HIED 806: Discussion Posts

Introduction

In order to get to know you, you will be creating an introductory post in the discussion forum below. To guide the development of this post, use the list of questions provided as a guide. Once you have created your post, find at least two students who have similar backgrounds and/or interests and engage them in dialogue.

A. What is your field of study/department?

B. What kinds of teaching experience do you have?

1. College teaching

2. Graduate student instructor or TA

3. Primary/secondary school teacher

4. Tutor (private or institutional)

5. None

6. Other

C. How has the pandemic impacted your graduate studies and life?

D. What type of impacts do you think the pandemic is having on college teaching?

D. What questions do you have about college teaching that you hope will be addressed in this class?

E. When we can travel again, where is the first place you want to go? Why?

Hello Everyone! My name is Emily and I am currently in my 5th semester of the Master of Education in Higher Education program. I am also pursuing the certificate in Institutional Research and am scheduled to graduate May 2022! Since February 2016 I have worked in China as a high school chemistry and biology teacher. My students are primarily ESL Chinese students who hope to pursue international higher education. The pandemic has greatly impacted my graduate studies and life. I have been living in Wuhan, China since August 2019 but was unable to return to my apartment or job between mid January 2020 – September 2020. In this time I continued my graduate studies, moved to Taiwan for a month, Vietnam for four months, and America for the remaining time. Luckily I was able to return to my home in Wuhan and continue teaching in this new normal. I have now postponed my wedding twice and have not been home for a year (which is actually very short compared to most expatriate teachers, so I am thankful). This being said, when we can travel again, the first place I want to go is back to America to visit my family! It is difficult being away without the possibility of returning home without sabotaging your job, so boarder restrictions would bring a huge amount of peace of mind to me and my family.

I think the pandemic has had a huge impact on college teaching in that it has required professors to adapt to new technologies and completely change their method of teaching to suit the online delivery of content. The modes of student engagement are drastically different and include new challenges that faculty are all facing together for the first time. Student demographics are also likely different due to the financial impact of the pandemic, and professors must be aware of their student’s personal situations in order to be accommodating. It seems like there are many new challenges in college teaching now, but it also seems there are new opportunities being formed such as new programs like PSU’s World Campus.

I hope to learn more about teaching at a higher education institution and how the strategies involving student engagement and teaching pedology differ from those in primary and secondary schools. I have only seen these strategies as a student, so I look forward to learning about them from my peers and in this class!

Reading Question

As part of this lesson, you were asked to read Faculty Attitudes Toward Undergraduate Education. Based on your reading, identify a minimum of two questions that you would like to pose to the group. Post those questions to the discussion forum, preferably one question per post. Then review the questions posed by other students, responding to a minimum of two.

Considering that currently, “there is no compelling necessity to reexamine familiar forms of instruction and experiment with new pedagogic methods in an effort to help their students accomplish more”, what incentives could an institution offer that are both viable and enticing enough to encourage faculty to sharpen teaching methods (Bok, 2006, p. 32)?

In the recent years, an increasing amount of higher education institutions have been undergoing program prioritization processes to strategically allocate institutional resources to programs that support the institutional mission and the community they serve (Dickeson, 2010). How might a department that includes concentrations and majors that are a “familiar part of the curriculum” but lack a clear purpose proactively respond to this trend to protect a course or program that might be deemed unnecessary (Bok, 2006, p. 42)?
References:
Bok, D. C. (2006). Faculty Attitudes Toward Undergraduate Education. Our underachieving colleges: A candid look at how much students learn and why they should be learning more. Princeton University Press.
Dickeson, R. C. (2010). Prioritizing academic programs and services: Reallocating resources to achieve strategic balance. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Reading Summary

In an opinion piece, Teaching and Learning: Lost in a Buzzword Wasteland (Links to an external site.), authors Chew and Cerbin assert that “a theory of how people learn would allow teachers to plan pedagogy more effectively and examine all factors relevant to learning.” Do you agree or disagree with their argument? Why? They posit that without an understanding of how learning works, “teachers must make their own assumptions about how students learn. Unfortunately, many teachers base their pedagogy on simplistic ideas, untested intuitions and faulty assumptions.” Think back on your time as a student and describe a time in your classroom learning where you think a teacher’s faulty assumptions about learning impacted how you were taught. What is one key takeaway you have from reading this article and this module on learning theory?

Do you agree or disagree with their argument? Why?

I agree that a theory of how people learn would allow teachers to plan pedagogy more effectively and examine all factors relevant to learning. Of course having a precise, scientific understanding of the human mind’s ability to learn and apply new knowledge would enhance teaching pedagogy! Just like having an exact recipe for making a moist cake will likely yield a moist cake. Chew and Cerbin’s assertion seems to be an oversimplified wish masked in criticism for theories that attempt to chip away at the huge question of “how to humans learn”.

There is validity in criticizing the ever-growing web of buzzwords and pedagogy, but disregarding existing pedagogy in the hopes of finding one, all encompassing learning theory, does not seem practical. Even if such a theory existed, I do not agree that it would make a truly noticeable impact on teaching as a whole. As with any novel theory, it would be several years or decades before institutions would be able to train their faculty in the best practices of applying the theory to their teaching style. Even then, many teachers would likely refuse to adapt due to age, apathy, or time constraints.

On the other hand, if this theory was discovered and quickly implemented, teachers would be the ones incorporating it into their lessons. Meaning, the theory itself would be changed and adapted to compliment the teachers’ deliverable material and teaching style. Likely, it would evolve into a different theory in practice than it was intended to be. The human influence on teaching cannot be ignored, so even if the perfect theory for learning existed, it still can be distorted in practice. Then, authors like Chew and Cerbin would have a new theory to criticize.

Think back on your time as a student and describe a time in your classroom learning where you think a teacher’s faulty assumptions about learning impacted how you were taught.

One faulty assumption about learning that has impacted how I was taught is that groupwork is always a good idea. I have had many groups where I have learned huge amounts through our collaboration, but I wish it was more normal to have an out to work on your own if the situation demands it. Some way to still contribute your part to your group, but have a chance to receive full points for the assignment without the social pressure of giving your work away for free or snitching on your group members.

What is one key takeaway you have from reading this article and this module on learning theory?

One takeaway from this article is that teaching pedagogy and learning theories are useless if left as impressive buzzwords that are not actually integrated into the daily grind of teaching.

