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Posted on: #iteachmsu
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Open Call Deadline Extended: Catalyst Innovation Program Summer 2022 cohort
MSU seeks new ideas aimed at improving the digital learning experience. Incorporating digital strategies to support pedagogy can enhance students’ learning experiences and offer efficiencies in assessment and analysis. Many digital learning innovations impacting institutional initiatives at scale often start small. Innovations may spring from novel pedagogical approaches in individual courses, as collaborative experiments across disciplines, or the result of student feedback and needs analysis. We recognize the value of providing support and resources to change the student experience for the better. MSU's Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation is committed to facilitating new ideas and announces the following call for proposals for the Catalyst Innovation Program.
Catalyst Innovation Program
The Catalyst Innovation Program seeks to fund creative and innovative uses of tools, technology, and pedagogical approaches up to $10,000 for the purposes of allowing experimentation in spaces with the potential to enhance student learning experiences.
Please note that these funds are intended to fund software, technology, and/or services but are not able to support salary lines, including faculty, staff, undergraduate and graduate students. We are especially interested in proposals that include one or more of the following criteria:
Learning
Demonstrate learning, conceptual understanding, or increased content knowledge
Inclusivity and Accessibility
Increase access, as defined as “providing the means for all qualified, motivated students to complete courses, degrees, or programs in their disciplines of choice (Online Learning Consortium, n.d.; MSU Learning Design Strategy.)” For example, reduced or zero cost to students beyond tuition, universally designed experiences, and the like
Contribute to more equitable and inclusive digital learning experiences and environments
Experiences that are universally designed and accessible
Feedback and Adaptivity
Increase formative feedback (assessment for learning)
Provide learning analytics to educators to enable adaptive or personalized pedagogy
Provide mechanisms for student input and collaboration
Increase student engagement as defined by your discipline. For example as increased participation, collaboration, peer learning, and so on
Proposals
Proposals should include a description of the innovation and idea, implementation approach, evaluation and assessment plan, and budget. Click the following link to apply: https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cSa6sOXdRCQxPtc
Timeline (Extended deadline)
The Call for Proposals opens: April 29, 2022
Proposals are due: 5:00 pm EST, June 3, 2022
Awards will be announced: June 15, 2022
Once awarded, funding is available through December, 2022.
Selection Criteria
Completeness of the idea proposal
Clearly explained potential impact on student engagement, mastery, or success
Challenge or shift current teaching and learning practices
Readiness to implement
Plan to implement during the funding period in an existing course or program
Opportunity for scale/re-use
Assessment and evaluation plan for your project
Proposed budget
Alignment with MSU Learning Design Strategy
Quality
Inclusivity
Connectivity
References
https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/about/quality-framework-five-pillars/
http://lds.msu.edu
Catalyst Innovation Program
The Catalyst Innovation Program seeks to fund creative and innovative uses of tools, technology, and pedagogical approaches up to $10,000 for the purposes of allowing experimentation in spaces with the potential to enhance student learning experiences.
Please note that these funds are intended to fund software, technology, and/or services but are not able to support salary lines, including faculty, staff, undergraduate and graduate students. We are especially interested in proposals that include one or more of the following criteria:
Learning
Demonstrate learning, conceptual understanding, or increased content knowledge
Inclusivity and Accessibility
Increase access, as defined as “providing the means for all qualified, motivated students to complete courses, degrees, or programs in their disciplines of choice (Online Learning Consortium, n.d.; MSU Learning Design Strategy.)” For example, reduced or zero cost to students beyond tuition, universally designed experiences, and the like
Contribute to more equitable and inclusive digital learning experiences and environments
Experiences that are universally designed and accessible
Feedback and Adaptivity
Increase formative feedback (assessment for learning)
Provide learning analytics to educators to enable adaptive or personalized pedagogy
Provide mechanisms for student input and collaboration
Increase student engagement as defined by your discipline. For example as increased participation, collaboration, peer learning, and so on
Proposals
Proposals should include a description of the innovation and idea, implementation approach, evaluation and assessment plan, and budget. Click the following link to apply: https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cSa6sOXdRCQxPtc
Timeline (Extended deadline)
The Call for Proposals opens: April 29, 2022
Proposals are due: 5:00 pm EST, June 3, 2022
Awards will be announced: June 15, 2022
Once awarded, funding is available through December, 2022.
Selection Criteria
Completeness of the idea proposal
Clearly explained potential impact on student engagement, mastery, or success
Challenge or shift current teaching and learning practices
Readiness to implement
Plan to implement during the funding period in an existing course or program
Opportunity for scale/re-use
Assessment and evaluation plan for your project
Proposed budget
Alignment with MSU Learning Design Strategy
Quality
Inclusivity
Connectivity
References
https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/about/quality-framework-five-pillars/
http://lds.msu.edu
Posted by:
Rashad Muhammad
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Open Call Deadline Extended: Catalyst Innovation Program Summer 2022 cohort
MSU seeks new ideas aimed at improving the digital learning experie...
Posted by:
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Posted on: #iteachmsu
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Snapshot of Andragogy
Andragogy is a useful framework for talking about adult learning. While no theory is perfect, andragogy, as presented by researcher Malcolm Knowles, provides educators of adults with much food for thought regarding how adults learn, and, in turn, how we can facilitate their learning.
Most theories, including this one, are basing assumptions on an ideal learner. In the case of andragogy, much of the theory assumes that adult learners are self-directed and motivated, and this is not always the case. Here's a short elearning module on Andragogy, and a chart of assumptions and their applications, below.
Andragogy: The Art and Science of Helping Adults Learn
Assumption
Explanation
Application
Need to know
“Do I need to know this?”
Meaningful learning happens when teachers know the learners enough to be able to show them why they should care.
Help adults understand why they need to know something. Use diagnostic self-assessments to reveal the gaps in their knowledge and share these results with them (individually).
Think of the learners and learn about them beforehand. Who are they? What are their needs? What is their context? Start with where THEY are on the topic, not where you are. Focus on what they NEED and not just on all you know.
Self-concept (self-directed)
“Is this my choice to learn? Am I in control of learning it?”
Adults need to feel self-directed and be seen by others as such. They want to take responsibility for their own learning and feel like it is a choice. Adults are rich in life experiences and they are partners in the learning process. This can create a problem: If an adult walks into a situation labeled as “training” or “education,” and is treated like a student, they may take up the attitude of a kid in school: passive, with a “teach me” attitude.
Do not let participants slip into the “teach me” attitude of a passive child in school. Make it clear that the burden of learning is on them. Let them have choices. Use self-study or group collaboration projects that involve minimal instructor intervention. Ask participants to help set learning objectives. Think of yourself as a facilitator, and set up the instructional space as such.
Readiness & relevancy
“Do I need and want to learn this?”
Adults typically become ready to learn when they experience a need to cope with a life situation or perform a task.
Make learning timely. Adults are concerned with what they need to know RIGHT now. People want to learn something when they are ready to and need to learn it.
Teach them what they need at the right time.
Having online self-access materials aligns well with this principle, since the learner can then learn what they need at the time they need to.
Use realistic scenarios, stories, and problems to introduce concepts.
Experience as foundation
“What do I already know about this? How does it relate to my experiences?”
The older we get, the more life experiences we have. These experiences shape us as people and shape how we learn. Adults have more life experience than children do, and are more apt to define themselves through these experiences.
Life experiences form the lens through which new information, or learning, must pass. When the two are in harmony, it helps learners understand and integrate the new information into their mental representation of the world.
When new information does not fit in with their life experiences, this can block learning.
Often learners themselves are your best resource for teaching. Use techniques that tap this resource:
Group discussions
Peer teaching
Simulations and role plays
Problem solving, scenarios and case studies
Laboratory and hands-on learning
When new material does not fit into their life experiences, you have to help adults think critically and challenge their assumptions.
Orientation to learning
“What problem does this solve in my life?”
Adults have an orientation to learning that is based on their immediate needs – on completing a task or solving a problem. This is very different compared to how kids learn by subject in traditional schools. Adults want answers to the question: “What problem does this solve in my life?”
Use problem solving, scenarios, and case studies. Start with the problem, not the solution or the information. Let them work together at solving the problem, and learn from the process.
Make use of this orientation to learning by introducing a topic by presenting the problem first. The process of solving the problem can be intertwined with the discovery of new ideas and concepts.
Motivation to learn
“Why do I care? What is driving me to learn?”
In adults, internal incentives become an important form of motivation for people as they mature. These internal incentives include notions such as self-esteem, quality of life, and personal achievement.
Find out what motivation they have, or what problem they want to solve. Focus on that.
Do you also work with youth? Think about how the concepts in this module also apply to working with youth. Most of them do to some extent or another, especially when the youth are choosing to engage with the subject they are learning about.Some of these tenants of andragogy may or may not fit well with your teaching context. If you have a rigid curriculum, then you may not having the luxury of co-creating learning objectives with your audience, for example. But perhaps you can honor their input on which objectives to spend more time on, or on how they want to acheive those objectives.
