We found 520 results that contain "instructional technology"
Posted on: #iteachmsu
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
How Video Length Affects Student Learning – The Shorter, The Better!
In-Person Lectures vs. Online Instruction
Actively engaging students in the learning process is important for both in-person lectures and for online instruction. The ways in which students engage with the instructor, their peers, and the course materials will vary based on the setting. In-person courses are often confined by the fact that instruction needs to be squeezed into a specific time period, which can result in there being a limited amount of time for students to perform group work or to actively think about the concepts they are learning. Alternatively, with online instruction, there is often more freedom (especially for an asynchronous course) on how you can present materials and structure the learning environment.
Currently, many instructors are faced with the challenge of adapting their in-person courses into an online format. How course materials are adapted into an online format are going to differ from course to course – however, a common practice shared across courses is to create lecture recordings or videos for students to watch. The format and length of these videos play an important role in the learning experience students have within a course. The ways in which students engage with a longer video recording is going to be much different than how students engage with multiple shorter videos. Below are some of the important reasons why shorter videos can enhance student learning when compared to longer videos.
More Opportunities for Students to Actively Engage with the Material
Decades of research on how people learn has shown that active learning (in comparison to more passive approaches, such as direct instruction or a traditional lecture) enhances student performance (Freeman et. al., 2014). While “active learning” can often be a nebulous phrase that has different meanings, active learning can be broadly thought of as any activity in which a learner is metacognitively thinking about and applying knowledge to accomplish some goal or task. Providing multiple opportunities for students to engage in these types of activities can help foster a more meaningful and inclusive learning environment for students. This is especially important for online instruction as students may feel isolated or have a difficult time navigating their learning within a virtual environment.
One of the biggest benefits of creating a series of shorter videos compared to creating one long video is that active learning techniques and activities can be more easily utilized and interspersed throughout a lesson. For example, if you were to record a video of a traditional lecture period, your video would be nearly an hour in length, and it would likely cover multiple important topics within that time period. Creating opportunities to actively engage students throughout an hour-long video is difficult and can result in students feeling overwhelmed.
Conversely, one of the affordances of online instruction is that lectures can be broken down into a series of smaller video lessons and activities. By having shorter videos with corresponding activities, students are going to spend more time actively thinking about and applying their understanding of concepts throughout a lesson. This in turn can promote metacognition by getting students to think about their thinking after each short video rather than at the end of a long video that covers multiple topics.
Additionally, concepts often build upon one another, and it is critical that students develop a solid foundation of prior knowledge before moving onto more complex topics. When you create multiple short videos and activities, it can be easier to get a snapshot of how students conceptualize different topics as they are learning it. This information can help both you as an instructor and your students become better aware of when they are having difficulties so that issues can be addressed before moving onto more complex topics. With longer videos, students may be confused on concepts discussed at the beginning of the video, which can then make it difficult for them to understand subsequent concepts.
Overall, chunking a longer video into multiple shorter videos is a simple technique you can use to create more meaningful learning opportunities in a virtual setting. Short videos, coupled with corresponding activities, is a powerful pedagogical approach to enhance student learning.
Reducing Cognitive Load
Another major benefit of having multiple shorter videos instead of one longer video is that it can reduce the cognitive load that students experience when engaging with the content. Learning is a process that requires the brain to adapt, develop, and ultimately form new neural connections in response to stimuli (National Academies of Sciences, 2018). If a video is long and packed with content, developing a meaningful understanding of concepts can be quite difficult. Even if the content is explained in detail (which many people think of as “good instruction”), students simply do not have enough time to process and critically think about the content they are learning. When taking in various stimuli and trying to comprehend multiple concepts, this can result in students feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Having time to self-reflect is one of the most important factors to promoting a deeper, more meaningful learning experience. Unfortunately, long video lectures provide few opportunities (even when done well!) for students to engage in these types of thinking and doing.
Additionally, an unintended drawback of long videos is that the listener can be lulled into a false sense of understanding. For example, have you ever watched a live lecture or an educational video where you followed along and felt like you understood the material, but then after when you went to apply this knowledge, you realized that you forgot or did not understand the content as well as you thought? Everyone has experienced this phenomenon in some form or another. As students watch long video lectures, especially lectures that have clear explanations of the content, they may get a false sense of how well they understand the material. This can result in students overestimating their ability and grasp of foundational ideas, which in turn, can make future learning more difficult as subsequent knowledge will be built upon a faulty base.
Long lecture videos are also more prone to having extraneous information or tangential discussions throughout. This additional information may cause students to shift their cognitive resources away from the core course content, resulting in a less meaningful learning experience (Mayer & Moreno, 2003). Breaking a long video into multiple shorter videos can reduce the cognitive load students may experience and it can create more opportunities for them to self-reflect on what they are learning.
More Engaging for Students
Another important factor to think about is how video length affects student engagement. A study by Guo, Kim, and Rubin (2014) looked at how different forms of video production affected student engagement when watching videos. Two of their main findings were that (1) shorter videos improve student engagement, and that (2) recordings of traditional lectures are less engaging compared to digital tablet drawing or PowerPoint slide presentations. These findings show how it is not only important to record shorter videos, but that simply recording a traditional lecture and splicing it into smaller videos will not result in the most engaging experience for students.
When distilling a traditional lecture into a series of shorter videos, it is important to think about the pedagogical techniques you would normally use in the classroom and how these approaches might translate to an online setting. Identifying how these approaches might be adapted into a video recording can help create a more engaging experience for students in your course.
Overall, the length of lecture videos and the ways in which they are structured directly impacts how students learn in a virtual setting. Recording short, interactive videos, as opposed to long lecture videos, is a powerful technique you can use to enhance student learning and engagement.
References
Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8410-8415.
Guo, P. J., Kim, J., & Rubin, R. (2014, March). How video production affects student engagement: An empirical study of MOOC videos. In Proceedings of the first ACM conference on Learning@ scale conference (pp. 41-50).
Mayer, R. E., & Moreno, R. (2003). Nine ways to reduce cognitive load in multimedia learning. Educational psychologist, 38(1), 43-52.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). How people learn II: Learners, contexts, and cultures. National Academies Press.
Actively engaging students in the learning process is important for both in-person lectures and for online instruction. The ways in which students engage with the instructor, their peers, and the course materials will vary based on the setting. In-person courses are often confined by the fact that instruction needs to be squeezed into a specific time period, which can result in there being a limited amount of time for students to perform group work or to actively think about the concepts they are learning. Alternatively, with online instruction, there is often more freedom (especially for an asynchronous course) on how you can present materials and structure the learning environment.
Currently, many instructors are faced with the challenge of adapting their in-person courses into an online format. How course materials are adapted into an online format are going to differ from course to course – however, a common practice shared across courses is to create lecture recordings or videos for students to watch. The format and length of these videos play an important role in the learning experience students have within a course. The ways in which students engage with a longer video recording is going to be much different than how students engage with multiple shorter videos. Below are some of the important reasons why shorter videos can enhance student learning when compared to longer videos.
More Opportunities for Students to Actively Engage with the Material
Decades of research on how people learn has shown that active learning (in comparison to more passive approaches, such as direct instruction or a traditional lecture) enhances student performance (Freeman et. al., 2014). While “active learning” can often be a nebulous phrase that has different meanings, active learning can be broadly thought of as any activity in which a learner is metacognitively thinking about and applying knowledge to accomplish some goal or task. Providing multiple opportunities for students to engage in these types of activities can help foster a more meaningful and inclusive learning environment for students. This is especially important for online instruction as students may feel isolated or have a difficult time navigating their learning within a virtual environment.
One of the biggest benefits of creating a series of shorter videos compared to creating one long video is that active learning techniques and activities can be more easily utilized and interspersed throughout a lesson. For example, if you were to record a video of a traditional lecture period, your video would be nearly an hour in length, and it would likely cover multiple important topics within that time period. Creating opportunities to actively engage students throughout an hour-long video is difficult and can result in students feeling overwhelmed.
