One of the most common things I hear from colleagues who seem terrified by DAH is that it requires too much technology, takes too much class time, or just seems too out there for them. This post is for them, or for anyone else that thinks teaching DAH always has to involve computers, the internet, coding, or complicated software. It… Read more →
Category: Flipped Classroom
Gamification, part 2: Jeopardy (over multiple class periods)
I’ve been using jeopardy as a method for exam review for many years. If you can believe it, I remember making a poster board in one of the first classes that I ever taught that students could use. (It involved a lot of tape and papers flaps, and glitter pens). It always is a fun way to review with students… Read more →
Gamification, part 1: Escape Room
It is news to no one who knows me well that I love games. Board games, sudoku, puzzles, jeopardy—you name it, I probably love it. It is not surprising to anyone, least of all me, to learn then that I create a lot of games to play in the classroom. Yes, they are often fun, but more than that they… Read more →
Ditch the Textbook: Now what? An Experiment with StoryMap JS
In a recent post I mentioned that I was planning to ditch my textbook for my large-lecture humanities class. Instead, I am going to make podcasts and videos, and assign primary sources for students to use before or during class. It dawned on me recently that another great option would be to use StoryMap JS to introduce some material as… Read more →
Student-Centered or Teacher-Centered Syllabus?
I have a confession to make: I love making syllabi. There is something exciting about planning a course from the ground up, with all its assignments, readings, and lectures to plan. What do you include or omit? What types of assignment fit well with the class? Why will Project A work better than Project B? The aspect of going on… Read more →
Using Google Sites in a Renaissance Art History Class
This past semester (Spring 2017), I decided to experiment with Google Sites in my Renaissance art history class. Originally I planned to have students create an Omeka exhibition, as I’ve done in the past, but in the spirit of adventure I decided to mix it up. I wanted to experiment with the new Google Sites myself, and I decided to once… Read more →
Creating a new Digital Art History (#DAH) Class
Working with a wonderful colleague this past year, I helped get a digital humanities (#dh) minor approved at Pepperdine. She did the lion’s share of the work, but I was excited by the prospect of creating the new minor to provide students with a foundation in #dh. Plus, it seemed an exciting way to encourage myself to think more about… Read more →
Games/Activities for Review
I am always on the search for new, interesting ways to engage students and break up my lectures into more manageable chunks. This past semester (fall 2016) I was faced with a couple of new challenges that forced me more than ever before to develop in-class activities. I was returning to work full time after a semester of maternity leave… Read more →
Creating Application Activities: Team Based Learning for Art Historians
Creating meaningful and interesting application activities in a team-based learning art history class can be challenging. Some activities will come to you in a single “Aha!” moment, others will take hours of drafting, thinking, and reworking. Then, when you are in the classroom, some activities will work well, while those you think are brilliant and insightful might fail. So… Read more →
Peer Evaluations: Team-Based Learning for Art Historians
[This post has been long in the making…] An important component of team-based learning, or TBL, is the peer evaluations. While TBL has many similarities to the “flipped classroom,” one of the main differences is that TBL factors peer evaluations into students’ final grades. There are plenty of good sources that discuss the process of peer evaluations, so I will… Read more →
Team-Based Learning in Art History: Pros and Cons
In the past year, I’ve become passionate about team-based learning, or TBL. TBL was an attractive pedagogical approach that seemed to go beyond simply flipping the classroom. My home institution decided more than a year ago to offer intensive training in TBL for faculty interested in new teaching methods. While I was writing my book manuscript, I decided I would… Read more →
