We found 411 results that contain "syllabus design"
Posted on: The MSU Graduate Leadership Institute
NAVIGATING CONTEXT
What is the Leadership Academy?
The Academy is an intensive cohort-based developmental experience that happens every spring semester. The vision of the Academy is to create a learning community of engaged scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds who will apply theories and principles of leadership to their current contexts and beyond.
Participants will begin by identifying their own strengths and growth areas as leaders. They will attend professional development workshops, engaging with advancedleadership concepts through discussions with leaders on campus and in the community. Participants will work on teams that will design and execute leadership development projects. Projects in the past have focused on improving or creating Graduate Student Organizations, organizing service projects, researching leadership development opportunities on campus, and working to overcome personal barriers to leadership. (Picture: Speaker Vivek Vellanki facilitating a session at the 2019-2020 Leadership Academy).
Examples of past projects:
Organize forums for graduate students to disucss the intersection of DEIJ principles and graduate student life
Hosting a mock conference for graduate students to practice presenting in an informal setting
Hosting weekly, informal gatherings with graduate students, post docs, and grad school faculty
Creating and distributing surveys regarding…
International students and mental health
Recycling and sustainability practices among grad students
Participants will begin by identifying their own strengths and growth areas as leaders. They will attend professional development workshops, engaging with advancedleadership concepts through discussions with leaders on campus and in the community. Participants will work on teams that will design and execute leadership development projects. Projects in the past have focused on improving or creating Graduate Student Organizations, organizing service projects, researching leadership development opportunities on campus, and working to overcome personal barriers to leadership. (Picture: Speaker Vivek Vellanki facilitating a session at the 2019-2020 Leadership Academy).
Examples of past projects:
Organize forums for graduate students to disucss the intersection of DEIJ principles and graduate student life
Hosting a mock conference for graduate students to practice presenting in an informal setting
Hosting weekly, informal gatherings with graduate students, post docs, and grad school faculty
Creating and distributing surveys regarding…
International students and mental health
Recycling and sustainability practices among grad students
Posted by:
Emma Dodd
Posted on: The MSU Graduate Leadership Institute
What is the Leadership Academy?
The Academy is an intensive cohort-based developmental experience t...
Posted by:
NAVIGATING CONTEXT
Sunday, Jun 13, 2021
Posted on: #iteachmsu
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Matricultural Practices in Studio Art Courses
Instructing students during the Covid 19 pandemic has created many new challenges and upended normative pedagogical practices in learning spaces. Teaching in the arts, a traditionally hands-on process, represents a particularly unique set of challenges. Studio art faculty have long been asked to perform with limited resources, particularly those in the domestic arts where practitioners are largely women, people of color, and folks from marginalized populations. In this poster presentation, I will discuss how historically, in times of war, and now a pandemic, domestic work or matriculture, is revisited by societies at large. One needs only to look at the proliferation of bread making advice across social platforms; an intense return to cooking, and the sharing of recipes for meals that are comforting; renewed interest in growing plants and gardening to recognize the need to prioritize domestic activities as high priorities during this time. It is noteworthy to acknowledge that these same domestic activities function as productive distractions from trauma, and offer meditative practices, while providing individuals and their families with activities and outcomes that commonly bring about feelings of comfort, and security. Accordingly, I will discuss how these domestic skills can be applied to experimental learning and how students can draw on these practices with rigor for more personal resilience, innovation and imagination in their studio arts practice.To access a PDF of the "Matricultural Practices in Studio Art Courses" poster, click here.
Description of the Poster
Matricultural Practices in Studio Art Courses
Rebecca E. Schuiling Apparel and Textile Design Art, Art, History and Design Michigan State University
Introduction
Studio environment, now that we are online, happens in the home. Students are making studios of their kitchen table, twin bed, and basement floors. Creative projects that would have been executed on industry standard machines and equipment are now being created from discarded items in the family garage, recycle bin, and the junk drawer. While creative spaces, commonly known professionally as studios, have always had direct connections to matricultural underpinnings, at this time, studio practices and matricultural practices commingle.
Students and professors alike take for granted the matricultural items and spaces around them, because they commonly exist in patriarchal spaces such as drawing studios with rigid standing tables, fluorescent lighting, cell structure classrooms with concrete floors. The pandemic forced them to examine their surroundings with a critical eye to discover new approaches and materials for creative outcomes. This returned everyone to a matricultural ethos, where materials and approaches reflect the Hestian sphere. Materials that were readily available commonly were found in the natural environment and in the home, which lead to a new appreciation for sustainable media and materials readily available when viewed through a lens of multiplicity.
In my studio courses; Knitwear, Advanced Knitwear, and Explorations in Apparel and Textile Design, I employ matricultural pedagogical strategies. The following are a few highlights as to the use and success of Matriculture as a pedagogy.
Matriculture as Pedagogy
In the introduction to her book, Cassandra Speaks 2020, Elizabeth Lesser notes that the stories a culture tells, become the culture. Stories with terms coded as feminine, “the home, the hearth, the “womanly arts” of empathy and care” are erased in favor of stories of warriors and violence (Lesser 2020:11). In this way, matriculture embraces practices commonly considered domestic arts, crafts, and even women’s work, because it offers sustainable practices and compassionate community based outcomes.
In ReMembering Matricultures: Historiography of Subjugated Knowledges, Irene Wiens-Friesen Wolfstone imagines a future where curricula and syllabi are developed through the conceptual and theoretical framework of Matricultures. Her working definition of Matriculture is mother-centered societies founded on maternal values of care-taking and meeting needs, which become ethical principles for men and women, mothers and not-mothers. Matricultures are socially egalitarian and governed by consensus (2018: 5)
During the Coronavirus pandemic, many returned to matricultural spaces, materials, and approaches for creative studios without fully realizing the connection. Given these factors, professors commonly asked students to use what is around them for creative outcomes in their studios, such as garden mud and dough used for ceramics; a pile of pots and pans for still life drawing; and onions and beets used for fabric dyes.
Matriculture Pedagogical Case Study Examples
Students were asked to be highly resourceful for space and materials while taking creative studios online. Closets of parents and peers were raided so as to locate appropriate materials that can be upcycled or repurposed. Furry family companions and stuffed animals within the home, are now models for knitted items such as scarves, blankets, mittens and hand warmers.
Reconnecting with Matricutural Relationships
A student in my Advanced Knitwear class could not afford new yarn or notions for the class. She reached out to her family, and her grandmother was gifted her a stash of materials including yarns. Her grandmother was thrilled that her granddaughter was learning to knit and that the materials she had collected over the years would finally be utilized for a creative outcome. The student had lots of materials for her projects that would not impinge on her affording other supplies. (Studio majors commonly spend more than $500 per course per semester).
Reconnecting to Matricultural Spaces
Due to the fact that many students are working in tiny spaces, as they are sharing their homes with extended family members, or are limited to small apartments or dorm rooms. Space is at a premium in the pandemic, especially for students. Students negotiate with family or roommates for space at the kitchen table or for a bedroom to become a studio for the semester. Storing supplies requires communication and innovative thinking to prevent children or pets from inadvertently ruining paints, markers, fabrics, and other creative materials. In return, the students will offer gifts of their time to make roommates dinner or even some of their creative outcomes.
Reconnecting to Matricultural Resources
Students in fashion illustration courses are using tea or coffee to paint their croquis figures. Orange peels and strawberry hulls now build the silhouettes to create texture and line for garment illustrations. Collage items are created as students forage around the house collecting and collating mail, paper goods, and other household items. Everyday household objects take on a new life in still lifes created in the home, frequently with family members critiquing and contributing.
Analysis
Wolfstone notes that Foucault’s methodology of historiography exposes how knowledge construction is influenced by colonialism, patriarchy and capitalism. Wolfstone posits that this is a useful framework “for exploring questions such as: How did we get to this place where patriarchy is presented as the only viable social order? How can we remember the subjugated knowledge of matricultures?” ((Wolfstone 2018: 7). In a patriarchal society, crafts are coded as feminine and amateur. They do not carry hegemonic institutional accreditations. Furthermore, crafting is often discounted as medium as it is typically associated with clothing and, therefore, considered superficial or surface. The Covid-19 Pandemic has forced a societal reckoning with this prioritization. The anxiety, fear, and unknown of living through a contagion, coupled with societal and economic unrest and institutionalized disparities; has led us back to the familiar; to home; to matriculture. To the domestic work that sustains life.
By employing Matriculture as a pedagogical method in my creative studios, students are encouraged through their studio practice and design processes to simultaneously reconnect to family, reconnect to resources, and reconnecting to spaces in their own lives and creative practices. Thus, moving away from a traditional patriarchal lens of institutionalized learning to an authentic, sustainable, and community based matricultural practice.
Summary
In times of crisis, the domestic or matriculture is revisited. In my studio pedagogy, I employed matricultural practices, materials, and approaches because many students were isolated in home environments, where they were also engaged with domestic activities that were applicable to experiential learning and creative outcomes. Students reconnected with family, the home, and resources found in the home. Students draw on these practices with rigor for more personal resilience, innovation, and imagination in their studio practice and creative outcomes.
Bibliography
Foucault, M. (1984). Nietzsche, genealogy, history. In P. Rabinow (Ed.) The Foucault reader (pp. 76-100). New York: Pantheon Books.
