Results for "design"

Thank you everyone for an interesting year of discussion in and around the ongoing challenge of how we might better motivate and engage our students in the physical and digital classroom here at MSU. With that in mind, I've complied a working bibliography, of sorts, containing (mostly) recent titles that provide practical information on motivating and engaging students, teaching critical/deeper thinking, the application universal design for learning, collaborative learning, reflective learn...

Thank you everyone for an interesting year of discussion in and around the ongoing challenge of how we might better motivate and engage our students in the physical and digital classroom here at MSU. With that in mind, I've complied a working bibliography, of sorts, containing (mostly) recent titles that provide practical information on motivating and engaging students, teaching critical/deeper thinking, the application universal design for learning, collaborative learning, reflective learning, culturally responsive and inclusive teaching practices, Ed Tech and digital learning among other approaches. All titles are readily available through Amazon. I hope you might find a few of the titles useful as we steam through the coming summer months and toward Fall 2022. Maybe there are a couple of titles here that might provide some lighter "beach reading" as we look forward to some downtime after a couple of difficult years.

Thank you again everyone!

Kind Regards,

Stokes and Garth

With summer (beach) reading in mind, I've complied a working bibliography, of sorts, containing (mostly) recent titles that provide practical information on motivating and engaging students, critical thinking, universal design for learning, collaborative learning, reflective learning, culturally responsive and inclusive teaching practices, Ed Tech and digital learning among other approaches. All are readily available through Amazon. I hope you might find a few of the titles useful as we ste...

With summer (beach) reading in mind, I've complied a working bibliography, of sorts, containing (mostly) recent titles that provide practical information on motivating and engaging students, critical thinking, universal design for learning, collaborative learning, reflective learning, culturally responsive and inclusive teaching practices, Ed Tech and digital learning among other approaches. All are readily available through Amazon. I hope you might find a few of the titles useful as we steam through the coming summer months and toward Fall 2022.

An interesting piece this morning on Faculty Focus on creating an inclusive classroom. Here's the link:

https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/equality-inclusion-and-diversity/creating-an-inclusive-classroom-for-a-diverse-student-group/?st=FFdaily%3Bsc%3DFF220504%3Butm_term%3DFF220504

An interesting piece this morning on Faculty Focus on creating an inclusive classroom. Here's the link:

https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/equality-inclusion-and-diversity/creating-an-inclusive-classroom-for-a-diverse-student-group/?st=FFdaily%3Bsc%3DFF220504%3Butm_term%3DFF220504

MSU's new Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation is surveying faculty educators about your needs and expectations for the new teaching center. Any faculty member or educator in another campus role can complete this brief survey by May 6th. https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cSYf5dmcxVzLlFc

MSU's new Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation is surveying faculty educators about your needs and expectations for the new teaching center. Any faculty member or educator in another campus role can complete this brief survey by May 6th. https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cSYf5dmcxVzLlFc

After the workshop ended, we struck up a discussion about the issue of scale when it comes to creative assignments, namely:

How do you incorporate creativity/alternative modalities into especially large classes?

The example from our discussion was the 450-person IAH courses that run in lecture halls, but we could certainly use this discussion to comment on the ways we scale creative assignments to class size as well.

What experience do you have with handling the challenges of creat...

After the workshop ended, we struck up a discussion about the issue of scale when it comes to creative assignments, namely:

How do you incorporate creativity/alternative modalities into especially large classes?

The example from our discussion was the 450-person IAH courses that run in lecture halls, but we could certainly use this discussion to comment on the ways we scale creative assignments to class size as well.

What experience do you have with handling the challenges of creativity with a large group? Alternately, if you have any sources that address this question, please feel free to share here as well!

Since we ran out of time to discuss the creative rubric examples today, I've posted links below. Please take a look and consider sharing your thoughts, or your own examples of rubrics you use to evaluate creative work, as a comment on this post!
- GJS

Creative Thinking VALUE Rubric (from AACU): https://teaching.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/value_rubric_packet.pdf

Creativity Process & Product (from OECD): https://www.oecd.org/education/class-friendly-assessment-rubric-creativity...