Reference:
Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2010). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Most theories, including this one, are basing assumptions on an ideal learner. In the case of andragogy, much of the theory assumes that adult learners are self-directed and motivated, and this is not always the case. Here's a short elearning module on Andragogy, and a chart of assumptions and their applications, below.
Andragogy: The Art and Science of Helping Adults Learn
Assumption
Explanation
Application
Need to know
“Do I need to know this?”
Meaningful learning happens when teachers know the learners enough to be able to show them why they should care.
Help adults understand why they need to know something. Use diagnostic self-assessments to reveal the gaps in their knowledge and share these results with them (individually).
Think of the learners and learn about them beforehand. Who are they? What are their needs? What is their context? Start with where THEY are on the topic, not where you are. Focus on what they NEED and not just on all you know.
Self-concept (self-directed)
“Is this my choice to learn? Am I in control of learning it?”
Adults need to feel self-directed and be seen by others as such. They want to take responsibility for their own learning and feel like it is a choice. Adults are rich in life experiences and they are partners in the learning process. This can create a problem: If an adult walks into a situation labeled as “training” or “education,” and is treated like a student, they may take up the attitude of a kid in school: passive, with a “teach me” attitude.
Do not let participants slip into the “teach me” attitude of a passive child in school. Make it clear that the burden of learning is on them. Let them have choices. Use self-study or group collaboration projects that involve minimal instructor intervention. Ask participants to help set learning objectives. Think of yourself as a facilitator, and set up the instructional space as such.
Readiness & relevancy
“Do I need and want to learn this?”
Adults typically become ready to learn when they experience a need to cope with a life situation or perform a task.
Make learning timely. Adults are concerned with what they need to know RIGHT now. People want to learn something when they are ready to and need to learn it.
Teach them what they need at the right time.
Having online self-access materials aligns well with this principle, since the learner can then learn what they need at the time they need to.
Use realistic scenarios, stories, and problems to introduce concepts.
Experience as foundation
“What do I already know about this? How does it relate to my experiences?”
The older we get, the more life experiences we have. These experiences shape us as people and shape how we learn. Adults have more life experience than children do, and are more apt to define themselves through these experiences.
Life experiences form the lens through which new information, or learning, must pass. When the two are in harmony, it helps learners understand and integrate the new information into their mental representation of the world.
When new information does not fit in with their life experiences, this can block learning.
Often learners themselves are your best resource for teaching. Use techniques that tap this resource:
Group discussions
Peer teaching
Simulations and role plays
Problem solving, scenarios and case studies
Laboratory and hands-on learning
When new material does not fit into their life experiences, you have to help adults think critically and challenge their assumptions.
Orientation to learning
“What problem does this solve in my life?”
Adults have an orientation to learning that is based on their immediate needs – on completing a task or solving a problem. This is very different compared to how kids learn by subject in traditional schools. Adults want answers to the question: “What problem does this solve in my life?”
Use problem solving, scenarios, and case studies. Start with the problem, not the solution or the information. Let them work together at solving the problem, and learn from the process.
Make use of this orientation to learning by introducing a topic by presenting the problem first. The process of solving the problem can be intertwined with the discovery of new ideas and concepts.
Motivation to learn
“Why do I care? What is driving me to learn?”
In adults, internal incentives become an important form of motivation for people as they mature. These internal incentives include notions such as self-esteem, quality of life, and personal achievement.
Find out what motivation they have, or what problem they want to solve. Focus on that.
Do you also work with youth? Think about how the concepts in this module also apply to working with youth. Most of them do to some extent or another, especially when the youth are choosing to engage with the subject they are learning about.Some of these tenants of andragogy may or may not fit well with your teaching context. If you have a rigid curriculum, then you may not having the luxury of co-creating learning objectives with your audience, for example. But perhaps you can honor their input on which objectives to spend more time on, or on how they want to acheive those objectives.
Reference:
Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2010). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Authored by:
Anne Baker
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Snapshot of Andragogy
Andragogy is a useful framework for talking about adult learning. W...
Authored by:
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Friday, Aug 13, 2021
Posted on: #iteachmsu
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Syllabi at MSU
An Overview of the Syllabus and its Role at MSU
In this resource, we describe the purpose and history of the syllabus and describe the required and recommended elements of syllabi at Michigan State. We end with links to MSU’s many existing syllabus guidelines and resources. While what to include in your syllabus is flexible, we encourage educators to keep students’ needs in mind and think about how your syllabus can contribute to their learning.
What a syllabus is
A syllabus is a synecdoche for a course of study—a part of the curricular experience that represents the whole. They are often the very first course texts our students encounter and, accordingly, they frame and preface learning in powerful ways. On one hand, they communicate practical and structural details—where and when a course meets, what to read, and how to contact an instructor. But they also express intellectual and discipline-specific expectations.
As a special genre of educational texts, syllabi have taken various forms and played various roles over many centuries. In the 17th century ‘syllabus’ was synonymous with ‘table’ or ‘index.’ They served as a structural preview for manuscripts or a list of speakers and topics for a lecture series—they were a means of organizing texts, ideas, and experience. Although that core function remains, post-secondary syllabi have expanded significantly in volume and purview over the past forty years.
What a syllabus needs at MSU
There is no universal definition or template for contemporary syllabi. There are, however, some critical things that effective syllabi share. At Michigan State University, our Code of Teaching Responsibility states “Instructors [are] responsible for distributing a course syllabus (either in print or electronic form) at the beginning of the semester [that] minimally includes:
instructional objectives;
instructor contact information and office hours;
grading criteria and methods used to determine final course grades;
date of the final examination and tentative dates of required assignments, quizzes, and tests, if applicable;
attendance policy, if different from the University attendance policy and especially when that attendance policy affects student grades;
required and recommended course materials to be purchased, including textbooks and supplies; and any required proctoring arrangements to which students must adhere.”
If you are creating a new course or new to teaching at MSU, it can be helpful to request sample syllabi from your Departmental Chair, from past versions of the course you're teaching or even adjacent courses. These samples can help you learn more about general and discipline-specific expectations within your department. Syllabus templates are also available from different colleges; for example, CANR has a downloadable template.
Additional considerations
Beyond the fundamental requirements listed above, contemporary syllabi often include additional information or passages. We encourage MSU educators to consider including the following policies, keeping empathy and flexibility in mind:
notify students about MSU’s religious observance policy
describe available mental health resources
include equal opportunity/affirmative action and inclusion statements
include statements on civil discourse and the civil discourse policy
consider including your attendance policy
acknowledge the indigenous land(s) on which their teaching will occur
provide an accessibility statement, link to the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities
list institutional resources to support students
describe policies for student athletes
explain the technologies students will be required or asked to use
describe the instructor’s communication preferences or instructions for scheduling office hour appointments
describe COVID-specific health and wellness guidelines or emergency measures
provide information about academic dishonesty
provide study or writing tips and link to the Writing Center
include other course- or college-relevant policies
Some instructors include these and other statements in a ‘policies’ section, while others prefer to write a shorter syllabus that refers students to other course documents containing these and other course and university resources.
Flexibility for students
It's best to communicate expectations in the syllabus for students that need to miss class or discuss adjustments to due dates with you for excusable reasons, such as religious observance, bereavement, health, or athletic competition. We strongly recommend that educators consult the university’s academic calendar and a current interfaith calendar when planning your course and make accommodations for students’ religious observance, or when courses directly conflict (e.g. final examination conflicts). Educators should make every effort to avoid scheduling exams and oral presentations during days of religious observance. It's best to remember that if the absence is excusable, and you'd do it for one student, you should apply your method consistently for all students. Your syllabus should include when and how to contact you to make arrangements for excusable absences. Instructors should provide a university expectation/deadline by which students need to inform instructors of an accommodation (i.e., 2 weeks after the start of the semester) in the syllabus, and this expectation be iterated during the first day of class. We encourage you to be flexible and empathic with students, and to act consistently and equitably.
Innovative models for syllabi
Many educators, especially over the past few decades, have experimented with syllabi and created texts that reach far beyond basic documentation. For instance, some instructors use a fill-in-the-blank syllabus whereby students are asked to expand a set of learning objectives or required texts in order to customize their learning. The ‘annotated syllabus’ model gives students the opportunity to make suggestions for the syllabus at the beginning of the course, making it more of a living document. Others have reconfigured the syllabus as a course textbook and used it throughout the semester to support learning (instead of just the first week). Other models reimagine the aesthetic potential of the document, approaching it as a graphic novel (Barry, 2017), mixtape, or chapbook (Lockett and Wong, 2018). Although their approaches differ, these educators have questioned the role and conventions of syllabi and found creative ways to expand the educational potential of these ubiquitous texts.
Additional MSU syllabus resources
MSU Syllabus Checklist with in-depth descriptions of potential sections of the syllabus.