Presentation: Applying Theories

For this assignment, you are going to create a presentation that illustrates your basic understanding of one of the the three learning theories presented in this week’s lesson. You will also find a video example of this learning theory in action. As you know, learning is a science and our understanding of it evolves which leads to debate between theories and versions of theories. In general, however, most of the current scholarship on learning supports these four premises:

learning as a process of active engagement;
learning as individual and social;
learner differences as resources to be used, not obstacles to be confronted; and
learners should learn the basics, but they must also know how to use those basics to identify and solve nontraditional problems (Wilson & Peterson, 2006).

When creating your presentation and locating the working example, keep in mind these four premises and the following example questions you can address: How does the theory promote learner engagement? How does the theory provide for individual and social learning? How does a teacher address learner differences? How can a teachers help students develop a sound basis of factual knowledge and a flexible understanding of how to use that knowledge?

Step 1: PowerPoint presentation

Create a 3 minute presentation and record it in Zoom. In this presentation, define the theory using your own words and why it is a relevant theory for a teacher to know.

Step 2: Locate an example of this theory in action

Find an example of a teacher (at any grade level, but preferably higher education) teaching a class/lesson.
Write a paragraph on how this teacher exemplifies the theory in action and how you think this teacher’s methods help to promote learner engagement, for example.

Step 3: Post your presentation, link and descriptive paragraph

Post these items in the discussion

Step 4: Review your classmate’s posting

Review the presentations and posting of your classmates. Are there similarities/differences in presentation styles? Provide comments/feedback where applicable. Identify one key takeaway you learned from each presentation.

Grading Details

This assignment is worth a total of 6 points. The point breakdown is as follows:

Presentation = 2 points (Breakdown: 3 minutes and defined theory and relevancy, 2 points; Longer/shorter than 3 minutes, 1 point; Incomplete, 0 points)
Teaching example and description = 2 points (Breakdown: Relevant example and paragraph description, 2 points; Example poorly aligned with theory and paragraph description, 1 point; Incomplete, 0 points)
Comments of peers’ posts = 2 points (Breakdown: Key takeaway identified for each student posting, 2 points; Key takeaway identified for some student posting, 1 point; Incomplete, 0 points)

Cognitivism Theory Presentation (Condensed 3 minutes):

Cognitivism in Action:

Lecture 2.4: The Cell and How it Works — Organelles (Links to an external site.)

This teacher exemplifies the theory of cognitivism through respecting the three assumptions of the cognitive approach, Limited capacity, control mechanism, and two-way flow. She then provided ample examples comparing the abstract concepts of cell organelles to common examples that students are likely to have previously encountered. Therefore allowing students to assimilate the new information into existing schema. First, the instructor respects the assumption of limited capacity through organizing her lesson into clear sections and only presenting small amounts of new information at a time in a linear manner. There is little evidence of her attention to the control mechanism of the mind, but requiring students to multi-task through taking notes, listening to the lecture, and hopefully responding to the information in the lesson activities. The two-way flow is present in receiving information from the environment, processing it through incorporating or assimilating new information into existing schema, and outputting the information through assessments.

Learner-Centered Assessment

For this lesson you will be completing a series of related tasks. In the previous assignment, you completed a short paper. For this task, you will also be asked to post your paper to this discussion forum. The purpose of this forum is to 1) share a variety of examples with your peers, and 2) offer insights, thoughts and perspectives of the use of those examples.

Once you have uploaded your paper, read the posts submitted by your fellow classmates and provide your insights. Your perspectives may stem from actual teaching experiences, or, your own experiences as a learner completing the assessment. In either case share how the experience went. This should include what went well and/or what should be done differently if using the assessment again.

Please see my attached paper which is assessing the A-Level Biology learning outcome 2.2.6 “describe the breakage of a glycosidic bond in polysaccharides and disaccharides by hydrolysis, with reference to the non-reducing sugar test” (Cambridge Assessment International Education, 2019, p. 15). A performance assessment of a laboratory activity with a summative assessment will be used to evaluate students’ understanding of the learning objective.

Evidence-based Teaching Strategies: Posting #1

Initial Post

For your initial post, select one of the topics covered in the course or from other evidenced-based topics of interest to you (See bulleted list for suggestions). Then locate a research study related to your selected topic. After carefully reading the study, write a brief description stating what you have learned. Do not just copy the existing abstract. Include APA citations, as warranted.

Suggested Topics include, but are not limited to:

Teacher characteristics and effective teaching
Active learning
Lectures
Lesson planning
Discipline specific instruction
Assessments
Student characteristics
Grading
Online teaching

Initial posts should be submitted by Wednesday at 11:59 pm (ET) to allow time for discussion.

Follow-Up Post

For your follow-up posts, read a minimum of two of your peer’s responses and provide feedback on their posting by stating if and how you think this research will influence your future teaching.

Interview Question Identification

Identify one question you want answered about this research/practice in an actually teaching setting that you will pose to a faculty member during the interview phase of this assignment.

You are not required to submit your question in this discussion forum; however, you are encouraged to do so.

Topic:

Lesson Planning

Article:

Idea Paper #42: Integrated Course Design (Links to an external site.)

Summary:

Lesson planning should involve identifying situational factors to determine what the learning goals are, how the students and the teacher will know if these learning goals are accomplished, and identifying what needs to be done for students to achieve the learning goals (Fink, 2005). Shifting from a “content centered approach” where an instructor has specific topics that students must learn to a student centered approach requires that instructors must first acknowledge the specific context of the learning situation allows for a deeper mastery of subject content. This involves identifying what overall tone the class should have – “theoretical, practical, or a combination” (Fink, 2005, p. 2). Then, clear learning goals can be established and pursued using the identified environment as a framework.

These learning goals likely include mastery of foundational knowledge and the ability to apply and integrate concepts into abstract situations. The overarching goal should be learning how to learn, so continued learning can occur within the subject. Finally, there should be feedback and assessment procedures in place to determine if lesson planning goals are met. Fink states that “the purpose of instruction (and any other learning activity) is the promotion of student learning. All decisions relating to a given course (or other learning experience) – from the selection of reading material to the assessment process – should be judged by their contribution to this end” (p. 6). Therefore, all lesson plans should be made to guide students to the acquisition of significant learning.

Reference:

Fink, L. D. (2005). Idea Paper #42: Integrated Course Design. University of Oklahoma. https://ideacontent.blob.core.windows.net/content/sites/2/2020/01/Idea_Paper_42.pdf.

