Teaching – Joanna "Joni" Dunlap

Random thinking about discussion

Published June 6, 2020

In various conversations about online courses recently, I’ve shared some of my random thoughts about online discussion. Such as… When done well discussion has great value. Engaging in a discussion can help students: explore a diversity of perspectives recognize and investigate their assumptions increase their intellectual agility show respect for others’ voices and experiences develop students’ capacity for clear communication and so on. When planning for a discussion I tend to complete four steps: Start by thinking about the purpose of the discussion. What is my instructional goal? How does it relate to helping students achieve the learning objectives/outcomes. Then…

Taking advantage of students’ technology

Published July 31, 2018

Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigburpsx3/4523460123/ Students carry some powerful technology with them wherever they go, including into the classroom. Because these technologies — such as smartphones — may serve as distractions from what is instructionally happening in the classroom, many faculty are requiring students turn everything off at the start of class. What a loss! Instead, my suggestion is to find ways to use students’ technology in ways that serve the objectives of the class. Here are a few ideas (Note: I suggest you have students in small groups, so that there is the potential for a more balanced distribution of technology…because,…

Promoting academic integrity; or cheating and plagiarizing and bears, oh my!

Published July 31, 2018

Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/granada_turnier/7330551406/ It seems that cheating and plagiarism is still on the minds of many educators. I have rarely had this issue with students (at least to my knowledge). There was the time when I assigned a book review, and received one that had been “lifted” from Amazon.com. That experience taught me a lot about how some students understand academic integrity particularly with regards to the use of digital content resources. Here are a few ideas for managing academic integrity concerns, sorted into three categories: general class management, refocusing student work, and using quizzes and exams. General class management…

John Medina on how the human brain is not built for modern society

Published July 23, 2018

I love John Medina, a developmental molecular biologist and author. I have used his Brain Rules book since it was published, and have had the pleasure of attending his workshops in the past. This is a nice quick view (I mean *listen*) from NPR News that’s a great taste of his work and approach to sharing his work. For more information about John Medina and his work, check out his Brain Rules site. 🙂 What do you think about what he says about learning styles, what the human brain is optimized for and what it isn’t optimized for, classrooms, exercise…

Reliance on visual cues during web conferencing

Published July 23, 2018

Every time I facilitate a live web conference / webinar, I am reminded of how much I rely on the visual cues from the audience. People nodding, taking notes, talking to a neighbor, or even glaring at me with arms crossed across their bodies…those cues give me information that encourages me, informs me, and often redirects me. I am not a good multitasker. So, my other challenge — one commonly expressed by people working in synchronous technology-mediated spaces — is that I want to deliver a smooth presentation while at the same time attend to the high volume of text-based…

Jeremy and other reverberations: The utility of curating enduring stories

Published July 23, 2018

“Jeremy? Why don’t we catch up with our friends now?” I asked as delicately as I could muster. A colleague and I were walking a small group of 3-4 year olds from our temporary preschool building to the neighborhood playground, a daily adventure. I was bringing up the rear to redirect any stragglers. Jeremy was walking slower than the other students who were excitedly hurrying to get to the playground. I waved my colleague on so she knew Jeremy and I would be along momentarily. Jeremy still hadn’t responded, just continued his snail’s pace, staring at the ground around him,…

Guidelines for Infographics Design

Published July 21, 2018

Patrick Lowenthal and I shared design guidelines for infographics based on the results of a research project in the following article and presentation: Dunlap, J. C., & Lowenthal, P. R. (2016). Getting graphic about infographics: Design lessons learned from popular infographics. Journal of Visual Literacy, 35(1), 42-59. https://doi.org/10.1080/1051144X.2016.1205832

Voting a question off the island; or, different ways to think about quizzes and exams

Published July 20, 2018

Given the nature of the courses I teach, I tend to use authentic projects for assessment purposes. However, because of recent conversations with students, I’ve been reconsidering my avoidance of quizzes and exams. What I have heard from students is that quizzes and exams help them gauge their acquisition and comprehension of content, which can be very helpful for formative reasons in advance of project work. These conversations spurred me to reexamine my past uses of quizzes and exams, and explore different ways of structuring quizzes and exams for formative and summative assessment needs. Philosophically, I am more interested in…

Preparing for guest speakers

Published July 20, 2018

I think it is nice to have guest speakers in my classes because they offer different perspectives on topics, and are often much better equipped than I am to talk about how things happen and work in the professional world for which the students are preparing. However, I have found that it can also lead to a lost opportunity if students don’t prepare ahead of time. Guests are only with us for a limited amount of time, and they are coming to class on their own time as a service to the community of practice. It is no fun for…

Category: Teaching