Syllabus Checklist (2-page version)
Revised MSU Syllabus Checklist for [Fall 2020] online and hybrid courses
Inclusive Pedagogy Syllabus & Template
Civil Discourse Syllabus
Discourse Policy on Syllabus
Attendance Policy on Syllabus
Syllabus Resources from the Office of the University Ombudsperson
Generative AI Syllabus Guide (with examples and sample language)
Calendar of Religious Observances from MSU's Office of the Provost
Guidelines for Online Camera Policies
Advice for MSU students about using a syllabus
Additional readings
Rocha et al. (2022) The syllabus as curriculum: A reconceptualist approach.
Hsu (2020). A celebration of the syllabus.
Germano and Nicholls (2020) Syllabus: The remarkable, unremarkable document that changes everything.
Lockett and Wong (2018). Reframing syllabi as aesthetic encounters.
Barry (2017). Syllabus: Notes from an accidental professor.
In this resource, we describe the purpose and history of the syllabus and describe the required and recommended elements of syllabi at Michigan State. We end with links to MSU’s many existing syllabus guidelines and resources. While what to include in your syllabus is flexible, we encourage educators to keep students’ needs in mind and think about how your syllabus can contribute to their learning.
What a syllabus is
A syllabus is a synecdoche for a course of study—a part of the curricular experience that represents the whole. They are often the very first course texts our students encounter and, accordingly, they frame and preface learning in powerful ways. On one hand, they communicate practical and structural details—where and when a course meets, what to read, and how to contact an instructor. But they also express intellectual and discipline-specific expectations.
As a special genre of educational texts, syllabi have taken various forms and played various roles over many centuries. In the 17th century ‘syllabus’ was synonymous with ‘table’ or ‘index.’ They served as a structural preview for manuscripts or a list of speakers and topics for a lecture series—they were a means of organizing texts, ideas, and experience. Although that core function remains, post-secondary syllabi have expanded significantly in volume and purview over the past forty years.
What a syllabus needs at MSU
There is no universal definition or template for contemporary syllabi. There are, however, some critical things that effective syllabi share. At Michigan State University, our Code of Teaching Responsibility states “Instructors [are] responsible for distributing a course syllabus (either in print or electronic form) at the beginning of the semester [that] minimally includes:
instructional objectives;
instructor contact information and office hours;
grading criteria and methods used to determine final course grades;
date of the final examination and tentative dates of required assignments, quizzes, and tests, if applicable;
attendance policy, if different from the University attendance policy and especially when that attendance policy affects student grades;
required and recommended course materials to be purchased, including textbooks and supplies; and any required proctoring arrangements to which students must adhere.”
If you are creating a new course or new to teaching at MSU, it can be helpful to request sample syllabi from your Departmental Chair, from past versions of the course you're teaching or even adjacent courses. These samples can help you learn more about general and discipline-specific expectations within your department. Syllabus templates are also available from different colleges; for example, CANR has a downloadable template.
Additional considerations
Beyond the fundamental requirements listed above, contemporary syllabi often include additional information or passages. We encourage MSU educators to consider including the following policies, keeping empathy and flexibility in mind:
notify students about MSU’s religious observance policy
describe available mental health resources
include equal opportunity/affirmative action and inclusion statements
include statements on civil discourse and the civil discourse policy
consider including your attendance policy
acknowledge the indigenous land(s) on which their teaching will occur
provide an accessibility statement, link to the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities
list institutional resources to support students
describe policies for student athletes
explain the technologies students will be required or asked to use
describe the instructor’s communication preferences or instructions for scheduling office hour appointments
describe COVID-specific health and wellness guidelines or emergency measures
provide information about academic dishonesty
provide study or writing tips and link to the Writing Center
include other course- or college-relevant policies
Some instructors include these and other statements in a ‘policies’ section, while others prefer to write a shorter syllabus that refers students to other course documents containing these and other course and university resources.
Flexibility for students
It's best to communicate expectations in the syllabus for students that need to miss class or discuss adjustments to due dates with you for excusable reasons, such as religious observance, bereavement, health, or athletic competition. We strongly recommend that educators consult the university’s academic calendar and a current interfaith calendar when planning your course and make accommodations for students’ religious observance, or when courses directly conflict (e.g. final examination conflicts). Educators should make every effort to avoid scheduling exams and oral presentations during days of religious observance. It's best to remember that if the absence is excusable, and you'd do it for one student, you should apply your method consistently for all students. Your syllabus should include when and how to contact you to make arrangements for excusable absences. Instructors should provide a university expectation/deadline by which students need to inform instructors of an accommodation (i.e., 2 weeks after the start of the semester) in the syllabus, and this expectation be iterated during the first day of class. We encourage you to be flexible and empathic with students, and to act consistently and equitably.
Innovative models for syllabi
Many educators, especially over the past few decades, have experimented with syllabi and created texts that reach far beyond basic documentation. For instance, some instructors use a fill-in-the-blank syllabus whereby students are asked to expand a set of learning objectives or required texts in order to customize their learning. The ‘annotated syllabus’ model gives students the opportunity to make suggestions for the syllabus at the beginning of the course, making it more of a living document. Others have reconfigured the syllabus as a course textbook and used it throughout the semester to support learning (instead of just the first week). Other models reimagine the aesthetic potential of the document, approaching it as a graphic novel (Barry, 2017), mixtape, or chapbook (Lockett and Wong, 2018). Although their approaches differ, these educators have questioned the role and conventions of syllabi and found creative ways to expand the educational potential of these ubiquitous texts.
Additional MSU syllabus resources
MSU Syllabus Checklist with in-depth descriptions of potential sections of the syllabus.
Syllabus Checklist (2-page version)
Revised MSU Syllabus Checklist for [Fall 2020] online and hybrid courses
Inclusive Pedagogy Syllabus & Template
Civil Discourse Syllabus
Discourse Policy on Syllabus
Attendance Policy on Syllabus
Syllabus Resources from the Office of the University Ombudsperson
Generative AI Syllabus Guide (with examples and sample language)
Calendar of Religious Observances from MSU's Office of the Provost
Guidelines for Online Camera Policies
Advice for MSU students about using a syllabus
Additional readings
Rocha et al. (2022) The syllabus as curriculum: A reconceptualist approach.
Hsu (2020). A celebration of the syllabus.
Germano and Nicholls (2020) Syllabus: The remarkable, unremarkable document that changes everything.
Lockett and Wong (2018). Reframing syllabi as aesthetic encounters.
Barry (2017). Syllabus: Notes from an accidental professor.
Authored by:
CTLI
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Syllabi at MSU
An Overview of the Syllabus and its Role at MSU
In this resource, w...
In this resource, w...
Authored by:
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Tuesday, Aug 27, 2024
Posted on: #iteachmsu
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Creating Educational Videos
Educational Videos: Best Practices
This document uses learning theory and research to suggest best practices in creating educational videos.
Audio
Don’t read out loud. If you want to create a script, do it. Read it a few times. Put it away and try and speak as naturally as possible when you record. You won’t (and shouldn’t) stick to the script word for word while recording, but it should help you sound articulate without reading from a script.
Don’t speak too slowly. Research shows that speaking slowly results in learners thinking the speaker is less credible and having less interest in the materials. Speaking slower does not increase retention (Simonds, Meyer, Quinlan & Hunt, 2006).
Keep language informal. Speak in a conversational way, avoiding jargon, technical terms, and “academic-speak.” Put concepts in your own words. Use first and second person (I, you) to create a personal connection. This is referred to as the personalization principle in multimedia learning theory (Mayer, 2009).
Visuals
Change visuals often. If you are recording a screen-share of Power Point, use more slides and change the slides more frequently, spending less time on each slide. Visuals (photos, images, and diagrams) are better than words.
Omit needless words. On PowerPoint, that is. Use more images than words because people learn better when they hear the words and see images. This is referred to as the redundancy principle in multimedia learning theory (Mayer, 2009).
Include your face? Maybe! This could help create a connection with learners and help you retain viewer attention by letting you switch between a visual and an image of the speaker. Research shows students may prefer seeing your face, but it doesn’t necessarily help them learn (Kizilcec, Bailenson, & Gomez, 2015).
Recording via Zoom? Select options to record both the active speaker and the shared window (Power Point) so that you can edit the video in a way that includes both. You can do this in Zoom Settings by using Zoom Cloud Recording and selecting to “Record active speaker, gallery view, and shared screen separately.”
Informal settings are fine! High quality production backgrounds don’t engage learners more. Relax and find that balance of professional yet personal (Guo, Kim, Rubin, 2014).
Use tablet drawing. Learners are more engaged by Khan-style videos that show “live” drawing than by static images (Guo, Kim, Rubin, 2014). If you have the tools to do this, great! If not, consider using annotation tools in Power Point.
Content Considerations
Leave off speaker intros and objectives. This type of material can be presented in the description or in the materials preceding the videos. Jump straight into the content. This helps you keep videos short.
