Inspire Blog Tag: compassion

End of Term – Time for Reflection and Self-Kindness

Once the term begins, you and your students enter into a full motion of course activities—getting connected with one another and moving along the education journey together. Then, when you realize it is the end of the term! I have heard many instructors saying things like “I can’t believe how fast this term has gone!”, “It’s already week 10, and I don’t know where time went!” And with the term at its conclusion, it is an opportunity to debrief, reflect, and take time for self-kindness, for both instructors and instructional designers. Debrief A debrief is an activity that helps close out the course development project. A debrief can help instructors more intentionally discuss how the course development process worked in … End of Term – Time for Reflection and Self-Kindness
by · January 14, 2026

Pedagogy of Kindness in Online Teaching and Learning – Part 1

The saying “students may forget what we teach, but they’ll remember how we made them feel” is such an important idea that could help us start thinking about how to make online learning a space that fosters belonging, connection, respect for individual differences, and authentic participation. In support of instructional design practices and teaching approaches that can accomplish these aspects, online course design and teaching can be transformative for students (and instructors) when more human-centered strategies are built into the courses, strategies that go beyond cognitive tasks and challenges, and attend to the well-being of students and instructors. What if these practices and approaches are built upon kindness? Cate Denial’s (2024) “A Pedagogy of Kindness” invites us to explore ways … Pedagogy of Kindness in Online Teaching and Learning – Part 1
by · December 1, 2025