Kimmerer, R. W. (2015). Braiding sweetgrass. Milkweed Editions.
Lesser, E. (2020). Cassandra Speaks. Harper Wave.
Wolfstone I.W.F (2018). ReMembering Matricultures: Historiography of Subjugated Knowledges. Accessed April 19, 2021: https://www.academia.edu/37336416/ReMembering_Matricultures_Historiography_of_Subjugated_Knowledges
In her book, Robin Wall Kimmerer notes that “cosmologies are a source of identity and orientation to the world. They tell us who we are. We are inevitably shaped by them no matter how distant they may be from our consciousness…..On one side of the world were people whose relationship with the living world was shaped by Skywoman, who created a garden for the well-being of all. On the other side was another woman with a garden and a tree. But for tasting its fruit, she was banished. And then they met- the offspring of Skywoman and the children of Eve- and the land bears the scars of that meeting, the echoes of their stories” (Kimmerer 2015: 6-7).
Wolfstone continues, “Matricultures do not presume the subordination of men, and thus are not the reverse of patriarchy. Matricultures assume a reciprocal relationality between land and culture”
My research is an exploration of the material culture of dress and appearances, specifically knitted dress. I draw from disciplines including but not limited to Dress, Cultural Studies, Sociology, and Visual Culture in order to build qualitative methodological frameworks, studies, and analyses that allow for better understanding of the rituals of craft. My research and scholarship reveal how crafting practices and rituals of handcraft are vehicles of empowerment.
Description of the Poster
Matricultural Practices in Studio Art Courses
Rebecca E. Schuiling Apparel and Textile Design Art, Art, History and Design Michigan State University
Introduction
Studio environment, now that we are online, happens in the home. Students are making studios of their kitchen table, twin bed, and basement floors. Creative projects that would have been executed on industry standard machines and equipment are now being created from discarded items in the family garage, recycle bin, and the junk drawer. While creative spaces, commonly known professionally as studios, have always had direct connections to matricultural underpinnings, at this time, studio practices and matricultural practices commingle.
Students and professors alike take for granted the matricultural items and spaces around them, because they commonly exist in patriarchal spaces such as drawing studios with rigid standing tables, fluorescent lighting, cell structure classrooms with concrete floors. The pandemic forced them to examine their surroundings with a critical eye to discover new approaches and materials for creative outcomes. This returned everyone to a matricultural ethos, where materials and approaches reflect the Hestian sphere. Materials that were readily available commonly were found in the natural environment and in the home, which lead to a new appreciation for sustainable media and materials readily available when viewed through a lens of multiplicity.
In my studio courses; Knitwear, Advanced Knitwear, and Explorations in Apparel and Textile Design, I employ matricultural pedagogical strategies. The following are a few highlights as to the use and success of Matriculture as a pedagogy.
Matriculture as Pedagogy
In the introduction to her book, Cassandra Speaks 2020, Elizabeth Lesser notes that the stories a culture tells, become the culture. Stories with terms coded as feminine, “the home, the hearth, the “womanly arts” of empathy and care” are erased in favor of stories of warriors and violence (Lesser 2020:11). In this way, matriculture embraces practices commonly considered domestic arts, crafts, and even women’s work, because it offers sustainable practices and compassionate community based outcomes.
In ReMembering Matricultures: Historiography of Subjugated Knowledges, Irene Wiens-Friesen Wolfstone imagines a future where curricula and syllabi are developed through the conceptual and theoretical framework of Matricultures. Her working definition of Matriculture is mother-centered societies founded on maternal values of care-taking and meeting needs, which become ethical principles for men and women, mothers and not-mothers. Matricultures are socially egalitarian and governed by consensus (2018: 5)
During the Coronavirus pandemic, many returned to matricultural spaces, materials, and approaches for creative studios without fully realizing the connection. Given these factors, professors commonly asked students to use what is around them for creative outcomes in their studios, such as garden mud and dough used for ceramics; a pile of pots and pans for still life drawing; and onions and beets used for fabric dyes.
Matriculture Pedagogical Case Study Examples
Students were asked to be highly resourceful for space and materials while taking creative studios online. Closets of parents and peers were raided so as to locate appropriate materials that can be upcycled or repurposed. Furry family companions and stuffed animals within the home, are now models for knitted items such as scarves, blankets, mittens and hand warmers.
Reconnecting with Matricutural Relationships
A student in my Advanced Knitwear class could not afford new yarn or notions for the class. She reached out to her family, and her grandmother was gifted her a stash of materials including yarns. Her grandmother was thrilled that her granddaughter was learning to knit and that the materials she had collected over the years would finally be utilized for a creative outcome. The student had lots of materials for her projects that would not impinge on her affording other supplies. (Studio majors commonly spend more than $500 per course per semester).
Reconnecting to Matricultural Spaces
Due to the fact that many students are working in tiny spaces, as they are sharing their homes with extended family members, or are limited to small apartments or dorm rooms. Space is at a premium in the pandemic, especially for students. Students negotiate with family or roommates for space at the kitchen table or for a bedroom to become a studio for the semester. Storing supplies requires communication and innovative thinking to prevent children or pets from inadvertently ruining paints, markers, fabrics, and other creative materials. In return, the students will offer gifts of their time to make roommates dinner or even some of their creative outcomes.
Reconnecting to Matricultural Resources
Students in fashion illustration courses are using tea or coffee to paint their croquis figures. Orange peels and strawberry hulls now build the silhouettes to create texture and line for garment illustrations. Collage items are created as students forage around the house collecting and collating mail, paper goods, and other household items. Everyday household objects take on a new life in still lifes created in the home, frequently with family members critiquing and contributing.
Analysis
Wolfstone notes that Foucault’s methodology of historiography exposes how knowledge construction is influenced by colonialism, patriarchy and capitalism. Wolfstone posits that this is a useful framework “for exploring questions such as: How did we get to this place where patriarchy is presented as the only viable social order? How can we remember the subjugated knowledge of matricultures?” ((Wolfstone 2018: 7). In a patriarchal society, crafts are coded as feminine and amateur. They do not carry hegemonic institutional accreditations. Furthermore, crafting is often discounted as medium as it is typically associated with clothing and, therefore, considered superficial or surface. The Covid-19 Pandemic has forced a societal reckoning with this prioritization. The anxiety, fear, and unknown of living through a contagion, coupled with societal and economic unrest and institutionalized disparities; has led us back to the familiar; to home; to matriculture. To the domestic work that sustains life.
By employing Matriculture as a pedagogical method in my creative studios, students are encouraged through their studio practice and design processes to simultaneously reconnect to family, reconnect to resources, and reconnecting to spaces in their own lives and creative practices. Thus, moving away from a traditional patriarchal lens of institutionalized learning to an authentic, sustainable, and community based matricultural practice.
Summary
In times of crisis, the domestic or matriculture is revisited. In my studio pedagogy, I employed matricultural practices, materials, and approaches because many students were isolated in home environments, where they were also engaged with domestic activities that were applicable to experiential learning and creative outcomes. Students reconnected with family, the home, and resources found in the home. Students draw on these practices with rigor for more personal resilience, innovation, and imagination in their studio practice and creative outcomes.
Bibliography
Foucault, M. (1984). Nietzsche, genealogy, history. In P. Rabinow (Ed.) The Foucault reader (pp. 76-100). New York: Pantheon Books.
Kimmerer, R. W. (2015). Braiding sweetgrass. Milkweed Editions.
Lesser, E. (2020). Cassandra Speaks. Harper Wave.
Wolfstone I.W.F (2018). ReMembering Matricultures: Historiography of Subjugated Knowledges. Accessed April 19, 2021: https://www.academia.edu/37336416/ReMembering_Matricultures_Historiography_of_Subjugated_Knowledges
In her book, Robin Wall Kimmerer notes that “cosmologies are a source of identity and orientation to the world. They tell us who we are. We are inevitably shaped by them no matter how distant they may be from our consciousness…..On one side of the world were people whose relationship with the living world was shaped by Skywoman, who created a garden for the well-being of all. On the other side was another woman with a garden and a tree. But for tasting its fruit, she was banished. And then they met- the offspring of Skywoman and the children of Eve- and the land bears the scars of that meeting, the echoes of their stories” (Kimmerer 2015: 6-7).
Wolfstone continues, “Matricultures do not presume the subordination of men, and thus are not the reverse of patriarchy. Matricultures assume a reciprocal relationality between land and culture”
My research is an exploration of the material culture of dress and appearances, specifically knitted dress. I draw from disciplines including but not limited to Dress, Cultural Studies, Sociology, and Visual Culture in order to build qualitative methodological frameworks, studies, and analyses that allow for better understanding of the rituals of craft. My research and scholarship reveal how crafting practices and rituals of handcraft are vehicles of empowerment.
Authored by:
Rebecca Schuiling
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Matricultural Practices in Studio Art Courses
Instructing students during the Covid 19 pandemic has created many ...
