We found 1247 results that contain "student-centered"
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Instruction, Feedback, Assessments & Centering Students in Remote Environments
This playlist is a growing collection of content aimed at supporting educators as they traverse ongoing shifts in teaching environment, procedures related to grading, and other uncertainties that results from ongoing pandemics... all the while keeping student success at the core of their work.
ASSESSING LEARNING
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Student Success Contacts and Resources
This Student Success playlist was created by Jeana-Dee Allen and Joyce Meier, members of the Educators Empowering Student Success Group (facilitated by Mary Beth Heeder and Jeno Rivera), which is working on the Faculty Improving Student Success Strategic Initiative. Each article in this playlist contains a list of resources that promote student success. All links provided are direct links (ONE CLICK) connecting you to contact information or an educator who can respond to your questions and/or help your students. Thank you for helping our students achieve their goals.
If you can not quickly find what you are looking for, please email Mary Beth Heeder, senior consultant and project manager for Student Learning and Success, (heeder@msu.edu) and we will respond within 24 business hours.
If you can not quickly find what you are looking for, please email Mary Beth Heeder, senior consultant and project manager for Student Learning and Success, (heeder@msu.edu) and we will respond within 24 business hours.
NAVIGATING CONTEXT
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Spring Conference on Teaching, Learning & Student Success 2021
This is a collection of all the sessions presented at the 2021 Spring Conference on Teaching, Learning, and Student Success. You can continute the conversation by logging in with your MSU netID and commenting on articles here. To view the full presentation recordings, please return to the Spring Conference page on D2L.
note: you must self enroll to access this page.
http://bit.ly/2021SpringConfEnroll
note: you must self enroll to access this page.
http://bit.ly/2021SpringConfEnroll
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Neighborhood Student Success Center
Neighborhood Engagement Centers Services: The Engagement Centers, located in each Neighborhood, are also home to the Math Learning Center, the Writing Center, the Social Science Help Room, and other academic support services to assist students with math coursework, writing papers, and other academic subjects. The NSSC provides academic and wellness support through midterm and finals preparation events. Peer Educators are another academic service that works with students on various academic skills like “learning how to learn,” time management skills, study skills, goal setting, test preparation, and provide tutoring in chemistry, physics, computer science, and more. In addition to academic support, the Neighborhoods offers Career and Major Exploration resources and various health and wellness resources through Recreation and Fitness Programs, the Health Clinic, and Counseling and Psychiatric services. Intercultural Dialogues and Identity Consciousness programs are resources to support the inclusion and equity of students.
Visit and Connect with an Engagement Center: For more information about NSSC programs or resources, visit https://nssc.msu.edu and follow the NSSC on Instagram at @nsscmsu. To schedule an appointment, email nssc@msu.edu.
Visit and Connect with an Engagement Center: For more information about NSSC programs or resources, visit https://nssc.msu.edu and follow the NSSC on Instagram at @nsscmsu. To schedule an appointment, email nssc@msu.edu.
Authored by: Samuel Drake
Navigating Context
Posted on: PREP Matrix
MSU Student Parent Resource Center
The MSU Student Parent Resource Center provides useful information and programs to members of the MSU community who balance work, education, and family.
Posted by: Admin
Navigating Context
Posted on: #iteachmsu
How the Collaborative Learning Center Supports Student Success
The Collaborative Learning Center supports student success in a variety of ways. Some examples are through our academic success skills workshops, where we teach students how to use the "six strategies of effective learning" in their studies, and through our peer educator training program, where we help peer educators develop more comprehensive techniques to support students both in and out of the classroom. This poster describes the various CLC programs that support student success.
To access a PDF of the "How the Collaborative Learning Center Supports Student Success" poster, click here.
Description of the Poster
HOW THE COLLABORATIVE LEARNING CENTER SUPPORTS STUDENT SUCCESS
Sam Drake, Jessica Deforest, Sara Morales, Ariel Arnold
Academic Success Skills Workshops
Through a variety of workshops and structured study sessions, the CLC can help you get on the path to academic success. Students will learn to set goals, use their time more efficiently, and become better learners. Additionally, students will expand their range of study strategies and learn to analyze course content and assessments in order not just to improve grades, but also to heighten understanding, intellectual development, and long term retention.
