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Exploring Teaching and Learning in Luddy Indiana University

Teaching Goals Inventory (TGI)

Posted on by akesha

The Teaching Goals Inventory (TGI) is a valuable resource to assist instructors who are developing new courses or revising the design of a pre-existing course. The TGI is a self-assessment of instructional goals. (SEE: Classroom assessment techniques : a handbook for college teachers – https://iucat.iu.edu/catalog/4211327). Its purpose is threefold:
  1. to help college teachers become more aware of what they want to accomplish in individual courses;
  2.  to help faculty locate Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) they can adapt and use to assess how well they are achieving their teaching and learning goals; and
  3.  to provide a starting point for discussion of teaching and learning goals among colleagues.
Jolley, Chheda, and Jolly (2016) share that the inventory requires instructors to identify and rank learning goals and then categorizes those learning goals into one of six clusters. They are:
  1. Higher order thinking skills (analyze, synthesize, think creatively, etc.)
  2. Basic academic success skills (memory, listening, speaking, writing, etc.)
  3. Discipline-specific knowledge and skills (learn terms, facts, concepts, theories, etc.)
  4. Liberal arts and academic values (openness to new ideas, social justice, ethics, etc.)
  5. Work and career preparation (collaboration, leadership, organization, etc.)
  6. Personal development (self-confidence, motivation, respect for others, etc.)
These clusters allow professors to follow a four-step process in applying the tool:
  1. rate the importance of learning goals,
  2. identify the essential goals and categorize into clusters,
  3. manually compute the final cluster scores, and
  4. identify relevant (CATs) aligned with identified learning objectives and ranked clusters
To try the tool for yourself click the interactive Teaching Goals Inventory (iTGI) v. 2.0 https://www.pedalto.me/itgi/ developed by the University of Nebraska and see if you can narrow down your essential and very important goals to teach and to assess to 3-5 items. This tool is meant to be used in conjunction with the book, Classroom assessment techniques : a handbook for college teachers – https://iucat.iu.edu/catalog/4211327. 
 
The analysis reports a ranking of the goal categories by priority based upon user inputs. This ranking should closely mirror the learning objectives for existing courses or may be a useful reference for creating overall learning objectives for new or redesigned courses. The analysis also creates a list of CATs that are most closely aligned with the top two goal categories. See examples of CATs here: https://airtable.com/shrcjXLHsvgN5GVHy/tblJjicb0gEZCvLTk?backgroundColor=red&viewControls=on By limiting this listing, the tool permits instructors, designer, and program managers to focus on assessment techniques that are reflective of the course goals and objectives. Finally, the analysis identifies the user’s essential learning goals and lists CATs that specifically relate to those essential goals.
Please let me know if I can be of help with this task

Wait Time

Posted on by akesha

Faculty Focus https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/student-learning-in-3-seconds/ notes that when Mary Budd Rowe coined the phrase “wait time” to describe the period of time between a teacher’s question and a student’s response, teachers typically waited between .7 seconds and 1.5 seconds before speaking after they have asked a question to students. Kent States Center for Teaching and Learning explains – Rowe observed that “If teachers can increase the average length of the pauses at both points [after interrogation and after student response], namely after a question (wait time 1)  and, even more importantly, after a student response (wait time 2) to 3 seconds or more, there are pronounced changes (usually regarded as improvements) in student use of language and logic as well as in student and teacher attitudes and expectations” (Rowe 43). Rowe identified several improvements in student learning as a result of wait time:
  • An increase in length of student responses.
  • An increase in the number of unsolicited but appropriate student responses.
  • An increase in speculative responses.
  • A decrease in the number of students failing to respond.
  • An increase in the number of responses by students identified by their teachers as slow learners.
  • An increase in the scores of students on academic achievement tests.
I compiled the following best practices from the sources mentioned below, for you to consider in your own teaching practice[I note where I added additional information]:
The amount of time that you wait is always going to feel to you longer than it actually is. And therefore, you shouldn’t think, oh, this is horrible, nothing is happening. I think that there’s nothing wrong with waiting 10 seconds. (Take time to view the four short instructional videos that demonstrate how different instructors have handled wait-time.