Authored by:
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Monday, Apr 26, 2021
Posted on: #iteachmsu
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Entering Research Online: Developing a Virtual Course to Support Undergraduate Research Assistants
EGR 193: Introduction to Engineering Research was piloted in Fall 2020 as a fully online, entirely asynchronous course to introduce first-year, first-semester undergraduates to engineering research. All of the course materials for the entire semester were available on the first day of class, and students could “choose their own course” by selecting activities and assignments that matched their own experiences and goals. The design and content of this course were evaluated using anonymous feedback and a review of reflective discussion posts in order to determine whether the course supported the stated learning goals. Results indicated that students found the course helpful in understanding their role as undergraduate research assistants and in learning the professional skills (communications, teamwork, organization, etc.) necessary for success. While most students opted to follow the suggested schedule, about 15% of students chose to delay participation until later in the semester. This varying pace of engagement had an unexpected impact on some of the most dedicated students, who found it difficult to engage in productive discussions online when not all of their classmates were working as quickly through the materials. A number of other interesting themes emerged from the discussion boards, which offer areas for future study.To access a PDF of the "Entering Research Online: Developing a Virtual Course to Support Undergraduate Research Assistants" poster, click here.
Description of the Poster
Background Image Description:
A light green background with an imprint of the Spartan helmet logo; the words Michigan State University College of Engineering appear in the top right.
Poster Title:
Entering Research Online: Developing a Virtual Course to Support Undergraduate Research Assistants
Authors:
Katy Luchini Colbry, Candyce Hill
Learning Goals:
By participating in this course, students will:
Learn about research mentoring styles and build skills for communicating about goals and expectations with research mentors
Examine and apply time management skills for balancing academic, research and personal goals during college
Gain an understanding of the structure of research literature and develop skills for identifying and organizing appropriate references within their field of research
Explore methods for documenting and disseminating research results in engineering
Learn about ethical practices for research, and be able to articulate key principles for conducting research responsibly within engineering domains
Gain experience in working in research teams and communicating with individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, and research disciplines
Reflect on their initial research experience and develop goals for the remainder of their undergraduate research appointment
Suggested Timeline for Course Activities:
Week
Topic
Assignments
1
Welcome
Introduction Survey
2
Introduction to Research
Mentoring Styles Worksheet
3
Establishing Goals and Expectations with your Mentor
Mentor-Mentee Contract
4
Time Management
Time Log / Timeline
5
Library Resources & Citation Management Systems
Install Citation Management
6
Tools and Techniques for Literature Reviews
Article Review Worksheet
7
Developing Research Abstracts and Posters
Poster Review Worksheet
8
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)
CITI Module 1 (RCR Training)
9
Understanding Graduate School
CITI Module 2 (RCR Training)
10
Academic Resumes
CITI Module 3 (RCR Training)
11
Planning the Rest of Your Research Experience
CITI Module 4 (RCR Training)
12
Nothing. Happy Thanksgiving!
13-15
Wrap Up / Catch Up: Final deadline to submit assignments and/or earn points is 5:00pm Eastern (GMT -5) on Friday of exam week
Lessons Learned:
Overall, student feedback and review of discussion posts indicate that the design and implementation of the course was effective in meeting the established learning goals
Online, asynchronous delivery and “choose your own course” structure allowed students to focus on activities that were of most benefit to them
Students who kept pace with the suggested timeline experienced frustration with later discussion boards, when fewer students were posting in a timely manner
Asynchronous discussion boards can be good places for reflection and synthesis, but real-time feedback and encouragement is important for activities where students might feel vulnerable, such as self-assessments of their skills and abilities
Future Work:
Students expressed preference for email communications so as not to “interrupt” their advisors, entirely missing the idea that many research questions are more effectively asked in real time; this may be an artifact of the all-virtual experience in Fall 2020, and would be interesting to compare with experiences of future cohorts
Students demonstrated an understanding of authorship as important academic “currency” and that different levels of research input merited different types of authorship or acknowledgement; what was missing was any discussion of paid compensation as sufficient remuneration for research in at least some contexts
Acknowledgments:
We are grateful for support from the MSU HUB Faculty Fellowship Program, the MSU College of Engineering, The Center for Spartan Engineering, and the MSU Honors College.
Description of the Poster
Background Image Description:
A light green background with an imprint of the Spartan helmet logo; the words Michigan State University College of Engineering appear in the top right.
Poster Title:
Entering Research Online: Developing a Virtual Course to Support Undergraduate Research Assistants
Authors:
Katy Luchini Colbry, Candyce Hill
Learning Goals:
By participating in this course, students will:
Learn about research mentoring styles and build skills for communicating about goals and expectations with research mentors
Examine and apply time management skills for balancing academic, research and personal goals during college
Gain an understanding of the structure of research literature and develop skills for identifying and organizing appropriate references within their field of research
Explore methods for documenting and disseminating research results in engineering
Learn about ethical practices for research, and be able to articulate key principles for conducting research responsibly within engineering domains
Gain experience in working in research teams and communicating with individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, and research disciplines
Reflect on their initial research experience and develop goals for the remainder of their undergraduate research appointment
Suggested Timeline for Course Activities:
Week
Topic
Assignments
1
Welcome
Introduction Survey
2
Introduction to Research
Mentoring Styles Worksheet
3
Establishing Goals and Expectations with your Mentor
Mentor-Mentee Contract
4
Time Management
Time Log / Timeline
5
Library Resources & Citation Management Systems
Install Citation Management
6
Tools and Techniques for Literature Reviews
Article Review Worksheet
7
Developing Research Abstracts and Posters
Poster Review Worksheet
8
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)
CITI Module 1 (RCR Training)
9
Understanding Graduate School
CITI Module 2 (RCR Training)
10
Academic Resumes
CITI Module 3 (RCR Training)
11
Planning the Rest of Your Research Experience
CITI Module 4 (RCR Training)
12
Nothing. Happy Thanksgiving!
13-15
Wrap Up / Catch Up: Final deadline to submit assignments and/or earn points is 5:00pm Eastern (GMT -5) on Friday of exam week
Lessons Learned:
Overall, student feedback and review of discussion posts indicate that the design and implementation of the course was effective in meeting the established learning goals
Online, asynchronous delivery and “choose your own course” structure allowed students to focus on activities that were of most benefit to them
Students who kept pace with the suggested timeline experienced frustration with later discussion boards, when fewer students were posting in a timely manner
Asynchronous discussion boards can be good places for reflection and synthesis, but real-time feedback and encouragement is important for activities where students might feel vulnerable, such as self-assessments of their skills and abilities
Future Work:
Students expressed preference for email communications so as not to “interrupt” their advisors, entirely missing the idea that many research questions are more effectively asked in real time; this may be an artifact of the all-virtual experience in Fall 2020, and would be interesting to compare with experiences of future cohorts
Students demonstrated an understanding of authorship as important academic “currency” and that different levels of research input merited different types of authorship or acknowledgement; what was missing was any discussion of paid compensation as sufficient remuneration for research in at least some contexts
Acknowledgments:
We are grateful for support from the MSU HUB Faculty Fellowship Program, the MSU College of Engineering, The Center for Spartan Engineering, and the MSU Honors College.
Authored by:
Katy Colbry, Candyce Hill
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Entering Research Online: Developing a Virtual Course to Support Undergraduate Research Assistants
EGR 193: Introduction to Engineering Research was piloted in Fall 2...
Authored by:
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Monday, Apr 26, 2021
Posted on: #iteachmsu
NAVIGATING CONTEXT
Finally! A Common Teaching and Learning Events Calendar!
How many times have you been on campus at MSU - using a restroom, walking by a bulletin board in a hallway, waiting for an elevator - and saw a flyer or poster for an upcoming event. "Ooo, that sounds super interesting!" You scan the printed sheet of paper for details. "Bummer! I missed it." I have been at MSU in a variety of capacities since 2008 and I cannot count the number of times this has happened to me. If I happened to walk through a building that was outside my usual route and see a program or event of interest, it usually had already passed. Once I began my work in educational development, alongside with my doctoral studies in HALE, this became increasingly frusterating. I saw really cool topics, relevant across disciplines, being offered to limited groups - or even worse, being open to all MSU educators but not being promoted broadly. I was missing out so I knew others were as well. So when I saw the #iteachmsu Commons Educator Events Calendar, I was super excited. There is now a common calendar that, just like all of the #iteachmsu Commons, is for educators by educators. Anyone with MSU credentials can log in to iteach.msu.edu and share an event on the calendar. From unit, college, or organization-sponsored programs like educator trainings and workshops, to individual initatives like communities of practice, coworks, or meet-ups, any scheduled activity with an intended/open audience of folx who support the teaching and learning, student succes, and/or outreach mission of the university can be shared here!
From a self-proclaimed lifelong learner, I'm really excited to have a "one stop shop" where I can determine MSU personal growth and professional development activities, but as an educator at the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation I am also thrilled about some of the ways the new #iteachmsu site functionality supports program facilitators. The "Going" button on an event details page can be linked directly to your event's registration. You can upload supporting materials or pre-activity details. There are easy ways to designate both face-to-face and virtual events. There's even a discussion thread for comments on each event! If you have events that support MSU educators, start sharing them on the #iteachmsu Events Calendar today!Article cover photo by Windows on Unsplash
From a self-proclaimed lifelong learner, I'm really excited to have a "one stop shop" where I can determine MSU personal growth and professional development activities, but as an educator at the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation I am also thrilled about some of the ways the new #iteachmsu site functionality supports program facilitators. The "Going" button on an event details page can be linked directly to your event's registration. You can upload supporting materials or pre-activity details. There are easy ways to designate both face-to-face and virtual events. There's even a discussion thread for comments on each event! If you have events that support MSU educators, start sharing them on the #iteachmsu Events Calendar today!Article cover photo by Windows on Unsplash
Authored by:
Makena Neal
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Finally! A Common Teaching and Learning Events Calendar!
