We found 221 results that contain "writing"

Hello and welcome to the 2021 Spring Conference on Teaching, Learning, and Student Success poster sessions. All sessions this year will be conducted virtually and asynchronously- which means you can interact with this content at any time by reading the article, clicking the links, and logging in to add comments. All poster presenters have committed to checking in on their poster's comments during their scheduled time of the conference. First, log in with your MSU netID!Visit the Poster Session Playlist (you're probably here already)The box on the left with the dates are the posters organized by their scheduled time slot. You can click the dates to see that day's poster sessionsAfter you click on a section of the playlist (i.e. date), you can select the poster from the list that populates on the right. Once you have an article open and have been able to engage with the poster content, please write your comments and questions in the comment box at the bottom of the page. The presenter will respond during their scheduled presentation time. 

Welcome to the #iteachmsu Commons! We’re excited you’ve joined us here and want to make sure you feel comfortable with the basic ways you can engage in this space; because after all, engagement is what it’s all about!
Here are five easy ways to get started on iteach.msu.edu!
Log-in
Iteach.msu.edu is a website that is publicly accessible, so anyone can visit to consume content. The opportunities grow exponentially if you’re affiliated with Michigan State University. By clicking the “Log In” button in the upper right corner of the home screen, you can enter your MSU netID (the same information you’d use for your Spartan Mail or EBS) and be logged in as an active user. Logging in is a great first step that opens a lot of #iteachmsu doors! 

Profile
For example, after logging in, you can click on the arrow next to your name in the upper right corner and select “Profile”. Here you can add some basic information about yourself, your role, and your interests/areas of expertise (this helps the site search connect others with you based on keywords). 

Join the Conversation
Once logged in, you can also engage with content shared in the space… You could comment on a post in the feed or on an article you find interesting by writing a response in the text box and clicking the green “comment” button. (You can also reply to comments made by others. Iteach.msu.edu is the space for educator conversations!) 

Share
Do you have a question you’d like to pose to the broader MSU community of educators? Maybe you’re facing a particular challenge, or you have an idea of an activity but aren’t sure how to put it into action. You can share content like this, plus upload artifacts like PDFs, via “posts”! If you have longer reflections or insights you’d like to share, an “article” gives you more formatting options in addition to the ability to embed photos and videos!


Connect
If you’re looking to connect with other educators who share a common interest as you, join a group! Groups function as informal learning communities or communities of practice, with the same functions as the broader site. You can engage in a discussion on a post in the group feed, share articles, and “connect” with other members! (By clicking the “connect” button on a user’s profile or the connections page, you can send the direct messages.)

Bonus: Thank an Educator
Clicking “Thank an Educator” in the left navigation bar will take you to a page with a short survey where you can submit an MSU educator for recognition from #iteachmsu. Who have you noticed stepping up? Who has made a positive impact on your MSU experience? Anyone can be thanked via this initiative, so start celebrating others today! Learn more about Thank an Educator here. 
 
The #iteachmsu Commons is a space “for educators, by educators”. But what does that mean? Please read more about the history of this platform on Medium here. 

With COVID19 pandemic most, if not all, research activities placed on hold in 2020. The need for remote teaching and working was obvious. The increase number of older adults in the US and world wide place geriatric medicine as a priority in addressing health need in the near future. According to Association of American Medical Colleges [AAMC] there is increasing number of medical graduates who do not match to any residency program in the US. We started a virtual research fellowship in geriatric medicine as a tool to empower some of those unmatched medical graduates in Michigan state and other areas using funds provided by The Pearl J. Aldrich Endowment in Gerontology/Michigan State University. One of the goals of this fellowship is to train these graduates to know the basic steps of any research work and how to use the tools available in any research environment. We hope that these students understand the methodology of identifying a problem that faces older adults, and then carry the required steps to address and solve such problem in a systematic way. Currently we have four teams, who are involved in different research projects. We have submitted 10 abstracts to 2 different meetings, and so far 6 were accepted for oral presentation. We targeted The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Some of the topics address include COVID19 and its impact on the elderly. During this session our team will share our experience.
To access a PDF of the "Virtual Research Geriatric Fellowship for Unmatched Medical Graduates" poster, click here.Description of the PosterTitle: Virtual Geriatric Research Fellowship 
Author: Nadir Abdelrahman, MD, CMD 
Geriatric Division,  Dept of Family Medicine, MSU 
Introduction:
Between 2020 and 2030, the number of older adults is projected to increase by almost 18 million 1. 
The Association of American Medical Colleges expects that an additional 42,600 to 121,300 doctors will be needed by 2030 2.  
There is a huge need for geriatric-trained health care providers 3. 
Each year, there are more than 8 thousand Unmatched medical graduates [UMGs] in the US. Most of them are international medical graduates.  
Aim: 
The aim of this fellowship is to empower UMGs by improving their knowledge, skills, and experiences in geriatric medicine.  
Curriculum Development: 
This curriculum was developed based on Entering Research course.  
The primary goals of this fellowship are to create a supportive learning environment to introduce UMGs to the culture of research and to teach them valuable skills needed to become effective researchers. 
The fellowship was designed to help medical graduates find a research mentor, explore the culture of research, write a research project proposal, and begin doing research.  
They informally share their research experiences and learn about the diversity of experiences available through their peers. 
Through virtual meetings, research basics, communication skills and common geriatric principles were reviewed.  
Early discussions included current pandemic topics ranging from COVID19 incidence, hospitalization and mortality to prevention and vaccination. 
The content of these discussions came from the students, and their engagement in the weekly, 2-hour-long meetings.  
The course facilitator provided a framework for the discussions, relevant background reading materials, and structured assignments designed to help students develop positive relationships with their research mentors, define themselves as a member of the research community, and understand and communicate their research.  
Description of Curriculum 
The following tasks were identified for this program 