Effective Lectures

In the chapter, The_Lecture_as_a_Teaching_Strategy, Download The_Lecture_as_a_Teaching_Strategy,Stacy (2009) noted, “Lecturing, like most things, can be done well and can be done badly” (p.275). React to this statement and support your views with the evidence for effective or ineffective lectures that is provided in the chapter.
Describe a lecture you have attended that you found to be effective. In your description, include the discipline and identify any discipline-specific elements/strategies used in the lecture. If you don’t remember or didn’t observe any specific strategies, what evidence-based strategies could enhance the lecture?
How does knowing something about the evidence for lectures help you to think about and plan your upcoming microteach lecture?

I completely agree with the statement, “Lecturing, like most things, can be done well and can be done badly” (p. 275). One of the requirements at the school I work for is to observe other teachers, so I have observed teachers from a variety of subjects giving their lessons. They are often similar in the structure of their lessons. First, they welcome the students and check and go over the previous night’s homework. Then they lecture taking breaks every few minutes to ask the students questions or point them to relevant notes, examples, or materials. Finally, they assign homework and answer questions. Although seemingly blasé, a 45 minute class period is incredibly short when dealing with a reasonably sized group of students who want to learn. It is even shorter when a teacher must stop their lesson to ensure proper classroom management is being observed. This brings me to my resounding agreement that “given the large amounts of content and the limited amount of time in courses, at times efficiency is important” (p. 9). Due to limited time with the students, prioritizing discovery-based learning or active learning strategies is not always possible, so lecturing is often the main teaching strategy.

I also agree that “students gain a lot from watching professors…solve problems” (p. 10). I think this is vital in any lecture because it connects problems that the students will likely encounter to the theory they are learning in class. If students can first watch the professor, then practice individually with feedback, then be tested on similar problems, it will likely be an effective tool to include in a lecture. If one of these three pieces is missing, it might be difficult to engage even the most intrinsically driven students to engage meaningfully with the lecture because it lacks practicality.

The authors also stressed that ‘boring lectures” are often a reflection of a lack of skill or a lack of effective teaching methods. I agree with them, yet again, because delivering material in an interesting, digestible, and engaging way is a completely different battle than mastering the material yourself. I do think that some teachers falsely assume that their ability to master subject matter is directly related to their quality of lecturing.

One lecture I remember being particularly effective is from Dr. Aghoram at Meredith College on the biochemical engineering of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) and food. He always used well-designed PowerPoint with a good balance between words, formulas, and pictures. He also talked slowly and provided a variety of homework that would assist in learning during the next class. For example, he might provide helpful youtube videos, book reading, practice problems, and other materials. This way, what you learned in the lecture was directly related to the homework. So, after he gave his lecture on the specifics of the topic, he presented the argument of why many people are “anti-GMO”, but he also presented the reasoning behind the usefulness of GMO’s by explaining their positive impact on fighting world food shortages. He then continued to present current research happening in our region that is always looking for student assistants, and how we could pursue an active role in this research. I will never forget the scaffolding he used in taking a group of students with a variety of pre-existing ideas about GMOs through the theory behind them, their positive and negative effects on humans and other organisms, and their potential for practical problem-solving.

Knowing about the effectiveness of lecturing and the necessity of employing teaching strategies within them will help my upcoming micro teach because I can strive to avoid some of the common pitfalls while focusing on designing my lesson strategically.

Evidence-based Teaching Strategies: Posting #2

Initial Post

Suggested Topics include, but are not limited to:

Teacher characteristics and effective teaching
Active learning
Lectures
Lesson planning
Discipline specific instruction
Assessments
Student characteristics
Grading
Online teaching

Locate a research study for each of the 5 evidence-based teaching practices in your discipline. Begin by writing a brief description of each of the 5 studies (do not just copy the existing abstract), provide APA citations, and state what you learned from this study. Next, read two of your peer’s responses and state if you think this research will influence your future teaching. Lastly, identify one question you want answered about this research/practice in an actually teaching setting that you will pose to a faculty member during the interview phase of this assignment.

Initial posts should be submitted by Wednesday at 11:59 pm (ET) to allow time for discussion.

Follow-Up Post/Peer Feedback

For your follow-up posts, read a minimum of two of your peer’s responses and provide feedback on their posting by stating if and how you think this research will influence your future teaching.

Example Feedback Posting from a Former HIED 806 Student:

Interesting paper. I too am interested to know if the results would be similar if the sample size was larger, randomized, and American. In reading your entry, I was wondering what constitutes “productive classroom discourse” aside from teacher questioning and feedback. It seems like there are many other behaviors that could be modeled in a STEM setting like active learning exercises other than asking open-ended questions. Since the study was not randomized, I wonder if there were other factors that caused students to have increased intrinsic motivation in the experimental sample. If a teacher opts to participate in TPD, they are willing to grow and learn as teachers, which likely means that they have a growth mindset and are more encouraging to students.

Interview Question Identification

Identify one question you want answered about this research/practice in an actually teaching setting that you will pose to a faculty member during the interview phase of this assignment.

You are not required to submit your question in this discussion forum; however, you are encouraged to do so.

Topic:
Assessment

Article:

From gathering to using assessment results: Lessons from the Wabash National Study (Links to an external site.)

Summary:
This longitudinal research and assessment project’s purpose was to “provide participating institutions with extensive evidence about teaching practices, student experiences, and institutional conditions that promote student growth across multiple outcomes” (para. 1). Throughout the study, the research aim shifted from identifying and investigating the primary obstacles to good assessment to focusing on how institutions can distribute and use data. The Wabash Study was piloted in 2005 and included 49 universities and colleges, ad the study is still in progress with 30 additional institutions joining a new version of this study in 2010.

The study was designed with “three core assumptions about what helps and what hinders effective assessment”, and these three assumptions are the foundation for the study’s measures and methodology. First, the primary obstacle in using assessment evidence to improve student learning was access to high-quality data. Second, that detailed reports on the study’s findings would be the first step in accumulating evidence-based improvements. Third, faculty and staff would approach their work on assessment projects with an intellectual approach to improve student learning.

The study highlighted four dimensions of good practices and conditions (p. 10):
1. Good Teaching and High-Quality Interactions with Faculty
2. Academic Challenge and High Expectations
3. Diversity Experiences
4. Higher-Order, Integrative, and reflective learning

Post study challenges for participating institutions included implimenting and identifying changes in response to the data gathered.