Implement a Wait Time After Posing a Question
After posing a question, a wait time of between three and five seconds can encourage students to give more considered answers. This kind of wait time is called Wait Time 1.This gives students a chance to recall information, leading to better answers. You can also encourages students to interact with each other during this time, creating an interesting discussion that helps everyone learn.
Don’t Forget About Wait Time 2
The other kind of wait time is called Wait Time 2. This is a brief period of silence after a student responds to a question. By pausing before they react to a student’s response, instructors give students an opportunity to complete or elaborate on their answers.
A Little Wait Time Goes a Long Way
A wait time of a few seconds gives students the space they need to respond thoughtfully. However, it is possible to pause for too long. Students often interpret a wait time of 20 seconds or more as threatening. Avoid creating a ‘threatening’ environment in the classroom by avoiding the use of excessively long wait times.
Ask Open-Ended Questions to the Entire Class
Directing a question to a single student can make that student feel intimidated. Meanwhile, other students may disengage when they know they will not be called on to give a response. Direct questions to the entire class to encourage everyone to think about the question and formulate their own responses.
Where possible, try to ask open-ended questions.
Questions that ask “why” or “how” often provoke more thoughtful, interesting discussions than closed questions that require a “yes,” “no,” or purely factual answer.
Get Back to Me
The “Get Back to Me” strategy is a form of wait time that can be useful in technology-based classrooms. If a student is not ready to give an answer, educators can say “would you like me to get back to you?” to give the student time to think. By going back to the student later to ask for their thoughts, instructors allow learners who are not as good at thinking on their feet as their peers to participate in the discussion. This strategy gives students a chance to share their thoughts when they’re prepared.
It’s very important for teachers to remember to return to the student. It’s easy to forget or get distracted, which can teach students that saying “get back to me” is an easy way to get out of answering questions.
After an Answer – once a student has answered, wait a few seconds before continuing the questioning. You could even say, “Hmmm…let’s think about that answer.” This reminds students that thinking is a vital part of learning.

During Instruction – students can’t absorb an hour’s worth of new information without “coming up for air.” Include some wait time after presenting “chunks” of information. Think of it like eating – you take a bite, chew it, and swallow. While teaching, wait time allows students to “swallow” the content without choking on it!

Dramatic Moment – I use this most often after I get my students’ attention with “hands and eyes.” I wait until I see that I have 100% of my students with their hands folded and their eyes locked onto me. Then…the pause! The tension builds ever so slightly before I announce what’s happening next in class.

Kent State addresses FAQs that I have often addressed around wait time as well: https://www.kent.edu/ctl/wait-time-making-space-authentic-learning with an emphasis on humanistic learning theories.

How often should I use wait time?  
We recommend using wait-time during any portion of class where questions are being asked and answered.  Different types of courses will divide up class time differently between lecture, discussion, hands-on activities, etc.
Is wait-time appropriate for all questions posed to the class?
Implementing wait-time can be difficult, as it requires the development of new habits and opens the door for more student-driven interactions in class.  Until wait-time is your default mode of working, it’s best to use it all the time to reinforce the habit, both for yourself and for the students.  While there may be some instances where waiting is not required, it seems unlikely that a three second pause will cause problems.
What do I do if the same student answers the questions every time?
Setting expectations for students and communication norms can help alleviate this challenge.  Raising hands and calling on different students is one step. (I would add, using systems like Poll Everywhere and TopHat can encourage students to reply, who may not what to have people focus on them during the process of replying).
What if students don’t provide a response after the 3-5 seconds of delay, and instead there is uncomfortable silence? How long should I wait? What if it doesn’t improve?
Different classroom dynamics can shape students’ response to this technique.  This simply requires patience and a willingness to keep trying.  As the gold star alternative noted above, asking students to come prepared with their own questions, or using a small bit of discussion time to allow groups of students to devise discussion questions (see Rothstein & Santana, 2011 for more on this technique) can help jump start these discussions. If you have asked an authentic and difficult question, it might take students a few minutes to develop an appropriate response. In cases like these, you might anticipate the delay and work the questions into a Think, Pair, Share (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266656934_Think-pair-share_in_a_large_CS1_class_Does_learning_really_happen)  or Jigsaw activity http://cse.unl.edu/~lksoh/pubs/conference/Soh_ITiCSE2006.pdf [Links added]

Is there a better way to craft questions to demonstrate to students that the question is not rhetorical?

