Archive

New to Teaching

  1. 20+ Icebreakers for College Students: A Guide for Professors [+ Free List]

    A roundup of the best classroom icebreakers to help students connect and collaborate in any course

  2. 8 Ways To Properly Integrate Textbooks Into Your Class

    If I had a dollar for every student who asked me, “Do we really need to get the textbook?” I’d be writing this article in Bali. From a student’s perspective, textbooks and reading assignments can be the worst thing about a course, not just because of cost. My new students grill me about the textbook […]

  3. 8 Do’s and Don’ts For A Great First Week of Class

    Check out these tips on introductions, icebreakers and first lectures

  4. 7 Tips For a Successful First Lecture

    No matter how comfortable you are teaching in the classroom, these tips will help you deliver engaging and high-quality presentations

  5. 6 Higher Ed Events You Won’t Want To Miss in 2021

    Conferences and webinars that will help you connect with other innovative educators, learn about engaging course design and find new ways to engage your students

  6. Hybrid, Blended or HyFlex: Which Is the Right Fit for You?

    Online teaching isn’t going away. Here’s how to triage which modality is the most effective for you and your students.

  7. 6 Ways to Level the Playing Field for Every Student

    Give all learners the same opportunity to succeed by adjusting your syllabus, communication style and course policies

  8. What an Effective Letter of Recommendation Looks Like: A Guide for Professors

    Well-crafted letters of recommendation can open doors for students pursuing extracurricular, professional and personal development opportunities

  9. The Ultimate Summer 2021 Reading List for Professors

    Top books to help you prioritize engagement, inclusivity and your own well-being in the months ahead

  10. 3 Ways to Balance Your Workload With Student Needs

    Innovative educators share their advice for putting student success at the forefront—without risking burnout

  11. 5 Productivity Tools to Enhance Course Organization and Preparation

    Combat distractions and procrastination as a professor by using these tools designed to help you save time and increase productivity

  12. How Professors Can Master Presenting In The Classroom

    One professor discusses some top tips for presenting course material to today's students in an effective and engaging way

  13. What Professors Should Know About Preparing For A Course

    From choosing a textbook to creating tests and exams to designing in-class participation activities, Top Hat makes it easy to prepare for your course

  14. 4 Learning Myths Every Professor Needs to Know

    Myths can be harmful. Confronting neuromyths about learning will help educators pursue a primary mandate they share with doctors: do no harm

  15. 6 Ways Professors Can Combat Cheating in the Classroom

    From incorporating open-book testing, to utilizing secure online assessment technology, there are a number of ways professors can prevent cheating in their courses

  16. How To Spot Struggling Students Early and Help Them Succeed

    Karen Quevillon teaches writing and literature, online and in-class, across several colleges in Ontario, Canada. Here, she explains how you can anticipate students who might drop out by structuring your course well and learning when to reach out.

  17. 5 Strategies for Improving Your Course Evaluation Results

    There are good reasons colleges conduct student course evaluations, though you might be forgetting them as you skim through your results. Were these students in the same classroom as you? How should you understand the comment that describes your delivery as “strict”? And what importance will college administrators attach to the finding that 22 percent […]

  18. 5 Innovative Professors On The Future of Higher Ed

    Top Hat’s panel of innovative educators have one piece of advice for rookie educators eager to start afresh in 2019—try something new, but slow down. “This is your domain, and you get to choose how you want to instruct students,” says Leslie Sprunger, associate professor at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “Be willing […]

  19. Reflective Teaching: Some Tips To Get Started

    Some days, students respond well to your lesson; other days you can’t seem to get through. That’s where reflective teaching can help. As the term suggests, reflective teaching is thinking about what you’re teaching, and why you’re teaching it. But it goes a step beyond that. It’s about collecting and analyzing that data — exploring […]

  20. How to Become an Adjunct Professor

    If you love to teach and have a passion for your industry, you may want to consider part-time work in higher education. Here’s how to become an adjunct professor. In this role, you teach courses just like a professor with tenure, but without the same responsibilities (or pay). Typically, an adjunct professor is an educator […]