Tips for Finishing the Semester Strong
By: Martha Diede, Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence
In just a few weeks, we’ll complete this semester. Students will have to submit their final work for your classes and for their other classes. Everyone will be working, teaching, and learning remotely, which might not offer the optimal environment. So how can we finish well together? A few suggestions:
Remind learners to start their semester-end projects if they haven’t already.
Review your course outcomes.
Have students produced work that demonstrates meeting those outcomes?
If so, do you require a final exam?
Could learners work on a small project to help them cement their learning in your course?
Could you ask learners to apply course concepts to a real-life challenge?
What might learners suggest as a way to demonstrate that they have achieved the learning outcomes?
What ideas do they have for showing what they have learned and are able to do?
Can you design a small assessment that will give learners the opportunity to demonstrate their learning?
Remind learners to remain in contact with you as they transition to remote learning. Establish a single method of communication. (Blackboard announcements is a great choice.) Set some expectations: for example, "I'll answer emails regularly, but never after 5 pm on weekdays, and rarely on weekends."
Think about your class time as a way for learners to connect with you and with each other. As everyone transitions to remote teaching and learning, build some time for connection into your plans if possible.
If you haven't yet, consider suggesting that your students set up class buddies – another person in the class who can help to confirm deadlines, compare notes, and share course navigation tips and tricks.
Regardless of how you plan to have students finalize their work for the semester, having them reflect on this experience and the ways in which they participated in their learning process can be a powerful learning tool. Ask them to address writing or discussion prompts such as
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