Exploring Teaching and Learning in Luddy – Page 15 – Making Connections through Teaching and Technology

Inclusive Pedagogy

Posted on March 30, 2021 by akesha

The Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship at Georgetown University recently launched an Inclusive Pedagogy Toolkit. The kit looks at different aspects of teaching (pedagogy, content, assessments, climate, and power) and provides several key strategies for making classrooms inclusive, equitable, and meaningful. Each aspect has 3-4 key takeaways. For example, in the content section, the following themes are explored:

To the extent possible, include a wide range of perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds in your course materials—and be attentive to the costs and accessibility of materials;
Voice a wide range of perspectives yourself;
Be transparent on content choices/course design; be explicit about organization and narrative of the course;
Name and discuss the agenda(s) and historical biases of your field/department.

For each theme, users of this toolkit are provided with an explanation of why the point is important, and strategies for implementation.

As you already know, in education, there is no one-size fits all approach to teaching. Best practices are the baseline and differentiation may be necessary based on all of the factors impacting your course. So let’s discuss at the next quick chat on Monday, April 5th, 2021, at 10:00 AM (please note the earlier time): https://iu.zoom.us/j/9550537245

Supporting Online Discussions

Posted on March 2, 2021 by akesha

One of the greatest challenges for faculty is that students often come to class not having completed assigned readings. This makes it difficult for them to participate in discussion, and it may also make it difficult for them to follow the material you have planned for the day/week.

Synchronous or Face-to-face: Spend 5 minutes at the end of class going over key points in the readings you are asking students to do for the next class period. This type of advance organizer will enable them to place what you are asking them to read in a more meaningful and comprehensible context. Spend 5-10 minutes at the beginning of class having students discuss (in pairs or in small groups) two or three quick questions about the readings. Students can assist one another in clarifying the readings, or bring their collective confusion, if any, to you. You may want to have students turn in notes (or a Google Doc) from their discussions, or something similar, as evidence that they had something to contribute to the conversation.

Asynchronous: Without the cues of co-presence in the classroom, it is more important than ever to direct students’ attention before they read, watch, or listen to something. These concrete experiences are the foundation of an effective learning cycle. It is useful to explain the purpose of the experience or give specific guidance on what things students should be paying special attention to or looking for. Students report greater engagement with readings when they are given specific sections or pages to focus on and a purpose for the reading. Tips about how experts in your discipline read an article, a primary source, etc. are also useful (Middendorf & Shopkow, 2017). (A brief example of this from history can be found here.)

Specific strategies include:

Anticipation Guides: Before viewing a lecture or starting a reading, students can be asked to take a minute or two to generate an anticipation guide (Major et al., 2016). Based on the previous content, the main topics, and keywords, each student generates their own list of questions they expect to be able to answer at the end. This can be completed as a mini assignment in Canvas where students generate 3-5 questions before viewing a lecture and submit the answers to their questions after viewing. A video introduction can provide an overview and explain how the activity will help students practice thinking like an expert.

Guided Notes with a Twist: Basic guided notes are outlines or lecture slides with missing words or content that students complete during a lecture (Major et al., 2016). A modified version focuses students’ efforts on higher-order thinking. The shared document includes the lecture agenda, key definitions, and spaces for note taking, plus targeted questions that ask students to apply, compare and contrast, elaborate, or make connections (Golas, 2018). These questions provide great moments to pause a lecture when students’ cognitive load may be reached and switch to different cognitive processes that reinforce their understanding (Harrington & Zakrajsek, 2017).

For pre-recorded lectures, students can pause the lecture to answer the question in their notes or the questions can serve as a discussion forum activity between recorded mini lectures. Students have been shown to be particularly engaged with these notes when they are the same kinds of questions asked on quizzes, major assignments, or exams. Tools such as TopHat, and Kaltura can be used to integrate questions within the lectures and record student responses.

Create a classroom culture of inquiry and mistake-making

Posted on February 16, 2021 by akesha

Adapted from codetribe.