Conversely, one of the affordances of online instruction is that lectures can be broken down into a series of smaller video lessons and activities. By having shorter videos with corresponding activities, students are going to spend more time actively thinking about and applying their understanding of concepts throughout a lesson. This in turn can promote metacognition by getting students to think about their thinking after each short video rather than at the end of a long video that covers multiple topics.
Additionally, concepts often build upon one another, and it is critical that students develop a solid foundation of prior knowledge before moving onto more complex topics. When you create multiple short videos and activities, it can be easier to get a snapshot of how students conceptualize different topics as they are learning it. This information can help both you as an instructor and your students become better aware of when they are having difficulties so that issues can be addressed before moving onto more complex topics. With longer videos, students may be confused on concepts discussed at the beginning of the video, which can then make it difficult for them to understand subsequent concepts.
Overall, chunking a longer video into multiple shorter videos is a simple technique you can use to create more meaningful learning opportunities in a virtual setting. Short videos, coupled with corresponding activities, is a powerful pedagogical approach to enhance student learning.
Reducing Cognitive Load
Another major benefit of having multiple shorter videos instead of one longer video is that it can reduce the cognitive load that students experience when engaging with the content. Learning is a process that requires the brain to adapt, develop, and ultimately form new neural connections in response to stimuli (National Academies of Sciences, 2018). If a video is long and packed with content, developing a meaningful understanding of concepts can be quite difficult. Even if the content is explained in detail (which many people think of as “good instruction”), students simply do not have enough time to process and critically think about the content they are learning. When taking in various stimuli and trying to comprehend multiple concepts, this can result in students feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Having time to self-reflect is one of the most important factors to promoting a deeper, more meaningful learning experience. Unfortunately, long video lectures provide few opportunities (even when done well!) for students to engage in these types of thinking and doing.
Additionally, an unintended drawback of long videos is that the listener can be lulled into a false sense of understanding. For example, have you ever watched a live lecture or an educational video where you followed along and felt like you understood the material, but then after when you went to apply this knowledge, you realized that you forgot or did not understand the content as well as you thought? Everyone has experienced this phenomenon in some form or another. As students watch long video lectures, especially lectures that have clear explanations of the content, they may get a false sense of how well they understand the material. This can result in students overestimating their ability and grasp of foundational ideas, which in turn, can make future learning more difficult as subsequent knowledge will be built upon a faulty base.
Long lecture videos are also more prone to having extraneous information or tangential discussions throughout. This additional information may cause students to shift their cognitive resources away from the core course content, resulting in a less meaningful learning experience (Mayer & Moreno, 2003). Breaking a long video into multiple shorter videos can reduce the cognitive load students may experience and it can create more opportunities for them to self-reflect on what they are learning.
More Engaging for Students
Another important factor to think about is how video length affects student engagement. A study by Guo, Kim, and Rubin (2014) looked at how different forms of video production affected student engagement when watching videos. Two of their main findings were that (1) shorter videos improve student engagement, and that (2) recordings of traditional lectures are less engaging compared to digital tablet drawing or PowerPoint slide presentations. These findings show how it is not only important to record shorter videos, but that simply recording a traditional lecture and splicing it into smaller videos will not result in the most engaging experience for students.
When distilling a traditional lecture into a series of shorter videos, it is important to think about the pedagogical techniques you would normally use in the classroom and how these approaches might translate to an online setting. Identifying how these approaches might be adapted into a video recording can help create a more engaging experience for students in your course.
Overall, the length of lecture videos and the ways in which they are structured directly impacts how students learn in a virtual setting. Recording short, interactive videos, as opposed to long lecture videos, is a powerful technique you can use to enhance student learning and engagement.
References
Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8410-8415.
Guo, P. J., Kim, J., & Rubin, R. (2014, March). How video production affects student engagement: An empirical study of MOOC videos. In Proceedings of the first ACM conference on Learning@ scale conference (pp. 41-50).
Mayer, R. E., & Moreno, R. (2003). Nine ways to reduce cognitive load in multimedia learning. Educational psychologist, 38(1), 43-52.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). How people learn II: Learners, contexts, and cultures. National Academies Press.
Authored by:
Christopher J. Minter
Posted on: #iteachmsu
How Video Length Affects Student Learning – The Shorter, The Better!
In-Person Lectures vs. Online Instruction
Actively engaging student...
Actively engaging student...
Authored by:
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Wednesday, Sep 2, 2020
Posted on: Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation
JUSTICE AND BELONGING
Inclusive Syllabi
This post delves into inclusive syllabi as part of the Inclusive Pedagogy playlist.
Syllabi communicate required policies and information as designated by MSU and your department. They also communicate your values as an educator. They are one of the first documents learners refer to in the course thus meaning that centering equity, inclusion, and belonging in this course document is instrumental in setting and communicating values and norms to learners.
In the following sections, I will overview strategies for inclusive syllabi (including a template you may use), reflections for your syllabus, and resources to learn more that also inspired some of this content.
What are some strategies for inclusive syllabi?
An example template for an inclusive syllabus can be copied, revised, and modified for your course. It includes annotations and example policies.
Welcoming and Representative
A welcoming syllabus means it communicates care, support, and accessibility. A representative syllabus means that it recognizes the diversity of learners in a room and welcomes them as well as represents a range of diverse backgrounds and experiences. Some strategies to implement this include:
Refrain from demands and punishment-based language (e.g., “must comply,” “failure will…”). You may also want to use language that invites and supports rather than list rules/regulations.
Revise to have a warm and encouraging tone throughout. For example, you can include welcome statements or introduction to you as a person (not just an academic educator). You can also use “we” rather than “you” language to lessen hierarchies of knowledge.
Consider how course policies may cause barriers and build in flexibility, empathy, and understanding. For example, rigid attendance policies disproportionally affect disabled learners, parents and caretakers, and those working multiple jobs. Another example is that requiring only verbal participation may exclude those that don’t feel comfortable speaking in front of others or those that have different processing speeds.
Revise the syllabus to appeal to various learners and perspectives by incorporating Universal Design for Learning and accounting for differences in prior knowledge. You can also include plain language, diverse representations, and openness to feedback.
Create accessible documents and only use accessible materials within the course. You may learn more about accessible composing on iTeach and MSU’s D2L accessibility supports.
Consider what sections of your syllabus you may be able to co-create with learners
Communicate how inclusivity and equity will be centered in discussions, policies, etc.
Content in the syllabus (e.g., graphics, readings, assignments) should include a range of diverse perspectives and thinking across race, nationality, language, disability, sexuality, gender, class, etc.. This representation should not be tokenizing but spread throughout the syllabus (i.e., not occur once to “check” a box; not present stereotypes; not be centered on a diversity month, such as Black authors in February only)
Learner-Centered and Asset-Based
Creating an inclusive syllabus with a focus on learner-centered and asset-based strategies involves recognizing and valuing the diverse strengths and experiences learners bring to the classroom.
Frame content with confidence in the learners’ capabilities rather than framing the course as an almost impossible challenge.
Promote a growth mindset by emphasizing effort, learning from mistakes, and continuous improvement..
Use language that highlights learners' strengths, potential, and contributions rather than focusing on deficits or shortcomings.
Foster policies and assignments that value collaboration over competition.
Offer a range of assessment types to cater to different strengths, such as projects, presentations, written assignments, and creative work.
Allow for choice and flexibility in assignments to let learners approach tasks in ways that leverage their strengths.
Transparent
A transparent syllabus makes explicit connections that may be less clear for learners as well as clearly communicates expectations for learners. Some strategies include:
Make language of the syllabus have limited academic jargon and instead use plain language
Make visible the implicit connections between course pieces. For example, answering for learners what connections there are between content, how that content is organized and related, and why it’s structured the way it is.
Explain basic success information for the course, especially for learners who may not understand the hidden curriculum of college. For instance, this may include explaining what office hours are, how learners can get support from you, peers, and tutoring. It may also include providing resources to learners for financial aid, wellness, etc.
