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CanvasStart with backward designPlan your course from outcomes, not from the files you happen to have.BlackboardStart with backward designPlan your course from outcomes, not from the files you happen to have.CanvasWrite measurable learning objectivesTurn fuzzy goals into objectives you can observe, teach to, and grade.BlackboardWrite measurable learning objectivesTurn fuzzy goals into objectives you can observe, teach to, and grade.CanvasSketch your course mapLay out the whole term on one page before you build anything.BlackboardSketch your course mapLay out the whole term on one page before you build anything.CanvasYour course shell and navigationGet oriented in an empty course and decide what students see.BlackboardYour course and its navigationGet oriented in an empty course and decide what students see.CanvasCourse settings that matterThe handful of settings important to set before students arrive.BlackboardCourse availability and key settingsThe handful of settings important to set before students arrive.CanvasHome page and syllabusGive students a clear front door and a syllabus they can use.BlackboardYour entry point and syllabusGive students a clear front door and a syllabus they can use.CanvasOrganize for your modalityChoose how to organize your course based on how you teach it.BlackboardOrganize for your modalityChoose how to organize your course based on how you teach it.CanvasBuild with Modules and PagesBuild your course body with structured units instead of decontextualized files.BlackboardBuild with Learning Modules and DocumentsBuild your course body with structured units instead of decontextualized files.CanvasPace with requirements and prerequisitesDecide what students can see and when, and guide them through it in order.BlackboardPace with release conditionsDecide what students can see and when, and guide them through it in order.CanvasCreate assignmentsCreate assignments with clear instructions and the right submission settings.BlackboardCreate assignmentsCreate assignments with clear instructions and the right submission settings.CanvasBuild quizzes and testsBuild assessments that are fair and aligned to your objectives.BlackboardBuild testsBuild assessments that are fair and aligned to your objectives.CanvasDiscussions and rubricsSet up discussions for real interaction and rubrics to grade fairly and fast.BlackboardDiscussions and rubricsSet up discussions for real interaction and rubrics to grade fairly and fast.CanvasChoose your grading schemeSet up an honest grading scheme before any grades post.BlackboardChoose your grading schemeSet up an honest grading scheme before any grades post.CanvasAdd gradebook items, including work done outside the LMSCreate the columns your course needs, including for in-person and offline work.BlackboardAdd gradebook items, including work done outside the LMSCreate the columns your course needs, including for in-person and offline work.CanvasHeadings, structure, and link textStructure pages with real headings and write link text that makes sense on its own.BlackboardHeadings, structure, and link textStructure pages with real headings and write link text that makes sense on its own.CanvasImages, color, and contrastMake images and color choices that work for every student.BlackboardImages, color, and contrastMake images and color choices that work for every student.CanvasCaptions and accessible documentsCaption your media and make the documents you upload accessible too.BlackboardCaptions and accessible documentsCaption your media and make the documents you upload accessible too.CanvasCheck your work before you publishBuild accessibility in as you go, then confirm it with the built-in tools.BlackboardCheck your work before you publishBuild accessibility in as you go, then confirm it with the built-in tools.CanvasSet up announcementsPlan announcements in advance and schedule them to post on their own.BlackboardSet up announcementsPlan announcements in advance and schedule them to post on their own.CanvasInbox and CalendarSet up in-course messaging and let due dates fill the calendar.BlackboardMessages and CalendarSet up in-course messaging and let due dates fill the calendar.CanvasSet up automated alerts and messagesLet the LMS watch for trouble and reach out, so you do not have to track it by hand.BlackboardSet up automated alerts and messagesLet the LMS watch for trouble and reach out, so you do not have to track it by hand.CanvasStudent View and publishingSee your course as a student, then make it visible with confidence.BlackboardStudent Preview and availabilitySee your course as a student, then make it visible with confidence.CanvasReuse a course and shift datesBring a course into a new term, import one from another system, and move every date.BlackboardReuse a course and shift datesBring a course into a new term, import one from another system, and move every date.CanvasEnd-of-term housekeepingClose out a term cleanly and set up the next one for success.BlackboardEnd-of-term housekeepingClose out a term cleanly and set up the next one for success.AI literacyHow generative AI works, and does notUnderstand what these tools are doing under the hood so you can judge their output.AI literacyWhat it does well, and where it failsMatch the tool to tasks it is good at, and know where it breaks.AI literacyBias, privacy, and what not to shareTwo cautions every instructor should carry into any use of these tools.AI literacyWhy AI detectors are unreliableThe evidence on detection tools, and why they cannot anchor your integrity plan.AI literacyThe cost of a detection-first approachWhy building your course around catching cheaters backfires.AI literacyRedesign over detectionThe thesis of this course: change the work, not the surveillance.AI literacyMake the task authenticDesign work that connects to real contexts a generic tool cannot fake.AI literacyMake thinking visibleAssess the path, not just the destination, so the work shows its reasoning.AI literacyLocalize and personalizeAnchor work in the here and now of your class and your students.AI literacyFrom product to processRebalance grades so the process carries real weight.AI literacyScaffold, draft, reflectThree reliable moves that build learning and resist outsourcing at once.AI