It’s great if you can answer student questions, but you’re not always going to have the answer, and that is okay. Share with students the reality that the disciplines taught within Luddy are vast, where no one knows everything. Developing software and addressing big questions related to the ethical use of technology is not about having the answers, but about cultivating the ability to figure things out using your resources: your classmates, the internet, the libraries, and your instructor.

Encourage students to follow a personal empowerment protocol to figure things out when they have a question. Similar to, “ask three, then me,” this protocol encourages students to…

Ask a peer
Google it / Look it up at the library
Ask the instructor

This protocol both helps students become independent problem-solvers, and also helps ensure the instructor isn’t bombarded with questions.

Finally, normalize errors and mistake-making. Every time you compile your code in front of the class, announce that you’re going to check for any errors, which are just a normal part of a programmer’s life. Whenever you get an error or when a student sheepishly confesses that they have 20 compiler errors, remark on how totally normal that is.

Go the extra step and get excited when a student says they have 20 errors, or even better, a “fatal error”! Model being unfazed by errors and in fact seeing errors as an opportunity to learn new things. As a teacher, helping students debug IS an opportunity for you to learn more about how to be a better teacher and anticipate a wider range of student errors!

When you model this attitude, students will follow suit. As a result, they will be less likely to get discouraged by 20 compiler errors and learn to celebrate them with you as a representation of all the things the class has learned.

Office Hours

Posted on February 10, 2021 by akesha

Explain WHAT office hours are for, not just when
In The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges Are Failing Disadvantaged Students, Anthony Abraham Jack argues that “office hours” is a classed term and one of many ill-defined yet consequential activities for undergraduates. The expectation that students attend office hours often goes unsaid and feeds into what Jack calls a “hidden curriculum” that further places low-income students at a disadvantage. Jack recommends faculty explain what office hours are, not just when you hold them. “I remember feeling apprehensive about communicating with faculty as a first-generation student. For a long time, I thought office hours was reserved for academic crisis rather than ordinary course-related inquiries. I recommend a more expansive definition of office hours that reframes the time as a student-centered resource and takes a holistic approach to teaching”. – Consider renaming office hours to “student hours” or another student friendly term.

Be Consist
Be consistent with when and how you’ll hold your virtual office hours. Have the link to your office hours listed on your syllabus, on your office door, in your LMS, at the end of your PowerPoint slides or other lecture tools each week and remind students of the link in your weekly announcements. Keep the hours consistent. Just as you hold your class at the same time and day each week, do the same with your office hours. For students learning how to self-regulate, this type of structure helps with student efficacy in planning for success.

Use A Scheduler that will allow students to make appointments
If possible, have an easy way for students to sign up for a specific time to meet with you; you could try sharing a Google Calendar appointment link. I strongly recommend using Canvas’s scheduler https://youtu.be/Ovjv_DAp7Tc (sound is low). The more opportunities students have to see when you are available, the more likely they are to jump on and join. One final note: if you have some flexibility, consider asking your students when they would prefer you be available to help them outside of class. Once students have a stake in selecting your office hours, they’re more likely to take advantage of those times.

Consider Incentivizing attendance.

Give students an incentive to come. Students are more likely to attend virtual office hours if you’re doing something they enjoy and value.

Use office hours to play games with the course content, and then give away small prizes to the “winners” like a point of extra credit, or a voucher for something they value. Examples include: “turning in one assignment up to 24 hours late with no penalty”
You can also utilize digital quizzing tool like Top Hat where students can deeply engage with digital content like videos, pictures and web links, but my students also love traditional games, like bingo using key terms or concepts.
Tools like Free Bingo Cards can allow you to create the cards, and then distribute these electronically to anyone that attends the office hours. During the game, students hear questions such as, “What word describes the technique where a function calls itself?” Students would have to know the answer is “recursion,” then see if they have it on their bingo card.
Let students use their books and notes during these games so they’re actively engaging in the content. Then, ask a student who had the correct answer on their bingo card to share the answer and provide an example to the other students.

