Faculty
Staff
Kim Welch is an instructional designer with a strong emphasis toward learner experience (LX) design. She has an Ed.D. in learning technologies, an M.A. in Linguistics, and a B.A. in French. She has worked in the U.S., Morocco, and China as a language instructor, a higher education teacher developer, and an instructional designer.
This blog was inspired by two young boys. The first, an 8 year old, really wanted a cheeseburger, so he went to YouTube and taught himself to drive. He drove past four intersections and some train tracks with complete control of the vehicle–perhaps even more rule-abiding than the average driver. He was caught at the
This semester has been a tough one for my students. We had illness, car accidents, senior capstone stress, and the typical spring fever–all of which brought a great deal of anxiety into my already-difficult class. As their teacher, I know I’m supposed to maintain a certain amount of rigor in the content and assessment of
Have you ever tried to talk to someone who is facing away from you? From a body language standpoint, it certainly doesn’t facilitate much discussion. Unfortunately, in traditional classrooms with heavy/bolted desks and chairs, this is the typical view of anyone sitting behind the first row. Luckily, at Chapman University, we’re adding improved flexibility into several
As a learning technologist, I often get asked, “What is the best tool for ____ [fill in the blank]?” Many don’t like my answer, which is usually, “It depends.” Case in point: If you were to ask me, what is the best tool for polling? My answer would be, “It depends.” Then, I would have
This YouTube video created by EDUCAUSE has me thinking that after hundreds and even thousands of years, we still don’t have a grasp on our assessments. Even some of our education thought leaders have a hard time defining what learning is. This video acknowledges the struggle of trying to assess learning and it suggests that
This semester has been a tough one for my students. We had illness, car accidents, senior capstone stress, and the typical spring fever–all of which brought a great deal of anxiety into my already-difficult class. As their teacher, I know I’m supposed to maintain a certain amount of rigor in the content and assessment of
Collaborative learning is a pedagogical method often used to help students build advanced skills with material by using a social learning model. It is based in social learning theory, such as Lev Vygotsky’s foundational ideas on the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) (summarized, this means the learning one can achieve by being paired with and
As I referenced in a recent blog post, self-determined learners with the motivation, drive, and resources can teach themselves amazing things online. (See the blog here about two boys who taught themselves skills such as driving a car and speaking English.) What does this mean for the future of learning and the future of the
This blog was inspired by two young boys. The first, an 8 year old, really wanted a cheeseburger, so he went to YouTube and taught himself to drive. He drove past four intersections and some train tracks with complete control of the vehicle–perhaps even more rule-abiding than the average driver. He was caught at the
Prior to the Information Age, teachers were expected to stand at a podium and expound upon topics that were otherwise out of reach to the students. Since the last part of the 20th century, instructors have felt a shift from being the information hub to being the architects who must gather the various informational materials
TPACK, meaning Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge, is an acronym brought to us by Mishra and Koehler’s (2006; 2009) studies on instructors’ abilities to combine their content knowledge with adequate knowledge of best pedagogies for teaching and best technologies to support learning. Most instructors in higher education have not had the benefit of formal pedagogy and technology
Perhaps you’ve heard of midterm evaluations, but you’re not sure if they’re effective and you don’t know how to implement them. Here are some points and tips to help you understand the reasons for gathering feedback by the middle of your course and the ways it can be done. Why should I get
The Self-Determined Learner 
Calming the Anxious Student 
Using Flexible Classrooms, part 1 
Finding the one…(technology) 
Measuring Learning 
Technology to Support Collaborative Learning 
The Future of Learning 
Choosing the right teaching method 
How do you pack your TPACK? 
Midterm Evaluations