Although the overarching Wabash National Study is used to gather data on using assessment as a means to enhance institutional engagement in assessment and improvement efforts rather than individual teacher’s commitment to assessment, it does identify four dimensions of good practices and conditions and support these dimensions with quantifiable and longitudinal data. These four dimensions are critical in facilitating student assessments and providing quality instruction as a whole.

Research Question:
Is it possible to provide assessments that align with the four dimensions of good practices and conditions each class period? If not, how often should these assessments be utilized? If so, what could be an example of an assessment that could be utilized with some amount of efficiency?

References:

Blaich, C. F., & Wise, K. S. (2011, January). From gathering to using assessment results: Lessons from the Wabash National Study. (Occasional Paper No. 8). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA).

Microteach 1 Feedback

For your first post, copy your Microteach 1 Zoom link into a Discussion post. Add a brief background or purpose statement setting the stage for your fellow classmates to watch the video.

Then, watch and critique your classmate’s Microteaches. You will give feedback to all of your classmates. NOTE: Peer feedback is due no later than 11:59pm ET, October 5th.

You may view my (10 minute, non extended) microteach here:

Have you ever wondered why some people are lactose intolerant? The answer is found by studying some very special proteins called enzymes. There is an enzyme that breaks down lactose, but if a person does not have enough of this enzyme, they will be unable to break down large amounts of lactose which is the sugar found in various dairy products. This lesson will introduce the concept of enzymes and introduce how an enzyme works. Enzymes are taught in the third unit of the biology course I am teaching, so the students already have a working knowledge of basic chemistry and biochemical molecules that are found in the body such as sugars, proteins, and lipids to name a few.

Note:
I apologize for some of the choppy moments in my recording. I recorded my microteach several times, but the internet speeds in China were not cooperating with me as much as I would hope. I have updated the transcript that accompanies the video to reflect any parts of the video’s dialog that might be difficult to understand due to choppiness. Thank you for watching!

Case Study Small Group

For this assignment you have been randomly assigned to a small group (see this week’s announcement to find the names of your peers in your group). In your assigned group, select one of the case studies by Wednesday, October 6th. The cases have been adapted from the Case Studies in Inclusive Teaching in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics CIRTL Diversity Resources, developed by the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) and supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0227592.

Then, using the Checklist of Assumptions That can Impact Motivation, Learning and Performance Download Checklist of Assumptions That can Impact Motivation, Learning and Performance, each team member select one of the four assumptions on which to focus. (Depending on small group size, multiple students may work on the same assumption.)

Each person in the group will work with one of the assumptions. Then collectively, using this discussion forum, you will develop a summary of the case and identify the issue(s) the case raises. Discuss how some of the assumptions, if any, are addressed in the study. Finally answer this, what could the instructor do in this situation? Generate several possible responses.

Following your small group discussion, one person from your group will need to post your summary in the Lesson 7 Summary Discussion that follows.

Group: Ian, Emily, and Stephanie

Case: Gina Gilbertson

Assumptions About Experience/Knowledge:

Emily earlier described a few of the Assumptions Influencing Attributions; I am addressing the experience/knowledge section of the checklist.

I do not believe Gina is trying to exclude the Chinese students–she is, as a matter of fact, making a deliberate effort to include them in the rest of the class’s activities, and it is the Chinese students who are excluding the others in forming a language-based clique. (Whether they are entitled to do that or not is a separate discussion). Gina is actually innocent of most of the assumptions listed here, such as expectations for students to share political perspectives, come from “comfortable backgrounds,” traditional families, etc. Even recognition of privilege in the dominant group does not seem particularly relevant to the facts of the case.

The summary of this section does note that “the terms we use, or the examples we choose, do not speak as powerfully to other people, which makes our explanations less meaningful. Some students might also feel marginalized by our language.” It may be possible that the Chinese students are not as familiar with Newton’s cradle, the example Gina was fishing for in the lecture on momentum (“What about those little silver colliding balls executives put on their desks, where you pull out one ball and the other bounces back?”). They may also feel marginalized by language–it is natural to want to hear one’s native language spoken–however, whether class time is the appropriate time to seek that (I argue that it isn’t, especially when called on to participate) is another discussion as well.

The one assumption in this category that Gina is guilty of is the expectation of one minority group (in this case, Chinese students) to be all alike within their group. The student she called on first, Jay, did exhibit rudeness by telling a joke in response, probably in Chinese, based on the facts of the case. However, Susan, another Chinese student, clarified for Gina and the class that Jay made a joke so that Gina could move on with the class. Instead, Gina calls on a white student, Mike. As Emily notes in her section on Assumptions Influencing Attribution, this is a reasonable reaction; however, I would suggest that a minor improvement to Gina’s handling of the situation would be to ask Susan the same question she had asked Jay. Susan has in this small interaction, demonstrated helpfulness to the class and a willingness to engage in English, unlike Jay.

Assumptions influencing attributions – Emily

There seem to be various assumptions influencing attributions that Gina Gilbertson is facing in her discussion section of Engineering Dynamics. First, Gina does assume that “less-than-fluent English skills” will affect a student’s performance in class. Rather than challenging the student on his rude retort or on his previous lack of participation, Gina chooses to back down and call on a different student to answer her question. It is reasonable to back away from this kind of confrontation publicly if she is willing to hold him after class and discuss his behavior. Additionally, it seems like Gina may believe that “certain cultural communication styles betray a low level of preparedness or confidence” because she associated the lack of participation in the class discussions with a lack of engagement as a whole. There is merit to wanting to increase participation in class and socialization among peers, but she could have set this precedent for actively engaging in class in a way that didn’t put a usually quiet and reserved ESL student on the spot.

Lesson 7 Summary

Following your small group discussion, post your summary to this discussion. The purpose of this discussion forum is to share your insights with the other groups regarding your specific case. You are encouraged to engage the other groups on their perspectives/insights providing constructive feedback and asking thoughtful questions.

Case #3: Gina Gilbertson

This case is one where it is easy to see why everyone behaved in the way they did, even though it was a pretty bad thing to have happen in the whole class. It is natural to want the class to engage and to break up cliques, and also to back down when faced with rudeness from students, of which this case is a pretty clear example. However, our group did identify a few assumptions on the part of the instructor.

Emily: assumptions influencing attribution

First, Gina does assume that “less-than-fluent English skills” will affect a student’s performance in class. Rather than challenging the student on his rude retort or on his previous lack of participation, Gina chooses to back down and call on a different student to answer her question.
Additionally, it seems like Gina may believe that “certain cultural communication styles betray a low level of preparedness or confidence” because she associated the lack of participation in the class discussions with a lack of engagement as a whole.