These types of games can not only be fun to students for exam reviews, they’re great formative assessment activities to see where your students are with the course content.

Make it relevant.
Use Google alerts to identify possible real-life examples of what is taking place in the class or find an accessible research article to discuss. Once or twice during the semester, select an interesting and relevant article and provide a link to the students telling them this article will be the focus of your office hours. Record these discussions for students who cannot attend in person so they can watch later if they choose.

Use live coding
Rather than using slides, instructors can create programs in front of their learners (this tip comes from this great article:https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006023 and has a bit more detail as to why it works).

Provide study ideas
There are many strategies that can be used for any class, but some subjects have specific strategies that work particularly well for that class. Provide tips about ways students might consider studying or taking notes for your class.

Get Feedback
Ask students about their classroom experience. Students are poised to evaluate your pedagogical practices better than anyone else. Let’s say a student is seeking clarification on a confusing term. You can follow up by asking what, if anything, would have better clarified the term in class. It’s likely that they will comment on the pace of lecture, which provides you with priceless feedback for improving lecture comprehension (e.g., slowing down, repeating main ideas, introducing fewer terms per class, or making more time for discussion).

Foster connections
Lastly, and this is a big one, be proactive during your office hours to reach out to students and engage.

Lead by asking how a student is doing instead of waiting for them to pose a question.
Did a student answer a question in class in an exceptionally insightful way? Send the student an email acknowledging the great contribution made during the class discussion.
Did a student miss class? Send an email telling them their absence was felt and remind them the lecture was recorded and is available in the LMS (if applicable). – The attendance tools in Canvas might help with this task https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Canvas-Basics-Guide/What-is-the-Roll-Call-Attendance-Tool/ta-p/59
Do you have an athlete/performer/musician that recently had an event? Send them a note of congratulations and recognition.
Is it almost time for registration? Send students individual reminder emails via Canvas and tell them about a course they have to look forward to next semester.
Is there a big paper coming up? Send a note to a student who struggled with the first paper and ask if they’d like to schedule a time to discuss their concept.
Finally, use this time to reach out to students and ask them to “help” you during the next synchronous class session by having an example ready to share when you discuss a specific topic or describe a concept in their own words. This builds engagement during the synchronous session, as well as creates a connection with the student

Design for Success in Canvas

Posted on January 26, 2021 by akesha

Be clear. Detailed instructions are written for the least tech-savvy students. Make no assumptions. Include info links, definitions of terminology and expectations of writing length. Include links to specific Canvas Guides for Students in your assignment instructions for those who need step-by-step tutorials on how to post to a discussion board or how to submit an assignment.
Be sure you understand Canvas and get help from Canvas Instructor Guides to avoid creating navigation dead-ends and frustration for your students. (Example: Make sure that hyperlinks to outside sites are functioning and use built-in modules navigation. Internal Canvas links can open in a neighboring tab. (Use HTML code snippet target=”_blank” to avoid links within text that divert your students to another location in Canvas. Students won’t finish reading a page if they click a link mid-sentence and land elsewhere.)
Curate multiple examples of successfully completed assignments on a Canvas Page for students to emulate and surpass. Varied assignment examples will invite deeper learning inferences and creative thinking.
Use synchronous courses as a place to connect and discuss, rather than relaying new information. Use assigned discussions that require students to engage the material and develop their webinar questions in advance
Generally, think of a number of announcements you’ll post during each class week and stick with that throughout the course so students can start to expect the cadence you’ve established.
- For example, you might always post an announcement on the first day of each week to provide some kick-off orientation and lecture content. If you already have this information ready, you can post all of the announcements, and delay when they are released.
- Consider using enriched media as a way to engage students more dynamically, and try to integrate a variety of media options, like hyperlinks, source existing audio/video clips, or create your own in your weekly Announcements.
- And don’t just tell students to click into your lecture, or to proceed to the discussion board. Make sure you create a narrative for the week or unit and build some context by explaining how a student might benefit..
Use Rubrics. Students will know where to spend their energy on assignments and have fewer complaints or questions. Rubrics help instructors give consistent, fast feedback without writing the same comments again and again.
UX. User test your navigation and course layout to ensure it is not confusing. The adventure is in the course materials, not in the navigation. (Research QM Quality Matters Rubric for Online Course Design, QOLT, and other quality assurance standards.)
Plan your course assignment due dates and pacing with the Academic Calendar and Holiday Calendar. Many students work during the week and appreciate Sunday night due dates.
Be available for questions immediately prior to deadlines. Clarify your anticipated response times and weekend availability for questions.
Use the Canvas Scheduler to allow students to select a time to meet with you. This feature can help manage student appointments for medium to large size classes. Appointments display in your calendar after a student or group has reserved a time slot.
Include early course feedback—approximately week 2-3 in a semester—to gather student feedback on the course design, not the instructor! Minor course adjustments and clarifications can create major attitude improvements and student success. Use the Quiz tool for a required survey, grading only the student’s participation and not the answers.
Aim for quality, not quantity. Use the auto-grading quiz tool for low-stakes chapter quizzes to ensure that students read materials. Save precious grading time for the most meaningful projects and writings that require your human touch.
Be flexible. Keep assignment settings unlocked wherever possible so that students can look ahead.
Consider. Many students take online courses specifically for flexibility. Allow responsible students to submit early for holidays, vacations, and personal obligations.
Reward Persistence. Ease student anxiety by using question banks and low-stakes quiz settings that allow multiple attempts to raise grades. Allow major writing assignments to be resubmitted after feedback and revisions.
Reward Contributions. Create opportunities for students to locate and share content from current events with each other in course discussions