The key here is to avoid asking students to produce a response that matches some pre-determined answer.  For example, an instructor could shift from asking questions of fact (e.g., “what are the five key factors that led to the Great Depression”), to asking students what they think, what they find most interesting or troubling or complex (e.g., “which of the factors leading to the Great Depression do you think played the biggest role, or was the hardest for people to bear, or could have been most easily avoided?”).  Again, the instructor’s role here shifts from merely evaluating each response to guiding the discussion away from casual opinions and toward engaged, evidence-based analysis and interpretation.

Social Annotation

Posted on by akesha

If you teach a class that requires regular readings, you may find the use of social annotation helpful. 

What is Social Annotation?

If you have ever shared checked out an old math book from the library,  you may be familiar with social annotation. The proofs and theorems may have notes near them written by hand. The comments might provide additional insights on the theorem to help the original (and future) note taker better understand the content. Social annotation works in the same way. Social annotation is reading and thinking together. It brings the age-old process of marking up texts a digital learning space while making it a collaborative exercise. Imagine a group of students opening a PDF or webpage, then highlighting, commenting on, and sharing ideas about the text, video, or images they see, all within the margins of the text. 

Why Use Social Annotation?

The Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI) at Cornell advocates for Social Annotation in classes by noting that when we read and think together, a text can become a richer learning object. We can see and learn how others make sense of a reading or how they deconstruct the text. “Social annotation today represents a paradigm shift from the traditional ways in which students and educators have interacted with texts. The older paradigm continues in the online discussion boards common in higher education courses and increasingly ubiquitous in middle and high school classrooms. But reading a passage and then answering a prompt in Canvas or Google Classroom can feel inauthentic—Kalir describes this activity as, “You do the reading, then set the reading aside, and then you go over to the discussion forum and reply to the reading”(Farber 2019). 

Gannon (2019) shares that “the results of using social annotation for learning can be powerful: studies have found social annotation practices increased reading comprehension and motivation to do reading assignments, for example. More recent research, which has been written up preliminarily, has also found social annotation tools and practices help build not only better learning, but an increased sense of belonging and community as well”.

Social Annotation Tools

Two social annotating apps that IU Online has recommended (though they can be used in face-to-face or hybrid courses) are Perusall and Hypothes.is.

Perusall https://perusall.com is best used in larger courses. It offers auto-grading based on number of annotations and replies, and can provide access to a number of publisher texts found in a searchable database. Some will require a student-paid licensing fee. Perusall requires a separate login for students. It can also support Groups in Canvas, which is why it is recommended for large courses. Persuall has some sophisticated auto-grading features, including ones based on student behavior (number of annotations, time spent reading, etc.), responses from other students (e.g., generating replies and upvotes), and content analysis (using Perusall’s algorithms). Dr. Chivukula (INFO-I 542) uses it in her course with a good level of engagement. For an example see: https://perusall.com/downloads/scoring-examples.pdf

Hypothes.is https://web.hypothes.is is best used in smaller courses where a single text can more easily accommodate a number of margin notes and highlights. Hypothes.is is built on an open-source platform and has a strong, stated position on student privacy. While it has fewer bells and whistles than Perusall, its emphasis on user experience, clean interface, and ease of use makes it a strong choice. For an example, see: https://web.hypothes.is/blog/back-to-school-with-annotation-10-ways-to-annotate-with-students/

Please let me know if you would like any additional information about using social annotation in your class, or strategies for integrating these tools in your course.

Using the Student Engagement Rosters (SER) to its fullest

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As you may already know, the Student Engagement Roster (SER) is an early feedback tool that allows faculty members to communicate with students about how they are doing in a class and make recommendations to improve or deepen their learning.  While the SER is often associated with grades (i.e is the student passing or failing the course), the SER can also be used to provide students with resources that can help them improve academically and develop a sense of belonging here at IU. While you may have a more flexible attendance policy to encourage students to take care of their health, there are some ways to capture how they participate in class with you, their classmates, as well as with course content: https://flags.iu.edu/for-facultystaff/types-ser-facultystaff.html
Utilizing this roster is an additional way to help students know that you are interested in their success enough to provide them with a personalized message that reiterates this idea.  It can serve as additional encouragement to students who are working hard in your class. Most importantly, using the roster can alert some students to the idea that they have a limited amount of time to refocus their efforts towards coursework and earn a passing grade. It is strongly encouraged that you take advantage of this resource to provide some type of feedback to your students.
If participation has been limited due to lack of attendance, CITL recommended this resource, compiled by Penn State, which contains several suggestions aimed at helping to improve attendance: https://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/pdf/Large_Class_FAQ_Attendance.pdf
You can also provide access to career and advising resources that connect to conversations you have had in class or office hours, or topics that connect to course content: https://ser.indiana.edu/faculty/index.html#assistance  Please let me know if we can meet and work through some solutions to help increase attendance/participation in your course.