Articulate policies with your values and also the outcomes of what not aligning to that policy is. You can frame with a welcoming, but also transparent tone. An example includes, “I understand we all have complex lives outside of the course. While it is important for your learning to keep up with the deadlines as much as you can, let me know as soon as you’re able if an assignment’s deadline isn’t feasible, and we will come to a solution together. There is no grade penalty if you submit an assignment late; however, I will not give detailed feedback on late work.”
How can I reflect on my syllabus for inclusion?
Some reflection questions for you as you write and/or revise your syllabus include:
Does my syllabus use welcoming, supportive language without being punitive?
How does it communicate confidence in learners' abilities and promote a growth mindset?
How does my syllabus acknowledge and welcome diverse backgrounds and experiences?
Have I included diverse content (readings, graphics) representing various perspectives?
Do my policies consider potential barriers for different learner groups (e.g., attendance, participation)?
How have I incorporated flexibility, empathy, and understanding?
Have I offered a range of assessment types to cater to different strengths?
How do my assignments and policies value collaboration over competition?
Is the language free from academic jargon and easy to understand?
Have I clearly explained course content connections and basic success information (e.g., office hours, support)?
How have I made learners aware of available resources (e.g., financial aid, wellness)?
Do my policies reflect my values and clearly state consequences in a welcoming tone?
Have I provided clear examples of flexibility and support?
Where can I learn more about inclusive syllabi?
The resources below informed this article’s content. They are also great resources for learning more:
Brantmeier et al.’s Inclusion by Design: Survey Your Syllabus and Course Design
Center for Urban Education’s Equity-Minded Series on Syllabus Review
Columbia’s Designing an Inclusive Syllabus
Indiana University Bloomington’s Inclusive and Equitable Syllabus
Ohio University’s Inclusive Pedagogy Academy
University of Michigan’s Inclusive Teaching Strategies: Reflecting on Your Practice
Continue to read more about inclusive pedagogy in the next article on inclusive assignments and assessments or return to the Inclusive Pedagogy playlist.
Syllabi communicate required policies and information as designated by MSU and your department. They also communicate your values as an educator. They are one of the first documents learners refer to in the course thus meaning that centering equity, inclusion, and belonging in this course document is instrumental in setting and communicating values and norms to learners.
In the following sections, I will overview strategies for inclusive syllabi (including a template you may use), reflections for your syllabus, and resources to learn more that also inspired some of this content.
What are some strategies for inclusive syllabi?
An example template for an inclusive syllabus can be copied, revised, and modified for your course. It includes annotations and example policies.
Welcoming and Representative
A welcoming syllabus means it communicates care, support, and accessibility. A representative syllabus means that it recognizes the diversity of learners in a room and welcomes them as well as represents a range of diverse backgrounds and experiences. Some strategies to implement this include:
Refrain from demands and punishment-based language (e.g., “must comply,” “failure will…”). You may also want to use language that invites and supports rather than list rules/regulations.
Revise to have a warm and encouraging tone throughout. For example, you can include welcome statements or introduction to you as a person (not just an academic educator). You can also use “we” rather than “you” language to lessen hierarchies of knowledge.
Consider how course policies may cause barriers and build in flexibility, empathy, and understanding. For example, rigid attendance policies disproportionally affect disabled learners, parents and caretakers, and those working multiple jobs. Another example is that requiring only verbal participation may exclude those that don’t feel comfortable speaking in front of others or those that have different processing speeds.
Revise the syllabus to appeal to various learners and perspectives by incorporating Universal Design for Learning and accounting for differences in prior knowledge. You can also include plain language, diverse representations, and openness to feedback.
Create accessible documents and only use accessible materials within the course. You may learn more about accessible composing on iTeach and MSU’s D2L accessibility supports.
Consider what sections of your syllabus you may be able to co-create with learners
Communicate how inclusivity and equity will be centered in discussions, policies, etc.
Content in the syllabus (e.g., graphics, readings, assignments) should include a range of diverse perspectives and thinking across race, nationality, language, disability, sexuality, gender, class, etc.. This representation should not be tokenizing but spread throughout the syllabus (i.e., not occur once to “check” a box; not present stereotypes; not be centered on a diversity month, such as Black authors in February only)
Learner-Centered and Asset-Based
Creating an inclusive syllabus with a focus on learner-centered and asset-based strategies involves recognizing and valuing the diverse strengths and experiences learners bring to the classroom.
Frame content with confidence in the learners’ capabilities rather than framing the course as an almost impossible challenge.
Promote a growth mindset by emphasizing effort, learning from mistakes, and continuous improvement..
Use language that highlights learners' strengths, potential, and contributions rather than focusing on deficits or shortcomings.
Foster policies and assignments that value collaboration over competition.
Offer a range of assessment types to cater to different strengths, such as projects, presentations, written assignments, and creative work.
Allow for choice and flexibility in assignments to let learners approach tasks in ways that leverage their strengths.
Transparent
A transparent syllabus makes explicit connections that may be less clear for learners as well as clearly communicates expectations for learners. Some strategies include:
Make language of the syllabus have limited academic jargon and instead use plain language
Make visible the implicit connections between course pieces. For example, answering for learners what connections there are between content, how that content is organized and related, and why it’s structured the way it is.
Explain basic success information for the course, especially for learners who may not understand the hidden curriculum of college. For instance, this may include explaining what office hours are, how learners can get support from you, peers, and tutoring. It may also include providing resources to learners for financial aid, wellness, etc.
Articulate policies with your values and also the outcomes of what not aligning to that policy is. You can frame with a welcoming, but also transparent tone. An example includes, “I understand we all have complex lives outside of the course. While it is important for your learning to keep up with the deadlines as much as you can, let me know as soon as you’re able if an assignment’s deadline isn’t feasible, and we will come to a solution together. There is no grade penalty if you submit an assignment late; however, I will not give detailed feedback on late work.”
How can I reflect on my syllabus for inclusion?
Some reflection questions for you as you write and/or revise your syllabus include:
Does my syllabus use welcoming, supportive language without being punitive?
How does it communicate confidence in learners' abilities and promote a growth mindset?
How does my syllabus acknowledge and welcome diverse backgrounds and experiences?
Have I included diverse content (readings, graphics) representing various perspectives?
Do my policies consider potential barriers for different learner groups (e.g., attendance, participation)?
How have I incorporated flexibility, empathy, and understanding?
Have I offered a range of assessment types to cater to different strengths?
How do my assignments and policies value collaboration over competition?
Is the language free from academic jargon and easy to understand?
Have I clearly explained course content connections and basic success information (e.g., office hours, support)?
How have I made learners aware of available resources (e.g., financial aid, wellness)?
Do my policies reflect my values and clearly state consequences in a welcoming tone?
Have I provided clear examples of flexibility and support?
Where can I learn more about inclusive syllabi?
The resources below informed this article’s content. They are also great resources for learning more:
Brantmeier et al.’s Inclusion by Design: Survey Your Syllabus and Course Design
Center for Urban Education’s Equity-Minded Series on Syllabus Review
Columbia’s Designing an Inclusive Syllabus
Indiana University Bloomington’s Inclusive and Equitable Syllabus
Ohio University’s Inclusive Pedagogy Academy
University of Michigan’s Inclusive Teaching Strategies: Reflecting on Your Practice
Continue to read more about inclusive pedagogy in the next article on inclusive assignments and assessments or return to the Inclusive Pedagogy playlist.
Authored by:
Bethany Meadows
Posted on: Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation
Inclusive Syllabi
This post delves into inclusive syllabi as part of the Inclusive Pe...
Authored by:
JUSTICE AND BELONGING
Monday, Jul 29, 2024
Posted on: Catalyst Innovation Program
CIP: Motion Capture in Theatre - "Alter Ego"
Project Title: Motion Capture in Theatre - "Alter Ego"Project Leads: Brad Willcuts and Daniel Trego and Ryan Welsh
College/ Unit: Theatre
Elevator Pitch:Students wrote, voice acted, physically acted, motion capture acted, filmed and edited their own short filmed scenes using Motion Capture, Facial Capture and Augmented Reality. Inherently a complicated project, the student took the lead and created their own scene where they would act as themselves and as their alter ego. The alter ego character was captured with the MC suits and facial capture gear and them moved into Augmented Reality applications on their phones and recorded for later editing. From inception to performance, the students were in complete charge of their creative projects all the while learning brand new acting applications with modern technology. Team Bios: Brad and Ryan co-taught the New Media Laboratory class alongside Daniel Trego. Brad is Associate Professor of Musical Theatre and Choreography, Ryan is Assistant Professor of Media Acting and Daniel Trego is an Educational Media Design Specialist.What are some of the successes?
