We found 229 results that contain "mid-semester"

Graduate students are at the core of MSU. As our partners in research, as ambassadors of MSU in the scholarly community, as teachers, and often as friends, graduate students are a critical part of the foundation of our community. Their contributions help shape MSU as a premier land grant AAU institution: Their collaboration in inquiry and research with others on campus is perhaps our greatest asset when it comes to generating new ideas and pushing out the frontiers of knowledge and understanding. Their outreach and engagement efforts across the community, state, country, and world are crucial to MSU’s land grant mission. And the impact they have on the lives of the thousands of undergraduate students while dedicating themselves to their educational goals and pursuits is immeasurable.
 
This is true now more so than ever. Graduate student TAs proved critical in supporting faculty to make the transition to online and remote instruction; facilitating course discussions, preparing class materials, and troubleshooting in all sorts of ways. While supporting faculty in making this transition successfully, they also provided tremendous support to our undergraduate students enrolled in these courses. Many undergraduate students find success because a graduate teaching assistant provided the boost they needed to cross the finish line. In this semester the importance of graduate student support for undergraduates was heightened even more: Our graduate students were often faced with similar circumstances as the undergraduate students they were supporting. In many instances graduate students were making the transition to take their own classes remotely even as they, too, were facing added educational and personal stressors; while at the same time assisting undergraduate students in navigating these challenges as well.
 
When graduate students are instructors on campus, they are often the most innovative; their fresh, bold approaches ensure we remain at the vanguard of teaching and learning. In shifting to online and remote instruction this nimbleness and creativity proved critical for many students to succeed. And throughout all this, because our graduate student population is so diverse, they frequently become key mentors who connect with undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds. This mentorship is essential to the functioning of our university, especially in such unusual and stressful times. The collaborative environment they foster at MSU deepens our disciplinary understanding and broadens the appreciation of knowledge among the many members of our community.
 
To our graduate students pursuing the limits of possibility in their fields, while also continuing to support our students even during this time of crisis: you deserve the gratitude and the admiration of all of us in the Spartan community.
 
 

Photo by Tra Nguyen on Unsplash
 
The first day of class sets the tone for the entire semester. Student achievement is directly tied to how well a teacher establishes and implements classroom procedures, norms, and behaviors. Plan carefully for the first day of class, and implement those plans with energy, kindness, and rigor.
*note: distancing and other precautions required during the COVID19 pandemic may influence how some of these tips look in your face-to-face/hybrid classes 
Post a schedule and objectives 

Arrive early to prep the room
Objectives and agenda give students a sense of direction

Put students to work

Give students a meaningful task to complete immediately 
Set the tone for productivity to give students purpose

Assign seats

Place students intentionally so they can function as groups
Give students a sense of place in the room

Greet students at the door

Welcome students as they enter, introducing yourself
Interact personally to give students a sense of belonging

“You will either win or lose your class on the first days of school.” Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (1998). The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher.
The first day is your only shot to define the terms of the class. What is the subject matter? What are the most important ideas? What does a successful student look like? Instill in the students a growth mindset and make it clear to them that they have a voice and they need to use it in class daily.
Review critical procedures

Set expectations of students, defining their boundaries
Let students voice their expectations

Teach students how to learn

Define what learning looks like in your class
Chart a path for success and give students agency

Focus on ways of being

Let the first day be about role setting
Define classroom culture before addressing subject matter

Engage in goal setting

Show students what they’ll know by semester’s end
Have students write their goals for the class

 
Resources
https://bit.ly/2VKzsYI
https://bit.ly/2bwXTPb
https://bit.ly/2PIMyjx
https://bit.ly/2GPWy6F

The attached PowerPoint is an overview of semester-long course projects as an option for high-impact assessment design. Author, Andrea Bierema has a joint appointment with the Center for Integrative Studies in General Science and the Department of Integrative Biology. In addition to this position, she teaches during the summer at Kellogg Biological Station. Dr. Bierema’s research spans undergraduate biology education and avian communication.
Dr. Bierema has graciously shared examples from her own courses. You can see examples of assignments, peer review, and discussion boards.