Keep it short. Research with MOOCs suggests 6 minutes or less is optimal (Guo, Kim, Rubin, 2014). In addition, it is harder for learners to use a longer video to review specific content. Keeping videos under 6 minutes isn’t a hard rule, since context matters, but shorter usually is better.
Hosting Considerations
Provide background information. Introduce the topic, the speaker, and tell the learner how long the video will be in the video description or in the material preceding the video.
Provide a take-away for more technical content. An example would be a fact sheet or a fillable PDF form with a note-taking outline that learners can fill out while watching and then download and save.
Consider interactive videos. Camtasia lets you add simple interactions to your videos to keep your viewers engaged. MediaSpace allows for interactions as well.
Before, During, After
Frame videos with a task before, during, and after. If you are hosting the video in an online course, have your viewers do something related to the topic before watching it to activate their background knowledge and build schema. Give them a task to do while watching the video, and then give them a task after to check their comprehension or to relate the content to their life experiences. Some basic examples are below.
Before
During
After
Discuss a question about the topic in a forum
Listen to answer specific question(s)
Transform the material into another form (perhaps write a summary)
Reflect on the topic by considering a question
Take notes
Answer comprehension questions
Read related content
Complete a partially filled-out outline
Discuss the topic in a forum
Take a poll related to the topic and notice how your peers answered
Fill in a chart or graphic organizer relating to the content
Share an experience from your life that relates to the material
Learn related vocabulary
Write down one thing you heard that is new and one thing you heard that you already knew
Apply what you have learned by responding to a posted scenario
Final Thought: Not everything needs to be a video.
Not everyone likes video. Presenting materials in different ways and including variety is important. Some material is better read, or presented as a job aid, a table, or a visual. In addition, making a change to a produced video is much more difficult than updating text. Be strategic in choosing how to deliver information.
References
Guo, P. J., Kim, J., & Rubin, R. (2014). How video production affects student engagement: An empirical study of MOOC videos. L@S 2014 - Proceedings of the 1st ACM Conference on Learning at Scale, 41–50. https://doi.org/10.1145/2556325.2566239
Kizilcec, R. F., Bailenson, J. N., & Gomez, C. J. (2015). The Instructor’s Face in Video Instruction: Evidence From Two Large-Scale Field Studies. Journal of Educational Psychology, 107(3), 724–739.
Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Simonds, B. K., Meyer, K. R., Quinlan, M. M., & Hunt, S. K. (2006). Effects of instructor speech rate on student affective learning, recall, and perceptions of nonverbal immediacy, credibility, and clarity. Communication Research Reports, 23(3), 187–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824090600796401
This document uses learning theory and research to suggest best practices in creating educational videos.
Audio
Don’t read out loud. If you want to create a script, do it. Read it a few times. Put it away and try and speak as naturally as possible when you record. You won’t (and shouldn’t) stick to the script word for word while recording, but it should help you sound articulate without reading from a script.
Don’t speak too slowly. Research shows that speaking slowly results in learners thinking the speaker is less credible and having less interest in the materials. Speaking slower does not increase retention (Simonds, Meyer, Quinlan & Hunt, 2006).
Keep language informal. Speak in a conversational way, avoiding jargon, technical terms, and “academic-speak.” Put concepts in your own words. Use first and second person (I, you) to create a personal connection. This is referred to as the personalization principle in multimedia learning theory (Mayer, 2009).
Visuals
Change visuals often. If you are recording a screen-share of Power Point, use more slides and change the slides more frequently, spending less time on each slide. Visuals (photos, images, and diagrams) are better than words.
Omit needless words. On PowerPoint, that is. Use more images than words because people learn better when they hear the words and see images. This is referred to as the redundancy principle in multimedia learning theory (Mayer, 2009).
Include your face? Maybe! This could help create a connection with learners and help you retain viewer attention by letting you switch between a visual and an image of the speaker. Research shows students may prefer seeing your face, but it doesn’t necessarily help them learn (Kizilcec, Bailenson, & Gomez, 2015).
Recording via Zoom? Select options to record both the active speaker and the shared window (Power Point) so that you can edit the video in a way that includes both. You can do this in Zoom Settings by using Zoom Cloud Recording and selecting to “Record active speaker, gallery view, and shared screen separately.”
Informal settings are fine! High quality production backgrounds don’t engage learners more. Relax and find that balance of professional yet personal (Guo, Kim, Rubin, 2014).
Use tablet drawing. Learners are more engaged by Khan-style videos that show “live” drawing than by static images (Guo, Kim, Rubin, 2014). If you have the tools to do this, great! If not, consider using annotation tools in Power Point.
Content Considerations
Leave off speaker intros and objectives. This type of material can be presented in the description or in the materials preceding the videos. Jump straight into the content. This helps you keep videos short.
Keep it short. Research with MOOCs suggests 6 minutes or less is optimal (Guo, Kim, Rubin, 2014). In addition, it is harder for learners to use a longer video to review specific content. Keeping videos under 6 minutes isn’t a hard rule, since context matters, but shorter usually is better.
Hosting Considerations
Provide background information. Introduce the topic, the speaker, and tell the learner how long the video will be in the video description or in the material preceding the video.
Provide a take-away for more technical content. An example would be a fact sheet or a fillable PDF form with a note-taking outline that learners can fill out while watching and then download and save.
Consider interactive videos. Camtasia lets you add simple interactions to your videos to keep your viewers engaged. MediaSpace allows for interactions as well.
Before, During, After
Frame videos with a task before, during, and after. If you are hosting the video in an online course, have your viewers do something related to the topic before watching it to activate their background knowledge and build schema. Give them a task to do while watching the video, and then give them a task after to check their comprehension or to relate the content to their life experiences. Some basic examples are below.
Before
During
After
Discuss a question about the topic in a forum
Listen to answer specific question(s)
Transform the material into another form (perhaps write a summary)
Reflect on the topic by considering a question
Take notes
Answer comprehension questions
Read related content
Complete a partially filled-out outline
Discuss the topic in a forum
Take a poll related to the topic and notice how your peers answered
Fill in a chart or graphic organizer relating to the content
Share an experience from your life that relates to the material
Learn related vocabulary
Write down one thing you heard that is new and one thing you heard that you already knew
Apply what you have learned by responding to a posted scenario
Final Thought: Not everything needs to be a video.
Not everyone likes video. Presenting materials in different ways and including variety is important. Some material is better read, or presented as a job aid, a table, or a visual. In addition, making a change to a produced video is much more difficult than updating text. Be strategic in choosing how to deliver information.
References
Guo, P. J., Kim, J., & Rubin, R. (2014). How video production affects student engagement: An empirical study of MOOC videos. L@S 2014 - Proceedings of the 1st ACM Conference on Learning at Scale, 41–50. https://doi.org/10.1145/2556325.2566239
Kizilcec, R. F., Bailenson, J. N., & Gomez, C. J. (2015). The Instructor’s Face in Video Instruction: Evidence From Two Large-Scale Field Studies. Journal of Educational Psychology, 107(3), 724–739.
Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Simonds, B. K., Meyer, K. R., Quinlan, M. M., & Hunt, S. K. (2006). Effects of instructor speech rate on student affective learning, recall, and perceptions of nonverbal immediacy, credibility, and clarity. Communication Research Reports, 23(3), 187–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824090600796401
Authored by:
Anne Baker
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Creating Educational Videos
Educational Videos: Best Practices
This document uses learning theo...
This document uses learning theo...
Authored by:
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Monday, May 9, 2022
Posted on: #iteachmsu
NAVIGATING CONTEXT
#iteachmsu Commons Sees Surge in Traffic, New Use Cases
23,000 users. 36,000 sessions. As with any new platform, users flocked slowly to the #iteachmsu Commons, a platform for educators at MSU that combines aspects of an online forum and social network. But iteach.msu.edu has seen exponential growth over the last year. Makena Neal, head of the #iteachmsu Commons team, attributes this growth, in part, to the versatility built into the platform’s core concept: that it would be whatever purpose its community of users decided.
“We built #iteachmsu Commons, and it’s been a very informed process throughout many years of focus groups and testing, but ultimately, it’s a space that’s for educators, by educators,” says Neal. “We’ve stuck to our guns on this: how the community picks it up is how it’s going to be used. We’re not gatekeepers. People can use the platform however it’s going to be most meaningful and useful for them.”
Neal and others who worked on the project believed in the vision: that MSU educators, broadly defined, could benefit from having a digital place to ask questions, trade tips, and share ideas. But evangelizing for the platform was difficult with people already inundated with communication channels like websites and newsletters. Neal thinks the interactivity offered by the platform, and its focus on MSU educators specifically, differentiates it from other media and social networks available to Spartans.