Resources:

Using Announcements to Give Narrative Shape to your Online Course https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/using-announcements-to-give-narrative-shape-to-your-online-course/
Being “Present” in Your Online Course – https://canvas.ucdavis.edu/courses/34528/pages/being-present-in-your-online-course
Being There: Basic Strategies for Online Teaching Presence in Canvas LMS* Part I https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Higher-Ed-Users/Being-There-Basic-Strategies-for-Online-Teaching-Presence-in/ba-p/274327

Slack in the Classroom

Posted on January 19, 2021 by akesha

Slack provides a reliable, easy-to-use, platform-agnostic chat and instant messaging service that faculty and students have many locations, including Luddy, have readily adopted. The articles below examine the different ways faculty have repurposed Slack to meet their pedagogical and administrative needs. Examples include using Slack as an email replacement; as well as for academic and social discussions; increasing engagement; interviews with experts, polling; and file storage. They also detail how well features such as external app integration with YouTube, Microsoft OneDrive and Azure work for them in Slack. Additionally, they explain how students can use Slack for group work, crowdsourcing notes, and creating resource repositories.

Evan Peck, Bucknell HCI discusses how he used Slack across 5 different courses in his department’s Computer Science curriculum. https://medium.com/bucknell-hci/how-i-use-slack-in-my-courses-a-3-year-reflection-888c7e742d04 A summary of the tips he shared in this article include:

~~If you use Slack, throw away course email and commit to it.~~ (Please note: Sameer Patil provided me with this information in regards to using Slack for email (thanks Sameer!):

In terms of using it for official IU purposes (especially teaching, which has FERPA implications), please note Slack is not currently an IU enterprise system.

UITS informs me that “Slack is subject to all other policies like data management, SSSP, IT-28, acceptable use agreement, etc. If someone wants to use Slack, they should fill out the SSSP and describe how they will use it, what kind of data, and audience, and then the data stewards, purchasing, and security and privacy offices will vet the request.”

My apologies for the confusion.

