End of Semester Checklist - Wrapping Up and Preparing for Next Semester

When to Use?

The article contains tips and suggestions for instructors on wrapping up the current semester and preparing for the next. The checklist is also attached as a PDF.

Procedure

Instructor Reflection Writing Prompts: 

On a weekly or bi-weekly basis, ask yourself:

• What can be improved about my individual interactions with students? 
• What more can I do to make this subject more engaging and memorable? 
• What is lacking in my online and face-to-face classroom? 

At the end of the course, ask yourself:

• What were the best and worst moments in those courses? How did your relationship with each class begin, evolve, and end? 
• What was new, different, and exciting about the content? Did you teach well? Did students learn well? 
• If you could change one thing about your teaching and their learning next semester, what would it be? 

 
10 Activities to Help You Prepare for Next Semester 

1. Make notes on things you will change next time while it’s still fresh in your head.  You can even create items in your Blackboard site that are hidden from students so that it’s still visible to yourself.
2. Compile a list of all the frequently asked questions over the semester and post in your new semester’s course.   
3. Consider making a syllabus quiz or creating a Google Online Expectations Survey so that students are better prepared to be online learners.    
4. Encourage students to complete the Blackboard Ultra Online/Hybrid Student Orientation.  Students earn a certificate of completion after completing the entire orientation (approximately 30 minutes to complete).
5. Contact your Library Liaison to review next semester’s research assignments and course resources.  Also, submit a ticket at the service portal  to have your library liaison added to your Blackboard course.
6. Schedule a consultation appointment with your eLearning Technologies liaison at the service portal. In-person and Zoom meeting options are available.
7. Use the Faculty Peer Review Rubric to assess your course. 
8. Review the New Semester Checklist.
9. Attend a Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center event or an eLearning Technologies event. 
10. Take advantage of drop-in hours for instructional design and technical assistance sponsored by eLearning Technologies.  30-minute Zoom drop-in sessions are held Wednesdays from noon to 12:30 pm. No appointment needed. Use this Zoom link to attend.