Blog

I blog about educational development, facilitation, and teaching. 

As of March 2018, I am blogging more regularly at isabeauiqbal.com (my coaching site). I will still occasionally blog here.

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Please click on the tags at the bottom of the page (in the black shaded area) if you would like to find a post on a particular theme. For example, to find posts I have tagged with “educational development”, you would click on that word at the bottom of this page.

Photo credit: Colors by Jon Cornwell (CC BY)

  • Helping students incorporate instructor feedback

    Beyond feedback: Developing student capability in complex appraisal (Sadler, 2010). In articles I read about student peer feedback, Sadler’s work is repeatedly referenced–hence my interest in reading this paper. Below are some of my notes from “Beyond feedback: Developing student capability in complex appraisal” by Dr. Royce Sadler. Sadler argues that “regardless of levels of…

  • Don’t end with Q&A when giving a presentation

    I recently had the pleasure of presenting on the topic of peer review of teaching at the “Valuing Teaching” series organized by Simon Fraser University. As I planned for that presentation, I recalled a tip I read in Steal the Show by author Michael Port. In that book, Port suggests that one should not close a…

  • Building rapport with your students

    Building rapport with your students: help them understand their role as active civil participants in the classroom Much has been written about how faculty members can create rapport with their students.  I suspect most of us have had the experience of teaching a class, posing a question and/or seeking a reaction, and getting minimal-to-no response (even after…

  • “I don’t read my student evaluations of teaching”

    At a recent meeting about the evaluation of teaching, a faculty member bravely disclosed: “I don’t read my student evaluations of teaching”. I held my breath as I gauged the reaction of the other committee members, all of whom were in positions of authority/power in their department, faculties, or schools when it came to the…

  • Everyday leadership: How podcasts have contributed to my career transition

    Everyday leadership: How podcasts have contributed to my career transition My career interests have expanded and shifted over the past ~2 years and it has taken me until now to start becoming public about this. Writing this post is a small act of courage: I am claiming and making known my in-transition and growing professional…