Mid Semester Feedback

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Why is mid-semester feedback important?

Mid semester feedback can serve as valuable sources of feedback for faculty and self-reflection for students. Surveys at the mid point of the  semester can help you plan effective classes, and:

  • Make course correction before big assignments
  • Understand where your students are learning-wise and to maybe identify some areas where they are still struggling to grasp the material
  • Rethink how you want to move forward and provide additional support to your students
  • Identify areas where you may need to slow down or speed up
  • Find out what kinds of activities your students get the most/least out of
  • Find out how students are studying/preparing for assignments
  • Find out about students’ sense of belonging/comfort asking questions in the class

What feedback do you want from your class?

General Feedback

Is it on the structure of the course? Your Performance as an instructor? Student Motivation? CITL notes: To get general feedback, your MSE could be as brief as 3 questions (What aspects of this course help you learn? What changes could the instructor make that would help you learn better? What could you do to improve your own learning?). Or you could write your own questions targeting specific teaching strategies or issues you want feedback on. Another option is CITL’s online mid-semester evaluation system, which includes both Likert-scale and open-ended questions. To learn more about CITL’s MSE, click on the video found on this page.

How to get more specific feedback

  • Describe the kind of feedback you find most useful. In most cases, specific feedback with examples is more useful than general statements. See the handout “Providing Helpful Feedback to Your Instructions” from the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching at the University of Michigan for examples of specific, constructive feedback.
Chart showing how to modify inquires from general to specific.

Tools for collecting feedback

Online polling tools (e.g.,IU Tools include Slack Polls, Zoom Polls, Top Hat)

  • Real-time visualization of student responses
  • Usually quick & easy to set up
  • Cons: Each type has its own limitations (see Linked UITS pages)

Formal surveys (e.g., IU Tools include Canvas Surveys, Google Forms*  Qualtrics Surveys, )

  • Relatively simple to set up (See sample Google Form)
  • Many question types
  • No limit to number of participants (in most cases)
  • Con: lower response rate if taken outside of class

After you receive the feedback, talk to your students about their feedback

  • Consider feedback as a whole and do not get too upset by outliers. Even the very best teachers will get critical (and sometimes hurtful) feedback from a few students now and then.
  • You do not have to respond to feedback in the moment. If you feel put on the spot, tell students you have heard their concerns and you need time to reflect and consider how to best incorporate their feedback.
  • Keep in mind that it may take a lot of courage for a student to come to you with feedback. Even if you disagree, thank them for sharing and try to respond with this context in mind.
  • Always follow-­‐up when feedback is provided and offer some kind of response, including a thank you for taking the time to provide feedback. Students appreciate when their feedback is recognized. If students feel their feedback was ignored this could have a negative impact
  • From (Tufts university): Instead of raw survey results or data, even in aggregate, share HOW you will respond to what you learned from the data. For example, rather than sharing a data point which indicates that only 60% of students agreed that the instructions for completing assignments are clear, share a plan for how you will clarify assignments and expectations.
    • If you plan to make a change right away: “I heard from a majority of you that the instructions for the week three lab were not clear, so I will add some more detail to the lab assignments that are upcoming.”
    • If you plan to make a change but aren’t yet sure how: “I’m still thinking about X and will follow up soon.”
    • If you received feedback about something that can’t be changed: “It sounds like many of you want X, and unfortunately that’s not possible. Here’s why.”

Sample Feedback Forms

This list is not comprehensive. Please share any strategies that you use below, or contact me directly (luddytl) if you would like additional support developing a survey or diagnostic specific to your class. We are all in this together! I look forward to your feedback.

* Use your IU Google Apps account to create a survey in order avoid receiving student data at your personal G-Suite account.