Previously:
In our last iteration we focused primarily on dance and movement. We would go only into the work that would help bring dancers and their body shapes into focus and into augmented reality, teaching with the MC suits versus real life and more.
Currently:
We have implemented the facial capture tools and combined them with the MC suits. So we have total body capture capability. Our capstone project was very difficult but ultimately very successful as the students were able to 1. write their own scenes 2. record their audio for both or multiple roles in their scene 3. capture the motion for both their "real selves" and their "alter ego" 4. merge the two audio recordings with the MC files. 5. using Augmented Reality, film B-roll to make a scene with themselves 6. ultimately edit this video into a final project. We really tested the students and made them work quite hard on a brand new project and they did exceedingly well. This was a major success from our standpoint and with our work in Catalyst again, we now know how to streamline it and make it more accessible and manageable.
What are some of the challenges that you have experienced on this project?Time management has been an issue since the MC suits take time to put on and take off. Also, some of the hardware from the computers needs some faster processing and more streamlined capability for handling these large files and immediate synchronization. We are looking into building better computers and finding ways to teach the students how to run the hardware and software themselves. This ultimately would be the dream scenario: to make these amazing and creative tools completely facilitated and rentable by the students and for the students.
College/ Unit: Theatre
Elevator Pitch:Students wrote, voice acted, physically acted, motion capture acted, filmed and edited their own short filmed scenes using Motion Capture, Facial Capture and Augmented Reality. Inherently a complicated project, the student took the lead and created their own scene where they would act as themselves and as their alter ego. The alter ego character was captured with the MC suits and facial capture gear and them moved into Augmented Reality applications on their phones and recorded for later editing. From inception to performance, the students were in complete charge of their creative projects all the while learning brand new acting applications with modern technology. Team Bios: Brad and Ryan co-taught the New Media Laboratory class alongside Daniel Trego. Brad is Associate Professor of Musical Theatre and Choreography, Ryan is Assistant Professor of Media Acting and Daniel Trego is an Educational Media Design Specialist.What are some of the successes?
Previously:
In our last iteration we focused primarily on dance and movement. We would go only into the work that would help bring dancers and their body shapes into focus and into augmented reality, teaching with the MC suits versus real life and more.
Currently:
We have implemented the facial capture tools and combined them with the MC suits. So we have total body capture capability. Our capstone project was very difficult but ultimately very successful as the students were able to 1. write their own scenes 2. record their audio for both or multiple roles in their scene 3. capture the motion for both their "real selves" and their "alter ego" 4. merge the two audio recordings with the MC files. 5. using Augmented Reality, film B-roll to make a scene with themselves 6. ultimately edit this video into a final project. We really tested the students and made them work quite hard on a brand new project and they did exceedingly well. This was a major success from our standpoint and with our work in Catalyst again, we now know how to streamline it and make it more accessible and manageable.
What are some of the challenges that you have experienced on this project?Time management has been an issue since the MC suits take time to put on and take off. Also, some of the hardware from the computers needs some faster processing and more streamlined capability for handling these large files and immediate synchronization. We are looking into building better computers and finding ways to teach the students how to run the hardware and software themselves. This ultimately would be the dream scenario: to make these amazing and creative tools completely facilitated and rentable by the students and for the students.
Authored by:
Brad Willcuts and Daniel Trego and Ryan Welsh
Posted on: #iteachmsu
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Spartan Studios Playkit: Introduction
Introduction to Spartan StudiosThis is the first article in our iTeach.MSU playlist for the Spartan Studios Playkit.
Spartan Studios are experiential interdisciplinary courses at Michigan State University where students respond to real life situations or wicked problems and design solutions in partnership with local stakeholders. Faculty members design and plan these courses with support from the Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology, and we want to expand the number of experiential course offerings across campus. By experiential, we mean that students learn through experience as well as reflecting on their experiences. Studios experiences support student success by providing more accessible high-impact educational practices. Interdisciplinary courses are co-taught by multiple faculty members coming from different disciplinary backgrounds and/or departments across campus, exposing students to approaches/methods not normally part of their major. These courses are a response to the problem of the siloed university and complement students’ developing disciplinary training.
About the Playkit
This playkit, a combination of playbook and toolkit, is a resource for faculty interested in developing their own Spartan Studios course or expanding aspects of their interdisciplinary, experiential teaching. This resource was developed by the Spartan Studios project over 2020-21 with extensive feedback from MSU faculty members, external partners, and consultations with experiential education programs at other institutions. You will find descriptions of:
▶️Plays: our best practices for planning, implementation, assessment, and evaluating your experiential course.
🔧Tools: resources for developing elements of your own experiential interdisciplinary course
How to Use this Playkit
We encourage you to approach this Playkit in a spirit of experimentation and to play with these suggestions as you think through your own potential Studio course and reflect on how these components could inform your teaching and impact your students. Our research suggests that the arrangement of components we present here following the Studios model can lead to transformative student outcomes, and we’ve compiled an Appendix of emerging scholarship on these benefits. We’ve also observed that faculty members who incorporate a few or only one of these evidence-based practices can still generate benefits to student outcomes. If designing an entirely new experiential course is too much, you have the option to treat these as à la carte suggestions for experiences that students tell us matter to their learning and growth beyond MSU.
The Hub runs yearly workshops on experiential, interdisciplinary teaching and how to plan and teach your own Studio course. You are welcome to connect with the Hub if you have questions about elements of the Playkit or how to apply them in your own teaching.Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
Spartan Studios are experiential interdisciplinary courses at Michigan State University where students respond to real life situations or wicked problems and design solutions in partnership with local stakeholders. Faculty members design and plan these courses with support from the Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology, and we want to expand the number of experiential course offerings across campus. By experiential, we mean that students learn through experience as well as reflecting on their experiences. Studios experiences support student success by providing more accessible high-impact educational practices. Interdisciplinary courses are co-taught by multiple faculty members coming from different disciplinary backgrounds and/or departments across campus, exposing students to approaches/methods not normally part of their major. These courses are a response to the problem of the siloed university and complement students’ developing disciplinary training.
About the Playkit
This playkit, a combination of playbook and toolkit, is a resource for faculty interested in developing their own Spartan Studios course or expanding aspects of their interdisciplinary, experiential teaching. This resource was developed by the Spartan Studios project over 2020-21 with extensive feedback from MSU faculty members, external partners, and consultations with experiential education programs at other institutions. You will find descriptions of:
▶️Plays: our best practices for planning, implementation, assessment, and evaluating your experiential course.
🔧Tools: resources for developing elements of your own experiential interdisciplinary course
How to Use this Playkit
We encourage you to approach this Playkit in a spirit of experimentation and to play with these suggestions as you think through your own potential Studio course and reflect on how these components could inform your teaching and impact your students. Our research suggests that the arrangement of components we present here following the Studios model can lead to transformative student outcomes, and we’ve compiled an Appendix of emerging scholarship on these benefits. We’ve also observed that faculty members who incorporate a few or only one of these evidence-based practices can still generate benefits to student outcomes. If designing an entirely new experiential course is too much, you have the option to treat these as à la carte suggestions for experiences that students tell us matter to their learning and growth beyond MSU.
The Hub runs yearly workshops on experiential, interdisciplinary teaching and how to plan and teach your own Studio course. You are welcome to connect with the Hub if you have questions about elements of the Playkit or how to apply them in your own teaching.Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
Authored by:
Ellie Louson
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Spartan Studios Playkit: Introduction
Introduction to Spartan StudiosThis is the first article in our iTe...
