Glossary
- Active Learning : Active learning refers to educational
processes in which students are not passive participants in learning.
On one end of the spectrum, this might mean simple activities such as
minute papers, where students write a short reflection. On the
opposite end, this might include course-based research, where students
spend most of their time researching.
- Scientific teaching : Scientific teaching refers to
using the scientific process to understand pedagogy. An instructor
using scientific teaching incorporates methods, such as active
learning, that have been shown effective for communicating material
and including more students.
- Backwards design : Backwards design refers to writing
learning outcomes before starting to design activities, lectures, and
assessments. This technique can help the instructor design a cohesive
course.
- Inclusive Teaching: Inclusive teaching refers to
teaching in which instructors understand and respond to dynamics both
inside and outside the classroom that shape learners’ classroom
experience and ability to learn. The next three terms in this glossary
are all components of inclusive teaching.
- Culturally Competent Teaching : Culturally competent
teaching refers to teaching the ability to successfully teach students
from backgrounds other than the instructor’s own. Culturally competent
instructors will be able to understand factors in the learners’
cultural background that may impact their ability to learn.
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL) : This is adapted
from universal design, a technological concept that includes closed
captioning and accessibility features. Universal design for learning
is the idea of taking these same concepts to apply in the classroom.
Examples of this could include closed captioning video lectures and
providing learning objectives so that students can self-assess their
learning.
- Trauma-informed pedagogy : Trauma informed pedagogy
refers to the practice of understanding the influence of external,
traumatic events on student learning. For example, in the 2020 school
year, US college students learned during a pandemic and, depending on
when the school year ended, civil unrest following widespread racist
violence. Trauma informed pedagogy means understanding how these
events have disrupted the lives of learners and finding ways to
accommodate students.
- Face-to-face learning : Face-to-face classes are those
in which the learners and instructor meet together to deliver course
materials in person.
- Synchronous online learning : Synchronous teaching,
broadly, refers to a situation in which the instructor and the
learners are logged into a platform to conduct lecture or activities
together at an appointed time.
- Asynchronous online learning : Asynchronous learning
refers to a situation where students and faculty do not log on to a
platform at the same time. This could mean students view lectures and
complete activities on their own schedule, or could have a more
structured system of check-ins.
- Hybrid online learning : Hybrid online learning has
some online component to the class, but is not wholly online. An
example could be viewing lecture digitally, but meeting for a
problem-solving activity.
- Hyflex online learning : Hyflex typically involves
having some attendees in the classroom, and some participants online.
In hyflex learning, the online attendees could be determined
beforehand, or who is online and who is in-person could change
throughout the semester.
- Flipped course : Flipped classrooms refer to classrooms
in which students use classroom materials outside class time. This may
refer to watching a video lecture prior to class, or performing a
reading. Class time is then typically used to do activities or
assessments. Hybrid learning classrooms are often implemented as
flipped classrooms.
- Cloud-based platform: These are applications,
services, or resources that are stored on a remote server and are
available to users via an Internet connection. Users can thus access
tools freely from a remote location as long as they have Internet
access.