Ian: assumptions about experience/knowledge

Gina may assume that lack of engagement in the class is from a lack of ability to communicate in English, rather than unwillingness to
She is also clearly fishing for an example in her lecture which may not be familiar to all students
Gina is most guilty of assuming one minority group (in this case, Chinese students) to be all alike within their group. The student she called on first, Jay, did exhibit rudeness by telling a joke in response, probably in Chinese, based on the facts of the case. However, Susan, another Chinese student, clarified for Gina and the class that Jay made a joke so that Gina could move on with the class.

Stephanie: other assumptions

Stephanie points out that in the case, about half of the class is not engaged, and the Chinese students are not the only ones not paying attention.
She also points out that the students sitting together may not be a clique as Gina thinks it is.
The case does not establish that Gina has provide sufficient notice to students that they may be called on, or the sudden change in expected engagement may be the cause for the pushback she is receiving.

Lesson 8 Summary

Post at least two questions that you now have as a result of reading the chapter. Then review other questions posted by other students. Do you have an answer to their question? Or perhaps an additional question to add?

Question 1: My first question considers the controversy surrounding adapting evidence-based teaching (EBT). One argument is the “appropriateness of adopting medical or agricultural models for use in educational settings” (Groccia & Buskist, 2011, p. 8). To my understanding, medical and agricultural models approach teaching in a very linear manner through presenting information, experimenting and applying the concepts, giving assessments, and taking notes of what was successful and what was not. It seems like this would be a suitable model for many subjects within an educational setting, so I don’t really understand why this would present a concern critical enough to address in the first chapter? I am very interested to hear if any of you have experience in a situation in higher education where approaching teaching through this lens would present concern so I can better understand.

Question 2: Second, one of the seven principles of integrated and holistic systems of teaching is that “(7) metacognitive monitoring of learning facilitates further learning” (p. 9). What kinds of quantitative or qualitative evidence to support EBT could be collected to support that metacognitive monitoring of learning is being prioritized? It seems like assessing a student’s familiarity or deep understanding of a topic would be incredibly difficult to gather data on.

A bonus, and less relevant question that arose during the reading was based on the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education’s (NCPPHE) study that provided evidence of American higher education’s underperformance relative to other countries. Groccia and Buskist (2011) state, “in the report, the United States ranked sixteenth of twenty-seven developed countries in the percentage of students who complete their first undergraduate degree” (p. 7). What factors were evaluated in this study? Were non-traditional students taken into account? Were associate degrees considered? I am interested in finding out more about this study and would love to hear if any of you have experience with it and could give insight to my curiosities!

Evidence-based Teaching Strategies: Posting #3

Initial Post

Suggested Topics include, but are not limited to:

Teacher characteristics and effective teaching
Active learning
Lectures
Lesson planning
Discipline specific instruction
Assessments
Student characteristics
Grading
Online teaching

Initial posts should be submitted by Wednesday at 11:59 pm (ET) to allow time for discussion.

Follow-Up Post/Peer Feedback

For your follow-up posts, read a minimum of two of your peer’s responses and provide feedback on their posting by stating if and how you think this research will influence your future teaching.

Example Feedback Posting from a Former HIED 806 Student:

Interview Question Identification

Identify one question you want answered about this research/practice in an actually teaching setting that you will pose to a faculty member during the interview phase of this assignment.

You are not required to submit your question in this discussion forum; however, you are encouraged to do so.

Topic: Active Learning

Article: Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics

This study aims to “test the hypothesis that lecturing maximizes learning and course performance” in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses under traditional lecturing versus active learning. “The results indicate that average examination score improved by about 6% in active learning sections and that students in classes with traditional lecturing were 1.5 times more likely to fail than were students in classes with active learning” (Freeman et al., 2014, p. 1).

These findings have practical significance to support the national initiative to increase STEM bachelor’s degrees completed per year as well as saving tuition money spent on a failed class For instance, within the 29,300 students in the 67 lecturing treatments, the data reflects that 3,516 fewer students would have failed these STEM courses saving about $3,500,000 US dollars in tuition payments.

The following graph summarizes the differences in the pass/fail rate in STEM classes evaluated in this study:

Active learning in STEM courses also has been shown to benefit underrepresented students as well as increasing retention in female students in male-dominated fields. The findings from this study have inspired further questions regarding the intensity of active learning that is needed as well as the psychological and cognitive scientific changes that should be implemented into future STEM course design.

This study is relevant to us as future educators in higher education because the working definition of active learning that Freeman et al. (2014) utilizes is:

“Active learning engages students in the process of learning through activities and/or discussion in class, as opposed to passively listening to an expert. It emphasizes higher-order thinking and often involves group work (p. 4).”

It is within each educator’s ability to implement some means of active learning, and this study offers statistically significant findings to support the value of doing so.

Question:

How might active learning be implemented in a large classroom? The author proposes the use of “clickers”. What other methods could help students become involved and increase their chances for retention?

Reference:

Freeman, S., Eddy, S., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014, April 15). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. PNAS.org. Retrieved October 10, 2021, from https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/111/23/8410.full.pdf.

Sample SRTE

Review the Sample SRTE, then return here to participate in this discussion forum.

With the sample SRTE in mind, provide a brief description of what the students are saying about this class and the instructor. Offer at least two suggestions for improvement or to address student concerns. Review at least two of your classmate’s suggestions and critique their merit.

Provide a brief description of what the students are saying about this class and the instructor.

The course is rated higher than the professor. The professor’s feedback, availability during office hours, preparation for class, and clarity of syllabus are rated highly which should indicate overall satisfaction with the professor. The professor’s clarity of explanations, variety of teaching methods, and encouragement of student participation are rated lower than other categories. Several of the comments mentioned unclear directions, condescending attitudes, and a lack of providing straightforward answers. One comment regarding what helped the students learn stood out to me, “the book not the teacher”. This sounds like an offended or angry student who likely is responsible for some of the data points that are outliers.

The class as a whole seems to be well supported by the book, “My Crime Kit”, lectures, and handouts. Most of the students responding to the SRTE are expecting a B, so the grade threshold (at a glance) seems to be fair. It also was rated quite high in promoting critical thinking. It seems like the students enjoyed the class but wish they studied the book a bit more.

Offer at least two suggestions for improvement or to address student concerns.