Authored by:
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Monday, Jun 21, 2021
Posted on: #iteachmsu
March's collaborative tools training opportunities
MSU IT is committed to providing no-cost training about collaborative tools to all students, faculty, and staff. Check out the following courses available in March and visit SpartansLearn for more information and to register.
Featured Course of the Month
Zoom – Meetings
Tuesday, March 18, 1:00 p.m.
Unlock the full potential of Zoom and revolutionize your virtual meetings. Dive into the heart of collaboration as you learn to effortlessly orchestrate breakout rooms, harness the power of seamless recording and reporting, spice up engagement with advanced polls and quizzes, and discover the art of content sharing.
What participants are saying...
“I liked learning about the polls/quizzes because I am building a D2L course, and I want to access the learner's knowledge progress.”
March Schedule
To register for the following virtual instructor-led training courses, go to SpartansLearn.
OneDrive – Getting Started
Friday, March 7, 9:30 a.m.
Access, share, and collaborate on all your files from anywhere! This course will introduce the essential functions of OneDrive, the go-to app for storing data and synchronizing it across other Microsoft applications. Learn how to ensure that work is saved, backed up, and available wherever and whenever access is needed.
SharePoint for End Users
Tuesday, March 11, 1:00 p.m.
Join our live training to unlock the power of SharePoint! Discover its amazing features, effortlessly navigate the platform, create dynamic lists, and master the functionality of document libraries. Get ready for an engaging and hands-on learning experience.
Outlook – Calendar Basics
Wednesday, March 12, 10:00 a.m.
Outlook is not just for emails! In this exciting course, learn how to streamline your workflow and schedule using the Outlook calendar. Set up an Out of Office email, share your calendar with colleagues, and schedule meetings with multiple people without breaking a sweat using the Scheduling Assistant and Polls tools. Outlook - Calendar Basics is anything but basic!
Microsoft Teams – Working with Teams
Monday, March 24, 2:30 p.m.
This hour-long course is valuable to individuals, teams, and departments looking for a centralized hub for communication, file sharing, and collaboration. Learn how to request a new team or join an existing team, manage channels and tabs, and manage the team’s members, settings, and analytics.
Can’t attend a live course? Watch on-demand anytime at SpartansLearn.
Monthly office hours are available for those with questions about content shared in the courses. Find the schedule at SpartansLearn.
All participants are invited to share anonymous feedback about their course through our End of Course Survey. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to help shape and inform our future offerings. Congratulations, Nancy Spitzley in MSU IT Data Center Operations, our quarter 4 drawing winner for completing an End of Course Survey!
For any other questions about technology training, please contact train@msu.edu.
Featured Course of the Month
Zoom – Meetings
Tuesday, March 18, 1:00 p.m.
Unlock the full potential of Zoom and revolutionize your virtual meetings. Dive into the heart of collaboration as you learn to effortlessly orchestrate breakout rooms, harness the power of seamless recording and reporting, spice up engagement with advanced polls and quizzes, and discover the art of content sharing.
What participants are saying...
“I liked learning about the polls/quizzes because I am building a D2L course, and I want to access the learner's knowledge progress.”
March Schedule
To register for the following virtual instructor-led training courses, go to SpartansLearn.
OneDrive – Getting Started
Friday, March 7, 9:30 a.m.
Access, share, and collaborate on all your files from anywhere! This course will introduce the essential functions of OneDrive, the go-to app for storing data and synchronizing it across other Microsoft applications. Learn how to ensure that work is saved, backed up, and available wherever and whenever access is needed.
SharePoint for End Users
Tuesday, March 11, 1:00 p.m.
Join our live training to unlock the power of SharePoint! Discover its amazing features, effortlessly navigate the platform, create dynamic lists, and master the functionality of document libraries. Get ready for an engaging and hands-on learning experience.
Outlook – Calendar Basics
Wednesday, March 12, 10:00 a.m.
Outlook is not just for emails! In this exciting course, learn how to streamline your workflow and schedule using the Outlook calendar. Set up an Out of Office email, share your calendar with colleagues, and schedule meetings with multiple people without breaking a sweat using the Scheduling Assistant and Polls tools. Outlook - Calendar Basics is anything but basic!
Microsoft Teams – Working with Teams
Monday, March 24, 2:30 p.m.
This hour-long course is valuable to individuals, teams, and departments looking for a centralized hub for communication, file sharing, and collaboration. Learn how to request a new team or join an existing team, manage channels and tabs, and manage the team’s members, settings, and analytics.
Can’t attend a live course? Watch on-demand anytime at SpartansLearn.
Monthly office hours are available for those with questions about content shared in the courses. Find the schedule at SpartansLearn.
All participants are invited to share anonymous feedback about their course through our End of Course Survey. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to help shape and inform our future offerings. Congratulations, Nancy Spitzley in MSU IT Data Center Operations, our quarter 4 drawing winner for completing an End of Course Survey!
For any other questions about technology training, please contact train@msu.edu.
Posted by:
Caitlin Clover
Posted on: #iteachmsu
March's collaborative tools training opportunities
MSU IT is committed to providing no-cost training about collaborati...
Posted by:
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025
Posted on: #iteachmsu
April’s collaborative tools training opportunities
MSU IT is committed to providing no-cost training about collaborative tools to all students, faculty, and staff. Check out the following courses available in April and visit SpartansLearn for more information and to register.
New MSU IT Training MicroLearning Videos
MSU IT now offers bite-sized videos (1-3 mins each) covering single topics such as utilizing Do Not Disturb status or priority access features in Microsoft Teams, the format painter tool in Microsoft Word, and more.
Visit the microlearning page to learn more.
Featured Course of the Month
OneDrive – Working with OneDrive
Friday, April 11, 9:30 a.m.
Dive deeper into Microsoft OneDrive and uncover its true potential. Master navigation techniques, explore the desktop app's features and settings, and learn how to seamlessly manage and share your files and folders with ease. Get ready to enhance your productivity and streamline your workflow.
What participants are saying...
“Coming into the course, I felt overwhelmed by all the functions of OneDrive. But the class linked everything together in practical demonstrations, so I now better understand it’s purpose in helping us be more productive in our work.”
April Schedule
To register for the following virtual instructor-led training courses, go to SpartansLearn.
Microsoft Forms – Creating Forms and Surveys
Tuesday, April 8, 1:30 p.m.
Looking to gather valuable insights from your classmates, students, or coworkers? Microsoft Forms are your go-to tool! Discover how to effortlessly create engaging forms and surveys, customize their format, add branching logic, collect data seamlessly, and share them with ease. Unlock the power of feedback and make informed decisions with confidence.
Microsoft OneNote – Getting Started
Thursday, April 17, 1:30 p.m.
Get rid of your traditional pen and paper and uncover features of the most versatile note-taking tool, Microsoft OneNote. Learn the basics of OneNote, a digital note-taking app that provides a single place for keeping all notes, research, plans, and information.
Microsoft Teams – Getting Started
Wednesday, April 23, 9:00 a.m.
Microsoft Teams is one of the best tools at MSU for effective communication and collaboration. Join us as we dive into the basics and share how to chat and host meetings with individuals, groups, and entire teams.
Can’t attend a live course? Watch on-demand anytime at SpartansLearn.
Monthly office hours are available for those with questions about content shared in the courses. Find the schedule at SpartansLearn.
All participants are invited to share anonymous feedback about their course through our End of Course Survey. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to help shape and inform our future offerings. Congratulations, Megan Barber of the College of Human Medicine- Operations, our quarter 1 drawing winner for completing an End of Course Survey!
For any other questions about technology training, please contact train@msu.edu.
New MSU IT Training MicroLearning Videos
MSU IT now offers bite-sized videos (1-3 mins each) covering single topics such as utilizing Do Not Disturb status or priority access features in Microsoft Teams, the format painter tool in Microsoft Word, and more.
Visit the microlearning page to learn more.
Featured Course of the Month
OneDrive – Working with OneDrive
Friday, April 11, 9:30 a.m.