Recognize the research ethics principles.
Select a research topic.
Identify research question(s).
Describe various types of study designs.
Select appropriate study design.
Define study population.
Take an appropriate study sample.
Enumerate various study variables.
Discern various types of errors, including bias.
Identify confounding factors.
Select and use appropriate measurement tools.
Prepare for data management.
Set a work plan with time, budget, and a plan for dissemination. 

Results of Implementation 
A total of 6 Virtual posters were accepted in 2 national conferences:  American Medical Director Association/The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care (PALTC21: 2 virtual posters) and American Geriatrics Society (AGS21: 4 virtual posters). 
Eight of the fellows were matched into residency programs starting July 2021. 
Discussion 
This virtual research fellowship in geriatric medicine is considered unique and innovative as there is an immediate need for geriatric-trained health care providers.  
The conceptual framework allows training program directors to identify and select appropriate activities to use with their trainees based on need and career stage. 
Activities were designed to teach UMGs principles of research, research design, and critical evaluation of results while also giving them practice with the real-world experience of creating and presenting posters in virtual environment.  
This fellowship achieved its goals using online tools. 
In the coming year, we hope to expand this concept, and establish it as a model for implementation at other institutions. 
 Figure 1. 
The four-box model 
 Disclosure 
The author has no conflict of interest to disclose. 
This fellowship is supported by:  
The Pearl J. Aldrich Endowment in Aging  
Demographic Changes and Aging Population – RHIhub Aging https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/toolkits/aging/1/demographics 
Healthcare Suers When Medical School Graduates Don’t Match https://www.insightintodiversity.com/healthcare-suffers-when-medical-school-graduates-dont-match/  
Record number of unmatched medical graduates. CMAJ 2017 May 29;189:E758-9. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.1095432 
Hersey, P., & Blanchard, K. (1969). Management of organizational behaviour: Utilizing human resources. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 
 Tasks and Team approach 
Fellows were grouped into teams. 
Different tasks were assigned to each fellow. 
Teams leaders encouraged individual fellows 
Projects identified and project leaders assured completion of each Poster.  
 Fellows learned the basics of literature review, statistical analysis (using SPSS) and reference management (e.g EndNote) 
 Situational leadership skills and teams were incorporated using the four-box model 4 (See Figure 1) 
 References 
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=nursingposters 
https://slideplayer.com/slide/6319238/ 
https://www.mghihp.edu/poster-presentations-age-zoom 

Formative assessments can provide crucial data to help instructors evaluate pedagogical effectiveness and address students' learning needs. The shift to online instruction and learning in the past year emphasized the need for innovative ways to administer assessments that support student learning and success. Faculty often use multiple-choice (MC) assessments due to ease of use, time and other resource constraints. While grading these assessments can be quick, the closed-ended nature of the questions often does not align with real scientific practices and can limit the instructor's ability to evaluate the heterogeneity of student thinking. Students often have mixed understanding that include scientific and non-scientific ideas. Open-ended or Constructed Response (CR) assessment questions, which allow students to construct scientific explanations in their own words, have the potential to reveal student thinking in a way MC questions do not. The results of such assessments can help instructors make decisions about effective pedagogical content and approaches. We present a case study of how results from administration of a CR question via a free-to-use constructed response classifier (CRC) assessment tool led to changes in classroom instruction. The question was used in an introductory biology course and focuses on genetic information flow. Results from the CRC assessment tool revealed unexpected information about student thinking, including naïve ideas. For example, a significant fraction of students initially demonstrated mixed understanding of the process of DNA replication. We will highlight how these results influenced change in pedagogy and content, and as a result improved student understanding.To access a PDF of the "Automated analyses of written responses reveal student thinking in STEM" poster, click here.Description of the Poster 
Automated analyses of written responses reveal student thinking in STEM 
Jenifer N. Saldanha, Juli D. Uhl, Mark Urban-Lurain, Kevin Haudek 
Automated Analysis of Constructed Response (AACR) research group 
CREATE for STEM Institute, Michigan State University 
Email: jenifers@msu.edu 
Website: beyondmultiplechoice.org  
QR code (for website):  
 
