<< A Note for Instructors >>

<< The sample language in this page is intended to streamline the process of communicating with students about flexible engagement elements in your course. It models some of the different approaches instructors can take and how they might present these approaches to students. >>

Flexible Lecture Engagement

All of us process information in different ways. I have shared course lecture content in multiple formats so that you can engage with our lectures in the format that works best for you. On the Canvas page for each video lecture, you’ll see additional links to the following resources:

<< Customize the list below so it reflects what you plan to include in your course >>

• Transcript or Lecture Outline 
• Powerpoint Slides
• Downloadable MP4 audio file

Active Listening and Notetaking Strategies During Lecture

It can be easy to skim written transcripts or zip through videos at double speed without retaining key information in the long run. My goal is to help you learn, and so I strongly encourage you to adopt a system that allows you to be an engaged listener while you interact with lecture content. 

Some examples of templates or strategies you can try:

• << Feel free to add additional notetaking strategies/templates below >>

• • Cornell Note-taking System Overview — see also this Cornell Notes Template
  • Sketchnoting or visual notetaking — see also sketchnoting video overview

You can find additional guidance about balancing your workload in the UW-Madison Tips for Learning Remotely guide.

Optional Comprehension Quizzes

<< Remove this section if you don’t intend to include optional comprehension quizzes in your course. >>

Alongside some of our lectures, you’ll see a link to a comprehension quiz marked “OPTIONAL.” These optional self-checks don’t count toward your grade in any way. I have added these to our course so that you can assess your own understanding of key lecture points. If you answer a question incorrectly, it’s a good idea to re-listen or reread the section of the lecture that covered that point.

Please note that the self-checks aren’t comprehensive: there will be content on the exam that is not included in the optional self-check quizzes.

Flexible Assignment Opportunities

This course is designed to help you achieve a series of learning outcomes.  << Either include a link to your page containing course learning outcomes or re-list them below.>>

I’d like to help you take charge of your own learning process, and I also recognize that we’re all facing a time of strain and tumult that shapes how you might interact with this course. (For instance, your remote learning context may affect whether you’re able to record and upload a video or hold a synchronous meeting with a group of peers.) In many cases, it’s possible for you to achieve the learning outcomes for a particular assignment in multiple different ways. For this reason, I’ve built some flexibility into some of our major assignments for the semester. 

You’ll see that some assignments offer multiple “completion paths.” We’ll talk about this more during class, but the short version is that for these assignments, you’ll be able to choose one of several different approaches to meeting our learning outcomes. 

Flexible Assignment Q/A

Q: Can I design a different approach of my own for completing an assignment?

A: I’m happy to talk with you about your ideas for designing your own assignment completion path. If you’d like to propose a different approach, reach out to me by email to schedule an office hours discussion [within XXX days after we discuss the assignment criteria in class [[OR]] within XXX days before the assignment deadline]. 

During this conversation, we’ll discuss your ideas and see if we can arrive at a plan that allows you to achieve the desired learning outcomes at a level of difficulty that is comparable to the original assignment.