How many times have you been on campus at MSU - using a restroom, w...
Authored by:
NAVIGATING CONTEXT
Friday, Oct 7, 2022
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Improve Your Course with Ally
D2L, MSU's learning management system, includes access to Ally, which is an accessibility tool that benefits both students and instructors. It provides alternative file types for students and suggestions on how to improve accessibility to instructors.The infographic below provides an overview of how instructors can benefit from Ally. This Canva link is to an accessible format of the infographic and includes links to useful resources.
Authored by:
Andrea Bierema
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Improve Your Course with Ally
D2L, MSU's learning management system, includes access to Ally, whi...
Authored by:
Tuesday, Feb 20, 2024
Posted on: #iteachmsu
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Corey Marsh Ecological Research Center: Create a unique place-based teaching and learning experience
Work with us to create a unique teaching and learning experience at CMERC.
You are invited to incorporate nature into courses and create learner‐centered experiences at CMERC (pronounced ‘see‐merk’), the Corey Marsh Ecological Research Center. CMERC is a 350‐acre ecological research center located 20 minutes from MSU campus in Bath Township, Michigan. It is a place for making scientific discoveries and integrating the arts and sciences in a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and inclusive space. CMERC welcomes educators, researchers, and citizens across MSU to explore, co‐create, facilitate and grow experiential courses for students.
CMERC seeks faculty and academic staff collaborators to develop learning experiences that will bring together educators, students, and community members to explore and learn from this vibrant ecological field site. MSU faculty and staff from across campus interested in this funded opportunity to join a SoTL Fellowship in land-based learning can connect with Jeno Rivera, Center Educational Program Development Leader at jeno@msu.edu.What is Corey Marsh (CMERC)?
CMERC is more than a physical place. It is a space that offers meaningful place-based experiences.CMERC was once MSU’s Muck Soils Research Center and operated from 1941 – 2012. In 2018, Fisheries and Wildlife associate professor Jen Owen, with the support of MSU AgBioResearch, led the reimagined CMERC into a place for integrating ecosystem science research with student learning and community engagement. In addition to training MSU undergraduate students in field‐based research and science communication, the center aims to promote better land stewardship practices and the relevance of science to society. While still early in its development as an AgBioResearch site, CMERC has been engaging in a people-centered approach to the planning, design and management of the space. CMERC foresees a collaborative process transforming the space to a place that engages a diverse community – internal and external to the university in scientific discovery.Location of Corey Marsh Ecological Research Center in Bath TownshipHow can I contribute?
Given the unique opportunity CMERC provides to enhance student learning, we want to make sure that it serves a diverse student community that spans disciplines and units. We want educators in our SoTL Fellowship in land-based learning to reflect that diversity and help develop curriculum that will foster collaboration among students and serve to integrate arts and humanities with sciences. Consider these examples of possible learning experiences at CMERC:
Edible and Medicinal Plants – for humans and wildlife. What is good for humans vs. wildlife? What grows in muck soils? How can ecological restoration efforts incorporate edible plants? What is missing that was likely at CMERC in the past?
Trails – People – Nature – Wildlife: How does trail design enhance natural experiences and maintain integrity of the ecosystem? What informs the development of a trail?
Land Grant or Land Grab?: Who was here before us? How did this land become a part of the land-grant system? How can this land honor those who used it in the past, present, and the future?
Agriculture and Natural Resources – how can we document and understand how historic land-use affects ecosystem integrity now and in the future?
CMERC actively seeks MSU faculty and staff interested in designing and facilitating an interdisciplinary, learner-centered, sense-making experience built on the resources of CMERC. This curricular/co-curricular programming will be titled Lessons from Nature: Stories from CMERC. We envision that the learning inquiries would be co-created by faculty and students together. More specifically, the lessons will be shaped as a studio experience that is akin to Liberty Hyde Bailey Scholars (BSP) integrated learning/self-directed courses or modular programming. These experiences would be facilitated by a faculty member, but inquiry and assessment are student led. Alternatively, you can develop learning experiences to enhance an existing course or curriculum. You may also be interested in giving your students the opportunity to facilitate place-based informal learning for youth in the local community.Next Steps: Have Fun. Explore Nature. Get to Know Us!
We invite your ideas and input for designing meaningful experiences at CMERC. Collaborators who are selected for our Fall 2022 cohort will receive $2,000 to support their participation. To explore how you can partner with CMERC, contact Jeno Rivera, Center Educational Program Development Leader at jeno@msu.edu
Deadline to apply: June 15th, 2022.
You are invited to incorporate nature into courses and create learner‐centered experiences at CMERC (pronounced ‘see‐merk’), the Corey Marsh Ecological Research Center. CMERC is a 350‐acre ecological research center located 20 minutes from MSU campus in Bath Township, Michigan. It is a place for making scientific discoveries and integrating the arts and sciences in a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and inclusive space. CMERC welcomes educators, researchers, and citizens across MSU to explore, co‐create, facilitate and grow experiential courses for students.
CMERC seeks faculty and academic staff collaborators to develop learning experiences that will bring together educators, students, and community members to explore and learn from this vibrant ecological field site. MSU faculty and staff from across campus interested in this funded opportunity to join a SoTL Fellowship in land-based learning can connect with Jeno Rivera, Center Educational Program Development Leader at jeno@msu.edu.What is Corey Marsh (CMERC)?
CMERC is more than a physical place. It is a space that offers meaningful place-based experiences.CMERC was once MSU’s Muck Soils Research Center and operated from 1941 – 2012. In 2018, Fisheries and Wildlife associate professor Jen Owen, with the support of MSU AgBioResearch, led the reimagined CMERC into a place for integrating ecosystem science research with student learning and community engagement. In addition to training MSU undergraduate students in field‐based research and science communication, the center aims to promote better land stewardship practices and the relevance of science to society. While still early in its development as an AgBioResearch site, CMERC has been engaging in a people-centered approach to the planning, design and management of the space. CMERC foresees a collaborative process transforming the space to a place that engages a diverse community – internal and external to the university in scientific discovery.Location of Corey Marsh Ecological Research Center in Bath TownshipHow can I contribute?
Given the unique opportunity CMERC provides to enhance student learning, we want to make sure that it serves a diverse student community that spans disciplines and units. We want educators in our SoTL Fellowship in land-based learning to reflect that diversity and help develop curriculum that will foster collaboration among students and serve to integrate arts and humanities with sciences. Consider these examples of possible learning experiences at CMERC:
Edible and Medicinal Plants – for humans and wildlife. What is good for humans vs. wildlife? What grows in muck soils? How can ecological restoration efforts incorporate edible plants? What is missing that was likely at CMERC in the past?
Trails – People – Nature – Wildlife: How does trail design enhance natural experiences and maintain integrity of the ecosystem? What informs the development of a trail?
Land Grant or Land Grab?: Who was here before us? How did this land become a part of the land-grant system? How can this land honor those who used it in the past, present, and the future?
Agriculture and Natural Resources – how can we document and understand how historic land-use affects ecosystem integrity now and in the future?
CMERC actively seeks MSU faculty and staff interested in designing and facilitating an interdisciplinary, learner-centered, sense-making experience built on the resources of CMERC. This curricular/co-curricular programming will be titled Lessons from Nature: Stories from CMERC. We envision that the learning inquiries would be co-created by faculty and students together. More specifically, the lessons will be shaped as a studio experience that is akin to Liberty Hyde Bailey Scholars (BSP) integrated learning/self-directed courses or modular programming. These experiences would be facilitated by a faculty member, but inquiry and assessment are student led. Alternatively, you can develop learning experiences to enhance an existing course or curriculum. You may also be interested in giving your students the opportunity to facilitate place-based informal learning for youth in the local community.Next Steps: Have Fun. Explore Nature. Get to Know Us!
We invite your ideas and input for designing meaningful experiences at CMERC. Collaborators who are selected for our Fall 2022 cohort will receive $2,000 to support their participation. To explore how you can partner with CMERC, contact Jeno Rivera, Center Educational Program Development Leader at jeno@msu.edu
Deadline to apply: June 15th, 2022.
Authored by:
Ellie Louson
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Corey Marsh Ecological Research Center: Create a unique place-based teaching and learning experience
Work with us to create a unique teaching and learning experience at...