Key highlights: 

Constructed Response (CR) questions allow students to explain scientific concepts in their own words and reveal student thinking better than multiple choice questions. 


The Constructed Response Classifier (CRC) Tool (free to use: beyondmultiplechoice.org) can be used to assess student learning gains 

In an introductory biology classroom: 

Analyses by the CRC tool revealed gaps in student understanding and non-normative ideas. 
The instructor incorporated short term pedagogical changes and recorded some positive outcomes on a summative assessment. 
Additional pedagogical changes incorporated the next semester led to even more positive outcomes related to student learning (this semester included the pivot to online instruction). 

The results from this case study highlight the effectiveness of using data from the CRC tool to address student thinking and develop targeted instructional efforts to guide students towards a better understanding of complex biological concepts.   
Constructed Response Questions as Formative Assessments 

Formative assessments allow instructors to explore nuances of student thinking and evaluate student performance.  
Student understanding often includes scientific and non-scientific ideas [1,2].  


Constructed Response (CR) questions allow students to explain scientific concepts in their own words and reveal student thinking better than multiple choice questions [3,4]. 

Constructed Response Classifier (CRC) tool 

A formative assessment tool that automatically predicts ratings of student explanations.  
This Constructed Response Classifier (CRC) tool generates a report that includes: 


categorization of student ideas from writing related to conceptual understanding. 
web diagrams depicting the frequency and co-occurrence rates of the most used ideas and relevant terms. 

CRC Questions in the Introductory Biology Classroom :  
A Case study 
Students were taught about DNA replication and the central dogma of Biology. 
Question was administered as online homework, completion credit provided. Responses collected were analyzed by the CRC tool. 
CRC question: 
The following DNA sequence occurs near the middle of the coding region of a gene.  DNA   5'  A A T G A A T G G* G A G C C T G A A G G A  3'     
There is a G to A base change at the position marked with an asterisk. Consequently, a codon normally encoding an amino acid becomes a stop codon.  How will this alteration influence DNA replication? 

Part 1 of the CRC question used to detect student confusion between the central dogma processes.  
Related to the Vision & Change core concept 3 “Information Flow, Exchange, and Storage" [5], adapted from the Genetics Concept Assessment [6,7]. 

Insight on Instructional Efficacy from CRC Tool 
Table 1: Report score summary revealed that only a small fraction of students provided correct responses post instruction. (N = 48 students). 




Student responses 


Spring 2019 




Incorrect 


45% 




Incomplete/Irrelevant 


32% 




Correct 


23% 




 
Sample incorrect responses:  
Though both incorrect, the first response below demonstrates understanding of a type of mutation and the second one uses the context of gene expression. 

“This is a nonsense mutation and will end the DNA replication process prematurely leaving a shorter DNA strand” (spellchecked) 


“It will stop the DNA replication… This mutation will cause a gene to not be expressed” 

CRC report provided: 

Response score summaries 
Web diagrams of important terms 
Term usage and association maps 

The instructor Identified scientific and non-scientific ideas in student thinking  
This led to: 
Short term pedagogical changes, same semester  

During end of semester material review, incorporated: 


Small group discussions about the central dogma.  
Discussions about differences between DNA replication, and transcription and translation. 


Worksheets with questions on transcribing and translating sequences. 

Figure one: 
The figure depicts an improvement in student performance observed in the final summative assessment.  
Percentage of students who scored more than 95% on a related question: 
In the unit exam = 71% 
Final summative exam = 79% 
Pedagogical Changes Incorporated in the Subsequent Semester 
CR questions: 

Explain the central dogma. 


List similarities and differences between the processes involved. 
Facilitated small group discussions for students to explain their responses. 

 
Worksheets and homework:  
Transcribe and translate DNA sequences, including ones with deletions/additions.  
Students encouraged to create their own sequences for practice.  
Revisited DNA replication via clicker questions and discussions, while students were learning about transcription and translation. 
Table 2: 68% of students in the new cohort provided correct responses to the CRC question post instruction. (N = 47 students). 