Dive deeper into Microsoft OneDrive and uncover its true potential. Master navigation techniques, explore the desktop app's features and settings, and learn how to seamlessly manage and share your files and folders with ease. Get ready to enhance your productivity and streamline your workflow.
What participants are saying...
“Coming into the course, I felt overwhelmed by all the functions of OneDrive. But the class linked everything together in practical demonstrations, so I now better understand it’s purpose in helping us be more productive in our work.”
April Schedule
To register for the following virtual instructor-led training courses, go to SpartansLearn.
Microsoft Forms – Creating Forms and Surveys
Tuesday, April 8, 1:30 p.m.
Looking to gather valuable insights from your classmates, students, or coworkers? Microsoft Forms are your go-to tool! Discover how to effortlessly create engaging forms and surveys, customize their format, add branching logic, collect data seamlessly, and share them with ease. Unlock the power of feedback and make informed decisions with confidence.
Microsoft OneNote – Getting Started
Thursday, April 17, 1:30 p.m.
Get rid of your traditional pen and paper and uncover features of the most versatile note-taking tool, Microsoft OneNote. Learn the basics of OneNote, a digital note-taking app that provides a single place for keeping all notes, research, plans, and information.
Microsoft Teams – Getting Started
Wednesday, April 23, 9:00 a.m.
Microsoft Teams is one of the best tools at MSU for effective communication and collaboration. Join us as we dive into the basics and share how to chat and host meetings with individuals, groups, and entire teams.
Can’t attend a live course? Watch on-demand anytime at SpartansLearn.
Monthly office hours are available for those with questions about content shared in the courses. Find the schedule at SpartansLearn.
All participants are invited to share anonymous feedback about their course through our End of Course Survey. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to help shape and inform our future offerings. Congratulations, Megan Barber of the College of Human Medicine- Operations, our quarter 1 drawing winner for completing an End of Course Survey!
For any other questions about technology training, please contact train@msu.edu.
Posted by:
Caitlin Clover
Posted on: #iteachmsu Educator Awards
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
College of Education 2020 #iteachmsu Educator Award Recipients
The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from the College of Education. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
Alexandra Lee: Alexandra’s research focuses on the social-psychological processes underpinning achievement motivation specifically implicit theories of intelligence, competence beliefs, and achievement goals. She has taught in the K-12 setting and in a variety of cultural contexts, prior to coming to MSU (in Thailand, Singapore, rural Mississippi, and Denver, CO). As is currently the instructor of record for TE 150 (Reflections on Learning). Alexandra shared her teaching expertise and enthusiasm at a recent Lunch and Learn session with Graduate Teaching Assistants at MSU. Those in attendance really enjoyed learning from her and her expertise. We hope to have Alexandra share more of her great work in the teaching space for all those interested in teaching.
Lori Bruner: For always having my back! For being patient and flexible when I was diagnosed with arthritis. For teaching me how to be organized and new technology tricks. For being a great leader and mentor to other graduate and undergraduate students! Thank you for being there and helping me with teaching tasks when I needed it the most!
Eliana Castro: In addition to being an incredible, brilliant scholar and a devoted, compassionate teacher educator, Eliana Castro is a generous, contributing citizen in our Department. She provides invaluable service in myriad ways: mentoring other doctoral students, serving on a search committee for a new social studies colleague, helping to recruit incoming doctoral students, among many other ways. She is also a warm, kind person of whom we are all so proud. Thank you, Eliana!
Marilyn Amey: I cannot say enough positive things about Dr. Amey. After taking one of her doctoral courses as a part of my PhD electives, I asked Marilyn to be the chair of my dissertation committee (and while the HALE department is filled with talented educators - I feel this was one of the best decisions of my doctoral career). Not only is Marilyn competent in her field and extremely knowledgeable, she is a fantastic educator who creates spaces where learning happens in multiple directions. She is kind, compassionate, and thoughtful - all things she demonstrates as my committee advisor and as a departmental leader. There are few people who have recognized and accommodated me as a "whole person" (with things in my life outside of school), and I will feel forever indebted to her for that. MSU needs more faculty, administrators, and educators like Dr. Marilyn Amey!
Courtney Kosloski: Courtney truly has "the backs" of the graduate students in the HALE Department. Every time I interact with her she is professional and kind in helping answer questions and connect me with relevant resources. She keeps students' best interests in mind and takes it upon herself to reach out when better supports can be accessed. She's a wonderful person, and an asset to HALE and MSU.
Mallory Weiner: Mallory is my co-instructor in ANR 310. This class is unique in that our students come in with a blank syllabus and they create one from scratch, deciding what they want to learn, how they want to learn, and how they want to assess their learning. Mallory has been instrumental in supporting the learning of our students by preparing them to become self-directed learners with the capacity to practice democratic decision making. It isn't easy for a student who is a peer to the students in her class to take on the responsibility of instructor, but Mallory wears the crown with ease. She is an excellent communicator, the ideal partner who doesn't hesitate to take action when necessary, and a supportive co-learner. I'm proud to know that she will be educating the next generation of learners in K12 classrooms beginning next year.
Austin Wellette-Hunsucker: Austin regularly goes above and beyond his duties as a graduate teaching assistant. Not only does he provide tremendous support to the instructor, but he is always willing to go the extra mile for the students. I appreciate his time and effort with the students and the course, and am thankful for his assistance this semester.
Taren Going: Taren worked with me as a TA for my TE 407 course. As a 5 credit course, the work is demanding - there are 5 hours of lab per week and 3 hours of seminar. Taren showed tireless dedication to students' success in the course. Her primary responsibilities were to support students' work in their labs, but she often attended seminar to help her understand the core ideas of TE 407 and support students' learning from the lab. She also regularly sought feedback on her performance as a TA because of her genuine concern for students' learning. I could trust Taren to seek help when she needed it. Taren inspires others to work hard and be their best, and I am so grateful she gave so much of her talents and energy to this course.
Juan Mascorro-Guerrero: I appreciate Juan because he is our graduate advisor for culturas de las razas unidas outside of helping us with our roles on e board he always offers to help us with applications for scholarships, finding internships, or just provides us a space to talk. Juan is an assistant community director in Wilson Hall , he has a busy schedule but never fails to provide support and help those around him. Juan is the true definition of Latino/Latinx Excellence.
Terry Edwards: Terry Edwards is the rock that anchors the TE department. I thanked her last year but that is not enough, not nearly enough for all that she does in the department. Over this semester, Terry has helped me and several other doctoral students in numerous ways. She is always making sure that the doctoral students are thriving--physically and mentally. She ensures to talk to everyone and showers us with affirmations, love, and praise. I am grateful for Terry and also recognize that she does a lot of the emotional and physical work of supporting doctoral students. Terry's commitment is not merely about her role but a much deeper commitment, a commitment that is about creating a space that is welcoming to all and one where everyone feels seen and heard. She has helped me track down packages that are lost. She brought a sewing machine off craigslist because some of us wanted to use it for our work. She plays a crucial role in organizing a department potluck. She is always advocating for us. And no matter what issue you are facing, Terry will do her best to help you find a solution. We are so grateful for Terry and everything she does for us.
Olivia Furman: I (Naseeb) entered into community with Olivia through WOCI, which she co-leads. Last Fall, Olivia worked with an MSU alumnus, Shakara Tyler, to promote a nature centered self-care program, where folx were able to engage in forest walks, soil meditation, and herbal foraging. As a first-year Ph.D. student, I have tremendously valued Olivia’s commitment to addressing the isolation graduate students often experience through holistic wellness practices. Most notably, Olivia has modeled for me how to leverage research to support the wellness of communities our inquiry is based upon. For example, I had the opportunity to engage in an educational research methods course with Olivia this past fall. Despite the overwhelming valuation of quantitative methods in educational inquiry, Olivia drew upon bell hooks, Audre Lorde, the Combahee River Collective and other Black womxn feminisms, as well as her professional experiences with K-12 teaching, to weave together arts-based research methods with Black feminist epistemologies to explore how Black girls experience schooling. She was met with subtle, and sometimes direct, resistance from the course peers who failed to see the transformative and community-based nature of her methodological position. Despite this, she actively pursued her arts-based research agenda, refusing to spend time justifying her methodological decisions and instead carried out her efforts with integrity and creativity. As a non-Black WOC, I have valued Olivia’s leadership example in leveraging the critical practices of wellness found in Black and Brown communities (e.g. quilts, knitting, and ceramics) to reform teaching and learning practices at MSU.