References/Resources

(more…)

Upcoming Assessment Conference

Posted on by akesha

The Assessment Institute, https://assessmentinstitute.iupui.edu/index.html hosted by IUPUI and usually held in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the oldest and largest higher education event in the United States focused on assessment and improvement.  This year, the institute is offering complimentary registration to this event, which will be held October 24-27, 2021, and feature approximately 400 unique educational sessions. It is designed to provide opportunities for:

  • individuals and campus teams new to higher education assessment and improvement to acquire fundamental knowledge about the field;
  • individuals who have worked as leaders in assessment and improvement to share and extend their knowledge and skills; and
  • those interested in assessment and improvement at any level or in any collegiate context to establish networks that serve as sources of support and expertise beyond the dates of the Institute.

Pre-conference workshops and sessions are arranged by the following tracks:

  • Accreditation
  • Assessment in Online Courses and Programs
  • Assessment Methods’
  • Community Colleges
  • Community Engagement
  • Competency-Based Education and Assessment
  • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
  • Emerging Trends in Assessment
  • Faculty Development
  • General Education
  • Global Learning
  • Graduate/Professional Education
  • HIPs in the States (High-Impact Practices, including ePortfolios)
  • Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use
  • Leadership for Assessment
  • Learning Improvement
  • National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA)
  • STEM Education
  • Student Affairs and Co-Curricular Programs and Services
  • Student Partnership and Engagement in Assessment
  • Use of Technologies in Assessment

Additionally, the website features information about Assessment Update, a bimonthly publication from Wiley; Trends in Assessment, an edited volume from Stylus with contributions from more than 40 Assessment Institute leaders; and Leading Improvements in Higher Education, a new podcast series that debuted at last year’s institute.

 

Important Dates:

  • Advanced online registration will close: Monday, October 11, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. (Eastern)
  • Cancellation of registration deadline: Friday, October 15, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. (Eastern)

Although the Assessment Institute is being offered complimentary this year, all attendees, including presenters, need to register: https://assessmentinstitute.iupui.edu/registration/index.html

Please reach out to planning@iupui.edu with questions you have or information you need.

 

Making Thinking Visible

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this is a wordle related to terms associated with metacognitionThis summer, faculty from the Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science (TIDES) at the University of Austin, held a workshop on metacognition which started with a couple basic assumptions:

  1. Instructors want students to learn
  2. Learning is the result of thinking. 

They argued that the connection between learning and thinking is a connection we often take for granted but is important, because if we know how our students approach thinking, we can:

  • View what students know and how they make associations between concepts
  • Support gains
  • Reveal and correct misconceptions

Two guides TIDES recommended from The American Society for Cell Biology that you may find useful are (click here if you need help using the guides: http://lse.ascb.org/how-to-use-these-guides/:

  • Stanton JD, Sebesta AJ, and Dunlosky J (2021). Evidence Based Teaching Guide: Student Metacognition. LSE. Retrieved from https://lse.ascb.org/evidence-based-teaching-guides/student-metacognition/ – Lang (2012) https://www.chronicle.com/article/metacognition-and-student-learning/ describes metacognition as the ability to assess our own skills, knowledge, or learning. That ability affects how well and how long students study—which, of course, affects how much and how deeply they learn. Patterson (2021) elaborates that such processes including the ability to adjust strategies to improve, are critical for effective learning. So, if we accept this to be true, then learning requires awareness and control of thinking.

  • Wilson KJ, Long TM, Momsen JL, Bray Speth E. (2019) Evidence Based Teaching Guide: Modeling in Classroom. CBE Life Science Education. Retrieved from https://lse.ascb.org/evidence-based-teaching-guides/modeling-in-the-classroom/ – Patterson (2021) argues that if we believe that learning depends on learners to actively build their understanding by combining new knowledge with what they already know, (Constructivism), then learners create models (mental models) that are consistent with how they think. So, when students share their mental models, with others, that is equal to thinking being made visible.  This means instructors can help students develop thinking skills (both general and discipline specific) if they know what the student’s thinking skills are. This means you must identify these processes when you see them or set up opportunities for students to practice them through regular parts of your teaching practice.  