Student Responses 


Spring 2020 




Incorrect 


19% 




Incomplete/Irrelevant 


13% 




Correct 


68% 




Conclusions 
The results from this case study highlight the effectiveness of using data from the CRC tool to address student thinking and develop targeted instructional efforts to guide students towards a better understanding of complex biological concepts.   
Future Directions 

Use the analytic rubric feature in the CRC tool to obtain further insight into normative and non-normative student thinking. 
Use the clicker-based case study available at CourseSource about the processes in the central dogma [8]. 


Incorporate additional CRC tool questions in each course unit. 

Questions currently available in a variety of disciplines: 
Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Physiology, and Statistics 
Visit our website beyondmultiplechoice.org and sign up for a free account 
References: 

Ha, M., Nehm, R. H., Urban-Lurain, M., & Merrill, J. E. (2011).  CBE—Life Sciences Education, 10(4), 379-393. 


Sripathi, K. N., Moscarella, R. A., et al., (2019). CBE—Life Sciences Education, 18(3), ar37. 


Hubbard, J. K., Potts, M. A., & Couch, B. A. (2017). CBE—Life Sciences Education, 16(2), ar26. 


Birenbaum, M., & Tatsuoka, K. K. (1987). Applied Psychological Measurement, 11(4), 385-395. 


 "Vision and change in undergraduate biology education: a call to action." American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC (2011). 


Smith, M. K., Wood, W. B., & Knight, J. K. (2008). CBE—Life Sciences Education, 7(4), 422-430. 


Prevost, L. B., Smith, M. K., & Knight, J. K. (2016). CBE—Life Sciences Education, 15(4), ar65. 


Pelletreau, K. N., Andrews, T., Armstrong, N., et al., (2016). CourseSource. 

Acknowledgments.  
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (DUE grant 1323162). Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the supporting agencies. 