The comment mentioning the instructor’s lack of straight forward answers is concerning, so the department head could follow up on this comment with the professor to discuss potential reasons for this comment and ways to avoid this criticism in the future.

The comment stating, “the directions for the PSA and final project weren’t totally clear” provides clear suggestion for improvement. The instructor could revisit the directions of these projects and supplement them with a detailed rubric so expectations are fully articulated.

The Heart of a Teacher

Keep these thoughts in mind as you read chapter 1, The Heart of a Teacher Download The Heart of a Teacherin Parker Palmer’s book, The Courage to Teach. Please note that the chapter is a PDF and not a link.

Who are we? What does it mean to know who we are?

If we look in the mirror, are we first enthralled by the ‘flaws’ we think we have?

What do we teach? What do we leave out? Why do we leave it out?

We are the authors of authority and to teach individuals we must be individually aware

For this discussion, respond to the answers below.

What are the benefits, if any, to examining the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual dynamics of a teacher’s life?
“You are a new professor adjusting to teaching challenges. As such you are searching for your teaching identify.” Based on Palmer’s chapter or the article, do you have any insights as to how you would go about this process?
Parker writes that we teach who we are, for good or for ill. You are new to teaching, but from what you are learning and may have experienced so far as teacher, what is teaching reveal to you about yourself, both your strengths and weaknesses?

Next react and comment to each of your classmate’s posting by selecting one of the three responses they posted.

Question 1: Most notably, teaching involves a huge amount of interpersonal communication. Whether between your peers, or your students, or simply your own inner monologue while preparing for class, every moment of a teacher’s day seems to revolve around interpersonal communication that has happened, is happening, or will happen. This is exhausting, especially for many academics who are naturally introverted. It can be difficult to support yourself or a peer teacher emotionally when only viewing the professional dynamics and neglecting the emotional and spiritual dynamics. These dynamics are the foundation for self-care and self-support as well as the foundation for a strong friendship.

Question 2:
First, I would think about the mentors and “good” and “bad” teachers I have had in my life. The good mentors and teachers share the commonality of genuinely caring about their students through actively listening to their concerns and following up with questions that their students ask. They also attempt to relate the information to their students personally by first relating the information to a non-academic part of their own lives and then inquiring about non-academic parts of their student’s lives. These two examples reveal that I believe establishing a personal connection with students and academic material is a part of my teaching identity. So, I should make integrating this personal connection a priority when designing lessons.

Question 3: Teaching makes me vulnerable to criticism, questions, and bullying. There are times where students are careless or cruel. These are things that any person would not like to experience, but I have found that I internalize incidents a bit too much and they steal my joy, so I view my response to these incidents as weaknesses. I prefer to be kind and to be surrounded by people who are also kind, so finding a balance between protecting myself emotionally and also being vulnerable in an effort to foster classroom communication and collaboration is difficult and tiring.

On the other hand, I have found that I am very good at explaining complex, dry, or confusing scientific phenomena in an exciting and relatable way. I am also good at making students feel comfortable and unashamed to make mistakes. It is not uncommon for students to approach me at the end of the semester to tell me that they are now planning to major in science in university or thank me for helping them see the joy of understanding their least favorite subject. These moments remind me how much I love science and why investing in my students personally is valuable.

Evidence-based Teaching Strategies: Posting #4

Initial Post

Suggested Topics include, but are not limited to:

Teacher characteristics and effective teaching
Active learning
Lectures
Lesson planning
Discipline specific instruction
Assessments
Student characteristics
Grading
Online teaching

Initial posts should be submitted by Wednesday at 11:59 pm (ET) to allow time for discussion.

Follow-Up Post/Peer Feedback

For your follow-up posts, read a minimum of two of your peer’s responses and provide feedback on their posting by stating if and how you think this research will influence your future teaching.

Example Feedback Posting from a Former HIED 806 Student:

Interview Question Identification

Identify one question you want answered about this research/practice in an actually teaching setting that you will pose to a faculty member during the interview phase of this assignment.

You are not required to submit your question in this discussion forum; however, you are encouraged to do so.

Topic: Online Learning

Title: Transfer of learning in virtual environments: a new challenge? (Links to an external site.)

Skill acquisition is linked to the initial context of learning and training. So, if knowledge and skills are linked to their initial context (virtual simulation), how can a student use them in a real situation?

The context can be either “low” from the environmental point of view, “high” from the subject’s point of view, or “rich” from the subject’s ability to adapt to multiple types of encoding (images, kinesthetic sensations, verbal information, etc.)” (p. 151, 155). The study assesses virtual learning environments through the low, high, and rich contexts to determine if it is conducive for either a “transfer of training…the extent of retention and application of knowledge, skills and attitudes from the training environment to the workplace environment” or a “transfer of learning…a process in which knowledge constructed in a particular context (source task) is used in a different context (target task) after being mobilized, recombined and/or adapted” can occur (p. 151).

The study analyzed 14 virtual learning environments (VE). Each was assigned either “low”, “high”, or “rich” transfer based on their training or learning purpose, learning conditions, and VE properties. Of these 14 VEs, 3 were “low”, 6 were “high”, and 5 were “rich”. These results tell us that the majority of VEs are successful in using the subject’s point of view and the subject’s adaptability to transfer training and learning to users. These findings are summarized in a table on page 156-157 of the article. Future studies aim to examine transfer issues in VE and emerging trends in VE.

Practical takeaways for educators: This meticulously collected data supports the hypothesis that training and learning are transferred in an online environment. The data largely indicates that it is an environment that must be driven by the learner’s point of view and adaptability rather than the environment itself. Therefore, educators should differentiate their virtual teaching strategies to encourage multiple types of encoding. The authors also suggest that the theories of behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism have profoundly influenced the use of VEs and therefore should be considered when aiming to support the transfer of learning to virtual students.

Question: An example of a “low” transfer VE is one where a student must first become familiar with a situation, experience a simulation exercise where mistakes can be made, and finally apply what they have learned to a similar simulation in the future. How can a virtual environment be improved to include more practical application of skills so that the learner’s perception of their environment stimulates a response and “low” transfer can be achieved more frequently?

How can administrators or institutional researchers use this data regarding how students actively engage and learn virtually to enhance current online educational initiatives?

Reference:

Bossard, C., Kermarrec, G., Buche, C., Tisseau, J. (2008). Transfer of learning in virtual environments: a new challenge?. Virtual Reality. 12:151-161. DOI: 10.1007/s10055-008-0093-y.

