Breadcrumb
Culminating Experience for the Course/Program
A Resource Guide for New Faculty
This guide is designed for faculty who are content experts developing their teaching practice. Resources are organized around three high-impact areas: building community and belonging, helping students understand why content matters, and closing class effectively. Each resource has been selected for its practicality and research grounding.
How to use this guide
- Quick wins (name tents, housekeeping slide, muddiest point, bridge statement) can be implemented in the next class session.
- Early semester moves (syllabus quiz, Brightspace announcements, WIFM hooks) are best set up before or at the start of a term.
- Deeper investments (recommended books, TILT framework, relevance maps) reward a weekend of reading and modest course redesign.
- Two books worth reading first: Small Teaching by James Lang and Why Don’t Students Like School? by Daniel Willingham. Both are accessible and evidence-based.
Section 8: Culminating Experience for the Course/Program
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Then vs. Now ReflectionAsk students to revisit something they wrote or believed in week 1 (e.g., a pre-assessment or an early discussion post) and reflect on how their thinking has changed. |
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Concept MapHave students create a visual or written map that connects the semester's major topics and shows how ideas build on each other. |
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Course Exit TicketA short, low-stakes final reflection collected on the last day or during finals week. You can ask what they'll take with them, one lingering question, one piece of feedback for you. In an online course, this can be submitted as an assignment. |
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Acknowledge the GroupDuring the class period, summarize what the class accomplished together. In an online class, this can be done as an announcement during the last week. |