Comments From Students
“I would recommend this resource to a fellow colleague because I personally came back with a lot of helpful tips that I feel will help me succeed and why wouldn’t I want that for a friend.” – UGS 110 Student
“I would recommend this resource to a friend because it helped me realize the actual extent of my procrastination, and how that is affecting me. Even now I am getting this worksheet done very quickly after the session and not waiting until later, having to struggle to figure out what was said in the presentation.” – UGS 110 Student
I would recommend this resource to anyone who is struggling in note taking strategies and processing information in lectures. This was extremely helpful for me, and I think that it would be great for anyone to take! I do not think that there is an instance where I would not recommend this to a friend, because even if you like the note taking strategies that you use, this workshop
Peer Educator Training
The CLC provides training and professional development opportunities that are developed to enhance Peer Educators’ skills in supporting their fellow students. Training and professional development opportunities are grounded in research and best practices. Sessions include pedagogy, socio-emotional skills, and university policy and procedures.
Comments from Students
I thought this was a great session that should be presented to a wider audience! I think empathy is something that everyone could use a little practice with from time to time – Peer Educator Training Participant
I really liked the chat back feature. It seems more effective in articulating a response than being asked the same question in person. I liked that the presentation included engaging videos. The polls really helped to express our opinions. The content of the presentation was clear, and I learned a lot. – Peer Educator Training Participant
Student Interests and Support Survey (SISS)
The Spartan Interests and Support Survey (SISS) is a university-wide initiative designed to assess how we can best support incoming students. This assessment measures several "non-academic" factors that have been proven to connect to college success. Scores from the assessment will be used to proactively refer students to campus resources and to help us as a university understand what we can do in the future to best support our students. Variables measured are .Positive Self-Concept – Realistic Self-Appraisal, Long Range Goals, Availability Of A Strong Support Person, Non-Traditional Learning, Demonstrated Community Service, Strong Leadership Experience, Navigating the System of Racism (or other “isms”)
1 in 4: The number of students who indicated that they would most like a job that involves working with people
15% The percentage of incoming students who indicated that they did not have a clear plan for their future.
This diagram shows the 3 areas in which the CLC supports student success: Academic Success Skills workshops, Students Success Assessment, and Peer Educator Training.
To access a PDF of the "How the Collaborative Learning Center Supports Student Success" poster, click here.
Description of the Poster
HOW THE COLLABORATIVE LEARNING CENTER SUPPORTS STUDENT SUCCESS
Sam Drake, Jessica Deforest, Sara Morales, Ariel Arnold
Academic Success Skills Workshops
Through a variety of workshops and structured study sessions, the CLC can help you get on the path to academic success. Students will learn to set goals, use their time more efficiently, and become better learners. Additionally, students will expand their range of study strategies and learn to analyze course content and assessments in order not just to improve grades, but also to heighten understanding, intellectual development, and long term retention.
Comments From Students
“I would recommend this resource to a fellow colleague because I personally came back with a lot of helpful tips that I feel will help me succeed and why wouldn’t I want that for a friend.” – UGS 110 Student
“I would recommend this resource to a friend because it helped me realize the actual extent of my procrastination, and how that is affecting me. Even now I am getting this worksheet done very quickly after the session and not waiting until later, having to struggle to figure out what was said in the presentation.” – UGS 110 Student
I would recommend this resource to anyone who is struggling in note taking strategies and processing information in lectures. This was extremely helpful for me, and I think that it would be great for anyone to take! I do not think that there is an instance where I would not recommend this to a friend, because even if you like the note taking strategies that you use, this workshop
Peer Educator Training
The CLC provides training and professional development opportunities that are developed to enhance Peer Educators’ skills in supporting their fellow students. Training and professional development opportunities are grounded in research and best practices. Sessions include pedagogy, socio-emotional skills, and university policy and procedures.