“The Commons is meant to be a place where people can connect and share knowledge regardless of their role, regardless of their discipline, and get feedback and insights from other folx across the board,” says Neal. “MSU is a really big place. We’ve got educators working across a variety of roles and spaces. Some are physically on campus, and some are around the world, especially given today’s remote and hybrid work. Sheer size and disciplinary silos can make it really difficult to connect with people outside of our ‘home bases’. It’s also difficult to elevate and leverage the knowledge that exists in those other spaces. Iteach.msu.edu can help.”
One of the new functions driving this sharing is the threaded reply, similar to the one adopted by many social and message apps over the past few years. While a seemingly small detail, threaded replies open up entirely new formats and, accordingly, created a new recurring feature on iteach.msu.edu: “Ask Me Anythings,” or AMAs.
“Educators from around campus volunteer to host an AMA on a topic of their choosing,” says Neal. “For example, ‘Makena Neal is hosting an AMA on adult learners.’ Users can reply in a thread with questions or comments, and the host can reply directly. It’s now a much more user-friendly experience. One of the really cool things about the AMAs is that they’re repositories of knowledge, discoverable by searching iteach.msu.edu. You might search for the phrase ‘adult learners’ and find an AMA where the host shared a series of links, documents, and tips.”
Neal and her team are watching the platform evolve with continued fascination. Some of its popular components were designed and inserted by the team intentionally, such as the Thank an Educator feature.
“Anyone can go to #iteachmsu and recognize any MSU educator that has had an impact on them. And of course, when I say ‘educator,’ I mean anyone who contributes to the teaching and learning mission of the university,” says Neal. “This includes everyone from undergraduate learning assistants to administrators, librarians to learning designers. I really love that. I think it’s really important to elevate and celebrate the amazing work we know is happening at MSU, but that we don’t always hear about.”
But other features, like the AMA, are evolving naturally from the community of users. And the platform is also serving as a way for previously seldom-connected offices to collaborate or gain more visibility with other audiences. For instance, the MSU Extension group is the fastest-growing group on the platform, and they are curating articles related to the extension and outreach side of education, including reaching diverse audiences and facilitating groups, according to Neal.
“We’re seeing units, like the Office for Faculty and Academic Staff Development, turn to iteach.msu.edu when they get questions about specific topics,” she says. “For example, if an educator has questions about what components need to be on their syllabus at the beginning of the semester, OFASD can direct them to the list of syllabus resources on the #iteachmsu Commons, or they can search iteach.msu.edu themselves. It’s a really exciting multi-unit collaboration.``
To keep the campus community apprised of everything happening on #iteachmsu Commons, Neal and her collaborators began releasing a newsletter highlighting popular content on the site, called the “#iteachmsu Digest.“ The Digest also includes a Featured Educator section to bring attention to the site’s popular Thank an Educator function.
Neal is optimistic about the site’s future now that so many groups and tens of thousands of individual users are having conversations there. She also maintains that those not inclined to use the site’s interactive features will still find useful content about their discipline or unit.
Below is a list of the most popular content from #iteachmsu Commons during the 20-21 academic year.
How Do We Best Support Students in a Remote Learning Environment? (article)
Mid-Semester Feedback (playlist)
Student Success Contacts and Resources (playlist)
MSU Learning Communities are Spaces to Explore Ideas in Education, Teaching, and Learning (article)
Educator Development Opportunities (playlist)
A Case for More Testing: The Benefits of Frequent, Low-Stakes Assessments (article)
“We built #iteachmsu Commons, and it’s been a very informed process throughout many years of focus groups and testing, but ultimately, it’s a space that’s for educators, by educators,” says Neal. “We’ve stuck to our guns on this: how the community picks it up is how it’s going to be used. We’re not gatekeepers. People can use the platform however it’s going to be most meaningful and useful for them.”
Neal and others who worked on the project believed in the vision: that MSU educators, broadly defined, could benefit from having a digital place to ask questions, trade tips, and share ideas. But evangelizing for the platform was difficult with people already inundated with communication channels like websites and newsletters. Neal thinks the interactivity offered by the platform, and its focus on MSU educators specifically, differentiates it from other media and social networks available to Spartans.
“The Commons is meant to be a place where people can connect and share knowledge regardless of their role, regardless of their discipline, and get feedback and insights from other folx across the board,” says Neal. “MSU is a really big place. We’ve got educators working across a variety of roles and spaces. Some are physically on campus, and some are around the world, especially given today’s remote and hybrid work. Sheer size and disciplinary silos can make it really difficult to connect with people outside of our ‘home bases’. It’s also difficult to elevate and leverage the knowledge that exists in those other spaces. Iteach.msu.edu can help.”
One of the new functions driving this sharing is the threaded reply, similar to the one adopted by many social and message apps over the past few years. While a seemingly small detail, threaded replies open up entirely new formats and, accordingly, created a new recurring feature on iteach.msu.edu: “Ask Me Anythings,” or AMAs.
“Educators from around campus volunteer to host an AMA on a topic of their choosing,” says Neal. “For example, ‘Makena Neal is hosting an AMA on adult learners.’ Users can reply in a thread with questions or comments, and the host can reply directly. It’s now a much more user-friendly experience. One of the really cool things about the AMAs is that they’re repositories of knowledge, discoverable by searching iteach.msu.edu. You might search for the phrase ‘adult learners’ and find an AMA where the host shared a series of links, documents, and tips.”
Neal and her team are watching the platform evolve with continued fascination. Some of its popular components were designed and inserted by the team intentionally, such as the Thank an Educator feature.
“Anyone can go to #iteachmsu and recognize any MSU educator that has had an impact on them. And of course, when I say ‘educator,’ I mean anyone who contributes to the teaching and learning mission of the university,” says Neal. “This includes everyone from undergraduate learning assistants to administrators, librarians to learning designers. I really love that. I think it’s really important to elevate and celebrate the amazing work we know is happening at MSU, but that we don’t always hear about.”
But other features, like the AMA, are evolving naturally from the community of users. And the platform is also serving as a way for previously seldom-connected offices to collaborate or gain more visibility with other audiences. For instance, the MSU Extension group is the fastest-growing group on the platform, and they are curating articles related to the extension and outreach side of education, including reaching diverse audiences and facilitating groups, according to Neal.
“We’re seeing units, like the Office for Faculty and Academic Staff Development, turn to iteach.msu.edu when they get questions about specific topics,” she says. “For example, if an educator has questions about what components need to be on their syllabus at the beginning of the semester, OFASD can direct them to the list of syllabus resources on the #iteachmsu Commons, or they can search iteach.msu.edu themselves. It’s a really exciting multi-unit collaboration.``
To keep the campus community apprised of everything happening on #iteachmsu Commons, Neal and her collaborators began releasing a newsletter highlighting popular content on the site, called the “#iteachmsu Digest.“ The Digest also includes a Featured Educator section to bring attention to the site’s popular Thank an Educator function.
Neal is optimistic about the site’s future now that so many groups and tens of thousands of individual users are having conversations there. She also maintains that those not inclined to use the site’s interactive features will still find useful content about their discipline or unit.
Below is a list of the most popular content from #iteachmsu Commons during the 20-21 academic year.
How Do We Best Support Students in a Remote Learning Environment? (article)
Mid-Semester Feedback (playlist)
Student Success Contacts and Resources (playlist)
MSU Learning Communities are Spaces to Explore Ideas in Education, Teaching, and Learning (article)
Educator Development Opportunities (playlist)
A Case for More Testing: The Benefits of Frequent, Low-Stakes Assessments (article)
Authored by:
Greg Teachout
Posted on: #iteachmsu
#iteachmsu Commons Sees Surge in Traffic, New Use Cases
23,000 users. 36,000 sessions. As with any new platform, users floc...