Since we ran out of time to discuss the creative rubric examples today, I've posted links below. Please take a look and consider sharing your thoughts, or your own examples of rubrics you use to evaluate creative work, as a comment on this post!
- GJS

Creative Thinking VALUE Rubric (from AACU): https://teaching.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/value_rubric_packet.pdf

Creativity Process & Product (from OECD): https://www.oecd.org/education/class-friendly-assessment-rubric-creativity.pdf

Co-Creating Rubrics with Students (from UC Boulder): https://www.colorado.edu/center/teaching-learning/teaching-resources/assessment/assessing-student-learning/rubrics/co-creating-rubrics-students

Hope this is the right place to share this:

10 Individual Reflections @ two points each (essentially “Gimmes”).
Starting in Week Two, students are asked to develop (guided) reflections on their independent and (starting in Week Three) collaborative coursework for a given week. Not only do they articulate their new learning, they connect that to prior knowledge as well as examine their work habits and related choices. Students have the following options for these reflections:
• Tradit...

Hope this is the right place to share this:

10 Individual Reflections @ two points each (essentially “Gimmes”).
Starting in Week Two, students are asked to develop (guided) reflections on their independent and (starting in Week Three) collaborative coursework for a given week. Not only do they articulate their new learning, they connect that to prior knowledge as well as examine their work habits and related choices. Students have the following options for these reflections:
• Traditional 2-3 page essay
• 5-6 minute Voice Recording or Video
• Sketchnotes (a hybrid of note-taking and creative doodles that presents students’ grasp of new information, gleaned from scholarly reading, and connection of those ideas to specific novels, plays, or films in the course)

Collaborative Project #1 @ 20 possible points (Due at the end of Week Five)
Student learning teams review and evaluate two recent journal articles (less than ten years old) on material presented during the first third of the course. The project also includes a works cited or bibliography page and collaboratively written (guided) reflection on team work habits and related choices. Teams can choose between:
• TV Newscast (WeVideo)
• TV Talkshow (WeVideo)
• Podcast -- starting in Fall 2022 – (anchor.fm)

Collaborative Project #2 @ 20 Possible Points (Due at the end of Week 10)
Student learning teams review and evaluate two books, two journal articles, and two digital sources to have to do in some way with intersections between course material on one hand, and systems of power, oppression, equity, and justice on the other AND create a readers’ guide based on that work. The project also includes a works cited or bibliography page and collaboratively written (guided) reflection on team work habits and related choices. Teams can choose between:
• Readers’ Guide Flipbook (Flipsnack)
• Reader’s Guide Infographic (Canva)

Collaborative Project #3 @ 20 possible points (Due at the end of Week 14)
Student learning teams 1) revisit five to six novels, plays, or films presented in the course, 2) examine them in terms of power, oppressions, equity, and justice, AND 3) brainstorm practical solutions to how we might better address similar longstanding ills in 21st century society. The project also includes a works cited or bibliography page and collaboratively written (guided) reflection on team work habits and related choices. Teams can choose between:
• Interactive Academic Poster (Power Point or Prezi)
• Interactive Digital Scrapbook (Canva)

Capstone Project – Individual Semester Reflection @ 20 Possible Points (Due at the end of Week 15)
Students develop a guided reflection in which they revisit and evaluate their learning for the course. Students have the following options:
• Traditional Five to Six-page Self-Assessment Essay
• Five to Six-minute Self-Assessment Video


Questions for “Guided” Individual or Team Reflection
• For you introduction, describe your work and related activities for the week/semester in general.
• Briefly describe the projects, processes, and skills you will discuss.
• Discuss three points/projects you found most enjoyable and explain why.
• Explain three processes for the projects described above. Describe how the processes were challenging and rewarding.
• Explain three skills you gained or improved upon during the week/semester. These do not have to relate to what you have discussed already, but they can.
• Describe why you find these new or improved skills interesting, useful, enjoyable, and/or challenging.
• How might you improve your independent and/or collaborative work habits and related choices in the course?
• Describe your biggest “A-ha Moment” this week/semester.
• How does that same “A-ha Moment” connect to something you have learned in other courses?
• In your conclusion, do not simply summarize what you have already said. Answer the implied “So, what?” question.
• Leave yourself (and your reader) with something to think about.
• Remember, this is not a forum to complain about team members, assignments, the course, instructor, or previous grades.