Comments from Students
I thought this was a great session that should be presented to a wider audience! I think empathy is something that everyone could use a little practice with from time to time – Peer Educator Training Participant
I really liked the chat back feature. It seems more effective in articulating a response than being asked the same question in person. I liked that the presentation included engaging videos. The polls really helped to express our opinions. The content of the presentation was clear, and I learned a lot. – Peer Educator Training Participant
Student Interests and Support Survey (SISS)
The Spartan Interests and Support Survey (SISS) is a university-wide initiative designed to assess how we can best support incoming students. This assessment measures several "non-academic" factors that have been proven to connect to college success. Scores from the assessment will be used to proactively refer students to campus resources and to help us as a university understand what we can do in the future to best support our students. Variables measured are .Positive Self-Concept – Realistic Self-Appraisal, Long Range Goals, Availability Of A Strong Support Person, Non-Traditional Learning, Demonstrated Community Service, Strong Leadership Experience, Navigating the System of Racism (or other “isms”)
1 in 4: The number of students who indicated that they would most like a job that involves working with people
15% The percentage of incoming students who indicated that they did not have a clear plan for their future.
This diagram shows the 3 areas in which the CLC supports student success: Academic Success Skills workshops, Students Success Assessment, and Peer Educator Training.
Authored by: Samuel Drake, Jessica Deforest, Sara Morales, Ariel Arnold
Navigating Context
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation (CTLI) Student-facing Surveys Library
The Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation aims to support educators across MSU's ecosystem with a "library" of student-facing surveys for collecting formative feedback, checking in with learners, and setting the tone for your learning experience. Google Forms can be used to design anonymous surveys, providing long-form or multiple-choice questions, basic Likert-scale answer keys, and basic statistical data. CTLI Student Feedback (google drive folder) offers pre-made forms to reduce barriers to educator use. Additional information about putting these forms into practice can be found on iteach.msu.edu. Existing forms for duplication currently include:
mid-semester feedback
post-crisis check-in
pre-semester technology and access
group agreements (for in-class group work)*
pre-semester accessibility needs/preferences
weekly student check-ins (example 1 and 2)
*not anonymous
CTLI’s survey templates require some edits and modification.
Users of the Google Form are asked to Copy the Google Form to their own Google Drive (while logged in with their MSU credentials) so that the form and collected data is owned by the user.
Instructions for copying a Google Form from the "survey library":
Right click on the CTLI Google Form you’d like to send to your students. Click Make a Copy.
Open your copy of the Google Form and review the instructions embedded in the Google Form itself. Please review the survey headers and descriptions in their entirety. The Google survey templates are built in a way that the instructor can quickly and easily update the information to individualize it to their course.
When you have completed your edits, click the Send button in the right-hand corner of the Google Form. To maintain anonymity, please ensure that the “Automatically collect respondent's Michigan State University email address” checkbox is unchecked.
For the Group Contract Form, anonymity is unnecessary.
Select the link or the HTML embed link as options to send your survey. Please note that sending the survey via email will deanonymize the survey.
Please direct questions on process or access to Makena Neal.
Photo by Philip Strong on Unsplash
mid-semester feedback
post-crisis check-in
pre-semester technology and access
group agreements (for in-class group work)*
pre-semester accessibility needs/preferences
weekly student check-ins (example 1 and 2)
*not anonymous
CTLI’s survey templates require some edits and modification.
Users of the Google Form are asked to Copy the Google Form to their own Google Drive (while logged in with their MSU credentials) so that the form and collected data is owned by the user.
Instructions for copying a Google Form from the "survey library":
Right click on the CTLI Google Form you’d like to send to your students. Click Make a Copy.
Open your copy of the Google Form and review the instructions embedded in the Google Form itself. Please review the survey headers and descriptions in their entirety. The Google survey templates are built in a way that the instructor can quickly and easily update the information to individualize it to their course.
When you have completed your edits, click the Send button in the right-hand corner of the Google Form. To maintain anonymity, please ensure that the “Automatically collect respondent's Michigan State University email address” checkbox is unchecked.
For the Group Contract Form, anonymity is unnecessary.
Select the link or the HTML embed link as options to send your survey. Please note that sending the survey via email will deanonymize the survey.
Please direct questions on process or access to Makena Neal.
