Pedagogy Guides

The biggest investment we can make to enhance our teaching is to understand the learning process and subsequently tailor our efforts to produce maximal learning (DiPetra, 2021).

Welcome to our collection of student-centered pedagogy guides. As you move through these curated resources, materials, and examples, you may have questions or need further assistance. Please feel free to reach out to the Teaching Commons team for more support. 

Course Design and Frameworks

Assessment and Feedback

Engaging Learning Experiences

Special Topics and Advanced Practices

Course Design and Frameworks

• Inclusion Starts with the Syllabus

• Organize Course Content Using CatCourses

• Cultivating Inclusive and Equitable Environments

  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Course Design Rubric

  • Decolonizing the Curriculum

  • Setting Equitable Community Norms and Expectations 

• Backward Design: Start with the Outcomes

  • Getting Started with Backward's Design

  • Writing High-Level Outcomes Using Bloom's Taxonomy

  • Core Concepts: Reducing Cognitive Load, Not Rigor

  • Course Outcomes Versus Learning Objectives at UC Merced

Assessment and Feedback 

• Types of Knowledge and Assessments

  • Understanding Different Types of Knowledge to Assess

  • Types of Assessments and Their Purposes

• Aligning Assessment and Measuring Through Rubrics

  • Aligning Assessment and Learning Activities

  • Task Analysis and Assignment Planning

  • Rubrics Clarifying Performance Expectations and Grading Criteria 

  • Designing a Rubric

• Communication Outreach to Struggling Students

• Mid-Semester Feedback, Intervention, and Preventions

Engaging Learning Experiences 

• Purpose and Types of Engagement 

  • The Purpose of Engagement

  • Categories of Engagement

  • Instructional Ideologies and Engagement

  • Types of Student Interactions

  • 5 Tips to Quickly Engage Students

• Principles and Strategies of Engagement

  • Principles of Engagement

  • Strategies to Promote Equity and Engagement (Tanner 2013)

  • Using Technology to Promote Online Engagement

• Special Groups and Circumstances

  • Challenging and Supporting First-Years

  • Navigating Group Work and Large Classrooms

  • Participation and Resistance

  • Managing Disruptive Student Behavior