Kristi Lowrie: Kristi is an integral part of the TE department and has supported doctoral students tirelessly! She has been pivotal in me having a successful semester. Kristi is always willing to help and goes above and beyond to find resources/solutions. Several times when I walked into her office with a challenge/issue she would drop everything else and help me figure things out. I appreciate Kristi and her relentless support for doctoral students in the program. Thank you, Kristi!
Sheila Orr: In her first year, Sheila has contributed extensively not only to the improvement of secondary mathematics methods courses in teacher education but also to the success of my NSF UTEMPT project. In only a few short months "on the job," Sheila conducted independent analyses of new data for the project and took the lead in presenting this data at a national conference in Pheonix in February. She also went beyond in her role to shadow TE 407, the first mathematics methods course for prospective secondary mathematics teachers (PSTs), by taking the lead in several sessions to help PSTs try out new mathematics teaching practices. I continue to be impressed not only by her passion and drive for learning to teach future teachers, but also by her engagement with improving MSU's coursework, in concert with innovations supported by the UTEMPT project, to better support PSTs' learning.
Teacher Education Undergraduate Staff: The undergraduate students working for the TE department are integral to the success of doctoral students. We are deeply appreciative of their hardwork and support. They are always willing to support us with crucial tasks--supplies, scans, photocopies, etc. Even though several of the students are not in the TE program, they go above and beyond to understand the needs of doctoral students and willing to support us. I have also learned a great deal from each of them about their respective fields and appreciate how they brighten up the department with their indomitable spirit! Thank you all for your work.
Dr. Amey’s HALE Graduate Students: Students with whom I work most closely are all adult learners with very complex lives during these difficult times. They are eldercare providers, researchers whose studies have been totally interrupted as they neared completion of dissertations, those hoping for employment next year on and off campus now on hold due to hiring chills and freezes, those who have to find ways to focus on class while becoming homeschool teachers, and those who have put up my constantly shifting schedule of an academic administrator. Yet, they continue to show up to meet with me on zoom and email, inspire through their insights and leadership in these challenging times, find ways to bolster each other in virtual writing groups, and make it clear that postsecondary education will be in good hands. They remind me why I wanted to be a faculty member and are my motivation every day. Thank you isn't enough to each of them.
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll be directed to a form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Alexandra Lee: Alexandra’s research focuses on the social-psychological processes underpinning achievement motivation specifically implicit theories of intelligence, competence beliefs, and achievement goals. She has taught in the K-12 setting and in a variety of cultural contexts, prior to coming to MSU (in Thailand, Singapore, rural Mississippi, and Denver, CO). As is currently the instructor of record for TE 150 (Reflections on Learning). Alexandra shared her teaching expertise and enthusiasm at a recent Lunch and Learn session with Graduate Teaching Assistants at MSU. Those in attendance really enjoyed learning from her and her expertise. We hope to have Alexandra share more of her great work in the teaching space for all those interested in teaching.
Lori Bruner: For always having my back! For being patient and flexible when I was diagnosed with arthritis. For teaching me how to be organized and new technology tricks. For being a great leader and mentor to other graduate and undergraduate students! Thank you for being there and helping me with teaching tasks when I needed it the most!
Eliana Castro: In addition to being an incredible, brilliant scholar and a devoted, compassionate teacher educator, Eliana Castro is a generous, contributing citizen in our Department. She provides invaluable service in myriad ways: mentoring other doctoral students, serving on a search committee for a new social studies colleague, helping to recruit incoming doctoral students, among many other ways. She is also a warm, kind person of whom we are all so proud. Thank you, Eliana!
Marilyn Amey: I cannot say enough positive things about Dr. Amey. After taking one of her doctoral courses as a part of my PhD electives, I asked Marilyn to be the chair of my dissertation committee (and while the HALE department is filled with talented educators - I feel this was one of the best decisions of my doctoral career). Not only is Marilyn competent in her field and extremely knowledgeable, she is a fantastic educator who creates spaces where learning happens in multiple directions. She is kind, compassionate, and thoughtful - all things she demonstrates as my committee advisor and as a departmental leader. There are few people who have recognized and accommodated me as a "whole person" (with things in my life outside of school), and I will feel forever indebted to her for that. MSU needs more faculty, administrators, and educators like Dr. Marilyn Amey!
Courtney Kosloski: Courtney truly has "the backs" of the graduate students in the HALE Department. Every time I interact with her she is professional and kind in helping answer questions and connect me with relevant resources. She keeps students' best interests in mind and takes it upon herself to reach out when better supports can be accessed. She's a wonderful person, and an asset to HALE and MSU.
Mallory Weiner: Mallory is my co-instructor in ANR 310. This class is unique in that our students come in with a blank syllabus and they create one from scratch, deciding what they want to learn, how they want to learn, and how they want to assess their learning. Mallory has been instrumental in supporting the learning of our students by preparing them to become self-directed learners with the capacity to practice democratic decision making. It isn't easy for a student who is a peer to the students in her class to take on the responsibility of instructor, but Mallory wears the crown with ease. She is an excellent communicator, the ideal partner who doesn't hesitate to take action when necessary, and a supportive co-learner. I'm proud to know that she will be educating the next generation of learners in K12 classrooms beginning next year.
Austin Wellette-Hunsucker: Austin regularly goes above and beyond his duties as a graduate teaching assistant. Not only does he provide tremendous support to the instructor, but he is always willing to go the extra mile for the students. I appreciate his time and effort with the students and the course, and am thankful for his assistance this semester.
Taren Going: Taren worked with me as a TA for my TE 407 course. As a 5 credit course, the work is demanding - there are 5 hours of lab per week and 3 hours of seminar. Taren showed tireless dedication to students' success in the course. Her primary responsibilities were to support students' work in their labs, but she often attended seminar to help her understand the core ideas of TE 407 and support students' learning from the lab. She also regularly sought feedback on her performance as a TA because of her genuine concern for students' learning. I could trust Taren to seek help when she needed it. Taren inspires others to work hard and be their best, and I am so grateful she gave so much of her talents and energy to this course.
Juan Mascorro-Guerrero: I appreciate Juan because he is our graduate advisor for culturas de las razas unidas outside of helping us with our roles on e board he always offers to help us with applications for scholarships, finding internships, or just provides us a space to talk. Juan is an assistant community director in Wilson Hall , he has a busy schedule but never fails to provide support and help those around him. Juan is the true definition of Latino/Latinx Excellence.
Terry Edwards: Terry Edwards is the rock that anchors the TE department. I thanked her last year but that is not enough, not nearly enough for all that she does in the department. Over this semester, Terry has helped me and several other doctoral students in numerous ways. She is always making sure that the doctoral students are thriving--physically and mentally. She ensures to talk to everyone and showers us with affirmations, love, and praise. I am grateful for Terry and also recognize that she does a lot of the emotional and physical work of supporting doctoral students. Terry's commitment is not merely about her role but a much deeper commitment, a commitment that is about creating a space that is welcoming to all and one where everyone feels seen and heard. She has helped me track down packages that are lost. She brought a sewing machine off craigslist because some of us wanted to use it for our work. She plays a crucial role in organizing a department potluck. She is always advocating for us. And no matter what issue you are facing, Terry will do her best to help you find a solution. We are so grateful for Terry and everything she does for us.