Slack can be used to increase engagement and interactivity amongst your students. Feel free to contact me for clarification on how to keep those activities FERPA compliant.
Don’t create too many channels for critical information (homework)
Leverage the creation of new channels for non-critical information (interesting articles, etc.)
Use Slack outside class to create assignments that involve an interactive component between students (it’s what Slack is good at!).
Use Slack during class as a low-barrier mechanism to share information (both from you to students as well as from the students to you).
In project-based classes, Slack will help facilitate behind-the-scenes communication between groups.
Posting metrics can provide additional feedback about assignments.
Use Slack as a way to make learning more playful

Phil Simon, a lecturer at Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business, and author of Slack for Dummies https://www.philsimon.com/blog/trends/use-slack-inside-classroom/ explains, “I can take the temperature of the room anonymously. This makes it safe for students to address potentially controversial themes,” he says. Perhaps most importantly, it empowers students to take initiative…

Christina Paxman, an Assistant Professor of Broadcasting and Professional Communication at Minot State University shares in this paper presented at the National Communications Association https://www.natcom.org/sites/default/files/pages/eTools_Slack_January_2018.pdf how she uses Slack as a file storage system, and takes advantage of Slack’s app integration features.

Engineering Lecturer Jennifer Bernstein provides current students at Johns Hopkins University https://ii.library.jhu.edu/2019/04/12/using-slack-in-the-classroom/ opportunities to interview recent grads about their experiences working in the medical field.

There are many more ways that Slack can help support your teaching, learning, and communication needs. Do you want to share how you use Slack, or a similar tool in your class? Or, do you have questions about which tools best support your personal teaching needs or student learning outcomes? Drop in on the first Monday of each month, for an informal conversations around teaching and learning. Next month (02/01/2021 at 11:00 AM) we will chat about the different ways Slack, Group Me, Microsoft Teams, and other tools can be used to communicate with students: https://iu.zoom.us/j/81576128938 .

Precourse Survey

Posted on January 12, 2021 by akesha

One way to improve engagement with your students is to learn more about them. A precourse survey is one way to help develop a connection with your students, and get to know them beyond what is shared in an introduction discussion.

What do you want to know about them?

Diligent young lady with glasses sitting at a desk in college with classmates, making notes of teacher lecture — Diligent student in college with classmates, taking notes of teacher lecture.

A survey can help you conduct a needs assessment about where your students are at in terms of prior knowledge, demographics, mindset, learning preferences, goals, content confidence level, preferred feedback style, and/or access to technology. Because this takes place “behind the scenes” and is only shared with the instructor, rather than in a public discussion forum, you may be more likely to receive candid responses.

What strategies and skills will students need and/or develop in your course?

These kinds of questions can help students flex metacognitive skills and become more aware of their learning habits. As an instructor, this can help you provide more specific feedback on student work, suggesting similar strategies and stretch goals.

Reflection on Strategies: Metacognitive reflection questions ask how students get things done. Do you take marginal notes or highlight as you read? What conditions do you need to do your best work?
Planning Ahead: Beyond what has worked for students in the past, you might ask about strategies they will use specifically in this class. What times each week do you have earmarked to work on this course?
Setting Goals:You might ask them to review the learning objectives, asking what they will commit to accomplishing. And beyond the learning objectives for the course, are there other skills or competencies they plan to work on in the course? Do they have any suggestions for the instructor about strategies for helping meet those goals?

During the first week of your course

Providing students with an opportunity to quiz themselves not on the course topic but on the course itself–how to get started in the course, how to navigate the course, what the course should help students accomplish, and how the course is structured–can help instructors send fewer emails saying, “It’s in the syllabus!”

Given multiple choice or true/false question types, these kinds of pre-course surveys can be automatically scored. Don’t forget to compose feedback for incorrect responses and allow multiple attempts!

What tools are available?

IU supports the Qualtrics survey tool and Canvas includes a dashboard feature that allows instructors to create a type of quiz called ‘ungraded’ that can be used as a survey. In Canvas, once the survey, or ‘ungraded quiz,’ is published online, students can login to their Canvas course page and participate. IU also has access to Google Forms and Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Forms are Available in the Channel and Chat features) for quick survey and quiz creation.

If you’d like support implementing a pre-course survey or questionnaire in your online class, or in any other aspects of teaching and learning, please contact me at your earliest convenience with your availability.