Authored by:
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Monday, May 16, 2022
Posted on: #iteachmsu
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Pandemic Pedagogy: Online Learning and Suggestions for Minimizing Student Storms in a Teacup
This poster outlines approximately 20 suggestions to help students navigate online courses more successfully. Even with careful planning and development, the normalization of remote learning has not been without challenges for the students enrolled in our courses. Besides worrying about a stable internet connection, students must confront a steep learning curve and considerable frustration when it comes to completing even the most basic coursework each week. Participation in the ASPIRE and SOIREE programs notwithstanding, and despite our carefully worded syllabi, weekly course modules, project packets, assignment prompts, and the like, students nevertheless experience significant confusion and anxiety when faced with the prospect of leaving the physical classroom behind for the brave new world of the virtual. The reduction of course material by instructors to bite-sized chunks and the opportunity for online collaboration with their classmates do not necessarily mean students greet online learning with open arms. Already entrenched attitudes and habits among many young adults do little to help them as they make the shift to online learning. But there are a number of fairly simple ways that instructors can smooth this rocky road over which students must now travel. The tips I share have emerged and been developed further as part of my own ongoing process to minimize confusion, frustration, and improve levels of engagement, while simultaneously imparting more agency to the students enrolled in my IAH courses here at Michigan State University.To access a PDF of the "Pandemic Pedagogy: Online Learning and Suggestions for Minimizing Student Storms in a Teacup" poster, click here.
Description of the Poster
Pandemic Pedagogy: Online Learning and Suggestions for Minimizing Student Storms in a Teacup
Stokes Schwartz, Center for Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities
College of Arts and Letters, Michigan State University
Abstract
The normalization of remote learning during 2020-2021 has not been without challenges for the students enrolled in our courses. Besides worrying about stable internet connections, they must also confront a steep learning curve and considerable frustration when it comes to completing even the most basic coursework each week. Even with instructor participation in the ASPIRE and SOIREE programs, carefully worded syllabi, weekly course modules, project packets, assignment prompts, and etc., students nevertheless experience significant confusion and anxiety when faced with the prospect of leaving the physical classroom behind for the virtual. Our reduction of course material to bite-sized chunks and the opportunity for online collaboration with their classmates via Zoom or Teams do not necessarily mean students greet online learning with open arms. Already entrenched attitudes and habits among many young adults do little to help them either in the shift to online learning. But there are a few fairly simple ways that instructors can smooth the rocky road over which students must travel. The tips and suggestions I share in this poster presentation have emerged as part of my own ongoing process to minimize student confusion, frustration, and improve engagement, while simultaneously impart greater agency and opportunity for success to the young adults populating my asynchronous online IAH courses here at MSU during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Background
In mid-March 2020, school pupils, university students, and educators everywhere were thrown into disarray by the mass onset of the Covid-19 virus, related lockdowns, and interruptions to normal student-instructor interactions.
At Michigan State University, we scrambled throughout the summer to prepare for the 2020-2021AY and reconfigure existing courses for online delivery.
Yet reasonably well developed and presented online courses alone have not enough for students to succeed. Even in the face of MSU’s push for empathy and understanding, students have demonstrated that they require additional help making the leap from traditional face-to-face to online learning.
Instructors are well-placed to assist students in an ongoing way as they make this challenging transition.
Without much additional work, we can support and encourage our students with weekly reminders that exhibit kind words, cues, prompts, signposts pointing the way forward, and calls to action.
We can foster improved student engagement, learning, and success despite the challenging, new environment in which we operate.
We can guide students through their many weekly activities with roadmaps to help them navigate course intricacies more easily
We can provide students with ample opportunity for new ways of learning, thinking, knowing, and the acquisition of 21st century skills.
In short, faculty teaching online courses occupy an ideal position to prepare students to operate more efficiently and productively in the real world after graduation since remote work and collaboration online is expected to increase markedly as society speeds further along into the 21st century.
Develop Supporting Communications
Beside online syllabi, course modules with seem to be clear directions, etc. students need reminders to keep an asynchronous online general education course in mind, on the rails, and moving forward.
Routine, consistent supporting communications to students from the instructor help to minimize student confusion.
Send reminders on the same day each week for the coming week.
Include headers in all course documents, and email signatures, listing a few ‘how to succeed in this course’ tips.
Share same supporting communication to weekly modules in LMS.
Students benefit from supporting communication that guide them through the activities for a given week during the semester.
When students see supporting communications routinely and predictably, they are more likely to remember and act on it.
Provide Weekly Guidelines
Through supporting communication, provide additional prompts, directions, clarifications, and reminders to students. Let’s call these weekly reminders “guidelines.”.
Emphasize steps students can take to achieve success in the course.
Keep guidelines fairly short and to the point to avoid information overload.
Include the week, your name, course name, and number at top of guidelines as both an advance organizer and to help guidelines standout in students’ email inboxes.
Provide students with concise ‘roadmaps’ in these guidelines making it easy to plan and carry out their coursework each week.
Conclude guidelines with a call to action for students to complete course-related activities, much like a TV or online commercial, or an old fashioned print ad.
Think of weekly guidelines as marketing communications that have a higher purpose than just promotion however.
Share same guidelines at top of weekly online modules in LMS, so students can access them in more than one place.
Include Key Course Policy Reminders
Students will not remember all course policies, and expectations outlined in our syllabi. Some might conveniently “forget.”
Provide gentle reminders from week to week.
Assist students by including important course information as part of the guidelines sent each week.
Remind students of key course policies, expectations, and their responsibilities as members of the course.
One possible segue way might be, “For students who have chosen to remain in this course, the expectation is. . .”
Remind students that we are in a university setting, they are adults, and to avoid letting themselves fall through the cracks.
Invite students to seek help or clarification from the instructor if they or their student learning team need it.
Foster Civil Interaction
We have asked students to make a huge leap into uncharted waters. They are frustrated and possibly fearful.
Many are not used to online learning, self-reflection, thinking on their feet, problem solving, or working cohesively with others.
Many already exhibit an entitled, customer service mindset.
Make expectations for civil interaction clear with a concise statement in online syllabi, modules, and weekly guidelines.
Model civility with polite decorum and kindness to reduce potential problems with disgruntled students.
Be respectful and civil in your synchronous, asynchronous, or email interaction with students. Listen without interrupting.
Avoid terse replies, even to naïve questions!
Use the student’s name in verbal or email replies.
Reduce the potential for unpleasant episodes by opening all email replies with “Thank you for your email,” and conclude them with “Best/Kind Regards. . .”
Be the adult in the room and show patience, patience, patience!
Here are vital teachable moments that allow us to help shape students for collegial and productive working lives following graduation.
Civil interaction is challenging given the various pressures and constraints under which all of us, faculty and students, must operate, but it is an important part of facilitating continued student engagement and success in our online courses.
Remind Students of the Skills They Cultivate
Besides the specific subject matter of the course, remind students in weekly guidelines that they are also cultivating real world expertise.
‘21st century skills, ’ a term used by Christopher J. Dede, John Richards and others in The 60-Year Curriculum: New Models for Lifelong Learning in the Digital Economy (2020), enable a smooth transition into the globalized digital economy after graduation.
Remind students that they are refining relevant skills in:
Deeper (critical) thinking
Collaboration and collegiality
Personal and agency and proactive engagement.
Effective planning and organization
Time management.
Intellectually openness and mental agility.
Learning from mistakes.
Accountability and ownership
Self-Awareness
Attention to detail
Timely and Frequent Communication with Your Team
Creative problem-solving
Development of high quality work
Consistency
On-time delivery of assignments and projects.
Self-regulation
Frequent practice of skills like these during weekly course-related activities better prepares students for long term employability through an anticipated six decades of working life in a rapidly changing world.
Establish Consistent Guideline Format
Below is a possible format for the weekly guidelines I propose:
A recurring header in your weekly that lists easy steps students can take to ensure their own success in course.
Begin with an advance organizer that identifies right away the week, semester, and dates the guidelines are for.
Follow with a friendly greeting and focusing statement in a brief paragraph.
Highlight any due dates in yellow below the greeting below greeting and focusing statement.
Include two-three concise paragraphs that enumerate and outline individual assignments or team projects for the week.
Provide brief directions for how (and when) to ask questions or seek clarification.
Furnish technical assistance contact information for students who experience challenges uploading assignments or team projects.
Remind students gently about the collaborative course design and expectations for students enrolled in the course.
Mention to students of the need to keep course policies and expectations in mind as they complete their work.
Highlight the big picture skills students practice each week besides the specific subject matter of the course, and how those skills are relevant to their lives after graduation.
Finish with a closing salutation that is a bit less formal and includes good wishes for students’ continued safety and well-being.
Conclusion
The approach outlined here has emerged, crystalized, and evolved over two semesters in the interest of ensuring student success in asynchronous online IAH courses.
While these observations are preliminary at this point, most students in the six courses taught during 2020-2021 have met the challenges facing them, completed their individual and collaborative coursework, and met or exceeded rubric expectations.
Anticipated student problems and drama either have not materialized, or have been minimal.
Early impressions suggest that supporting communications like these are helpful to students when it comes to navigating online courses more easily and completing related tasks.
Weekly supporting communications, presented as brief guidelines, might also be useful in the context in synchronous online, hybrid, and hy-flex as well as traditional face-to-face courses when it comes to helping students navigate and complete coursework in less confused, more systematic way.
Future plans include refining the weekly guidelines further and possibly assessing their effectiveness through a small study.