Olivia Furman: I (Naseeb) entered into community with Olivia through WOCI, which she co-leads. Last Fall, Olivia worked with an MSU alumnus, Shakara Tyler, to promote a nature centered self-care program, where folx were able to engage in forest walks, soil meditation, and herbal foraging. As a first-year Ph.D. student, I have tremendously valued Olivia’s commitment to addressing the isolation graduate students often experience through holistic wellness practices. Most notably, Olivia has modeled for me how to leverage research to support the wellness of communities our inquiry is based upon. For example, I had the opportunity to engage in an educational research methods course with Olivia this past fall. Despite the overwhelming valuation of quantitative methods in educational inquiry, Olivia drew upon bell hooks, Audre Lorde, the Combahee River Collective and other Black womxn feminisms, as well as her professional experiences with K-12 teaching, to weave together arts-based research methods with Black feminist epistemologies to explore how Black girls experience schooling. She was met with subtle, and sometimes direct, resistance from the course peers who failed to see the transformative and community-based nature of her methodological position. Despite this, she actively pursued her arts-based research agenda, refusing to spend time justifying her methodological decisions and instead carried out her efforts with integrity and creativity. As a non-Black WOC, I have valued Olivia’s leadership example in leveraging the critical practices of wellness found in Black and Brown communities (e.g. quilts, knitting, and ceramics) to reform teaching and learning practices at MSU.
Kristi Lowrie: Kristi is an integral part of the TE department and has supported doctoral students tirelessly! She has been pivotal in me having a successful semester. Kristi is always willing to help and goes above and beyond to find resources/solutions. Several times when I walked into her office with a challenge/issue she would drop everything else and help me figure things out. I appreciate Kristi and her relentless support for doctoral students in the program. Thank you, Kristi!
Sheila Orr: In her first year, Sheila has contributed extensively not only to the improvement of secondary mathematics methods courses in teacher education but also to the success of my NSF UTEMPT project. In only a few short months "on the job," Sheila conducted independent analyses of new data for the project and took the lead in presenting this data at a national conference in Pheonix in February. She also went beyond in her role to shadow TE 407, the first mathematics methods course for prospective secondary mathematics teachers (PSTs), by taking the lead in several sessions to help PSTs try out new mathematics teaching practices. I continue to be impressed not only by her passion and drive for learning to teach future teachers, but also by her engagement with improving MSU's coursework, in concert with innovations supported by the UTEMPT project, to better support PSTs' learning.
Teacher Education Undergraduate Staff: The undergraduate students working for the TE department are integral to the success of doctoral students. We are deeply appreciative of their hardwork and support. They are always willing to support us with crucial tasks--supplies, scans, photocopies, etc. Even though several of the students are not in the TE program, they go above and beyond to understand the needs of doctoral students and willing to support us. I have also learned a great deal from each of them about their respective fields and appreciate how they brighten up the department with their indomitable spirit! Thank you all for your work.
Dr. Amey’s HALE Graduate Students: Students with whom I work most closely are all adult learners with very complex lives during these difficult times. They are eldercare providers, researchers whose studies have been totally interrupted as they neared completion of dissertations, those hoping for employment next year on and off campus now on hold due to hiring chills and freezes, those who have to find ways to focus on class while becoming homeschool teachers, and those who have put up my constantly shifting schedule of an academic administrator. Yet, they continue to show up to meet with me on zoom and email, inspire through their insights and leadership in these challenging times, find ways to bolster each other in virtual writing groups, and make it clear that postsecondary education will be in good hands. They remind me why I wanted to be a faculty member and are my motivation every day. Thank you isn't enough to each of them.
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll be directed to a form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Posted by:
Makena Neal
Posted on: #iteachmsu Educator Awards
College of Education 2020 #iteachmsu Educator Award Recipients
The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu E...
Posted by:
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Monday, Jun 29, 2020
Posted on: #iteachmsu
ASSESSING LEARNING
Gradebook Considerations
Gradebook Considerations
Gradebooks within D2L are an extremely useful tool and can help instructors plan and organize their course efficiently and effectively. Further, the use of a gradebook impacts the perceived quality of an online course (and blended course), as well as the competence of an instructor (Zhang, et. al, 2020). A well-planned gradebook can minimize the stress of record keeping for instructors. It can also allow students the opportunity to monitor their learning and progression, as well as your ability to identify students at risk earlier in your course (Maiti & Priyaadharshini, 2022).
The gradebook should not be an area of consternation in your preparation for the semester. Using and setting up your class gradebook should be a routine practice and one that will save you time and stress at the end of your course and throughout as you evaluate student assignments. Further, your gradebook can be used as a monitoring tool to help students who are struggling. Earlier identification can help to improve the learning experience for students.
There are many places that you can seek help and guidance in setting up your course gradebook. You may consider:
Seeing how this process is done within D2L. This is a recording of a session offered by the IT department experts in D2L:https://mediaspace.msu.edu/media/D2L+Gradebook+Setup/1_t3zcz39
Consult the D2L help documentation provided by the IT department: https://help.d2l.msu.edu/msu-docs/d2l-grades-at-msu/d2l-gradebook-tips
Look for other documentation on how to setup your course gradebook:
Brightspace Documentation - https://community.d2l.com/brightspace/kb/articles/3539-set-up-your-grade-book
Brightspace Training Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl4U3rcbPOM
Here are some other useful tutorials for using your gradebook:
Categories - https://youtu.be/hZjoSnyHnjc?si=LDzo88o50yeMU_UO
Associating assignments to items & categories in the gradebook - https://youtu.be/2H_pbMNfLWQ?si=aWjjWJVS_N52gOyi
Remember if you need further assistance, you can book a consultation with an IT representative.
References
Maiti, M., & Priyaadharshini, D. M. (2022). Recommender System for Low Achievers in Higher Education. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 12(12).
Zhang, J., Addae, H. M., Bakeman, M., Boyraz, M., Flaherty, P. T., Habich, M., ... & Schreihans, C. (2020). Management Students' Perceptions of Online Teaching Quality. E-Journal of Business Education and Scholarship of Teaching, 14(2), 33-52.
Gradebooks within D2L are an extremely useful tool and can help instructors plan and organize their course efficiently and effectively. Further, the use of a gradebook impacts the perceived quality of an online course (and blended course), as well as the competence of an instructor (Zhang, et. al, 2020). A well-planned gradebook can minimize the stress of record keeping for instructors. It can also allow students the opportunity to monitor their learning and progression, as well as your ability to identify students at risk earlier in your course (Maiti & Priyaadharshini, 2022).
The gradebook should not be an area of consternation in your preparation for the semester. Using and setting up your class gradebook should be a routine practice and one that will save you time and stress at the end of your course and throughout as you evaluate student assignments. Further, your gradebook can be used as a monitoring tool to help students who are struggling. Earlier identification can help to improve the learning experience for students.
There are many places that you can seek help and guidance in setting up your course gradebook. You may consider:
Seeing how this process is done within D2L. This is a recording of a session offered by the IT department experts in D2L:https://mediaspace.msu.edu/media/D2L+Gradebook+Setup/1_t3zcz39
Consult the D2L help documentation provided by the IT department: https://help.d2l.msu.edu/msu-docs/d2l-grades-at-msu/d2l-gradebook-tips
Look for other documentation on how to setup your course gradebook:
Brightspace Documentation - https://community.d2l.com/brightspace/kb/articles/3539-set-up-your-grade-book
Brightspace Training Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl4U3rcbPOM
Here are some other useful tutorials for using your gradebook:
Categories - https://youtu.be/hZjoSnyHnjc?si=LDzo88o50yeMU_UO
Associating assignments to items & categories in the gradebook - https://youtu.be/2H_pbMNfLWQ?si=aWjjWJVS_N52gOyi
Remember if you need further assistance, you can book a consultation with an IT representative.
References
Maiti, M., & Priyaadharshini, D. M. (2022). Recommender System for Low Achievers in Higher Education. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 12(12).
Zhang, J., Addae, H. M., Bakeman, M., Boyraz, M., Flaherty, P. T., Habich, M., ... & Schreihans, C. (2020). Management Students' Perceptions of Online Teaching Quality. E-Journal of Business Education and Scholarship of Teaching, 14(2), 33-52.
Authored by:
Jay Loftus
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Gradebook Considerations
Gradebook Considerations
Gradebooks within D2L are an extremely use...
Gradebooks within D2L are an extremely use...
Authored by:
ASSESSING LEARNING
Friday, May 31, 2024