Well, we have reached the end of the road, at least for the 2021-2022 academic year. With that in mind, here is a list, no doubt incomplete, of possible ways we might foster and improvie student motivation, engagement, and success in the classroom:

* Digital Materials and Projects
* Provide Feedback (High Impact)
* Agency and (Assessment) Choice (Universal Learning Design)
* 21st Century Skills (Relevance and Usefulness)
* Collaborative Learning (High Impact)
* Critical (Deeper) Thin...

Well, we have reached the end of the road, at least for the 2021-2022 academic year. With that in mind, here is a list, no doubt incomplete, of possible ways we might foster and improvie student motivation, engagement, and success in the classroom:

* Digital Materials and Projects
* Provide Feedback (High Impact)
* Agency and (Assessment) Choice (Universal Learning Design)
* 21st Century Skills (Relevance and Usefulness)
* Collaborative Learning (High Impact)
* Critical (Deeper) Thinking (High Impact)
* Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy (Tasks and Feedback)
* Inclusive Pedagogy (Collaboration)
* Social Justice Pedagogy (Intersectionality, High Impact )
* Animated Explainer Videos
* Universal Design for Learning (Inclusivity)
* High Impact Practices (Feedback, Collaboration, Reflection, Capstone Project,)
* Project-based Learning/Problem-based Learning
* Digital Learning (Assessment, etc.)
* Reflective Learning
* Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) – Empower students and expand their capabilities through ownership.
* Create Accessible Content
* Cultivate DEI Practices (Foster a sense of belonging, instill respect, and promote tolerance for ALL members of the class and related ideas.)
* Envision and enact new ways of teaching (leading).
* Multiple Modes of Assessment.
* Continuous Improvement in Our Efforts and Course Design/Presentation
* Encourage students to adopt an interdisciplinary approach in their course projects.


Considerable overlap between some of these very broad points, but if we can incorporate even a few of these ideas into our work with undergrads, we might get just a bit closer to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow when it comes to improved student motivation, engagement, and performance in our courses. Thank you for an interesting year everyone!

Stokes and Garth

Here's the Zoom meeting information for our final meeting for 10am on Friday, April 22, 2022:

Meeting ID -- 951 4830 7886
Passcode -- 432210

Hope to see you then!

Kind Regards,

Stokes and Garth

Here's the Zoom meeting information for our final meeting for 10am on Friday, April 22, 2022:

Meeting ID -- 951 4830 7886
Passcode -- 432210

Hope to see you then!

Kind Regards,

Stokes and Garth

A very interesting recent book on how to make our coursework with students more inclusive. A concise 200 pages on, not only the theoretical background and need for inclusivity, but loads of very practical advice for designing courses and running class meetings with inclusivity in mind. $30 well spent. Check out 'What Inclusive Instructors Do: Principles and Practices for Excellence in College Teaching' (Stylus Publishing, 2021) on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1642671932?psc=1&r...

A very interesting recent book on how to make our coursework with students more inclusive. A concise 200 pages on, not only the theoretical background and need for inclusivity, but loads of very practical advice for designing courses and running class meetings with inclusivity in mind. $30 well spent. Check out 'What Inclusive Instructors Do: Principles and Practices for Excellence in College Teaching' (Stylus Publishing, 2021) on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1642671932?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

If ever you have utilized a collaborative approach in your courses, you might be familiar with the following. Sometime just after the middle of the semester, a student contacts you complaining about various problems and/or people within their team during the first nine or ten weeks of the term. Typically, it is clear from the language of such emails that these young adults want someone else to step in and address the litany of issues described. Yet a large part of student-centered learning...