Description of the Poster
Pandemic Pedagogy: Online Learning and Suggestions for Minimizing Student Storms in a Teacup
Stokes Schwartz, Center for Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities
College of Arts and Letters, Michigan State University
Abstract
The normalization of remote learning during 2020-2021 has not been without challenges for the students enrolled in our courses. Besides worrying about stable internet connections, they must also confront a steep learning curve and considerable frustration when it comes to completing even the most basic coursework each week. Even with instructor participation in the ASPIRE and SOIREE programs, carefully worded syllabi, weekly course modules, project packets, assignment prompts, and etc., students nevertheless experience significant confusion and anxiety when faced with the prospect of leaving the physical classroom behind for the virtual. Our reduction of course material to bite-sized chunks and the opportunity for online collaboration with their classmates via Zoom or Teams do not necessarily mean students greet online learning with open arms. Already entrenched attitudes and habits among many young adults do little to help them either in the shift to online learning. But there are a few fairly simple ways that instructors can smooth the rocky road over which students must travel. The tips and suggestions I share in this poster presentation have emerged as part of my own ongoing process to minimize student confusion, frustration, and improve engagement, while simultaneously impart greater agency and opportunity for success to the young adults populating my asynchronous online IAH courses here at MSU during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Background
In mid-March 2020, school pupils, university students, and educators everywhere were thrown into disarray by the mass onset of the Covid-19 virus, related lockdowns, and interruptions to normal student-instructor interactions.
At Michigan State University, we scrambled throughout the summer to prepare for the 2020-2021AY and reconfigure existing courses for online delivery.
Yet reasonably well developed and presented online courses alone have not enough for students to succeed. Even in the face of MSU’s push for empathy and understanding, students have demonstrated that they require additional help making the leap from traditional face-to-face to online learning.
Instructors are well-placed to assist students in an ongoing way as they make this challenging transition.
Without much additional work, we can support and encourage our students with weekly reminders that exhibit kind words, cues, prompts, signposts pointing the way forward, and calls to action.
We can foster improved student engagement, learning, and success despite the challenging, new environment in which we operate.
We can guide students through their many weekly activities with roadmaps to help them navigate course intricacies more easily
We can provide students with ample opportunity for new ways of learning, thinking, knowing, and the acquisition of 21st century skills.
In short, faculty teaching online courses occupy an ideal position to prepare students to operate more efficiently and productively in the real world after graduation since remote work and collaboration online is expected to increase markedly as society speeds further along into the 21st century.
Develop Supporting Communications
Beside online syllabi, course modules with seem to be clear directions, etc. students need reminders to keep an asynchronous online general education course in mind, on the rails, and moving forward.
Routine, consistent supporting communications to students from the instructor help to minimize student confusion.
Send reminders on the same day each week for the coming week.
Include headers in all course documents, and email signatures, listing a few ‘how to succeed in this course’ tips.
Share same supporting communication to weekly modules in LMS.
Students benefit from supporting communication that guide them through the activities for a given week during the semester.
When students see supporting communications routinely and predictably, they are more likely to remember and act on it.
Provide Weekly Guidelines
Through supporting communication, provide additional prompts, directions, clarifications, and reminders to students. Let’s call these weekly reminders “guidelines.”.
Emphasize steps students can take to achieve success in the course.
Keep guidelines fairly short and to the point to avoid information overload.
Include the week, your name, course name, and number at top of guidelines as both an advance organizer and to help guidelines standout in students’ email inboxes.
Provide students with concise ‘roadmaps’ in these guidelines making it easy to plan and carry out their coursework each week.
Conclude guidelines with a call to action for students to complete course-related activities, much like a TV or online commercial, or an old fashioned print ad.
Think of weekly guidelines as marketing communications that have a higher purpose than just promotion however.
Share same guidelines at top of weekly online modules in LMS, so students can access them in more than one place.
Include Key Course Policy Reminders
Students will not remember all course policies, and expectations outlined in our syllabi. Some might conveniently “forget.”
Provide gentle reminders from week to week.
Assist students by including important course information as part of the guidelines sent each week.
Remind students of key course policies, expectations, and their responsibilities as members of the course.
One possible segue way might be, “For students who have chosen to remain in this course, the expectation is. . .”
Remind students that we are in a university setting, they are adults, and to avoid letting themselves fall through the cracks.
Invite students to seek help or clarification from the instructor if they or their student learning team need it.
Foster Civil Interaction
We have asked students to make a huge leap into uncharted waters. They are frustrated and possibly fearful.
Many are not used to online learning, self-reflection, thinking on their feet, problem solving, or working cohesively with others.
Many already exhibit an entitled, customer service mindset.
Make expectations for civil interaction clear with a concise statement in online syllabi, modules, and weekly guidelines.
Model civility with polite decorum and kindness to reduce potential problems with disgruntled students.
Be respectful and civil in your synchronous, asynchronous, or email interaction with students. Listen without interrupting.
Avoid terse replies, even to naïve questions!
Use the student’s name in verbal or email replies.
Reduce the potential for unpleasant episodes by opening all email replies with “Thank you for your email,” and conclude them with “Best/Kind Regards. . .”
Be the adult in the room and show patience, patience, patience!
Here are vital teachable moments that allow us to help shape students for collegial and productive working lives following graduation.
Civil interaction is challenging given the various pressures and constraints under which all of us, faculty and students, must operate, but it is an important part of facilitating continued student engagement and success in our online courses.
Remind Students of the Skills They Cultivate
Besides the specific subject matter of the course, remind students in weekly guidelines that they are also cultivating real world expertise.
‘21st century skills, ’ a term used by Christopher J. Dede, John Richards and others in The 60-Year Curriculum: New Models for Lifelong Learning in the Digital Economy (2020), enable a smooth transition into the globalized digital economy after graduation.
Remind students that they are refining relevant skills in:
Deeper (critical) thinking
Collaboration and collegiality
Personal and agency and proactive engagement.
Effective planning and organization
Time management.
Intellectually openness and mental agility.
Learning from mistakes.
Accountability and ownership
Self-Awareness
Attention to detail
Timely and Frequent Communication with Your Team
Creative problem-solving
Development of high quality work
Consistency
On-time delivery of assignments and projects.
Self-regulation
Frequent practice of skills like these during weekly course-related activities better prepares students for long term employability through an anticipated six decades of working life in a rapidly changing world.
Establish Consistent Guideline Format
Below is a possible format for the weekly guidelines I propose:
A recurring header in your weekly that lists easy steps students can take to ensure their own success in course.
Begin with an advance organizer that identifies right away the week, semester, and dates the guidelines are for.
Follow with a friendly greeting and focusing statement in a brief paragraph.
Highlight any due dates in yellow below the greeting below greeting and focusing statement.
Include two-three concise paragraphs that enumerate and outline individual assignments or team projects for the week.
Provide brief directions for how (and when) to ask questions or seek clarification.
Furnish technical assistance contact information for students who experience challenges uploading assignments or team projects.
Remind students gently about the collaborative course design and expectations for students enrolled in the course.
Mention to students of the need to keep course policies and expectations in mind as they complete their work.
Highlight the big picture skills students practice each week besides the specific subject matter of the course, and how those skills are relevant to their lives after graduation.
Finish with a closing salutation that is a bit less formal and includes good wishes for students’ continued safety and well-being.
Conclusion
The approach outlined here has emerged, crystalized, and evolved over two semesters in the interest of ensuring student success in asynchronous online IAH courses.
While these observations are preliminary at this point, most students in the six courses taught during 2020-2021 have met the challenges facing them, completed their individual and collaborative coursework, and met or exceeded rubric expectations.
Anticipated student problems and drama either have not materialized, or have been minimal.
Early impressions suggest that supporting communications like these are helpful to students when it comes to navigating online courses more easily and completing related tasks.
Weekly supporting communications, presented as brief guidelines, might also be useful in the context in synchronous online, hybrid, and hy-flex as well as traditional face-to-face courses when it comes to helping students navigate and complete coursework in less confused, more systematic way.
Future plans include refining the weekly guidelines further and possibly assessing their effectiveness through a small study.
Authored by:
Stokes Schwartz
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Pandemic Pedagogy: Online Learning and Suggestions for Minimizing Student Storms in a Teacup
This poster outlines approximately 20 suggestions to help students ...
Authored by:
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Monday, May 3, 2021
Posted on: #iteachmsu
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Creating a Collaborative Learning Environment in a Synchronous, Flipped Course
The move to online learning in response to COVID-19 brought both challenges and opportunities. An off-campus, flipped section of ANTR 350 has been offered in Grand Rapids during the summer since 2017. When Michigan State University moved to online learning for summer 2020, the class was adapted to a Zoom-based, synchronous model. Students were required to complete online learning modules as preparation for each class. During class, students worked in small groups to complete application activities in Zoom breakout rooms.
Groups were assigned and reconfigured for each unit. The instructor provided recommendations for working effectively in a group and students received feedback after the first and third units regarding their teamwork skills and class performance. Unit exams were two-stage examinations, consisting of an individual exam followed immediately by a group exam. These examinations were timed and proctored over Zoom by faculty and staff.
Students and faculty faced many technological, health, and personal challenges during the semester. However, students demonstrated tremendous resilience and flexibility. Overall, the course was a very positive experience; student performance and SIRS ratings were higher than during previous iterations of the course. The instructor observed improved group work skills, which was mirrored by student feedback. Overall, we were able to retain the flipped approach and emphasis on group work by using Zoom breakout rooms to simulate a collaborative learning environment comparable to that of the in-person experience.