Motivation Theory Small Group

For this assignment you will work in pairs. Please decide who you are going to collaborate with and let me know. As I hear from you, I will post the groups on the Discussion Forum page.

Your tasks:

Read the attached paper.
With your peer (either synchronously or asynchronously) answer these questions:
- In the chapter (see the attachment below) several theoretical frameworks for motivation are provided. Which of these frameworks resonates with you as a student and why?
- Now switch your perspective to that of an instructor. How does knowing about these motivational theories and frameworks help you to think about how to motivate students?
- The chapter includes some suggestions for putting motivation into practice. Select one of the suggestions or locate one from the literature that you are considering using in your second microteach.
Post to the discussion forum a quick summary of what you learned from your discussion of the above questions and something that you think we all should remember when thinking about motivation in teaching and learning. To one or more of your peer’s posting, describe how their response clarified your thinking/raised questions/etc. when it comes to motivating students.

With your peer, you will then be responsible for facilitating any comments about your post, answering questions and engaging others in dialogue as warranted.

Use this posting space to share how you are connecting with each other for your group discussion and any insights you have about what makes your group work well together.

Upload the discussion forum prompt you developed in your small groups. The small group members will then be responsible for facilitating the discussion around their post, answering questions and engaging others in dialogue as warranted.

Group: Cassidy Holmes and Emily Lane

How we are connecting: Cassidy and I are connecting via Facebook Messenger, Google Call, and a Google Document. We work well together because we share an ESL Teaching lens and both are currently located in Asia. Our teaching methodologies are heavily influenced by Asian students and Asian culture, so this is an interesting aspect to explore in our discussion.

Cassidy Holmes and Emily Lane Discussion Post:

When considering motivation as a student we both agreed that autonomy and self-determination were what motivated us the most as we both enjoy choosing work and assignments that interest us. This helps us focus on our own goals and what we want to learn from our classes and our degree. We found we were very similar in this way when looking at motivation from a student’s perspective.

From a teacher’s perspective, we probably have a very different lens on teaching and learning than most of our classmates as we have both taught abroad in Asian cultures, and focus on ESL classrooms rather than American classrooms. The majority of our students are not intrinsically motivated and most focus on grades, status in the classroom and amongst their peers. Our students are more focused on performance goals rather than mastery goals and value memorization over critical thinking. This can be hard as a teacher to motivate students to learn for the sake of learning rather than for a grade. However, we can both see the theories we learned in the paper and how they can be applied to a higher education classroom more easily than in an ESL classroom. Overall, we came to the conclusion that there is no one-type-fits-all approach to motivation, but only with time, getting to know students in the class, and persistence, can a teacher learn which motivation techniques work for their class. Additionally, utilizing a variety of motivation strategies will be helpful during the beginning of a course so instructors can identify which strategies are the most effective in a particular classroom environment.

Students are motivated by being allowed autonomy in the classroom and being given opportunities to learn from their mistakes. A mastery-orientated classroom fosters these experiences through valuing mastery of material over the relative performance of others. Teachers can promote a mastery-oriented classroom by providing constructive, noncontrolling, and informative feedback and being consistently well prepared for class and motivated to teach.

Question: In a higher education setting where grades are so vital to a student’s future success, how can instructors provide feedback that is constructive, noncontrolling, and informative without taking away a student’s confidence in making mistakes that they can learn from?

Metacognition Awareness

Complete the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (Links to an external site.) or use the attached file. Carefully consider the results. What do they tell you? Are they surprising? How does this information influence your perspective both as a future teacher and learner? Post to your reaction to your results. Include in your post whether or not you would give this inventory to your students. State why or why not.

I am not very surprised by my scoring from the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI). I scored pretty highly in each category because I actively try to be conscious and intentional when learning. At the beginning of this Masters program, I had a difficult time balancing graduate school, working full-time, and the various other activities and clubs I engage in. I found that reading for understanding and detail for each of the assigned readings was a weak point for me. So, to balance all of my responsibilities and excel in school, I had to utilize many of the strategies the MAI evaluated. I scored lower in Evaluation than I was expecting, so I will work on evaluating if there was an easier way to approach a task.

Using the MAI is useful as a teacher because I will be able to more accurately identify what a student could be doing better or what skills I could encourage them to use. It also will be useful to provide this survey to my students to allow them to think honestly about their performance and commitment to their studies. I often have students asking me “what can I do to get better grades in your class, I already do the homework and take good notes”. This MIA survey will help us identify where their issues are coming from and discussing them together could help me support them with additional review materials or assignments. At the very least, hopefully it will reveal some areas they can improve in the future.

Evidence-Based Teaching Strategies: Posting #5

Initial Post

For your initial post, select one of the topics covered in the course or from other evidenced-based instructional topics of interest to you (See bulleted list for suggestions). Then locate a research study dated 2012 or newer that is related to your selected topic. After carefully reading the study, write a brief description stating what you have learned. Do not just copy the existing abstract. Include APA citations, as warranted.

Suggested Topics include, but are not limited to:

· Teacher characteristics and effective teaching

· Active learning

· Lectures

· Lesson planning

· Discipline specific instruction

· Assessments

· Student characteristics

· Grading

· Online teaching

Initial posts should be submitted by Wednesday at 11:59 pm (ET) to allow time for discussion.

Follow-Up Post

For your follow-up posts, read a minimum of two of your peer’s responses and provide feedback on their posting by stating if and how you think this research will influence your future teaching.

Interview Question Identification

Identify one question you want answered about this research/practice in an actually teaching setting that you will pose to a faculty member during the interview phase of this assignment.

Topic: Lectures

Article: Flipped classroom instruction for inclusive learning (Links to an external site.)

Summary: The reading in Lesson 11 surrounding motivation made me truly consider the value of prioritizing mastery goals over performance goals. In reading this article on flipping classroom instruction to support inclusive learning, I am especially drawn to the opportunity flipped classes provide for teachers “to reorganize their list of objectives to ‘front load’ the essential ones. Then if a student worked at a slower pace, he or she would not miss the essential objectives, only the ‘nice to know’ ones” (Altemueller & Lindquist, 2017, p. 346). This could help foster a classroom culture that encourages mastery goals because each student will feel like they are capable of understanding the essential objectives. Further, in a flipped classroom, students have access to lectures in a way that they can re-watch them or pause them when necessary. A previous study by Bhagat et al. (2016) found that a flipped classroom has a “significant difference in the learning achievement and motivation of students” with lower achievers benefiting more than high and average achievers when compared to a teacher-centered approach (Altemueller & Lindquist, 2017, p. 342).

