that needed manual grading, instructors could only view results organized by student. Now, Canvas will allow instructors to flip between students to grade by question. This is controlled by a setting in the “options” menu when you’re in SpeedGrader for a New Quiz. Turning on grade by question When in SpeedGrader for a New Quiz, click the settings gear at the top left, then click “options” in the menu. In the window that pops up, check the box for “grade by question,” then…
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Transform Your Teaching: A Debrief of Servant Teaching
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared Pyles wrap up the servant teaching series, highlighting crucial points from their various guests. Check out the episode to hear their own takeaways on applying servant teaching. Servant teaching defines who we are as believers in Christ, but any instructor—regardless of belief—can use servant teaching principles in their instruction. To implement servant teaching, consider these takeaways from our series. Resources Amerstorfer, C. M., & Freiin von Munster-Kistner, C. (2021). Student Perceptions of Academic Engagement and Student-Teacher Relationships in Problem-Based Learning. Front Psychol, 12, 713057. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.713057 Sybing, R. (2019). Making Connections: Student-Teacher Rapport in Higher Education Classrooms. Journal of…
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ChatGPT: What’s Next?
Reading Time: 3 minutesVaulting onto my stand-up stool, I contorted into a jockey’s position while piping the Classical Motivation playlist from Apple’s freshly minted Classical Music app–off to the races of the new, new frontier. Using the old to discuss the new isn’t unfamiliar, but Apple isn’t the only tech company to release something recently. OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, released ChatGPT-4 last week–a total paradigm shift. Below is an example of the power of ChatGPT-4. I fed it my first two ChatGPT blog posts and asked it to write the next post. As we continue to grapple with the integration of AI tools like ChatGPT into our educational…
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Transform Your Teaching: Servant Teaching with Dr. Thomas Mach
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDr. Robert McDole and Jared Pyles have a conversation with Dr. Thomas Mach, the Vice President for Academics and a professor of history at Cedarville University. Dr. Mach—who received his PhD from the University of Akron—talks about motivating students to understand the importance of the content of a course. Check out this episode to hear how he removes ambiguity while caring for his students. Podcast links Show notes Dr. Mach runs study sessions with his students which have a direct correlation to his philosophy of education. He wants to remove ambiguity and help students understand what is important as well as pique their interest in the…
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Canvas Update: Instructors Can Upload Files to Assignments for Students
Reading Time: 2 minutesCanvas has recently added a feature to allow instructors to upload files to assignments for students. To use this feature, you need to start in the gradebook. Click on the student’s cell for the assignment you want to upload, then click the arrow. Canvas will slide out a panel from the right side of your screen. Click the “Submit for Student” link. Drag and drop or use the file picker to add the assignment file(s), then click “submit.” If you upload multiple files, they will be added as one submission. The file is now available to be graded in SpeedGrader! Any files uploaded using this method will…
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Transform Your Teaching: Servant Teaching with Professor Jim Leightenheimer
Reading Time: 2 minutesDr. Robert McDole and Jared Pyles have a conversation with Jim Leightenheimer—“Mr. L”—who challenges faculty to build relationships with students outside of the classroom. Check out the episode to hear about the importance of mentoring relationships with students and preparing them for life after academics. Podcast links Show notes “If we work marble, it will perish; if we work upon brass, time will efface it; if we rear temples, they will crumble into dust; but if we work upon immortal minds and instill into them just principles, we are then engraving upon tablets which no time will efface, but will brighten and brighten to all eternity.” –…
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Transform Your Teaching: Servant Teaching with Dr. Tom Hutchison
Reading Time: 1 minuteIn this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared chat with Dr. Tom Hutchison. Dr. Hutchison – who received his PhD in Education from Marquette University and currently teaches in the School of Biblical and Theological Studies at Cedarville University – talks about servant teaching and preparing students for their careers and lives. Check out this episode to hear their conversation keeping instruction student-centered. Podcast links Show notes Dr. Hutchison identified four variables in teaching: teacher, student, content, and context. Our understanding and reflection of each of those can help strengthen our teaching and make us better servant teachers. According to Dr. Hutchison, servant teaching is not necessarily a…