According to Inside Higher Ed's Rob Weir:

There are (at least) seven flavors of problem students:

1. The brownnoser
2. The polymath
3. The pulseless
4. The diverter
5. The pariah
6. The defiant
7. The unprepared

The full explanation of each type and how to deal with them are below.  Effective classroom management means knowing how to deal with each of these types. read more »

"Even if you’re really good, at some point your class is going to suck!"  OK, Rob Weir, your article has grabbed my attention with that opening line.

OK, let's say you've planned a class discussion, and for whatever reason, the entire thing is off track.  No one is participating, or everyone seems bored, or they're just not getting it.  Time to shift gears!

Weir explains several effective strategies:

1. Going on a cruise.  Use the PC or a handheld to surf the web for something--pictures, video, latest news, etc.
2. Shifting the frame.  Split them into small groups and give a short assignment; have them report back results.
3. Playing devil’s advocate.  A time-honored technique.  Be outrageous if need be, and watch the attention perk up again.
4. Assigning a two-minute essay.  This will get the juices flowing.  Brainstorming leads to discussion fodder.
5. Leading a demonstration.  Impromptu, hypothetical, involving students...

These are just paraphrased versions.  The article gives better explanations and examples.  What do you do when this happens in your class?

Garvey

J. Garvey Pyke, Ed.D. | Center for Teaching and Learning | UNC Charlotte

Cheating is not a new phenomenon in education; however, as more courses and content become available online instructors are more concerned with cheating. Many instructors may feel that students are more inclined to cheat in online courses rather than traditional courses. Do Students Cheat More in Online Classes? Maybe not. According to Parry (2009), a new study contradicts the perception that cheating is more widespread in online classes, finding that students in virtual courses were less likely to cheat than their face-to-face peers.

You've heard that wikis are an easy to use online technology. You may know that they can be used to get students collaborating quickly. The question is, why and how would you use a wiki in your class?

In Wikis in the Classroom on ProfHacker, Jason Jones puts forth some pedagogical reasons for giving wikis a try. He also offers a small step to get started -- an assignment to create a collaborative set of class notes. He suggests that because the notes are student-produced in a public space with instant feedback, they are a good indication of what the students have learned.

If you're looking for a painless way to get your students interacting and collaborating, you might want to create a wiki assignment.

Sam Eneman
Center for Teaching & Learning

Author Douglas Reeves writes in the Chronicle recently about how grading policies are a major problem in higher ed:

...ask your colleagues to calculate the final grade for a student whose 10 assignments during the semester had received the following marks: C, C, MA (missing assignment), D, C, B, MA, MA, B, A. Then calculate the distribution of the final grades.

I've done that experiment with more than 10,000 faculty members around the world and, every time, bar none, the results include final grades that include F, D, C, B, and A. It turns out that the difference between the student who earns A's and B's and the one who earns D's and F's is not necessarily a matter of work ethic, organization, high-school preparation, or class attendance. The difference is the professor's grading policy.

He goes on to state:

Professorial prerogatives notwithstanding, we ought to have a standard for grading policies that at least rises to the basics we expect of officials on the athletics field: accuracy, fairness, and effectiveness.

Reeves explains how each of these three concepts should play out in grading.  It's worth reading the whole thing.  I will also say that the Chronicle consistently has excellent comments, since it seems to be the paper of record in higher ed and faculty of all stripes tend to interact on a high level there.  [Note: UNC Charlotte now has full campus access to the behind-the-paywall content in the Chronicle via IP filtering, courtesy of the Library.]

Garvey

J. Garvey Pyke, Ed.D. | Center for Teaching and Learning | UNC Charlotte

OK, "Communications Across the Curriculum" folks, what do you think of this idea:

We need to make the case to create a first-year class on blogging for all of our students, one where they would apply writing and communication skills to their personal blogs.

While the author, Josh Kim, makes this point in the larger context of a campuswide blogging solution for all students, faculty, and staff, he ends by asking if anyone knows where something like this is occurring?  What is happening at the curricular level?  Is blogging accounted for in writing classes on college campuses?  Should it be?