Photo by Philip Strong on Unsplash
Authored by: CTLI
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Conflict Management for Instructor: Centering and Maintaining Student Relationships
The ideal learning expereince fosters thoughtful discussions between educators and students. These collaborative conversations, dialogues, and even debates can empower students to develop and grow their ideas and perspectives. It is important to remember that conflict is normal, and there are effective [healthy] ways to navigate difficult conversations with your students. By adopting an open and proactive approach to conflicts, you can reduce the frequency with which conflicts arise and their impact. Here are some strategies to help you both prevent and manage conflicts in your teaching:
Preventing conflicts
Be credible. Credibility is built from the first day of class and is continually judged throughout the term. On the first day, establish your credibility by providing some background information about your experience with the subject matter, your experience as a student, your research, etc. Show that you are focused and prepared. Keep this up throughout the term by coming to lectures prepared and sharing your lecture goals with your students. Organization, enthusiasm, solid knowledge of the content, and fairness all help to build and maintain credibility. Finally, you do not need to be perfect to be credible. If you make a mistake or don’t know the answer to a question, acknowledge the situation and focus on ensuring that the students get access to the required information as soon as possible. Defensive reactions tend to build conflict instead of preventing it.
Set clear expectations. Provide expectations from the start, both by writing them in your course outline and stating them in class. You can describe the goals of the course and outline roles for you and your students. You can also clearly emphasize your expectations for student behaviour and the consequences for prohibited behaviour, stressing mutual respect as a rationale for any ground rules. You can also include University policies towards certain behaviours (e.g., plagiarism) in your course outline. What this looks like in practice:
Listing expectations in your course syllabus.
Discussing the expectations in class at the beginning of the semester.
Reminding students of the expectations throughout the semester when teaching and during office hours.
Develop rapport and listen for understanding. Strengthening your relationships with students can help prevent conflict. Students work better when they feel that their instructors care about them; therefore, try to reduce anonymity and use students’ names whenever possible (e.g., in lectures and when grading assignments or papers). Be present a few minutes before and after class to answer questions and chat with the students informally. If students feel comfortable sharing their concerns with educators, every effort should be made to take those opportunities to listen. Employ these tips for productive conversations:
Enter conversations with an open mind.
Recognize that there may be something going on in the student’s life outside of academics that is impacting them.
Express empathy for how a student’s life experiences can impact their behavior. The student’s reaction may differ from your interpretation of the conflict.
Acknowledge and validate the student's feelings by listening fully without judgment.
Help the student feel heard and valued by asking questions to clarify what they are trying to say.
Use a dynamic teaching style. Good presentation and facilitation skills as well as enthusiasm for your teaching are assets that will keep students’ attention focused and help prevent distracting classroom behaviour such as lateness, talking, sleeping, etc. Using interactive teaching methods also helps to prevent distracting behaviours by involving students in the lecture.
Responding to conflict situations
Not all conflicts can be avoided with proactive measures. The following six steps describe a flexible response to many conflict situations. To practice implementing these steps, remember a conflict you have experienced and think about how these steps could be adapted to help you respond to that situation.
Don’t take it personally (but reflect on your impact). Conflict situations can make the participants feel upset, threatened, frustrated, and/or angry. These emotional reactions are unpleasant and they can interfere with your ability to respond constructively. Educators are in a position of authority when dealing with students and how you react/respond matters. Be aware of the power dynamic and take responsibility for initiating the conflict resolution process. Help to control your emotional responses to challenging situations by changing your perceptions of them. Due to this power imbalance, there may be times when your intentions do not align with your impact. Take steps to evaluate your actions and rectify the situation. What this looks like in practice:
Reframe your reaction...think to yourself, “That student is really upset – I wonder what the problem is?”, or “This is a distraction that needs to be addressed.”
Consider the impact of your words and actions on students.
Ask yourself if your message or delivery was disproportionately demanding or hurtful.
Take responsibility for the harm caused and discuss actions you will take in the future to ensure it does not happen again. You can serve as a role model by showing students a positive example of taking ownership of your impact and working to repair harm.
Ask yourself if you are the best person to discuss the situation with the student. Would other faculty, staff or students be better suited to respond? Sometimes asking for help to initiate a difficult conversation can be beneficial.