To access a PDF of the "Creating a Collaborative Learning Environment in a Synchronous, Flipped Course" poster, click here.
Description of the Poster
Creating a Collaborative Learning Environment in a Synchronous, Flipped Course
Ryan Maureen Tubbs, Department of Radiology, Division of Human Anatomy, College of Human Medicine
Alexis Amos, Michigan State University, Psychology Major, Senior
ANTR 350 Goes Virtual
ANTR 350, Human Gross Anatomy for Pre-Health Professionalsis an undergraduate course traditionally offered as large, in-person lecture sections on main campus and as a flipped, in-person section in Grand Rapids during summer semesters.
When Michigan State University moved to online learning for summer 2020, the class was adapted to a Zoom-based, synchronous model. Students were required to complete online learning modules as preparation for each class. During class, students worked in small groups to complete application activities in Zoom breakout rooms. The move to online learning in response to COVID-19 brought both challenges and opportunities in terms of creating a collaborative learning environment.
An online preparatory assignment was due at start of each class
Readings interspersed with videos, interactive models, and questions
Guided by specific learning objectives
Variable number of questions but each assignment worth 2pts (total 11.2% of grade)
Image: screenshot of a portion of a Top Hat Assignment titled "Preparatory Reading June 9". Some of the learning objectives and headings are shown.
During class, students primarily collaborated in Zoom breakout rooms to review and apply the content covered in the preparatory assignment. The instructor moved between rooms to check on group progress and answer questions. Most in-class activities utilized Google docs or Top Hat, so the instructor could also observe group progress in real time. For most activities, keys were available during class so that groups did not end up stuck on any questions.
10:00-10:03 Application prompt while people logged in, answers entered in zoom chat
10:04-10:15 Synchronous, Top Hat-based Readiness Quiz, 5 questions
10:15-11:45 Groupwork and mini-lectures*
11:45-11:50 Post-class survey soliciting feedback on activities & overall session
Image: screenshot of example application exercise using Google Docs. A CT is shown on the right side of the image and a series of questions is shown on the left. Students answers to the questions are shown in blue.
Creating a Collaborative Learning Environment
The importance of developing teamwork skills was emphasized in the syllabus and during the course overview presentation. Students were given descriptions of five different group roles (leader, learner, time-keeper, recorder, and summarizer) and asked to try moving between the roles. Students were asked to read and agree to expectations for student interactions, including keeping camera on when possible, actively engaging with the group, agreeing not to take screenshots or record the session, and guidelines about private chats. The instructor acknowledged the awkwardness of working with strangers over zoom and asked all students to be generous of spirit with each other.
A brief ice-breaker activity was assigned at the start of each unit to give students an opportunity to develop their collaborative learning relationships. After each unit, students were asked to give honest feedback to the instructor about each of their groupmates’ collaborative learning skills. Students received feedback summaries and recommendations about how to improve their collaborative skills at the end of units 1 and 3. Groups were also asked to set ground rules and group goals at the start of units 2 and 3.
Image: screenshot of June 9 Top Hat In-Class Page. Activity 1 is an ice breaker for new groups. Activity 2 is an axial muscles google doc groupwork exercise. Activity 3 is the review of that google doc as a whole class and Activity 4 is setting Unit 2 goals.
The importance of collaborative learning was emphasized by the inclusion of collaborative testing. Unit exams consisted of an individual exam followed immediately by the same exam taken in their groups. The group exam contributed 16.67% to each unit exam score.
Student feedback was collected in SIRS, post-class, and post-course surveys
Student Feedback
Image: bar chart showing responses to "How many of your classmates that you did not know previously did you communicate with outside of class during the semester?"
Fall 2019 (in-person section): Average of 1.3125
Spring 2020 (Fall 2019 (in-person section until COVID moved asynchronous): Average of 1.2181
Summer 2020 (sychronous zoom) 1.5625
Fall 2020 (asynchronous online) 0.8082
Image: bar chart showing response to "Overall, did you have someone you could reach out to if you struggled with content during this course?"
Fall 2019 (in-person):
Yes for all units 79.2%
Yes, for 3 or 4 units 0%
Yes, for 1 or two units 12.5%
No, I never really did 8.3%
Spring 2020 (mostly in-person)
Yes for all units 67.3%
Yes, for 3 or 4 units 5.4%
Yes, for 1 or two units 16.3%
No, I never really did 10.9%
Summer 2020 (synchronous, virtual)
Yes for all units 81.3%
Yes, for 3 or 4 units 0%
Yes, for 1 or two units 6.2%
No, I never really did 12.5%
Fall 2020 (asychronous, virtual)
Yes for all units 60.8%
Yes, for 3 or 4 units 5.4%
Yes, for 1 or two units 14.9%
No, I never really did 18.9%
Spring 2021 (asychronous, current course)
Yes for all units 54.7%
Yes, for 3 or 4 units 4.7%
Yes, for 1 or two units 16.1%
No, I never really did 24.5%
Image: 100% Stacked Column Chart showing student responses to "How comfortable did you feel reaching out to a course instructor if you struggled with content?"
Fall 2019
Extremely Comfortable 54%
Somewhat comfortable 29%
Neither comfortable nor uncomfortable 8%
Somewhat uncomfortable 4%
Extremely uncomfortable 4%
Spring 2020
Extremely Comfortable 36%
Somewhat comfortable 29%
Neither comfortable nor uncomfortable 20%
Somewhat uncomfortable 15%
Extremely uncomfortable 0%
Summer 2020
Extremely Comfortable 87%
Somewhat comfortable 0%
Neither comfortable nor uncomfortable 13%
Somewhat uncomfortable 0%
Extremely uncomfortable 0%
Fall 2020
Extremely Comfortable 39%
Somewhat comfortable 32%
Neither comfortable nor uncomfortable 18%
Somewhat uncomfortable 8%
Extremely uncomfortable 3%
Spring 2021
Extremely Comfortable 35%
Somewhat comfortable 30%
Neither comfortable nor uncomfortable 30%
Somewhat uncomfortable 4%
Extremely uncomfortable 2%
Image: Pie Chart Titled "Overall, how supported did you feel during this course compared to other courses you have taken?” (Summer 2020)
Far above average is shown as 81%, Somewhat above average is shown as 13%, Average is shown as 6%. Somewhat below average and far below average are listed in the legend but not represented in the chart as they are 0%
Conclusions
Summer 2020 was a hard semester for everyone. We all faced many technological, health, and personal challenges during the semester. Despite these challenges, students demonstrated tremendous resilience and we were able to create a collaborative learning environment using Zoom breakout rooms. Overall, the course was a very positive experience; student performance and SIRS ratings were higher than during previous Summer iterations of the course. In addition, students felt more connected compared to the asynchronous Fall sections.
Image: Table “Student Performance”
Number of students enrolled in course:
Summer 2019: 22
Spring 2020: 338
Summer 2020: 52
Number of students withdrawn from course:
Summer 2019: 0
Spring 2020: 1
Summer 2020: 0
Mean percent score overall:
Summer 2019: 82.85%
Spring 2020: 90.19%
Summer 2020: 89.03%
Number of students with passing scores (2.0 or higher):
Summer 2019: 20
Spring 2020: 332
Summer 2020: 50
Number of students with failing scores (1.5 of lower):
Summer 2019: 2
Spring 2020: 4
Summer 2020: 2
Percentage of students with failing scores:
Summer 2019: 9%
Spring 2020: 1%
Summer 2020: 3.8%
Image: Results of MSU Student Instructional Rating System (SIRS)
Summer 2019 SIRS
Course Organization
Superior 33.3%
Above Average 55.5%
Average 11.1%
Below Average 0%
Inferior 0%
Adequacy of the outlined direction of the course
Superior 33.3%
Above Average 55.5%
Average 11.1%
Below Average 0%
Inferior 0%
Your general enjoyment of the course
Superior 33.3%
Above Average 44.4%
Average 22.2%
Below Average 0%
Inferior 0%
Summer 2020 SIRS
Course Organization
Superior 70.9%
Above Average 19.3%
Average 6.45%
Below Average 3.22%
Inferior 0%
Adequacy of the outlined direction of the course
Superior 77.4%
Above Average 16.1%
Average 6.45%
Below Average 0%
Inferior 0%
Your general enjoyment of the course
Superior 54.8%
Above Average 38.7%
Average 6.45%
Below Average 0%
Inferior 0%
References
Gaillard, Frank. “Acute Maxillary Sinusitis: Radiology Case.” Radiopaedia Blog RSS, radiopaedia.org/cases/acute-maxillary-sinusitis?lang=us.
ANTR 350 Top Hat Course. www.tophat.com
Acknowledgments
A giant thank you to the ANTR 350 Summer Class of 2020!
Groups were assigned and reconfigured for each unit. The instructor provided recommendations for working effectively in a group and students received feedback after the first and third units regarding their teamwork skills and class performance. Unit exams were two-stage examinations, consisting of an individual exam followed immediately by a group exam. These examinations were timed and proctored over Zoom by faculty and staff.