Authored by:
NAVIGATING CONTEXT
Thursday, Nov 18, 2021
Posted on: #iteachmsu
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Resources for Difficult Dialogues in the Classroom
MSU's Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Development has a great collection, "Resources for Difficult Dialogues in the Classroom" including but not limited to internal [to MSU] and external links on confrontation, bias, policies, and more. Here are a few of the resources:
The Art of Confrontation – COVID version
Prepared by Rick Shafer, Dean of Students Officehttps://remote.msu.edu/_assets/docs/The_Art_of_Confrontation_faculty_COVID_version.pdf
Bias Busters: Guides to Cultural Competence
Website Project of the MSU School of Journalism, College of Communication Arts and Scienceshttp://news.jrn.msu.edu/culturalcompetence/
IDI Education and Training Opportunities
Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusionhttp://inclusion.msu.edu/education/index.html
Ideas for Disciplinary Content
Compiled by the MSU Librarieshttps://www.lib.msu.edu/inclusiveteaching/
Office of Institutional Equity Policies
http://oie.msu.edu/
To My Professor: Student Voices for Great College Teaching
Book by MSU School of Journalism students and editor Joe Grimm, College of Communication Arts and Scienceshttps://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/09/12/new-book-advice-college-instructors-based-thousands-student-comments
Difficult Dialogues Guide
Annotated resources produced by Vanderbilt Universityhttps://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/difficult-dialogues/
Difficult Dialogues Handbook, Strategies and Resources
Resources produced by the University of Alaska Difficult Dialogues Project and the Ford Foundation
http://www.difficultdialoguesuaa.org/handbook
http://www.difficultdialoguesuaa.org/strategies_and_resources
Handbook for Facilitating Difficult Conversations
Resources produced by Queens College, City University of New York (pdf)Link to PDF document
Inclusive Practices for Managing Controversial Issues
Online document produced by Flinders University of Australiahttps://ofasd.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/TIPS_controversial.pdf
Inviting Dialogue
Resource produced by Clark University (pdf)https://ofasd.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ClarkUnivInvitingDialogue.pdf
Mindfulness and Discussing “Thorny” Issues in the Classroom (article)
Alexakos, K., Pride, L. D., Amat, A., Tsetsakos, P., Lee, K. J., Paylor-Smith, C., … & Smith, T. (2016). Mindfulness and discussing “thorny” issues in the classroom. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 1-29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-015-9718-0
Toolkit for Inclusive Learning Environments
Project by the Sheridan Libraries of Johns Hopkins Universityhttp://guides.library.jhu.edu/TILE
Books Available from oFASD
To borrow any of the following titles, stop by 2W of the Main Library (across from the Digital Scholarship Lab). Some titles are available electronically on stable links through MSU Libraries.
Brookfield, Stephen D. The Discussion Book: 50 Great Ways to Get People Talking.
Book via electronic access, courtesy of MSU Libraries
Chickering, Art (Foreword) Encountering Faith in the Classroom: Turning Difficult Discussions into Constructive Engagement
Book via electronic access, courtesy of MSU Libraries
Landis, Kay (ed.) Start Talking: A Handbook for Engaging Difficult Dialogues in Higher Education.
Book via electronic access
Nash, Robert J. How to Talk About Hot Topics on Campus: From Polarization to Moral Conversation.
Roderick, Libby. Stop Talking: Indigenous Ways of Teaching and Learning and Difficult Dialogues in Higher Education.
Wheatley, Margaret J. Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future
Book via electronic access
BIAS AND RACE
#Charlestonsyllabus
Resource produced by the African American Intellectual History Societyhttp://www.aaihs.org/resources/charlestonsyllabus/
#FergusonSyllabus
Resources produced by Sociologists for Justicehttps://sociologistsforjustice.org/ferguson-syllabus
Eight Actions to Reduce Racism in College Classrooms
Article by Shaun R. Harper and Charles H. F. Davis III from Academe (pdf)https://ofasd.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/HarperDavis-EightActionsToReduceRacismInCollegeClassrooms.pdf
Learning to Talk about Race in the Classroom
Resource from Inside Higher Ed.’s Gradhacker (blog article)https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker/learning-talkrace-classroom
Project Implicit (Implicit Bias)
Project by Harvard Universityhttps://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
Promoting Racial Literacy in Schools: Differences That Make a Difference
Book by Stevenson, H. C. (2013). Teachers College Press.
Responding to Incidents of Hate Speech
Webpage produced by the Center for Research on Teaching and Learning at the University of Michiganhttp://crlt.umich.edu/node/93036
Teaching Tolerance
Program of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Resources for K-12, but many transferrable ideashttp://www.tolerance.org/lets-talk
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
The Art of Confrontation – COVID version
Prepared by Rick Shafer, Dean of Students Officehttps://remote.msu.edu/_assets/docs/The_Art_of_Confrontation_faculty_COVID_version.pdf
Bias Busters: Guides to Cultural Competence
Website Project of the MSU School of Journalism, College of Communication Arts and Scienceshttp://news.jrn.msu.edu/culturalcompetence/
IDI Education and Training Opportunities
Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusionhttp://inclusion.msu.edu/education/index.html
Ideas for Disciplinary Content
Compiled by the MSU Librarieshttps://www.lib.msu.edu/inclusiveteaching/
Office of Institutional Equity Policies
http://oie.msu.edu/
To My Professor: Student Voices for Great College Teaching
Book by MSU School of Journalism students and editor Joe Grimm, College of Communication Arts and Scienceshttps://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/09/12/new-book-advice-college-instructors-based-thousands-student-comments
Difficult Dialogues Guide
Annotated resources produced by Vanderbilt Universityhttps://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/difficult-dialogues/
Difficult Dialogues Handbook, Strategies and Resources
Resources produced by the University of Alaska Difficult Dialogues Project and the Ford Foundation
http://www.difficultdialoguesuaa.org/handbook
http://www.difficultdialoguesuaa.org/strategies_and_resources
Handbook for Facilitating Difficult Conversations
Resources produced by Queens College, City University of New York (pdf)Link to PDF document
Inclusive Practices for Managing Controversial Issues
Online document produced by Flinders University of Australiahttps://ofasd.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/TIPS_controversial.pdf
Inviting Dialogue
Resource produced by Clark University (pdf)https://ofasd.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ClarkUnivInvitingDialogue.pdf
Mindfulness and Discussing “Thorny” Issues in the Classroom (article)
Alexakos, K., Pride, L. D., Amat, A., Tsetsakos, P., Lee, K. J., Paylor-Smith, C., … & Smith, T. (2016). Mindfulness and discussing “thorny” issues in the classroom. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 1-29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-015-9718-0
Toolkit for Inclusive Learning Environments
Project by the Sheridan Libraries of Johns Hopkins Universityhttp://guides.library.jhu.edu/TILE
Books Available from oFASD
To borrow any of the following titles, stop by 2W of the Main Library (across from the Digital Scholarship Lab). Some titles are available electronically on stable links through MSU Libraries.
Brookfield, Stephen D. The Discussion Book: 50 Great Ways to Get People Talking.
Book via electronic access, courtesy of MSU Libraries
Chickering, Art (Foreword) Encountering Faith in the Classroom: Turning Difficult Discussions into Constructive Engagement
Book via electronic access, courtesy of MSU Libraries
Landis, Kay (ed.) Start Talking: A Handbook for Engaging Difficult Dialogues in Higher Education.
Book via electronic access
Nash, Robert J. How to Talk About Hot Topics on Campus: From Polarization to Moral Conversation.
Roderick, Libby. Stop Talking: Indigenous Ways of Teaching and Learning and Difficult Dialogues in Higher Education.
Wheatley, Margaret J. Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future
Book via electronic access
BIAS AND RACE
#Charlestonsyllabus
Resource produced by the African American Intellectual History Societyhttp://www.aaihs.org/resources/charlestonsyllabus/
#FergusonSyllabus
Resources produced by Sociologists for Justicehttps://sociologistsforjustice.org/ferguson-syllabus
Eight Actions to Reduce Racism in College Classrooms
Article by Shaun R. Harper and Charles H. F. Davis III from Academe (pdf)https://ofasd.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/HarperDavis-EightActionsToReduceRacismInCollegeClassrooms.pdf
Learning to Talk about Race in the Classroom
Resource from Inside Higher Ed.’s Gradhacker (blog article)https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker/learning-talkrace-classroom
Project Implicit (Implicit Bias)
Project by Harvard Universityhttps://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
Promoting Racial Literacy in Schools: Differences That Make a Difference
Book by Stevenson, H. C. (2013). Teachers College Press.
Responding to Incidents of Hate Speech
Webpage produced by the Center for Research on Teaching and Learning at the University of Michiganhttp://crlt.umich.edu/node/93036
Teaching Tolerance
Program of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Resources for K-12, but many transferrable ideashttp://www.tolerance.org/lets-talk
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Authored by:
OFASD
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Resources for Difficult Dialogues in the Classroom
MSU's Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Development has a great ...
Authored by:
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Tuesday, Oct 17, 2023
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Exploring Alternative EdTech Approaches for International Student Participation
Given that there is variability in the availability of technologies and materials and differences in time based on location (see table below) and that the availability of those technologies change over time, faculty members need to be as flexible as possible in the course requirements (technology, materials, timing), and both faculty and students need to be vigilant and clear communicators of their needs. The goal of this document is to provide possible alternatives for challenges that faculty may employ in accommodating students reporting that technologies are not available to them in their geographic location.