Choose when and where to deal with the situation. Responding immediately to student concerns, distress and inappropriate behaviour demonstrates that you are attentive to your students’ needs and reinforces your expectations for student behaviour. For example, if students are noisy in class you can respond immediately by pausing until you regain the students’ attention, making eye contact with the disruptive students, or asking if there is a problem you can help resolve. Some situations can not be fully addressed immediately. For example, addressing a serious disagreement in class can distract the students, undermine your authority and take time away from the planned learning activities. The best response can be to note that there is a situation that needs to be resolved and suggest when and where it might be further investigated. Try to be attentive to both your needs and the student’s situation when picking the time and place. If you sense that a student is intimidated by authority, you may want to meet in a neutral location, like a conference room, rather than in your office. By meeting at an appropriate time and place, you can facilitate open communication between yourself and the students.
Follow up, listen, and find common ground. When you meet with students, indicate that you are interested in hearing their perspectives by keeping a positive tone, and asking them open-ended questions, like “What part of the marking do you see as unfair?” When the students explain their situation, really listen: focus on their communication, don’t interrupt, and let them finish. Consider asking:
What outcomes do you and the student each hope come from the resolution?
How can you and the student work together to meet each other’s needs?
What steps can you and the student take to achieve these goals?
Check your perception. It’s very easy to misinterpret someone, especially if either of you are at all emotional. To ensure that you understand your students, you can check your perception of their accounts by describing your understanding and asking them to correct any misinterpretations or elaborate on anything that you find unclear. When describing your understanding, reframe their points as positive comments using non-blaming words. For example, “If my group members think they can do this to me again, they’re mistaken!” can be rephrased as “It’s important to you that your rights are respected.” Rephrasing the problem reassures the students that you are listening to them and it ensures that all the parties understand the problem. You can also ask lots of open-ended questions until you have enough information to understand the problem. Ideally, the feedback process would end when the students’ comments and body language confirm that they are sure that you have completely understood their message.
Select and explain your position. Now that you understand the students, you are in a good position to select a course of action. Be sure to choose an action that is in line with your teaching goals for the course. Tell the students what you have decided and give them your rationale for your decision. For example, when responding to a mark dispute, you might choose to review the assignment with the student by making reference to the marking criteria. In explaining your position, you might want to show an example of an assignment that better meets your expectations.
Discuss next steps and document your decision. When you have explained what you have decided to do, you can discuss possible next steps with the students. Finally, in many cases, you will want to document your decisions and, where appropriate, the information upon which you have based your decision.
If your plan of action requires follow-up on your part, you may want to briefly explain the process. For example, if you agree to review an assignment, you might want to indicate when they can expect to receive your comments.
You may want to direct students to other resources on campus, including counseling or health services, to get support and/or documentation.
If the students are not satisfied with your decision, it is good practice to direct them to an appropriate avenue for appeal (e.g., department chair).
Responding to highly emotional students
Schedule an appointment. If a student is too emotional to communicate his or her situation, it may help to schedule an appointment for a later time. This delay gives both parties a chance to calm down and to review the problem.
Open your door. This gives a chance for neutral, outside observers to witness the event. Leaving the door open protects both the student and the instructor.
Acknowledge behaviours and emotions. You may want to recognize the student’s emotional state at the beginning of your meeting. For example, you could say, “I can see that you are really upset. Can you tell me what you find especially frustrating?” If a student’s behaviour becomes inappropriate, point it out to the student.
Get assistance. If you don’t know how to approach a conflict situation, get assistance from a colleague or one of MSU's relevant offices (IDI, Ombudsperson, CTLI). If a student becomes very aggressive or threatening, contact the Michigan State Univesity police.
Keep others informed. If you are concerned that a difficult situation is developing, consider notifying others immediately. For example, if you are a teaching assistant, you could notify the instructor, the department chair, and the Graduate School GTA-Development staff.
Ineffective ways to deal with conflicts
Conquest. Trying to win an argument will turn a disagreement into a battle for dominance. Intimidation tactics can cause students to challenge you further and discourage their participation.
Avoidance. Ignoring problems does not make them go away.
Bargaining. Compromise can be a laudable way to resolve a conflict, but not when your teaching objectives get subverted by the resolution process. For example, asking a student to be less disruptive in class in exchange for a better grade on an assignment rewards unacceptable behaviour, harms your credibility, and is unfair to your other students. Make sure that your response to conflict situations is consistent with your teaching and assessment goals and is equitable to all in your course.