Topic Area: Student Success
Presented by: Brandon R.G. Smith, Kristen Renn, and Renata Opoczynski
Abstract:
What are the experiences of low-income students and how do they describe their time in college? To answer this, interviews were conducted with 23 low-income students during their last semester at MSU. Interviews focused on students' time at MSU where the participants reflected on their living, learning, and out-of-class experiences. The general focus of the one-on-one discussions were how these students' individual financial situations interacted with their successes and challenges in and out of the classroom at MSU. A thematic analysis presented key themes pertinent for low-income students, ranging from: (i) how students navigate resources and supports, (ii) how a student's financial situation interacts with out-of-class experiences, and (iii) decisions and compromises made by these students when considering their needs to success and to complete their degree—all of which are decisions influenced by the last dollars owed to MSU. These students' stories will be shared and accompanied with implications for practice from the lenses of institutional policy and practice.

So you’ve collected your mid-semester feedback data. What do you do next? Select a method for sharing and responding to student feedback that works for you. Will you share a summary in D2L? Maybe you’ll provide an overview with a few slides at the next synchronous class. No matter what mode you choose, identify some patterns and touch base with your students promptly! Be sure to thank students for their comments. According to Cornell’s Center for Teaching Excellence (2012) your learners appreciate knowing you care what they have to say.
Critically reflect on the student's comments. Some feedback you get may be positive, while other feedback could be negative. In fact, almost all instructors receive negative feedback at some point in their careers. Give yourself space to acknowledge the hurt or anger you may feel. Then think about how you could continue to grow and develop your educator practice. You can also check out “How to make the best of bad course evaluations” in The Chronicle.
If you’ve identified the trends and utilized the articles in the other sections of this playlist but are still not sure about what changes to make, start by talking with a mentor and/or a peer group. MSU Interim Associate Provost for Faculty and Academic Staff Development and facilitator of the Academic Advancement Network, Dr. Marilyn Amey, shared “If I know someone is a good teacher, I might just reach out to them directly.” When prompted, “what if an instructor doesn’t know who has been successful at teaching in the past”, Dr. Amey brought up two of MSU’s educator cohort programs as resources for “people connections”.
Lilly Fellows: The Lilly Teaching Fellows Program began in 1991 and has served as “an opportunity to engage in a year-long exploration of the robust scholarship on effective practices in University teaching.” The Lilly Fellows Program has supported Fellows to become future faculty leaders and to inspire a broad range of faculty to pursue excellence in teaching. After two years of redesigns of the original Lilly Program, the 2020-2021 version of the program will focus explicitly on leadership development for those educators who see teaching and learning as core to their path toward leadership.
See if any of the past Lilly Fellows are in your network!
Adams Academy: The program brings together a cross-disciplinary group of faculty and academic staff for a year-long fellowship focused on teaching and learning. Adams Academy Fellows explore the literature on effective university teaching and learning practices and consider how this robust body of research can be used to guide instructional decisions in the courses they teach. Participants learn from and contribute to a community of teacher-scholars committed to excellence in teaching and learning.
See if any of the past Adams Academy Fellows are in your network!  
According to Dr. Ellie Louson, Instructor in Lyman Briggs College and Learning Experience Designer at the Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology, in this Medium Article on Mentorship, “The university is a setting for many types of mentorship. A more senior student can mentor someone more junior, faculty or staff members mentor students, and colleagues mentor each other (near-peers with different skills to teach and learn, or a more senior person to someone more junior).” 
You can plug into existing groups and ask questions. If you don’t know of a group, check in with the units you identify with. For example, the Academic Advancement Network is hosting a regular gathering of new educators in “Starting an Academic Career in Unusual Times” community discussions. MSU’s Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) hosts a regular writing group and monthly orientations. The Academic Specialist Advisory Committee (ASAC) provides the governance structure for the academic specialist community providing advice to university leaders and offering Table Talks and community gatherings throughout the year. 
Ultimately, don’t feel like you have to go it alone. Research has shown that reviewing student feedback in consultation with someone else is more likely to result in positive modifications in teaching/course design which can later influence future evaluations.
 
Source: Murray, H. (1997). Does evaluation of teaching lead to improvement of teaching? International Journal for Academic Development, 2(1), 8-23
 

One of the key aspects of colleting formative feedback is that the respondents are confident their responses are anonymous. Specifically, when it comes to classroom mid-semester feedback, it is imperative that students understand their comments cannot be traced back to their identity (and cannot negatively impact their course grade). Three examples of platforms you can use to build your mid-semester feedback survey include:

Qualtrics 

MSU users have access to Qualtrics with their MSU netID and password. You can see the basics for building a Qualtrics survey here.