literacyAlternative and authentic assessmentsSometimes the best response to AI is a different kind of evidence.AI literacyThe resistant-to-integrated spectrumDecide, per assignment, where it should sit on the AI spectrum.AI literacyWhen and how to allow AIProductive, disclosed AI use can serve learning when you set the terms.AI literacyDesigning AI-integrated assignmentsAssignments where using AI well is the skill being taught.AI literacyTeaching students to evaluate AI outputA core literacy: judging whether AI output is any good.AI literacyDisclosure and citationSet a clear, simple norm for acknowledging AI use.AI literacyWrite a clear, tiered policyA good AI policy is specific, tiered, and easy to follow.AI literacyCommunicate and model expectationsA policy only works if students understand and trust it.AI literacyAlign with institution and state guidanceMake sure your course policy fits the rules where you teach.AI literacyDraft course materials with a human checkUse AI to speed your own prep, with you as the editor of record.AI literacyUse AI for accessibility groundworkAI can help with first-pass accessibility, with a human finishing the job.AI literacyThe privacy rule for your own useOne firm line: keep student data out of public tools.AI literacyAccess and cost disparitiesAI access is uneven, and your course design should account for it.AI literacyBias and over-relianceTwo access-and-fairness risks to name with students directly.AI literacyKeep human judgment centralThe through-line: people, not tools, do the teaching and learning.Teaching foundationsStart with backward designPlan your course from outcomes, not from the materials you happen to have.Teaching foundationsWrite measurable learning objectivesTurn fuzzy goals into objectives you can observe, teach to, and grade.Teaching foundationsBuild your course mapLay out the whole term on one page before you build anything.Teaching foundationsSet objectives for a single sessionBring the same outcome-first thinking down to one class period.Teaching foundationsStructure a class sessionA simple, repeatable shape for a productive class.Teaching foundationsManage time and pacingPlan the clock so the important work happens.Teaching foundationsWhy active learning worksThe evidence for getting students to do, not just listen.Teaching foundationsActive learning techniques that travelA handful of low-prep moves that work in almost any class.Teaching foundationsQuestioning and participationGet more students thinking and talking, not just the usual few.Teaching foundationsThe three UDL principlesA practical framework for designing a course that works for more students.Teaching foundationsMultiple ways to engage and representConcrete ways to offer more than one path into the material.Teaching foundationsUDL and accessibility togetherHow design for many and access for specific needs reinforce each other.Teaching foundationsSet norms and expectationsEstablish how the class will work before problems arise.Teaching foundationsDecide your policies, and apply them fairlySet policies you can defend and apply consistently.Teaching foundationsHandle disruption and difficult momentsRespond to friction in ways that keep the class on track.Teaching foundationsFormative and summative assessmentUse low-stakes checks to guide learning, not just high-stakes grades.Teaching foundationsWrite fair, valid assessmentsAssess what you taught, in a form that measures it well.Teaching foundationsRubrics and feedback that improve learningMake expectations explicit and feedback usable.Teaching foundationsMake expectations clear and transparentSpell out the purpose, task, and criteria so every student can succeed.Teaching foundationsBuild a supportive class climateStudents who feel they belong learn and participate more.Teaching foundationsReach a range of studentsDesign so students with different preparation and circumstances can all learn.Teaching foundationsDesign for academic integrityReduce misconduct through how you build the work, not only how you police it.Teaching foundationsTalk with students about integritySet expectations clearly and treat integrity as part of learning.Teaching foundationsStudent privacy and FERPA basicsThe basics every instructor should know about protecting student information.Learning theoriesHow memory worksA simple model of memory that explains a lot about how students learn.Learning theoriesCognitive load theoryWorking memory is small, so how you present material matters.Learning theoriesRetrieval and spaced practiceTwo of the best-supported findings in the science of learning.Learning theoriesBehaviorismLearning shaped by consequences, and what it still offers teaching.Learning theoriesFeedback and practiceWhy timely feedback and repeated practice drive skill.Learning theoriesConstructivismStudents build understanding; they do not simply receive it.Learning theoriesSocial constructivism and the ZPDLearning is social, and the right support stretches what students can do.Learning theoriesExperiential learningLearning through a cycle of experience and reflection.Learning theoriesSelf-efficacy and social learningBelieving you can succeed shapes whether you try, and students learn by watching.Learning theoriesMotivation: self-determination and valueWhat drives students to engage, and how teaching can support it.Learning theoriesGrowth and fixed mindsetWhat students believe about ability affects how they respond to difficulty.Learning theoriesAdult learning and andragogyHow adult learners differ, and what it asks of your teaching.Learning theoriesMetacognition and self-regulated learningHelping students plan, monitor, and adjust their own learning.Learning theoriesA caution: the learning styles mythA popular idea the evidence does not support, and what to do instead.Classroom managementSet the climate and expectationsHow you start shapes how the term runs, so set the tone on day one.Classroom managementRoutines and the physical roomPredictable routines and a deliberate room reduce friction all term.Classroom managementPresence and authority without harshnessCalm, fair authority earns cooperation better than toughness does.Classroom managementEngagement as preventionThe best classroom management is a class worth paying attention to.Classroom managementFair policies, consistently appliedClear