Teaching Your Course Effectively

Inviting Student Support Areas to Class

• NIC offers a variety of student support services, including financial aid, advising, writing, math or research support, career services, connections with Indigenous Elders and more, to students at no charge.
• In addition to sharing this information via your Brightspace course (via the Student Supports Module you need to add) or in your outlines, you can also invite people from these areas to speak with your students.

2.

Supporting Students Experiencing Challenges

• Students may experience academic or personal challenges during their learning journey.
• NIC offers many services to help students address these difficulties.
• Faculty are encouraged to refer students to the Early Assist program or to remind them other supports available.
• Resource for Instructors: Student Support and Early Intervention: The Early Assist Program (SharePoint Internal Site – Login From External)
• Resource for Students: NIC Webpage – Student Support and Early Intervention: The Early Assist Program

3.

Meeting Drop Deadlines and Course Expectations

• In a post-secondary education setting there are numerous dates to remember, especially those that pertain to student outcomes.
• Registration timelines, if not met, may hold implications for a student continuing in a program.
• Similarly, if a student wishes to withdraw from a course, the drop date is also important to avoid academic penalty.
• Resource: NIC Policy 4-09 Registration

Giving Students Feedback

• Feedback is so important to learning.
• Providing good quality information to learners deepens their understanding of course material by helping them to pinpoint their strengths and areas for improvement.
• It provides specific insights into their performance and can enhance academic skills.
• Resource: Teach Anywhere Page – Delivering and Receiving Feedback

Getting Informal Feedback During the Course

• You can make your teaching more effective and responsive to students’ needs by soliciting informal feedback from them.
• Consider getting mid-point feedback to help students currently enrolled and end-of-term feedback to help you to reflect on your teaching for next time.
• Resource: Teach Anywhere Course Feedback Surveys

Reflecting on the Course

• Reflective practice in post-secondary education refers to an ongoing cyclical  process where educators critically scrutinize their teaching practice.
• This process involves thought, time, and a desire to enhance quality student learning.
• Reflection is a process that helps us to make meaning of a situation or event and supports instructors to grow and deepen their understanding of themselves and their teaching approaches.
• There are numerous ways to support you as you begin/continue the process of reflection.
• Resource: Teach Anywhere Page – Reflective Practice