Quick fix. A band-aid solution, like changing a grade to get rid of a student, can not solve a conflict. This strategy also rewards unacceptable behaviour, harms your credibility, and is unfair to other students.
Thank you to colleagues in university educator development at the Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Waterloo, the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Colorado Boulder and others for their materials that informed or were adapted into this resource. Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash
Preventing conflicts
Be credible. Credibility is built from the first day of class and is continually judged throughout the term. On the first day, establish your credibility by providing some background information about your experience with the subject matter, your experience as a student, your research, etc. Show that you are focused and prepared. Keep this up throughout the term by coming to lectures prepared and sharing your lecture goals with your students. Organization, enthusiasm, solid knowledge of the content, and fairness all help to build and maintain credibility. Finally, you do not need to be perfect to be credible. If you make a mistake or don’t know the answer to a question, acknowledge the situation and focus on ensuring that the students get access to the required information as soon as possible. Defensive reactions tend to build conflict instead of preventing it.
Set clear expectations. Provide expectations from the start, both by writing them in your course outline and stating them in class. You can describe the goals of the course and outline roles for you and your students. You can also clearly emphasize your expectations for student behaviour and the consequences for prohibited behaviour, stressing mutual respect as a rationale for any ground rules. You can also include University policies towards certain behaviours (e.g., plagiarism) in your course outline. What this looks like in practice:
Listing expectations in your course syllabus.
Discussing the expectations in class at the beginning of the semester.
Reminding students of the expectations throughout the semester when teaching and during office hours.
Develop rapport and listen for understanding. Strengthening your relationships with students can help prevent conflict. Students work better when they feel that their instructors care about them; therefore, try to reduce anonymity and use students’ names whenever possible (e.g., in lectures and when grading assignments or papers). Be present a few minutes before and after class to answer questions and chat with the students informally. If students feel comfortable sharing their concerns with educators, every effort should be made to take those opportunities to listen. Employ these tips for productive conversations:
Enter conversations with an open mind.
Recognize that there may be something going on in the student’s life outside of academics that is impacting them.
Express empathy for how a student’s life experiences can impact their behavior. The student’s reaction may differ from your interpretation of the conflict.
Acknowledge and validate the student's feelings by listening fully without judgment.
Help the student feel heard and valued by asking questions to clarify what they are trying to say.
Use a dynamic teaching style. Good presentation and facilitation skills as well as enthusiasm for your teaching are assets that will keep students’ attention focused and help prevent distracting classroom behaviour such as lateness, talking, sleeping, etc. Using interactive teaching methods also helps to prevent distracting behaviours by involving students in the lecture.
Responding to conflict situations
Not all conflicts can be avoided with proactive measures. The following six steps describe a flexible response to many conflict situations. To practice implementing these steps, remember a conflict you have experienced and think about how these steps could be adapted to help you respond to that situation.
Don’t take it personally (but reflect on your impact). Conflict situations can make the participants feel upset, threatened, frustrated, and/or angry. These emotional reactions are unpleasant and they can interfere with your ability to respond constructively. Educators are in a position of authority when dealing with students and how you react/respond matters. Be aware of the power dynamic and take responsibility for initiating the conflict resolution process. Help to control your emotional responses to challenging situations by changing your perceptions of them. Due to this power imbalance, there may be times when your intentions do not align with your impact. Take steps to evaluate your actions and rectify the situation. What this looks like in practice:
Reframe your reaction...think to yourself, “That student is really upset – I wonder what the problem is?”, or “This is a distraction that needs to be addressed.”
Consider the impact of your words and actions on students.
Ask yourself if your message or delivery was disproportionately demanding or hurtful.
Take responsibility for the harm caused and discuss actions you will take in the future to ensure it does not happen again. You can serve as a role model by showing students a positive example of taking ownership of your impact and working to repair harm.
Ask yourself if you are the best person to discuss the situation with the student. Would other faculty, staff or students be better suited to respond? Sometimes asking for help to initiate a difficult conversation can be beneficial.