policies you apply the same way for everyone prevent most conflicts.Classroom managementReading the room and acting earlyCatch small problems while they are still small.Classroom managementResponding to minor disruptionsLow-key responses to talking, phones, and lateness keep the class on track.Classroom managementPersistent or defiant behaviorA calm, documented, escalating response for the rare hard case.Classroom managementDevices and attentionA clear, reasonable device approach prevents a recurring battle.Classroom managementFacilitating sensitive or contested topicsPrepare the ground so hard discussions stay productive.Classroom managementDe-escalating in the momentWhat to do when a discussion gets heated.Classroom managementSupporting a student in distressRespond with calm and care, stay in your role, and connect them to help.Classroom managementSafety, your limits, and looking after yourselfKnow when to involve campus safety, and tend to yourself after a hard day.Fill Your CupYou cannot pour from an empty cupCaring for yourself is not selfish. It is how you keep showing up for your students.Fill Your CupNoticing when you are running lowBurnout creeps in quietly. Learning your own early signs helps you catch it with kindness.Fill Your CupLetting go of the guiltYou do not have to earn rest. Caring for yourself helps everyone you care for.Fill Your CupBoundaries that holdKind, clear boundaries protect the energy you need for the work and people you love.Fill Your CupThe myth of doing it allYou were never meant to do everything perfectly. Good enough is often exactly enough.Fill Your CupGuarding your timeProtect time for rest and for what matters, the way you would protect a class meeting.Fill Your CupReal restRest is not laziness, and there is more than one kind. Give yourself the kind you need.Fill Your CupMove, eat, breatheGentle care for your body steadies everything else. No perfection required.Fill Your CupSmall daily refillsYou do not need a vacation to refill. Tiny moments of joy, gathered daily, add up.Fill Your CupBe kind to yourselfSpeak to yourself the way you would speak to a struggling student or a dear friend.Fill Your CupTending your emotionsHard days deserve to be felt and processed, not bottled up until they spill.Fill Your CupReconnecting with your whyWhen teaching feels heavy, remembering why you came to it can refill you.Fill Your CupLeaning on your peopleYou were never meant to do this alone. Community refills what solitude cannot.Fill Your CupKnowing when to reach for moreSometimes self-care is not enough, and reaching for professional support is the brave, right choice.First day of classWhat the first day is really forThe first day sets the trajectory. Use it to do more than hand out a syllabus.First day of classPrepare the essentialsA little preparation prevents the small disasters that undercut a strong start.First day of classDesign a first day worth showing up forPlan an actual first class, not just a policy reading.First day of classSetting the toneWarm and businesslike at once. The tone you set on day one tends to stick.First day of classBuilding rapport and belongingStudents who feel they belong on day one are more likely to engage and stay.First day of classLearning and using namesKnowing students' names is one of the simplest, most powerful first-day moves.First day of classMake the syllabus useful, not a recitationCover what students truly need, and let them read the rest.First day of classEstablish expectations and normsSet out how the class will run while everyone is listening.First day of classHandle the logistics and questionsClear up the practical details so students can focus on learning.First day of classA first-day activity that sets the patternDo something active on day one so students learn how the class will work.First day of classSurface what students bringFind out what students already know and care about, and use it.First day of classEnd the first class, and first week, with momentumClose strong and carry the energy into a well-planned first week.Course qualityWhat course quality meansCourse quality is mostly about design: is the course clear, aligned, accessible, fair, and engaging?Course qualityThe major quality frameworksYou do not have to invent quality standards. Established frameworks already define them.Course qualityHow a course review worksA review can be your own, a peer's, or formal, and it works best when it is supportive.Course qualityAlignment is the heart of qualityAlignment, outcomes to assessments to activities, is the single most important quality dimension.Course qualityCheck your objectivesQuality starts with objectives that are measurable, visible, and worth aiming at.Course qualityCheck that assessments measure your objectivesConfirm that every assessment measures an objective, and every objective is measured.Course qualityA clear overview and starting pointA quality course tells students clearly where to begin and how it works.Course qualityOrganization and findabilityStudents should be able to find what they need without hunting.Course qualityClear instructions and expectationsClear instructions and expectations are a quality standard, not a nicety.Course qualityAssessment qualityQuality assessment is varied, fair, transparent, and supported by rubrics.Course qualityFeedback qualityQuality feedback is timely, specific, and usable by students.Course qualityIntegrity by designA quality course designs for integrity rather than relying on policing.Course qualityAccessibility as a quality standardAccessibility is a core quality standard in every major framework.Course qualityEngagement and interactionQuality courses are engaging: students do, interact, and stay involved.Course qualityFrom review to improvementA review is only useful if it leads to changes. Turn findings into priorities.Course qualityWhy online courses need their own reviewOnline courses carry quality dimensions that in-person courses handle in the room.Course qualityOnline structure, navigation, and getting startedOnline, structure, navigation, and a clear start carry weight they do not in person.Course qualityPresence, interaction, and online accessibilityOnline quality depends on instructor presence, real interaction, and accessibility.
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