Another noteworthy attribute of using a flipped-classroom approach is the immediate feedback that students can receive when applying their knowledge from the lectures. The personal attention that students receive allows professors to assess and identify misunderstandings or misconceptions that would have gone unnoticed if a teacher-centered lecture approach was used. One teacher reflected that “the flexibility and real-time analysis allows for a true and immediate response to student needs” (Altemueller &Lindquist, 2017, p. 348).

Questions:
1. Would you consider implementing a flipped classroom for one or more of the courses you teach? Why or why not?
2. Do you think restructuring a class to be flipped would be an effective way to engage and assist lower-achieving students? Why or why not?

Impact of Incivility on Higher Education

For this assignment, read chapter 2, Incivility and the History of Higher Education, in the book Faculty Incivility.

Consider the following sub-topics that were presented in the chapter:

Elitism Versus Merit Democratization,
Faculty Versus Changing Ideology,
Faculty Versus Administration,
Liberal Arts Education Versus Vocationalism,
Cosmopolitans Versus Locals,
Academic Freedom Versus Paternalism,
Academe Versus Academics

Each of these sub-topics have had an impact on higher education, both currently and historically. What do they mean to you, though, as an individual? How do they shape/inform your intended career in higher education? What assumptions are you making about the topic you selected?

For this discussion, you are encouraged to provide examples either from your own experiences, from current events, from research, etc. Once you have posted your response, you will see your peer’s responses.

Select two of your peer’s responses and either agree or disagree with the assumptions they made and explain why. Also, based on what you posted and your peer’s posting, state how an awareness of these issues may better prepare you for a career in higher education.

I am most interested in the examples presented when the text discussed Elitism Versus Merit Democratization. It is interesting that first admitting women to higher education indicated progress but ultimately “legitimized subordination rather than promoting equality and accessibility” (Twale, 2008, p. 35). I attended an all women’s college that was founded in 1891, so seeing some examples of the challenges women faced to become educated is particularly interesting to me. The statement “equality, autonomy, and ambition were palatable as long as they did not interfere with elitist male schooling” in particular is reflective of a lot of the history I have read about my alma mater, Meredith College. Although beginning as a Baptist affiliated institution, in 1997 “Meredith College broke its close ties with the Baptist State Convention to give the school autonomy amid concerns about the convention’s views on women” allowing an alumnae to become its first female president (Maxwell, 2016 para. 50). Throughout my time at this institution, all professors stressed the importance of being able to identify and address issues of gender bias both within academia and professionally, so reading this chapter reminded me of some of these suggestions.
Within the Faculty Versus Changing Ideology section, I also found the statements about education as a means to improve social and economic conditions following the Civil war to be interesting because a similar focus on education has been happening in China for the past few decades with a clear level of success. Even in the small sample of students that I teach, I have found more scholarship or merit students each year than when I began teaching in private, international schools here 6 years ago. The passage is spot on in saying that, “the attendance of work-oriented poor students on financial scholarship challeng(e) wealthier students whose goal was simply elite socialization” (Twale, 2008, p. 38).
It is important for me to think about issues of gender bias and other issues surrounding inequality because I hope to work with international students who will be coming from many different cultural and financial backgrounds. Reading about the history of incivilities in higher education better equips me to avoid it in the future.
References

Maxwell, L. (2016, February 25). Meredith College Timeline. Retrieved January 23, 2020, from https://www.meredith.edu/news/meredith-college-timeline (Links to an external site.).
Twale, Darla. Incivility and the History of Higher Education. Faculty Incivility. San Francisco. Jossey-Bass. 2008. 0470197668. Ch. 2. pp. 33-46.

A Letter to Future Students

Now is the time for you to think about the impact this course has had on your thinking. What are the “enduring understandings” you will take away from this class? Are there questions that you didn’t get answered? If so, what are they and do you have additional questions? How do you anticipate putting into practice some of the ideas you learned in this class? End this sentence: Because of this class, I now know…

Because of this class, I now know that university educators face very real and similar challenges that all educators at various levels face. Not only do lessons need to be engaging, but the teacher needs to have a mindset of adaptability, a willingness to grow, and understand which research-based methods apply best to certain groups of students. The outdated stereotype of a professor who turns their back to the class and lectures with a chalk board is unacceptable, and educational best practices aren’t only meant for the k-12 setting. This class also has been instrumental in teaching us the value of active learning in the classroom, collaboration, and most importantly general preparation skills required to teach an effective lesson. I look forward to applying the knowledge of this course to future teaching and general communication and life skills!

Evidence-based Teaching Strategies: Interview Artifact Discussion & Synchronous Session

Overview

Throughout the course you identified 5 questions to ask a practitioner to learn how evidence-based strategies inform their work. You also conducted your interview and gathered your results. This assignment is your opportunity to share what you have learned through the creation of an artifact.

Now that you have completed your evidence-based teaching strategies postings, go back and review the questions you raised and also review the questions your peers raised. You are to use five questions based on the evidence to ask during your interview of a higher education instructor/faculty. You want to share with them the evidence you have reviewed and ask about their reactions/use/interest in this evidence. Do they, for example, use this evidence-based strategy and if so, why? Why not? How can their experience and insights as an educator inform your understanding of the evidence-based strategies?

This artifact can be a podcast, an infographic, a presentation, a you-tube video, or a lessons-learned blog (See this blog post from Mark Tonelli (Links to an external site.)as an example). Be sure to include a brief description of the professor and their teaching experience. Creativity is encouraged!

Synchronous Presentations of Artifacts & Feedback Session

Each of you will have up to 10 minutes to present and discuss your final artifact during one final synchronous session. Your instructor will share the date and time via an announcement. Attached is the rubric for the artifact and the presentation. Please review the rubric in advance and use the rubric as you prepare your interview artifact and presentation.

The synchronous session is tentatively scheduled for an evening the last week of class, December 6th – 10th. The actual date is TBD later in the semester.

Prior to joining the synchronous session, make sure to upload your artifact in the asynchronous space provided.

Asynchronous Discussion

Let your instructor know if you are unable to attend the synchronous session PRIOR to the event. To receive credit for the assignment, you will be required to review all of the artifacts and provide constructive feedback. In order to do this assignment, you will need to watch the recording of the synchronous session.