Students and faculty faced many technological, health, and personal challenges during the semester. However, students demonstrated tremendous resilience and flexibility. Overall, the course was a very positive experience; student performance and SIRS ratings were higher than during previous iterations of the course. The instructor observed improved group work skills, which was mirrored by student feedback. Overall, we were able to retain the flipped approach and emphasis on group work by using Zoom breakout rooms to simulate a collaborative learning environment comparable to that of the in-person experience.
To access a PDF of the "Creating a Collaborative Learning Environment in a Synchronous, Flipped Course" poster, click here.
Description of the Poster
Creating a Collaborative Learning Environment in a Synchronous, Flipped Course
Ryan Maureen Tubbs, Department of Radiology, Division of Human Anatomy, College of Human Medicine
Alexis Amos, Michigan State University, Psychology Major, Senior
ANTR 350 Goes Virtual
ANTR 350, Human Gross Anatomy for Pre-Health Professionalsis an undergraduate course traditionally offered as large, in-person lecture sections on main campus and as a flipped, in-person section in Grand Rapids during summer semesters.
When Michigan State University moved to online learning for summer 2020, the class was adapted to a Zoom-based, synchronous model. Students were required to complete online learning modules as preparation for each class. During class, students worked in small groups to complete application activities in Zoom breakout rooms. The move to online learning in response to COVID-19 brought both challenges and opportunities in terms of creating a collaborative learning environment.
An online preparatory assignment was due at start of each class
Readings interspersed with videos, interactive models, and questions
Guided by specific learning objectives
Variable number of questions but each assignment worth 2pts (total 11.2% of grade)
Image: screenshot of a portion of a Top Hat Assignment titled "Preparatory Reading June 9". Some of the learning objectives and headings are shown.
During class, students primarily collaborated in Zoom breakout rooms to review and apply the content covered in the preparatory assignment. The instructor moved between rooms to check on group progress and answer questions. Most in-class activities utilized Google docs or Top Hat, so the instructor could also observe group progress in real time. For most activities, keys were available during class so that groups did not end up stuck on any questions.
10:00-10:03 Application prompt while people logged in, answers entered in zoom chat
10:04-10:15 Synchronous, Top Hat-based Readiness Quiz, 5 questions
10:15-11:45 Groupwork and mini-lectures*
11:45-11:50 Post-class survey soliciting feedback on activities & overall session
Image: screenshot of example application exercise using Google Docs. A CT is shown on the right side of the image and a series of questions is shown on the left. Students answers to the questions are shown in blue.
Creating a Collaborative Learning Environment
The importance of developing teamwork skills was emphasized in the syllabus and during the course overview presentation. Students were given descriptions of five different group roles (leader, learner, time-keeper, recorder, and summarizer) and asked to try moving between the roles. Students were asked to read and agree to expectations for student interactions, including keeping camera on when possible, actively engaging with the group, agreeing not to take screenshots or record the session, and guidelines about private chats. The instructor acknowledged the awkwardness of working with strangers over zoom and asked all students to be generous of spirit with each other.
A brief ice-breaker activity was assigned at the start of each unit to give students an opportunity to develop their collaborative learning relationships. After each unit, students were asked to give honest feedback to the instructor about each of their groupmates’ collaborative learning skills. Students received feedback summaries and recommendations about how to improve their collaborative skills at the end of units 1 and 3. Groups were also asked to set ground rules and group goals at the start of units 2 and 3.
Image: screenshot of June 9 Top Hat In-Class Page. Activity 1 is an ice breaker for new groups. Activity 2 is an axial muscles google doc groupwork exercise. Activity 3 is the review of that google doc as a whole class and Activity 4 is setting Unit 2 goals.
The importance of collaborative learning was emphasized by the inclusion of collaborative testing. Unit exams consisted of an individual exam followed immediately by the same exam taken in their groups. The group exam contributed 16.67% to each unit exam score.
Student feedback was collected in SIRS, post-class, and post-course surveys
Student Feedback
Image: bar chart showing responses to "How many of your classmates that you did not know previously did you communicate with outside of class during the semester?"
Fall 2019 (in-person section): Average of 1.3125
Spring 2020 (Fall 2019 (in-person section until COVID moved asynchronous): Average of 1.2181
Summer 2020 (sychronous zoom) 1.5625
Fall 2020 (asynchronous online) 0.8082
Image: bar chart showing response to "Overall, did you have someone you could reach out to if you struggled with content during this course?"
Fall 2019 (in-person):
Yes for all units 79.2%
Yes, for 3 or 4 units 0%
Yes, for 1 or two units 12.5%
No, I never really did 8.3%
Spring 2020 (mostly in-person)
Yes for all units 67.3%
Yes, for 3 or 4 units 5.4%
Yes, for 1 or two units 16.3%
No, I never really did 10.9%
Summer 2020 (synchronous, virtual)
Yes for all units 81.3%
Yes, for 3 or 4 units 0%
Yes, for 1 or two units 6.2%
No, I never really did 12.5%
Fall 2020 (asychronous, virtual)
Yes for all units 60.8%
Yes, for 3 or 4 units 5.4%
Yes, for 1 or two units 14.9%
No, I never really did 18.9%
Spring 2021 (asychronous, current course)
Yes for all units 54.7%
Yes, for 3 or 4 units 4.7%
Yes, for 1 or two units 16.1%
No, I never really did 24.5%
Image: 100% Stacked Column Chart showing student responses to "How comfortable did you feel reaching out to a course instructor if you struggled with content?"
Fall 2019
Extremely Comfortable 54%
Somewhat comfortable 29%
Neither comfortable nor uncomfortable 8%
Somewhat uncomfortable 4%
Extremely uncomfortable 4%
Spring 2020
Extremely Comfortable 36%
Somewhat comfortable 29%
Neither comfortable nor uncomfortable 20%
Somewhat uncomfortable 15%
Extremely uncomfortable 0%
Summer 2020
Extremely Comfortable 87%
Somewhat comfortable 0%
Neither comfortable nor uncomfortable 13%
Somewhat uncomfortable 0%
Extremely uncomfortable 0%
Fall 2020
Extremely Comfortable 39%
Somewhat comfortable 32%
Neither comfortable nor uncomfortable 18%
Somewhat uncomfortable 8%
Extremely uncomfortable 3%
Spring 2021
Extremely Comfortable 35%
Somewhat comfortable 30%
Neither comfortable nor uncomfortable 30%
Somewhat uncomfortable 4%
Extremely uncomfortable 2%
Image: Pie Chart Titled "Overall, how supported did you feel during this course compared to other courses you have taken?” (Summer 2020)
Far above average is shown as 81%, Somewhat above average is shown as 13%, Average is shown as 6%. Somewhat below average and far below average are listed in the legend but not represented in the chart as they are 0%
Conclusions
Summer 2020 was a hard semester for everyone. We all faced many technological, health, and personal challenges during the semester. Despite these challenges, students demonstrated tremendous resilience and we were able to create a collaborative learning environment using Zoom breakout rooms. Overall, the course was a very positive experience; student performance and SIRS ratings were higher than during previous Summer iterations of the course. In addition, students felt more connected compared to the asynchronous Fall sections.
Image: Table “Student Performance”
Number of students enrolled in course:
Summer 2019: 22
Spring 2020: 338
Summer 2020: 52
Number of students withdrawn from course:
Summer 2019: 0
Spring 2020: 1
Summer 2020: 0
Mean percent score overall:
Summer 2019: 82.85%
Spring 2020: 90.19%
Summer 2020: 89.03%
Number of students with passing scores (2.0 or higher):
Summer 2019: 20
Spring 2020: 332
Summer 2020: 50
Number of students with failing scores (1.5 of lower):
Summer 2019: 2
Spring 2020: 4
Summer 2020: 2
Percentage of students with failing scores:
Summer 2019: 9%
Spring 2020: 1%
Summer 2020: 3.8%
Image: Results of MSU Student Instructional Rating System (SIRS)
Summer 2019 SIRS
Course Organization
Superior 33.3%
Above Average 55.5%
Average 11.1%
Below Average 0%
Inferior 0%
Adequacy of the outlined direction of the course
Superior 33.3%
Above Average 55.5%
Average 11.1%
Below Average 0%
Inferior 0%
Your general enjoyment of the course
Superior 33.3%
Above Average 44.4%
Average 22.2%
Below Average 0%
Inferior 0%
Summer 2020 SIRS
Course Organization
Superior 70.9%
Above Average 19.3%
Average 6.45%
Below Average 3.22%
Inferior 0%
Adequacy of the outlined direction of the course
Superior 77.4%
Above Average 16.1%
Average 6.45%
Below Average 0%
Inferior 0%
Your general enjoyment of the course
Superior 54.8%
Above Average 38.7%
Average 6.45%
Below Average 0%
Inferior 0%
References
Gaillard, Frank. “Acute Maxillary Sinusitis: Radiology Case.” Radiopaedia Blog RSS, radiopaedia.org/cases/acute-maxillary-sinusitis?lang=us.
ANTR 350 Top Hat Course. www.tophat.com
Acknowledgments
A giant thank you to the ANTR 350 Summer Class of 2020!
Authored by:
Ryan Tubbs, Alexis Amos
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Creating a Collaborative Learning Environment in a Synchronous, Flipped Course
The move to online learning in response to COVID-19 brought both ch...
Authored by:
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Monday, Apr 26, 2021