Alternatives for Technology
Ideally, when designing curriculum, you would work with the core learning technologies available at MSU. While not all of these technologies will work all of the time, the benefits of relying on this list are:
You and your students have more technical support
They are free to you and your students
Most are available around the world
They have been vetted for base levels of security and accessibility
They are aligned to the data protection and storage requirements outlined by the Institutional Data Policy
Most of these tools will work most of the time. However, times may arise when some of these tools are not available depending on geographic region, most often those that include real-time sharing and drafting functionality (Google apps and Microsoft 365 are the core tools most frequently reported as not working). There are many reasons for how or why this unavailability comes about, but faculty and students should not use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) as a work-around in that it may violate local laws and regulations. Instead, we are suggesting alternatives based on flexibility in curriculum and pedagogy. Some alternatives to common issues are described below. Video hosting: Most Issues with YouTube and Vimeo would be alleviated if you host your videos in MediaSpace and post them in D2L. If the materials are third party and you are not able to move them online can you check with librarians to find alternatives within the library or identify other materials that meet the same or comparable learning outcomes.You can contact them at https://lib.msu.edu/contact/askalib/ or by finding your subject matter librarian at https://lib.msu.edu/contact/subjectlibrarian/ File distribution: Difficulties with software options that promote file sharing (Google Suite, Microsoft OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams) can be substituted by D2L. By posting the files to D2L, students should have access to the content. However, they may not have all of the collaborative features of the unavailable software such as live co-editing, chat, et cetera. So, assignments might have to be shifted to be individual as opposed to collaborative in nature, or re-designed to be submitted in phases to allow for students to download, co-create, and re-submit to a new assignment dropbox. Synchronous lectures: Accommodating synchronous lectures can be difficult given time zone differences. That said, recording lectures and posting them at a later time can be helpful for not only accommodating time zone differences, but also allowing students to review materials. Alternatively, students might be able to call into the Zoom session and have access to the audio of the lecture, in some cases this may be sufficient to meet the academic goals of that Zoom session. If you are unsure about what academic technology strategies may work to accommodate your international students, request a consultation with MSU IT’s Instructional Technology and Development Team, who can help you think about the tools available and ways to think about incorporating them in your course and teaching process.
Alternatives for Webcam Assessment
Zoom (or other software like Kaltura MediaSpace app) and student smartphone
Proctoring locations
Shifting days/time of exam to accommodate availability of technology
Oral exam on phone
Alternatives for Materials
Getting materials from Amazon or other vendor: One of the biggest concerns are materials purchased from vendors such as Amazon that are not able to be shipped to all countries. A few options for potentially overcoming this hurdle include:
Use an intermediate shipping company, as described at https://borderoo.com/ . Providers can include (the followingare examples not recommendations):
MyUS
Shop2Ship
PlanetExpress
Order from a more regional service such as Taobao: https://world.taobao.com/
Or allow alternate materials that meet similar learning outcomes.
Note: Materials may take longer to arrive, so considerations may need to be made. Students engaging in the use of such services are responsible for any taxes or duties incurred. Getting access to journal articles or other course readings: Create downloadable course packs by assembling the readings of the course into a downloadable zip file that students can access and download from the course in D2L. MSU Librarians can help you with this process. You can contact them at https://lib.msu.edu/contact/askalib/ or by finding your subject matter librarian at https://lib.msu.edu/contact/subjectlibrarian/
Alternatives for Time
If there are synchronous elements in the course, can a student reach the course objectives through asynchronous methods. Synchronous lectures: Can these be recorded and posted for others at a later date? Either by recording Zoom sessions or by using the Hybrid Technology that are now available in many classrooms. Lecture participation: Can course elements such as participation in a synchronous lecture be shifted to quizzes, reflection papers or other activities that engage the student in similar cognitive practice to what they will miss not being in the synchronous experience. Office hours: If students are unable to make office hours because of timezone constraints, can you offer alternative times that might be convenient or provide sufficient support through email, phone conversations, individualized discussion forums, or other methods. If time constraints are the only constraint then finding a time (such as 7-9pm) could work for most regions.
Technologies with potential availability issues
As of 8/11/2020, and subject to frequent change:
# Students
Country
Zoom
Microsoft Teams
Skype
G Suite
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Vimeo
WhatsApp
MSOneDrive
Notes
total FS20, unofficial
source
source
source
source
source
source
source
source
source
3,044
China
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
104
Iran
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
59
Bangladesh
X
31
Indonesia
X
30
United Arab Emirates
X
X
4
Morocco
X
4
Ukraine
X
X
Apps blocked in Crimea region only.
3
Burma (Myanmar)
X
3
Syria
X
X
X
X
X
2
Sudan
X
X
X
1
Turkmenistan
X
X
Alternatives for Technology
Ideally, when designing curriculum, you would work with the core learning technologies available at MSU. While not all of these technologies will work all of the time, the benefits of relying on this list are:
You and your students have more technical support
They are free to you and your students
Most are available around the world
They have been vetted for base levels of security and accessibility
They are aligned to the data protection and storage requirements outlined by the Institutional Data Policy
Most of these tools will work most of the time. However, times may arise when some of these tools are not available depending on geographic region, most often those that include real-time sharing and drafting functionality (Google apps and Microsoft 365 are the core tools most frequently reported as not working). There are many reasons for how or why this unavailability comes about, but faculty and students should not use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) as a work-around in that it may violate local laws and regulations. Instead, we are suggesting alternatives based on flexibility in curriculum and pedagogy. Some alternatives to common issues are described below. Video hosting: Most Issues with YouTube and Vimeo would be alleviated if you host your videos in MediaSpace and post them in D2L. If the materials are third party and you are not able to move them online can you check with librarians to find alternatives within the library or identify other materials that meet the same or comparable learning outcomes.You can contact them at https://lib.msu.edu/contact/askalib/ or by finding your subject matter librarian at https://lib.msu.edu/contact/subjectlibrarian/ File distribution: Difficulties with software options that promote file sharing (Google Suite, Microsoft OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams) can be substituted by D2L. By posting the files to D2L, students should have access to the content. However, they may not have all of the collaborative features of the unavailable software such as live co-editing, chat, et cetera. So, assignments might have to be shifted to be individual as opposed to collaborative in nature, or re-designed to be submitted in phases to allow for students to download, co-create, and re-submit to a new assignment dropbox. Synchronous lectures: Accommodating synchronous lectures can be difficult given time zone differences. That said, recording lectures and posting them at a later time can be helpful for not only accommodating time zone differences, but also allowing students to review materials. Alternatively, students might be able to call into the Zoom session and have access to the audio of the lecture, in some cases this may be sufficient to meet the academic goals of that Zoom session. If you are unsure about what academic technology strategies may work to accommodate your international students, request a consultation with MSU IT’s Instructional Technology and Development Team, who can help you think about the tools available and ways to think about incorporating them in your course and teaching process.
Alternatives for Webcam Assessment
Zoom (or other software like Kaltura MediaSpace app) and student smartphone
Proctoring locations
Shifting days/time of exam to accommodate availability of technology
Oral exam on phone
Alternatives for Materials
Getting materials from Amazon or other vendor: One of the biggest concerns are materials purchased from vendors such as Amazon that are not able to be shipped to all countries. A few options for potentially overcoming this hurdle include:
Use an intermediate shipping company, as described at https://borderoo.com/ . Providers can include (the followingare examples not recommendations):
MyUS
Shop2Ship
PlanetExpress
Order from a more regional service such as Taobao: https://world.taobao.com/
Or allow alternate materials that meet similar learning outcomes.
Note: Materials may take longer to arrive, so considerations may need to be made. Students engaging in the use of such services are responsible for any taxes or duties incurred. Getting access to journal articles or other course readings: Create downloadable course packs by assembling the readings of the course into a downloadable zip file that students can access and download from the course in D2L. MSU Librarians can help you with this process. You can contact them at https://lib.msu.edu/contact/askalib/ or by finding your subject matter librarian at https://lib.msu.edu/contact/subjectlibrarian/
Alternatives for Time
If there are synchronous elements in the course, can a student reach the course objectives through asynchronous methods. Synchronous lectures: Can these be recorded and posted for others at a later date? Either by recording Zoom sessions or by using the Hybrid Technology that are now available in many classrooms. Lecture participation: Can course elements such as participation in a synchronous lecture be shifted to quizzes, reflection papers or other activities that engage the student in similar cognitive practice to what they will miss not being in the synchronous experience. Office hours: If students are unable to make office hours because of timezone constraints, can you offer alternative times that might be convenient or provide sufficient support through email, phone conversations, individualized discussion forums, or other methods. If time constraints are the only constraint then finding a time (such as 7-9pm) could work for most regions.
Technologies with potential availability issues
As of 8/11/2020, and subject to frequent change:
# Students
Country
Zoom
Microsoft Teams
Skype
G Suite
YouTube
Vimeo
MSOneDrive
Notes
total FS20, unofficial
source
source
source
source
source
source
source
source
source
3,044
China
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
104
Iran
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
59
Bangladesh
X
31
Indonesia
X
30
United Arab Emirates
X
X
4
Morocco
X
4
Ukraine
X
X
Apps blocked in Crimea region only.
3
Burma (Myanmar)
X
3
Syria
X
X
X
X
X
2
Sudan
X
X
X
1
Turkmenistan
X
X
Authored by:
Jessica Knott and Stephen Thomas
Posted on: #iteachmsu
NAVIGATING CONTEXT
CAL Care Week
In the fall of 2019, on an inauspicious October day, a banner hung on the Red Cedar Bridge on Farm Lane that simply read You Are Enough. In the middle of a busy semester, the banner was a powerful, yet simple, reminder of care and worth in a space where it is sometimes easy to forget these things. This banner, and its message, gave us (Rachel Robinson and Cameron Michael Chase, 19-20 Leadership Fellows for CAL) the idea of extending the feelings in the banner to as many students as we could, still in quiet and simple ways, so that more students could feel the care we felt that October day.
