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Tuesday Tips
Meet Dr. Ann McCoy!
The creative mind behind our weekly Tuesday Tips!
With a career in education spanning more than four decades, Ann brings a wealth of
experience as a classroom teacher, mathematics educator, faculty member, and academic
leader. Since joining UCM in 2006, she has served in a variety of roles, including
Chair of the School of Teaching and Learning, Associate Dean, Dean of the College
of Education, and currently Interim Vice Provost of Academic Programs & Graduate Studies.
Each week, Ann draws on her years of teaching and leadership experience to share a
practical Tuesday Tip designed to support UCM faculty. Whether it’s a simple teaching
strategy, a fresh way to engage students, or a reminder that small changes can make
a big difference, her goal is to offer ideas that are easy to use and meaningful for
both faculty and students.
We hope you’ll make Tuesday Tips part of your week and find a few ideas along the
way that inspire your teaching!
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Good morning and happy September!
The term community is used in many contexts but can generally be described as a supportive group in which members have common interests or goals, and feel a sense of belonging. Community building in university classrooms is essential to active student engagement - regardless of course modality. Research has shown developing community in the classroom also leads to greater active participation in dialogue and reflection, and an increase in students taking ownership and responsibility for their learning (Baker, 2010; Berry, 2019; Brown, 2001; Bush et al. 2010; Cowan, 2012; Lohr & Haley, 2018; Sadera et al., 2009). Columbia University’s website provides additional information about the idea of community in the university classroom.
Our UCM The Teaching Toolkit (located on Brightspace and on the DLII website) has a section on Building Community with many easily implemented ideas for you to use. Be sure to take a look! In addition, Faculty Focus, a division of Magna Publications, lists the 15 ideas below for the first five minutes of class to help build community. Intrigued? Here is the article to learn more!
- Play some music
- Greet students as they walk in
- Move the tables and chairs into something other than rows
- Start with epiphanies
- Use entry tickets
- One quote: Five minutes of reflection and discussion
- Quickly create and share something
- Remember those current events
- Bring something important
- Journaling
- Say hi to a neighbor
- Celebrate a success
- Taking the temperature
- Mindfulness activities
- The classic overview
Have a great week!
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