Through different class communications, the presenter collected MSU international students' reflections on their study and life in the pandemic and tries to reveal a glimpse of their remote learning in global contexts through a documentary report. To many international students, studying in the pandemic was just like riding a roller coaster: a great expectation of study abroad at the beginning, then disappointment as it had been changed into online classes, and then excitement again with interesting findings on Zoom class. This, however, was often followed by mid-term exhaustion after a few weeks' struggle with study pressure and time differences. First, online classes offered great convenience and mobility. Many international students could now enjoy a nice family reunion while taking online classes. When attending Zoom lectures, many international students were nervous and worried about their English. Therefore, remote teaching of international students often requires much more patience and understanding.Many students also liked the self-paced learning offered by asynchronous classes. Still, many times the class would be reduced to a routine of watching class videos and finishing follow-up quizzes.In 2020, MSU collaborated with Fudan University in Shanghai to offer some local classes during the pandemic. Though students could only take online classes from Fudan, they still enjoyed some of the classes and different activities/events organized by MSU students' association. In this way, they got to know each other better and became more familiar with MSU courses and culture.To access a PDF of the "Global Spartan Stories: International Students in the Pandemic" poster, click here.Description of the Poster :
Global Spartan Stories: International Students in the Pandemic 
Xinqiang Li 
Writing, Rhetoric and American Cultures 
Why MSU 
“My father studied at MSU 30 years ago. And surprisingly I’ve been assigned to the same dormitory building as my father’s!” – a student from Korea 
“I have many friends studying here and dreamed one day I could see the beautiful snow at MSU. Because of the recent chaos, my parents worried about my future study in the US and tried to persuade me to transfer to Singapore, but I eventually chose MSU for its higher quality of education.”  – a student from China 
“My older brother studied at MSU and he suggested me apply to this school. He gave me a lot of advice on how to apply for scholarship (from my country) for studying abroad.” – a student from UAE 
“I attended high school here in Michigan and really enjoyed the football games at MSU. Actually, it was my American host mother who drove me to campus when I moved in, as she was concerned about my safety in the pandemic.” – a student from China 
Taking online classes  
Zoom in – Classes on Zoom 
First contact – in English  
For the very first time Hua (pseudonym) clicked into Zoom class, rehearsing in her mind the self-introduction she previously wrote: “My name is…”.  To many international students like Hua, this was their first time to take overseas class online. They were nervous, worried about their English expression and often kept silent until the teacher asked them to answer questions. Luckily, many times the instructors showed patience and understanding to such situation and tried to accommodate the international students in the online space. 
Breakout room and groupwork 
Groupwork might sometimes be a challenge, too. Coming from different cultural and educational background, many international students might still need time to adapt to different groupwork. There were inspiring conversations in Zoom Breakout rooms, but there were also awkward 15 minutes of silence before the instructor pulled them back to the main room.   
On the other hand, there were happy collaborations in online class. International students often found their American classmates “friendly” and “helpful”, offering to input discussion summaries on Google doc. and never hesitating to shout out “Good job!” when their international partners finished their presentations. This was one of the sweetest cultural experiences the international students had enjoyed, even in an online space.   
Camera on and off 
One of the advantages of Zoom class at MSU is students were allowed to turn off their camera during the class. Such flexibility added more home comfort to the “learning-at-home” format and enhanced the learning effects. More importantly, this way international students would suffer less language difficulties and Zoom fatigue, and concentrate more on the instructor’s English speech. This actually provided one special advantage which could hardly be achieved in a traditional classroom. Admittedly, this might sometimes lead to abuse of the freedom, with students swiping cell phone or sleeping behind the camera. Still, it turned out there were few students drifting away from my class behind the black screens, and I was fine with students taking class in pajamas or drinking coffee behind the camera, if only this could make themselves at home and help to improve their learning.    
Zoom inspiration and fatigueThe exciting moment on Zoom was when students from countries, despite the time difference, insisted on participating in the class and sharing their cultures, exchanging different perspectives and building constructive relationship online.  
“Every class having a similar format, such as sharing a power-point presentation, and lecturing on the side, has gotten to be quite tiring. From hearing and looking at the same thing every day, I have lost interest in a lot of my classes.”
Zoom out - online classes in general 
To many international students, studying in the pandemic was just like riding a roller coaster: a great expectation when getting admitted to MSU, then disappointment as it switched to online class, and then the excitement came back when they met people from different countries online while enjoying home comfort.  This, however, was often followed by a mid-term burnout after a few weeks’ struggle with study pressure and time differences.  
“After a few weeks, my enthusiasm waned and didn’t care about my class anymore. Since the class was recorded, I can always watch the recordings. That gave me an excuse for not paying attention to the class.” 
Time difference 
“Due to different time zones, I start my first class at 10 pm. If I have a class at 4 AM, I try to sleep 2 or 3 hours before the first-class starts. I usually set an alarm 15 minutes before the class starts. Waking up, I take some water, and this helps me to stay awake at 4 AM and concentrate on the class.”  
“At 3am I woke up all of a sudden, and sadly found I’ve missed the CAS 110 class at 12 am. Then, I fell asleep again…” 
Time difference posed many challenges to international students. Luckily, most classes offered the advantage of having class sessions recorded, which is “a useful resource for all students, not just those attending asynchronously” (Gannon). On the other hand, there were also many enthusiastic international students who expected and enjoyed the intimacy of the overseas class and insisted on participating in the synchronous lectures (instead of watching the class recordings) even when it was 3, 4am in their home countries. 
Bonuses of online class 
Online class offered more convenience and mobility. Now students didn’t have to get up early and wait for the bus in the cold winter morning. Even though they sometimes had to take class late at night, they could at least enjoy the delicious midnight snacks made by their moms. Despite the inconveniences of class time, they could now celebrate different festivals with their families, which was unimaginable when they studied in the US. 
“In order to celebrate the Spring Festival with my family, I tried to finish all my homework on New Year’s Eve. Even though I had to leave the dinner party earlier for another online class, I was excited when hearing my American professor greet us with “Happy New Year” in the class.” In the meantime, their friends staying at MSU admired their photos of family reunion and festival celebration. These friends, however, had their own way of celebration, enjoying the spacious hall of the dormitory building, and sometimes cooking together with friends. When they missed home, their moms were always available on video chat asking about their life in the US. 
The Fudan program  
In 2020, MSU collaborated with different partner schools around the world to offer more classes during the pandemic. The collaboration with Fudan University in Shanghai was one of the major programs. Fudan is a well-known university in China (“it’s just like Stanford University in China”, as one student said) and Shanghai is such a vibrant cosmopolitan city. Therefore, this program had attracted many Chinese students. However, it was a pity that they could not visit the campus of Fudan as the program offered only online classes. Despite the disadvantages, many students still enjoyed some classes, and they could speak Chinese freely in the class, which was an added bonus. Even in Shanghai the MSU students could still participate in different activities/events organized by MSU students’ association, and in this way, they got to know each other better and became more familiar with MSU courses and culture.  
Acknowledgments  
Thank WRA 1004 classes for their contribution. All the materials come from in-class discussions and writing practices.  
References  
Gannon, K. (2020, October 26). Advice: Our hyflex experiment: What's worked and what hasn’t.  
MSU Alumni Office (2021, April 28). Global Day of Service, Spartans Will!