Center for Teaching,
Learning and Assessment
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Welcome back and looking forward ...
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Faculty choose what they need in Ramp Up program
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This winter, Ramp Up to Instruction offers OHIO faculty dedicated time to enhance their upcoming semester courses in a more flexible way. Previously, workshops spanned six hours over three days, but now faculty can choose from 18 focused, a la carte sessions designed to fit their schedules.
Each 30-minute workshop includes 10–12 minutes of strategically targeted professional development followed by time for questions and hands-on practice.
Faculty experts and staff from the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment, the Office of Instructional Design and University Libraries will lead the interactive sessions that focus on elevating course design and delivery. Whether refining assessments, incorporating GenAI or boosting student engagement, these workshops provide practical strategies that instructors can implement immediately. Registration is linked below.
Ramp Up Session Schedule
Monday, Dec. 8
Tuesday, Dec. 9
Wednesday, Dec. 10
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How to improve student evaluation of teaching response rates
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On Saturday, student evaluations of instruction (SETs) were released to students enrolled in full-semester courses and courses that end at the term’s conclusion. As a reminder, SETs released include three mandated questions, as well as questions determined by departments and/or colleges.
New instructions for SETs encourage students to focus on providing constructive feedback and remind students that their feedback is anonymous but that should they provide personal or very specific details, their instructor may be able to identify them.
Faculty may track student response rates for their classes in the Blue SET system at http://my-ohio.bluera.com/. Here are some tips for increasing response rates during this administrative window:
- Take some time to explain the purpose of SET feedback and how you have used the information in the past to make refinements to your courses. Students then understand that the time they take to fill out the surveys has an impact.
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Dedicate five to 10 minutes at the beginning or end of the class for students to complete the surveys. (Note: If you do it at the beginning of class, they are less tempted to leave without completing SETs.) Explain that feedback is anonymous and, if possible, leave the room while they complete the surveys. In an online course, allow for some synchronous session time if that is available.
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Send email through and/or post announcements to Canvas with friendly reminders for students. Consider beginning, “Your feedback helps me improve X or consider Y.”
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Offer collective incentives to the class when they achieve completion goals. For example, if 80% of students complete SETs, everyone might receive a bonus study guide or a bonus point. Of course, the incentive depends on department/college policy and practice.
Faculty will receive SET results a few days following submission of grades. CTLA staff are happy to consult with individual faculty, faculty teams or departments on use of student feedback to refine instructional approaches.
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Turnitin offers Draft Coach to students |
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) recently announced that Draft Coach is now available to Ohio University faculty, staff and students as an add-on in Microsoft Word Online.
This tool is provided by Turnitin and offers students real-time feedback on grammar and mechanics and allows them to run a similarity check before submitting work. Turnitin suggests the tool helps students build confidence, catch citation issues early and avoid unintentional plagiarism. Drafts aren’t saved to Turnitin’s database, so using the tool won’t trigger future similarity flags.
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SAVE THE DATE for Spotlight 2026 |
The Spotlight on Learning Conference is springing forward next semester. Mark your calendars for Friday, Feb. 13.
The Spotlight on Learning Conference is a project of the Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Committee. The SoL Conference brings together OHIO faculty, staff and the larger teaching and learning community to highlight models of teaching excellence by sharing examples of highly effective instructional practice, outlining strong approaches to assessing student learning and evaluating instruction, and providing methods for implementing, investigating, assessing and researching teaching innovation.
The 2026 Spotlight on Learning theme is "Navigating Change with Confidence."
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