We found 127 results that contain "undergraduate education"

Posted on: Ungrading (a CoP)
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Posted by over 2 years ago
Multiple stories and sentiments were generously shared by 4/4 Beyond Buzzwords: Ungrading workshop participants (thank you for your vulnerability and candor) about the varied ways in which students react to, and make assumption / inferences about their instructors, after the employment of ungrading and ungrading-inspired practices.

This article (linked below) "Academe Has a Lot to Learn About How Inclusive Teaching Affects Instructors" By Chavella Pittman and Thomas J. Tobin in The Chronicle of Higher Education on FEBRUARY 7, 2022 will likely be of interest to you. Starting out by recognizing / acknowledging the power held by some identities (core, chosen, and given) but not by others, complicates the idea that all educators have the same "power and authority" to give up/share to increase learners' sense of ownership and agency in the classroom. ""What if you have neither the institutional authority (a full-time or tenure-track job) nor the dominant-culture identity (by virtue of your race, gender, and/or ability) that usually go hand in hand with being treated as a respected, powerful presence in the college classroom?... In urging faculty members to adopt inclusive teaching practices, we need to start asking if they actually can — and at what cost, " say Pittman and Tobin.

Take-aways shared in this piece include:
1. Understand that your classroom choices may unintentionally affect or undercut a colleague
2. Discuss in your department the issue of bias in students' rating of teaching
3. Respect the variability among your colleagues, as well as among your students
4. Find trained help

"Share your stories, experiences, and thought processes as you negotiate your instructor role in the classroom..." iteach.msu.edu is one space where we can continue to help "normalize the conversation about instructor identity and status as a necessary element in the adoption of inclusive design and teaching practices".

https://www.chronicle.com/article/academe-has-a-lot-to-learn-about-how-inclusive-teaching-affects-instructors
Posted on: #iteachmsu
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Posted by over 1 year ago
Faculty/Staff with Undergraduate Learning Assistants (ULAs) - We are piloting some resources to help prepare ULAs and Faculty/Staff with ULAs for being in the classroom. You can find some guidance and resources here: https://ulaatstate.commons.msu.edu/ More to come!

Faculty/Staff with Undergraduate Learning Assistants (ULAs) - We are piloting some resources to help prepare ULAs and Faculty/Staff with ULAs for being in the classroom. You can find some guidance and resources here: https://ulaatstate.commons.msu.edu/ More to come!

Faculty/Staff with Undergraduate Learning Assistants (ULAs) - We are piloting some resources to help prepare ULAs and Faculty/Staff with ULAs for being in the classroom. You can find some guidance and resources here: https://ulaatstate.commons.msu.edu/ More to come!

Posted on: #iteachmsu
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Posted by almost 4 years ago
If we are completely honest with ourselves, many students come into our courses lacking basic planning and organization skills. Even when armed with a syllabus, course schedule, or online course modules, many still have difficulty planning for and carrying out weekly assignments and/or projects by designated due dates.

To assist them, I suggest that we include due dates for assignments, projects, quizzes and exams not just in our syllabi or online course modules, but that we should also include what I call an 'Important Due Dates' tab in the D2L pages we set up for our courses. Likewise, I suggest we do so whether we teach in a traditional face to face setting, hybrid, or online.

A quarter century of teaching undergraduates leads me to conclude that few consult the syllabus (or online modules) in more than a cursory way after Week One. More generally, when people have to search for something, they are less likely to find it. So, be sure to drag your 'Important Due Dates' tab to the very top of all other tabs on the left side of your D2L course content page, making it as easy as possible for students to find.

They will then be able to access all of the dates for assignments, projects, quizzes, or exams in one place without the need to wade through denser, text heavy syllabi, course schedules, or weekly course modules. At a glance, they can find what they need to know and prepare accordingly.

Given the various challenges so many young people seem to face in 2021, why not make things as easy as we can for the students in our courses?

Posted on: #iteachmsu
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Posted by over 1 year ago
Hello Colleagues,

I’m writing to inform you that the MSU Libraries' Open Educational Resources Award Program call for applications for the academic year 2023-2024 opens today.

Now in its 5th year, the OER Award Program provides financial incentives and support to instructors interested in adopting, adapting, or creating OER as an alternative to traditional learning materials to advance our goals of affordability, access, equity, and student success.

Please visit https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/oer/award or consult the attached Call for Proposals to learn more about the application categories, eligibility, participation requirements, timelines, and criteria for evaluation. Application forms are available at https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/oer/award, and the deadline for submission is February 12, 2024.

The OER Advisory Committee will meet to review applications, and successful awardees will be notified on March 1, 2024.

Please feel free to share this information with interested colleagues.

Sincerely,
Linda
Posted on: #iteachmsu
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Posted by about 1 year ago
Generative AI for Student and Educator Support - These are the slides for the session on August 21, 2024 by CTLI staff.

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGM_uxIjNI/XzIMWwqtQicgdH0RmuBKNg/edit?utm_content=DAGM_uxIjNI&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton
If there are any questions or comments, please contact CTLI
Posted on: #iteachmsu
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Posted by over 3 years ago
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.


Posted on: #iteachmsu
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Posted by over 6 years ago
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Know of student's graduating this spring in need of CPR/AED for an upcoming job? The Learning and Assessment Center offers AHA Heartsaver/CPR/AED Courses.

These courses are intended for those who have a duty to respond to a first aid or cardiac emergency because of job responsibilities or regulatory requirements such as public safety officers, teachers, child care providers and those dealing with environmental, chemical and mechanical hazards.

This course covers management of illness and injuries during the first minutes until professional help arrives.
Posted on: GenAI & Education
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Posted by over 2 years ago
This article includes a good overview of AI, how to reduce the likelihood of students using it in the classroom, and ways to integrate AI into student learning from IU Bloomington's Center for Teaching & Learning:

https://citl.indiana.edu/teaching-resources/academic-integrity/AI-Generated%20Text.html