Center for Excellence in TeachingTips for Designing Grading Rubrics
A collection of tips for instructors who are developing rubrics for grading their assignments.
Resources: Course design
Pedagogical planning for residential experiences
Examples of how residential experiences may be planned, and a list of considerations for instructors who will be teaching residential experiences—meaning that they will teach students in person in a physical classroom at least part of the time during the semester and following university and departmental guidelines for physical distancing.
Open-book or take-home exams online
Considerations for administering exams online as open-book or take-home exams.
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.
Writing course-specific policies
A description of the process for writing or revising course-specific policies, and examples of communication, technology, and in-class work policies.
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.
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.
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.
Supporting diverse student populations
An overview of the considerations relevant to supporting diverse student populations when designing a course, as well as important USC resources for support of diversity.