Garvey

J. Garvey Pyke, Ed.D. | Center for Teaching and Learning | UNC Charlotte

Watching a videotape of yourself is an extremely valuable experience. Videotaping allows you to view and listen to the class as your students do; you can also scrutinize your students' reactions and responses to your teaching. By analyzing a videotape of the dynamics in your classroom, you can check the accuracy of your perceptions of how well you teach and identify those techniques that work and those that need revamping. More

Jaesoon An, Ph.D. | Center for Teaching and Learning | UNC Charlotte

“Digital natives” or students who are immersed in technological advancements of the past couple of decades are the new generation of students. This new generation is accustomed to the "twitch-speed, multitasking, random-access, graphics-first, active, connected, fun, fantasy, quick pay-off world of video games, MTV, and Internet." Today's instructors, if not already familiar with the digital language of their students, must learn it to maximize learning and access to learning. I encourage you to read more about mobile learning in the Educause Quarterly article, Are you ready for Mobile Learning?

What is the purpose of the CTL Blog?

The CTL blog is to reflect on ideas related to teaching and learning and to provide brief summaries or thought provoking questions for instructors.  Given the rapid and constant evolution of learning media and instructional technologies, a great majority of the posts have to do with such technologies.

Who is the audience?

The intended audience is the UNC Charlotte teaching and learning community.  Typically, the posts are written with faculty and associated teaching and learning staff in mind--i.e., learning professionals.  We certainly welcome feedback and readership from anywhere, though.

What is the style of the blog?

The typical blog post is a summary or a nugget from another blog, news item, or article of interest from other sources.  We try to add some editorial content to make it interesting and relevant to current trends and issues at UNC Charlotte or in higher ed as a whole.  The blog often has a contrarian point of view, trying to bring to light overlooked items or things that may cut against conventional wisdom or popular misconceptions.

Who are the contributors?

The CTL blog is open to all CTL staff as contributors.  While Dr. Garvey Pyke has been a main contributor in the past, we are pleased to welcome Sam Eneman, Melanie Smith, Dr. Jaesoon An, Dr. Mike Moore, and Dr. Maria Yon as active contributors this year.

How often will new posts occur?

We have set a goal to each post approximately once per week.  We welcome your feedback and comments.

Edublogger Stephen Downes explains why we should use blogs in education.  He gives an excellent overview of what blogs are, how they can be used, and how they enhance learning.  Tons of links are included.

Excerpt:

How To Use Blogging In Learning

Begin simply. Most uses of blogs in the classroom began with the instructor using blogs to post class information such as lists of readings and assignment deadlines. This fosters in the teacher a familiarity with the technology and with students a habit of regularly checking the online resource.

Lead by example. Before requiring students to blog, instructors should lead by example, creating their own blogs and adding links to interesting resources and commentary on class topics. This not only produces a useful source of supplemental information for students, it creates a pattern and sets expectations for when students begin their own blogging.

Read. Students should begin their entry into blogging by reading other blogs. Teachers should use this practice not only to demonstrate how other people use blogs to support learning but also to foster critical thinking and reading skills. Teaching how to respond to blog posts is as important as creating blog posts.

Create a context. Like the author facing a blank sheet of paper, a blogger will be perplexed unless given something specific to write about. Have students blog about a current issue, about a specific peice of writing, or some question that comes up in the course.

Encourage interaction. Blogging should not be a solo activity. Encourage bloggers to read each other’s works and to comment on them. Encouraging students to set up an RSS reader with each other’s blogs will make reading and commenting a lot easier. Teachers, also, should subscribe to student blogs and offer comments, again setting an example of the expected practice.

Respect ownership. A student blog becomes important because it is a manifestation of his or her own work. However, to have this value, a student’s ownership of a blog must be genuine. While reasonable limits or codes of practice need to be respected, student bloggers should have the widest latitude possible for personal expression and opinion.

Address issues immediately. The most significant danger to students online is posed by other students. In particular, bullying (or ragging) is a significant problem. It is important to spot instances of bullying as soon as they occur and to take steps to prevent further incidents. Teachers should educate themselves as online bullying can be invisible and hard to address.

I encourage you to read the whole thing.

Garvey

J. Garvey Pyke, Ed.D. | Center for Teaching and Learning | UNC Charlotte