Tools and Resources

This document was created to provide you with a source of options for gathering data on teamwork assignments and projects. You may choose to adopt one of the examples as is, combine elements from several of the examples, or use the examples to identify characteristics that correspond to particular aspects of your assigned work, course content, or student population.

In-depth discussion of planning and writing a case study. Key steps discussed include identifying the reason for using a case study; drafting the case; and piloting and revising it.

This document describes a specific strategy that provides a collaborative learning experience for students.

This document offers a nice overview of Inquiry Based Learning.

This two-page handout provides a basic explanation of how to make and use rubrics to improve grading. Print references included.

Brief explanation of several easy-to-use Classroom Assessment Techniques, with examples.

This report focuses on using student ratings data in the faculty evaluation process and is based on Linse's 2017 peer-reviewed publication, with additions specific to Penn State and the SRTEs. Linse, A. R. (2017). Interpreting and using student ratings data: Guidance for faculty serving as administrators and on evaluation committees. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 54, 94–106; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2016.12.004.

This FAQ sheet addresses many issues related to attendance in large classes.

Three examples of simple mid-semester feedback questionnaires.

A handout that provides information and exercises on how to plan an effective class session.

This PowerPoint presentation describes how to us item analysis to determine the efficacy of multiple choice questions.

What the Best College Teachers Do
Ken Bain, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA (2004)
The publication, What the Best College Teachers Do, is based on a fifteen-year study of nearly one hundred college teachers from various fields and universities. Author Ken Bain tries to “capture the collective scholarship of some of the best teachers in the United States, to record not just what they think, but most of all, to begin to conceptualize their practices.” In this book, you will find insights on how to engage and challenge students

This PowerPoint presentations describes the instrument called the Perceived Difficulty Assessment Questionnaire and provides its theoretical background. A few examples of its use are also included.

This document, excerpted from the Penn State Teacher II, includes strategies for planning, implementing, and grading collaborative projects (aka team work or group work). It includes a discussion of group conflicts.

Penn State Teacher II 1997. Compendium of teaching tips and advice from seasoned faculty and graduate students. Includes sections on Course design, matching teaching methods with learning objectives, teaching large courses, evaluating student learning, collecting feedback, sample syllabi, feedback questionaires, grading standards, plagiarism, teaching philosophies.
Authored by D. Enerson, R. Neill Johnson, Susannah Milner, and Kathryn M. Plank.