If ever you have utilized a collaborative approach in your courses, you might be familiar with the following. Sometime just after the middle of the semester, a student contacts you complaining about various problems and/or people within their team during the first nine or ten weeks of the term. Typically, it is clear from the language of such emails that these young adults want someone else to step in and address the litany of issues described. Yet a large part of student-centered learning is providing young minds with the tools necessary to help them navigate our courses with a reasonable amount of success as well as the skills necessary for our students to address any related interpersonal challenges. For many undergraduates in 2022, learning to manage the latter, in particular, is one area where guidance is often necessary. Here is the language I now use to provide helpful suggestions that keep students in the driver's seat without helicoptering in to the rescue myself:


Thank you for your email X. Your frustration is certainly understandable. The issue(s) you describe are something that the entire team should address together in order to determine a concrete and efficient way forward. Communication, problem solving, conflict resolution, and revision of team work habits or processes are all part of effective collaboration.

With that in mind, take a proactive approach to the points outlined in your email. That means ALL of you should collaborate to identify the exact problems hindering the team. A passive ‘wait and see’ approach will not change the situation. Neither will a round of strident text messages or email back and forth between team members. What will help is for all team members to prioritize a meeting in real time plus their direct involvement in making concrete decisions to improve the dynamic and move ahead in the most efficient way possible.

Whether your team meets online or face to face, have an honest yet civil discussion to determine and implement the changes team members deem necessary. This is not easy, but it is vital for improving the situation. Positive change in a team setting comes through strategic, organized, and well-executed plans with specific goals identified and carried out in an orderly manner.

Beginning this sort of conversation might feel uncomfortable, but it is necessary. Contact your other team members right away. Arrange a meeting in real time to pinpoint and address the ongoing issues within the team. Brief explainer videos, part of each course module, provide tips for effective collaboration, but here are three for review that are most relevant:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDX61xCHN74&t=58s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BghSivQlhVY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIuTi83L0vE


It is also beneficial for the entire team to revisit its list of values developed early in the semester plus the specific member roles determined at that point. These tasks were part of Week Three team activities when weekly collaboration began. Likewise, have a look again at your collective responses to questions on the team assessment worksheets, part of the collaborative work for Week Six and Week 11. On those, your team took stock of its processes and work habits followng completion of Project #1 and Project #2. Your team also identified collective steps it could take to improve collaboration as part of that work.

Keep in mind that active collaboration to address team issues is solid practice for life in the globalized digital economy of the 21st century where 'teams' are the norm. In most fields now, no single person is responsible for project research, development, and completion. Cohesive teamwork is the name of the game.

Careful attention to the guidance above will help your team have a productive discussion, pull together, and move forward more effectively in the time remaining this semester. Your student learning team is in the driver’s seat and has the power to do this.

Kind Regards,

Prof. Y



Keep in mind that the intent is to guide and empower young adults in navigating their own lives. The language offered above might be too forthright for some, but it gets to the heart of the matter and communicates to students that their interpersonal issues are something they must learn to handle now if they have not already done so. After all, the adult world following graduation is not that far off, and we do our students no favors by taking care of their problems for them.

The language presented works for individual queries but can also be sent to the entire student learning team as a reminder with appropriate changes made. If this idea sounds like something you might like to try yourself, feel free to tailor the reply above to your own needs.

Another interesting piece on Faculty Focus this morning that provides additional tips for [motivating] and engaging our students in class. I hope to try a few of these next fall when I return to the (hybrid) classroom. Hope you might find these tips useful in your own journey to motivate and engage undergrads.

Kind Regards,

Stokes

https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/engaging-students-at-a-deeper-level/?st=FFdaily%3Bsc%3DFF220330%3Butm_term%3DFF220330

Another interesting piece on Faculty Focus this morning that provides additional tips for [motivating] and engaging our students in class. I hope to try a few of these next fall when I return to the (hybrid) classroom. Hope you might find these tips useful in your own journey to motivate and engage undergrads.

Kind Regards,

Stokes

https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/engaging-students-at-a-deeper-level/?st=FFdaily%3Bsc%3DFF220330%3Butm_term%3DFF220330