Storytelling is a perpetual teaching and learning strategy. The practice has been commonly communicated by way of individual experiences, observations and didactics. Higher education learners largely praise knowledge gained from astute anecdotes. The following information will highlight effective methods of classroom study. (Click post title to continue reading)
I start each class by asking students to (anonymously) write the answer to a simple question: "Why are you here?" Students typically look up with a confused expression; they anticipated a discussion on the syllabus and how to get an "A." (Click on post title to continue reading)
I thought about this paraphrase of Mark Twain as I was participating in a recent Faculty Senate meeting. The word “communication” was mentioned several times. The Senate was discussing, among other issues, the need for better communication among and between the various Touro constituencies. (Click post title to continue reading)
Over the past 20 years, professors in higher education (particularly those in science, technology, engineering, and medical fields) have seen a gradual exodus away from purely didactic educational experiences to those that embrace more active learning strategies. This emphasis on active learning aims to help our students practice both critical and clinical thinking skills in the classroom, before they leave the structured college environment and move into their experiential rotations. It is imperative that we give students the opportunity to learn and practice these “thinking” skills before they are released to rotations where they will encounter patients with complex problems. With the large volume of information pharmacy students need to be successful in practice, the Touro College of Pharmacy professors have accepted that it is not possible to present all of this information in their years of study at the college. We are increasing the amount of active learning in the classroom and fostering accountability for students to prepare for class ahead of time. After making this transition last year, I reflected on how I transformed my material from a traditional to a flipped classroom model, and the results I saw from my efforts.
Imagine an online course where the participants are in different states or countries. How does one engage students in the learning process? How do we ensure that all students meet the learning outcomes? How do we facilitate project-based activities inclusive of oral presentations in the virtual classroom? These are questions I have asked myself on occasion. (Click post title to continue reading)
Here at the Graduate School of Social Work we are in the process of developing fully-online courses, both asynchronous and synchronous, to supplement our traditional in-class offerings. Social Work, like other human service professions, requires not only didactic facts and information but also practice skills, appropriate dispositions and attitudes, and practical experience. I was very concerned, even anxious, that these important “soft skills” may not be able to be effectively taught online but I was eager to explore. Accordingly, I developed and taught an online clinical practice elective over the summer semester and would like to share my experiences. (Click on post title to continue reading)
As participants in Touro College Academy of Leadership and Management (TCALM) inaugural class of 2018, we were charged with developing and planning a project that would support the mission, vision, value and strategic plan of Touro College and University System (TCUS). Dr. Tamie Proscia-Lieto asks, “What do you get when you put a Doctor, a Dentist, a Physical Therapist and a Nurse?” An Interprofessional Team!!! (Click post title to continue reading)