Google Forms

Similarly to Qualtrics, MSU users can log in to Google Drive with their MSU email and passwords. Please make sure you are logged in to Drive in this manner, not with your personal Gmail, prior to building a form for class. For a step by step for setting up an anonymous Google form, visit this webapge. 


D2L

Desire2Learn (D2L) is also accessible to MSU instructors as MSU's Learning Management System. Did you know you can build a survey right in D2L? For step-by-step instructions, check out this article. 



Regardless of the platform you use to build your mid-semester feedback survey, it is recommended you include a statement similar to the following at the start: Mid-semester feedback is a way your instructor can collect information about your learning experience and how the course design impacts your experience. This survey is your opportunity to share insights about class so your instructor can make decisions on how to proceed with the rest of this semester. This is an anonymous survey. Your identity will not be shared with anyone and will in no way impact your grade in the course. Your feedback is valued and appreciated.

The #iteachmsu Commons is an ever-growing collection of people, ideas, and resources. One way this space was built to support educators in their ongoing growth and development. MSU is a learning institution, and while we aim to prepare learners to “contribute fully to society as globally engaged citizen leaders” through their ongoing postsecondary experience, we also aim to support you - MSU’s educators - in your life long learning journey. 
Throughout iteach.msu.edu, there are a wide variety of resources shared primarily as posts and articles. You can read individual articles to gain insights into any topic related to pedagogy, integrating technologies, assessing learning, disciplinary content, and navigating MSU’s context. 
If you find an article or post you think is really helpful or you see a title you want to revisit later, you can save it by clicking the star icon in the upper right hand corner of each item’s card. To see all the items you’ve saved, you can click “saved” in the left menu (indicated with a star icon). In addition to saving articles, you can curate your own playlist. 
The name playlist was inspired by compilations of music. Imagine you’re about to head outside for a run. You have all your gear ready and have put in one of your earbuds to listen to some tunes. You’ve built a list of songs (or saved a list built by someone else) that helps keep you motivated to keep moving. The idea is similar on this site. From your saved items, you can build a collection of posts and articles around topics or themes that are relevant to you. 

Do you have data that has sparked some additional questions for you?
Are there some areas you have flagged as wanting to know more but not sure where to start?
Have you set some goals for improving your practice for the rest of the semester?

Start by exploring more iteach.msu.edu and build yourself a playlist(s)! For step-by-step instructions on building a playlist, check out this Creating a Playlist article in our Getting Started resources.

Michigan State University is a big place. Literally. The campus itself is 5,192 acres (just over 8 square miles). Over 900 registered student organizations exist, along with over 60 greek organizations, 275+ study abroad opportunities, and a student-run organic farm; and that’s just co-curriculars! MSU offers more than 200 programs of undergraduate, graduate and professional study across 17 degree-granting colleges. It takes A LOT of human capacity to support Spartans. MSU has over 13,000 employees - many of whom are educators of some kind!
In such a large organization, it can be difficult to find others with common interests, share ideas and reflections, and ultimately elevate small successful approaches to larger audiences. Here on the #iteachmsu Commons, you can join or create an informal learning community through the site’s Group function! Groups can be public where anyone with a MSU netID can op-in to joining, or private where members have to be invited to join. Already there are groups related to topics like online and remote teaching, accessible course design, and new technologies. Were you looking for a group but didn’t find one that matched your interests? Any logged in user can start their own group; the only required information is a group name, brief description, image, and which category most represents the group. In a group, the feed can be used for group-specific dialogue, where users can post and respond to one another. Additionally, once a public group is created, any member can share content (articles, posts, playlists) specifically to that group! For step-by-step instructions on building a group, visit the Creating a Group article in the Getting Started resources.
If you’re looking for a more structured Learning Community experience look no further than our colleagues at the Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Development (formerly Academic Advancement Network)! According to their website, “Learning Communities provide safe and supportive spaces for complicated conversations about curriculum and pedagogy. Michigan State University has supported these initiatives since 2004 and continues to do so through a funding program administered by the Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Development. All communities, however, share three things in common: they meet monthly across the academic year, explore important educational themes, and welcome all members of MSU’s instructional staff, regardless of rank or discipline.” To access a current list of the Learning Communities supported by the Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Development, check out this Learning Community webpage! (Some of the 2021-2022 Learning Communities have even created #iteachmsu Groups! Check out the "Reading Group for Student Engagement and Success" as one example.)