They also recommended the book, Making Thinking Visible (Available at IU Libraries through interlibrary loan: https://iucat.iu.edu/catalog/14842268) which suggests that in most school settings, educators have focused more on the completion of work and assignments than on a true development of understanding. This implies that instructors rarely articulate what thinking skills are valuable (in general as well as by discipline). If these two premises are true, are the thinking skills that instructors may find to be valuable demonstrated or emphasized in classes in a way that is visible to students? The book argues that Instructors can facilitate deeper understanding of course specific content by

  • Understanding what different types of thinking look like (a few from the book include),
    • Observing closely and describing what is there
    • Building explanations and interpretations
    • Reasoning with evidence
    • Making connections
    • Considering different viewpoints and perspectives
    • Capturing the heart and forming conclusions
    • Wondering and asking questions
    • Uncovering complexity and going below the surface of things

Group Work

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Group of cheerful students looking at camera and smiling sitting at desk in lecture hall of modern college
Adobe Stock photo of a team.

When students hear the phrase “group work”, they often become concerned. Some questions that may rise from students internally (or aloud) are…

  • Will I get stuck doing all (or a disproportionate amount) of work?
  • Will everyone earn the same grade (regardless of output)?
  • Will I have to speak to people regularly (as an introvert)?
Washington University at St. Louis shares that while collaborative learning through group work has been proven to have the potential to produce stronger academic achievement than other kinds of learning environments (Johnson, Johnson, & Smith, 2006), it can be challenging to implement successfully because many students come to college without the tools, they need to automatically succeed in collaborative learning contexts
The Bok Center at Harvard University offers the following advantages for having students work in small groups. They can allow students:
  • to learn interactively.
  • to generate a broad array of possible alternative points of view or solutions to a problem
  • a chance to work on a project that is too large or complex for an individual
  • with different backgrounds to bring their special knowledge, experience, or skills to a project, and to explain their orientation to others
  • the opportunity to teach each other
  • a structured experience so they can practice skills applicable to professional situations
One small group learning methodology where the use of group roles is well-defined and researched is the Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) https://www.pogil.org/about-pogil/what-is-pogil method.
The POGIL method calls for groups of three or four students who work in a team on process-oriented guided inquiry activities in which students construct their knowledge through interactions with others. The POGIL approach has two broad aims: to develop content mastery through student construction of their own understanding, and to develop and improve important learning skills such as information processing, communication, critical thinking, problem solving and metacognition and assessment.
The Strengths Identifier https://teamwork.umn.edu/ at the University of Minnesota has tools and resources to help students identify their strengths, as well as a list of myth busters that can help students communicate better.
CATME https://www.catme.org/login/index provides instructor tools for assigning students to better functioning teams. In addition to the team-maker tool, it provides training for students to work in teams through the CATME Teamwork Behavior Training. It can also identify teams having teamwork difficulties and train students to rate teamwork behaviors by using CATME Peer Evaluations and the CATME Rater Practice tool.
Please let me know if you would like more information on best practices and strategies related to group work, or ideas to customize these strategies to your specific teaching context.
Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., and Smith, K.A. (2006). Active learning: Cooperation in the university classroom. Edina, MN: Interaction.

Coding Strip – Using Comics to Teach Core Computer Concepts

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The article Coding Strip: A Pedagogical Tool for Teaching and Learning Programming Concepts through Comics https://sanghosuh.github.io/assets/pdf/codingstrip_vlhcc.pdf  describes the design process researchers at the University of Waterloo used to teach many of the core concepts taught in introductory computer science courses.

Comic panels that provide an example of how an instructor can use a comic to explain coding concept, and how a student submission looks.
Example from USING COMICS TO INTRODUCE AND REINFORCE PROGRAMMING CONCEPTS IN CS1 – Sangho Suh, Celine Latulipe, Ken Jen Lee, Bernadette Cheng, Edith Law. Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), 2021 https://codingstrip.github.io/publications
Building on the concept books like Lauren Ipsum https://iucat.iu.edu/catalog/15607718 and Secret Coders https://iucat.iu.edu/catalog/15934462 which use comics to teach the concepts of coding without any code, these researchers used tools like https://excalidraw.com/ to connect code to storytelling illustrated through comic panels. This website https://sanghosuh.github.io/codingtoon-sigse/ describes the design process, and provides demos, as well as use cases related to teaching coding with comics. 