Therefore, we planned to launch CAL Care Week during the spring 2020 semester. The College of Arts and Letters (CAL) Care Week was to be a week-long initiative created by the 2019-2020 CAL Leadership Fellows that highlighted various iterations of care fundamental to students’ lives (self-care, collegiate-care, etc.). With low-stakes events, activities, and take-aways planned throughout the week that encouraged participants to care for themselves and others, CAL Care Week 2020 was going to show participants simple, unobtrusive ways they can (re)introduce care into their lives. Each day of the week was themed around a specific aspect of care: Collective Care (caring for ourselves in community); Collegiate Care (caring for/in the academy); Self Care (caring for ourselves); and Community Care (caring for others).
Five days before our launch, MSU moved entirely online. Obviously, CAL Care Week was canceled, which meant cancelling months of work, but we knew we’d laid the foundation for something great.
Here are our suggestions for organizing your own Care Week-style event:
Think Big, Plan Small
When we first dreamed up CAL Care Week, we asked ourselves a question: How big do we want to make this thing, especially if it’s only us carrying it out? Our answer was BIG, but also small. We knew that the entire week--originally planned as just one day--might have to be executed by just us two, and with that in mind, we decided to plan big enough events that would make students feel cared for but that were small enough for us to carry out. One example of this was our Care Compliments. The premise was simple: we’d planned to have pieces of candy wrapped with encouraging messages (like: YOU MATTER) and the CAL Care Week logo. We would then walk around campus handing these out. We wanted no big booth, table, or sign to draw attention to us; the attention needed to be on the message. This question--how big is too big?-- became a recurring one for us as we made plans big enough to have an impact, but small enough that just the two of us could carry out and keep the focus on care, and that’s what we’d suggest: don’t let the event outshine the message.
Talk to Stakeholders Early and Often
Ultimately, stakeholders can make or break a plan like ours. As soon as we had an inkling of an idea for our week, we set up a meeting with our college’s dean to talk through the concept, hear his ideas, and make sure we were all on the same page. We were really fortunate to have a supportive dean, and as soon as we heard his ideas--all about showing grad students resources for support and how we actually do care for them--we knew we’d hit a jackpot. We pitched our idea and got full support to move forward, but we kept our dean in the loop with every decision we made. In the end, he also wanted to be part of the week in some capacity, so we had him scheduled to give a workshop on our “Collegiate Care” day. But we didn’t stop our stakeholder conversations at him; we talked to our fellow graduate students every chance we got, too. And they go excited about the week! The more we talked about it to anyone who would listen, the most the word spread, and by the time the week was about to launch, we had people asking us about it, which ultimately helped us recruit folks to help out during the week.
Involve as Many People as You Can
As we continued to talk to our stakeholders, we recruited people to help us throughout the week. We offered to tie into existing events happening in colleges during that week (like the Eli Clare visit) and we partnered with places on campus that we could also publicize, like the Kresge Center. And we relied on our fellow Leadership Fellows for help, too. Again, we found ourselves thinking big with recruits, and we imagined all kinds of jobs for people. We recruited folks to tie compliment cards on candy and bananas, to pass out these things all over campus, to make stencils for the Rock, to help make a bridge banner, to help make our publicity, etc. Ultimately, we decided no job was too big or too small to ask for help with, and people didn’t disappoint us in volunteering their time.
Make Splashy Publicity
One of the ways we recruited help was through our publicity. We knew we needed to make sure we got the word out about CAL Care Week, but neither of us excelled at document design, so we asked for help. We also sought out help creating a couple of hashtags for the events: #CAREWEEK and #CALCARES. We talked to MSUToday, we met with the directors of CAL grad programs, and flyered all over the CAL buildings on campus prior to the events. All of these moves helped us get the word out about CAL Care Week, but they also helped us to recruit partners for the week.
Keep the Theme Central
From the beginning, our week revolved around the concept of care. We wanted it to be central in everything we did, from the names of the themes, to the ways we recruited people, to how we carried out the week. When the event got canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we realized that care needed to shift into something else--care for ourselves in an unprecedented time. While the week didn’t end up happening, we feel lucky to have planned it, and are hopeful that MSU will see #CAREWEEK in the future.
Therefore, we planned to launch CAL Care Week during the spring 2020 semester. The College of Arts and Letters (CAL) Care Week was to be a week-long initiative created by the 2019-2020 CAL Leadership Fellows that highlighted various iterations of care fundamental to students’ lives (self-care, collegiate-care, etc.). With low-stakes events, activities, and take-aways planned throughout the week that encouraged participants to care for themselves and others, CAL Care Week 2020 was going to show participants simple, unobtrusive ways they can (re)introduce care into their lives. Each day of the week was themed around a specific aspect of care: Collective Care (caring for ourselves in community); Collegiate Care (caring for/in the academy); Self Care (caring for ourselves); and Community Care (caring for others).
Five days before our launch, MSU moved entirely online. Obviously, CAL Care Week was canceled, which meant cancelling months of work, but we knew we’d laid the foundation for something great.
Here are our suggestions for organizing your own Care Week-style event:
Think Big, Plan Small
When we first dreamed up CAL Care Week, we asked ourselves a question: How big do we want to make this thing, especially if it’s only us carrying it out? Our answer was BIG, but also small. We knew that the entire week--originally planned as just one day--might have to be executed by just us two, and with that in mind, we decided to plan big enough events that would make students feel cared for but that were small enough for us to carry out. One example of this was our Care Compliments. The premise was simple: we’d planned to have pieces of candy wrapped with encouraging messages (like: YOU MATTER) and the CAL Care Week logo. We would then walk around campus handing these out. We wanted no big booth, table, or sign to draw attention to us; the attention needed to be on the message. This question--how big is too big?-- became a recurring one for us as we made plans big enough to have an impact, but small enough that just the two of us could carry out and keep the focus on care, and that’s what we’d suggest: don’t let the event outshine the message.
Talk to Stakeholders Early and Often
Ultimately, stakeholders can make or break a plan like ours. As soon as we had an inkling of an idea for our week, we set up a meeting with our college’s dean to talk through the concept, hear his ideas, and make sure we were all on the same page. We were really fortunate to have a supportive dean, and as soon as we heard his ideas--all about showing grad students resources for support and how we actually do care for them--we knew we’d hit a jackpot. We pitched our idea and got full support to move forward, but we kept our dean in the loop with every decision we made. In the end, he also wanted to be part of the week in some capacity, so we had him scheduled to give a workshop on our “Collegiate Care” day. But we didn’t stop our stakeholder conversations at him; we talked to our fellow graduate students every chance we got, too. And they go excited about the week! The more we talked about it to anyone who would listen, the most the word spread, and by the time the week was about to launch, we had people asking us about it, which ultimately helped us recruit folks to help out during the week.
Involve as Many People as You Can
As we continued to talk to our stakeholders, we recruited people to help us throughout the week. We offered to tie into existing events happening in colleges during that week (like the Eli Clare visit) and we partnered with places on campus that we could also publicize, like the Kresge Center. And we relied on our fellow Leadership Fellows for help, too. Again, we found ourselves thinking big with recruits, and we imagined all kinds of jobs for people. We recruited folks to tie compliment cards on candy and bananas, to pass out these things all over campus, to make stencils for the Rock, to help make a bridge banner, to help make our publicity, etc. Ultimately, we decided no job was too big or too small to ask for help with, and people didn’t disappoint us in volunteering their time.
Make Splashy Publicity
One of the ways we recruited help was through our publicity. We knew we needed to make sure we got the word out about CAL Care Week, but neither of us excelled at document design, so we asked for help. We also sought out help creating a couple of hashtags for the events: #CAREWEEK and #CALCARES. We talked to MSUToday, we met with the directors of CAL grad programs, and flyered all over the CAL buildings on campus prior to the events. All of these moves helped us get the word out about CAL Care Week, but they also helped us to recruit partners for the week.
Keep the Theme Central
From the beginning, our week revolved around the concept of care. We wanted it to be central in everything we did, from the names of the themes, to the ways we recruited people, to how we carried out the week. When the event got canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we realized that care needed to shift into something else--care for ourselves in an unprecedented time. While the week didn’t end up happening, we feel lucky to have planned it, and are hopeful that MSU will see #CAREWEEK in the future.
Authored by:
Rachel Robinson and Cameron Michael Chase
Posted on: #iteachmsu
CAL Care Week
In the fall of 2019, on an inauspicious October day, a banner hung ...
Authored by:
NAVIGATING CONTEXT
Tuesday, May 19, 2020