Center for Excellence in TeachingFirst day of class for TAs
A checklist of the content recommended for the first day of holding a section in a new semester. The checklist is appropriate for both classroom and online courses.
Resources: TAs
Effective groupwork
A collection of tips for promoting effective groupwork, a sample form for having students in a group evaluate the level of participation form group members, and recommendations for further resources.
Discussion forum best practices: an introduction
A robust primer on online discussion forum assignments
Use of social media in academic courses
Use of social media platforms in academic courses. Specifically, considering requiring students to post on social media platforms that are not secured by USC, such as through Shibboleth verification.
Tips for recording video lectures
Recommendations for faculty who wish to create instructional videos for use in their courses, oriented toward faculty with little or no experience in video creation. Tips include both important considerations for visual support materials and advice about recording your speaking voice. Also includes a list of digital tools for video creation.
Test question design
A comparison chart of test question types that outlines the purpose of each question type, or why you would elect to use that type of question on a test. The chart also includes tips for writing each type of question. The set of reflection prompts can be used as a final check of each question you have designed.
Student-led discussions for onground and synchronous online classes
A stepwise procedure for implementing student-led discussions, from syllabus design through classroom facilitation. Also included are tips on promoting a positive classroom environment for student-led discussions.
Peer feedback form for group presentations
A sample form for use by students when they are observing other students’ class presentations, focusing on constructive suggestions for improvement.
Icebreakers
An outline of the process for facilitating an icebreaker activity in class, and several icebreaker formats that can be used in onground and online courses.
Collaborating with a librarian
A guide on how to request a USC librarian visit for your class, co-plan the active learning assignment students will work through with the librarian, and sample tasks.