The ideas in the article align with some aspects of culturally relevant pedagogy, specifically, storifying (See Step 3): https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/culturally-responsive-teaching-strategies/  Further, depending on what content is used in the comics, the drawings can also help activate prior in students from what is being taught, to what students already know, so they have a better chance of understanding and retaining what an instructor may want them to know. https://blogs.iu.edu/luddyteach/2021/07/20/evidenced-based-teaching-in-stem-and-activating-prior-knowledge/
Additional Resource: Using Comics to Introduce and Reinforce Programming Concepts in CS1 https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3408877.3432465

The Human Connection in the Classroom

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Workshop Related Resources

-developed for the workshop, Relationship-Rich Education by Joan Middendorf and Akesha Horton

Videos Provided by

Overview

Social and emotional components of learning can reduce achievement gaps by half through teaching in ways that promote connection and encourage student success. There are many ways to do this. Why should we take the time to do this? Because students want to feel welcome in the classroom AND evidence shows this will make them more likely to succeed. In this activity, each of you will learn one of several constructs for building relationships with students and briefly teach it to your table mates.

What single factor makes for an excellent education?

Relationship-Rich Education

Felten and Lambert (2020) argue that there’s a simple answer to this question: Human relationships. Social and emotional components of learning can reduce achievement gaps by half through teaching in ways that promote connection and encourage student success. Their book, Relationship-rich Education, interviewed multiple professors and students for ideas to build connections to our students and to help our students build connections with one another. For example, in the Oakton Community College Persistence project faculty committed during first 3 weeks of semester to:

  • Learn to use student names (NameCoach)
  • Articulate high academic standards paired with support for where students struggle
  • Return an assignment with formative feedback
  • Meet one-on-one with each student for 10 minutes

Some other examples…

  • Pause class to ask students to compare notes with a few students around them. Students comment on content and format of notes.
  • For large classes, let students know you will be there five minutes before class starts to spend some time getting to know each other. Throw a different question out, like “What good food did you eat this week? “Who’s seen a movie they recommend? Which one?”
  • (In a math course) when students expressed doubt, encourage them to skip the homework tonight, and instead read about imposter syndrome. Take 5 minutes in class next day to talk about imposter syndrome.
  • At the end of class, ask students to write in the chat, some success they had in the last week (which could be anything from seeing their family or getting into medical school

Most instructors know how to build relationships—if we simplify these efforts and do it more, we’ll get good results.

What is mindset? Why does it matter for instructors?

When instructors have a “weed-out” mentality or teach to the “best” students who seem likely go on to graduate school in our field, it can result in helplessness and poor persistence for many other students. Prof. Mary Murphy of IUB found that growth mindset reminds students course skills are malleable and the teacher can show them how to develop these skills. With an encouraging attitude towards effort and persistence, all students can improve their abilities to do well in a class. Instructors with a growth mindset approach the classroom with the attitude that all students can succeed. With growth mindset, the instructor might…

  1.  Stress that improvement with the class comes with hard work and that anyone can be proficient if they try hard enough. Students will have the insights they need to do well in the class. Says: “I want you all to learn the material and I will help you learn it.”
  2. Provides a checklist to guide students through the elements of complicated projects or papers
  3. Develop exam wrappers after exams for students to characterize the nature of their errors and identify their individual strengths and weaknesses to guide further study.
  4. Instead of office hours, hold a “FREE Help Session” twice a week around a large table with bowl of snacks.

What is sense of belonging? How does this impact my classroom?

Over four years of study, Kevin Binning and co-researchers replaced student doubt about “Do I really belong here?” with the belief that adversity is universal and temporary. The 30-minute exercise below includes narrative writing, peer testimonials, and small group discussion that not only closes performance gaps between underrepresented and majority groups, and between genders, but also bolsters attendance, retention, and long-term performance for all students.

Introduction of Exercise:

The instructor introduces the idea that everyone struggles. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed or to sometimes wonder to yourself, ‘Do I really belong?’

Writing prompt (10 mins):

“Coming to college is a big transition. Write about the experiences and challenges you’ve had since coming to IUB. You can think about your experience with making friends, taking classes, adjusting to dorm life, and difficulties and challenges that have begun to improve as you have spent more time in college.” Collect the essays. Briefly scan and read from a handful of essays. “As I’m looking at some examples of what you all have written, I see a lot of very common concerns. I am also not surprised; I had some of the same concerns when I took first year physics.”

Peer testimonials:

Show students quotes from graduating seniors collected in advance and chosen to highlight overcoming challenges and initial loneliness (and be sure and have examples of men, women, and diverse groups.) Some example quotes: “Sometimes I had difficulty with an idea that my classmates understood. But the important thing is not to give up and help each other out.” OR “I felt unprepared for the increased workload and differences in grading of college. I felt stressed as a result. But then I got some help from the instructor and AI. I found a study group and was able to turn things around. Looking back, I think my struggles were pretty normal. Even though they seemed overwhelming at the moment.”

Discussion Prompts (7-8 mins. in teams):

  1. Why do you think people often think they’re the only one who worries about whether they fit in the in college?
  2. How do you think your life will be different when you’re a junior or a senior?

Debrief:

“Will someone share what you discussed in your group? This will help summarize the discussion for all of us and will give feedback for the physics department.” (The debrief is important to synthesize and summarize this exercise.)

This exercise pops the belief bubble that “I don’t belong.” It works great on the first day of class or when the class approaches a known bottleneck (a difficult concept or challenging test).

How can we teach with empathy, equity and justice in mind?

For too many years, instructors have left it up to somebody else to talk about the overt and systemic inequities facing historically excluded people. Now, every teacher is encouraged to face a powerful reckoning in higher education. “LACE, or Love, Authenticity, Courage, and Empathy, is a model for connecting people with values to bring about change. With LACE, change is not a checklist or a plan, but a lifestyle. By connecting the head with the heart, anti-racism and other forms of anti-oppression become who we are, not simply the work that we do” (Alex-Assensoh, 2020). Here are some examples…

  1.  Love Slow down. Rather than focusing on getting through the curriculum, identify the truly crucial information and focus on creating passion and interest; using the classroom as the context, invite students to select a relevant area to build courage and commit to using the term to build muscle.
  2. Authenticity Structure ways for students to explain new information to one another, using examples from their own lives and experiences.
  3. Courage is contagious. Model it by daring to show up differently, assess differently or engage differently with students.
  4. Empathy Assign everyone in class a partner to interact with weekly via phone or text to talk about how the course material is resonating with their lived experiences; reflect on what you need to understand about the world today that the diverse students in your class are facing: Students with no internet or computers. Students living in abusive contexts and functioning with different levels of ability. Students for whom food and shelter are a daily struggle.

How can we include students as partners?

When faculty invite student partnerships, relationships are re-defined, with both students AND teachers becoming teachers and learners. The biggest difference is that everyone contributes on an equal footing, though not necessarily in the same ways. This effects student-teacher and student-institution relationships, as students gain voice. Faculty and students see each other as peers, as people who can meaningfully contribute to the process of teaching and learning.

Student partnerships may fall into one of four categories:

  • Learning, teaching, and assessment (active participants in their own learning)
  • Consultation on pedagogical and curriculum design
  • Subject-based research & inquiry
  • Teaching and learning based research and inquiry (SOTL) (Healey, Flint, and Harrington, 2014; Mercer-Mapstone et al., 2017; Cook-Sather, Bovill & Felton, 2014).

References

Alex‐Assensoh, Y. M. (2021, February). Using Neuroscience and Positive Psychology to Enhance College Teaching and Learning. In The National Teaching & Learning Forum (Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 1-3). Link: https://go.iu.edu/402m

Binning, K. (2019, October). Fostering a Sense of Belonging in the College Classroom: Peer Interactions that Improve Student Success. Sloan Equity and Inclusion in STEM Introductory Courses (SEISMIC) event, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. Link: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/36006/

Canning, E. A., Muenks, K., Green, D. J., & Murphy, M. C. (2019). STEM faculty who believe ability is fixed have larger racial achievement gaps and inspire less student motivation in their classes. Science advances, 5(2), eaau4734.

Healey, M., Flint, A., & Harrington, K. (2014). Encouragement through partnership: students as partners in learning and teaching in higher education. The Higher Education Academy. Link: https://go.iu.edu/402t

Felten, P., & Lambert, L. M. (2020). Relationship-rich education: How human connections drive success in college. JHU Press.

Dweck, C. 2015. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Ballantine.

Cook-Sather, A., Bovill, C., & Felten, P. (2014). Engaging students as partners in learning and teaching: a guide for faculty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Mercer-Mapstone, L., Dvorakova, S. L., Matthews, K. E., Abbot, S., Cheng, B., Felten, P., . . . Swaim, K. (2017). A systematic literature review of students as partners in higher education. International Journal for Students as Partners,1(1). doi:10.15173/ijsap.v1i1.3119.

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