Choose when and where to deal with the situation. Responding immediately to student concerns, distress and inappropriate behaviour demonstrates that you are attentive to your students’ needs and reinforces your expectations for student behaviour. For example, if students are noisy in class you can respond immediately by pausing until you regain the students’ attention, making eye contact with the disruptive students, or asking if there is a problem you can help resolve. Some situations can not be fully addressed immediately. For example, addressing a serious disagreement in class can distract the students, undermine your authority and take time away from the planned learning activities. The best response can be to note that there is a situation that needs to be resolved and suggest when and where it might be further investigated. Try to be attentive to both your needs and the student’s situation when picking the time and place. If you sense that a student is intimidated by authority, you may want to meet in a neutral location, like a conference room, rather than in your office. By meeting at an appropriate time and place, you can facilitate open communication between yourself and the students.
Follow up, listen, and find common ground. When you meet with students, indicate that you are interested in hearing their perspectives by keeping a positive tone, and asking them open-ended questions, like “What part of the marking do you see as unfair?” When the students explain their situation, really listen: focus on their communication, don’t interrupt, and let them finish. Consider asking:
What outcomes do you and the student each hope come from the resolution?
How can you and the student work together to meet each other’s needs?
What steps can you and the student take to achieve these goals?
Check your perception. It’s very easy to misinterpret someone, especially if either of you are at all emotional. To ensure that you understand your students, you can check your perception of their accounts by describing your understanding and asking them to correct any misinterpretations or elaborate on anything that you find unclear. When describing your understanding, reframe their points as positive comments using non-blaming words. For example, “If my group members think they can do this to me again, they’re mistaken!” can be rephrased as “It’s important to you that your rights are respected.” Rephrasing the problem reassures the students that you are listening to them and it ensures that all the parties understand the problem. You can also ask lots of open-ended questions until you have enough information to understand the problem. Ideally, the feedback process would end when the students’ comments and body language confirm that they are sure that you have completely understood their message.
Select and explain your position. Now that you understand the students, you are in a good position to select a course of action. Be sure to choose an action that is in line with your teaching goals for the course. Tell the students what you have decided and give them your rationale for your decision. For example, when responding to a mark dispute, you might choose to review the assignment with the student by making reference to the marking criteria. In explaining your position, you might want to show an example of an assignment that better meets your expectations.
Discuss next steps and document your decision. When you have explained what you have decided to do, you can discuss possible next steps with the students. Finally, in many cases, you will want to document your decisions and, where appropriate, the information upon which you have based your decision.
If your plan of action requires follow-up on your part, you may want to briefly explain the process. For example, if you agree to review an assignment, you might want to indicate when they can expect to receive your comments.
You may want to direct students to other resources on campus, including counseling or health services, to get support and/or documentation.
If the students are not satisfied with your decision, it is good practice to direct them to an appropriate avenue for appeal (e.g., department chair).
Responding to highly emotional students
Schedule an appointment. If a student is too emotional to communicate his or her situation, it may help to schedule an appointment for a later time. This delay gives both parties a chance to calm down and to review the problem.
Open your door. This gives a chance for neutral, outside observers to witness the event. Leaving the door open protects both the student and the instructor.
Acknowledge behaviours and emotions. You may want to recognize the student’s emotional state at the beginning of your meeting. For example, you could say, “I can see that you are really upset. Can you tell me what you find especially frustrating?” If a student’s behaviour becomes inappropriate, point it out to the student.
Get assistance. If you don’t know how to approach a conflict situation, get assistance from a colleague or one of MSU's relevant offices (IDI, Ombudsperson, CTLI). If a student becomes very aggressive or threatening, contact the Michigan State Univesity police.
Keep others informed. If you are concerned that a difficult situation is developing, consider notifying others immediately. For example, if you are a teaching assistant, you could notify the instructor, the department chair, and the Graduate School GTA-Development staff.
Ineffective ways to deal with conflicts
Conquest. Trying to win an argument will turn a disagreement into a battle for dominance. Intimidation tactics can cause students to challenge you further and discourage their participation.
Avoidance. Ignoring problems does not make them go away.
Bargaining. Compromise can be a laudable way to resolve a conflict, but not when your teaching objectives get subverted by the resolution process. For example, asking a student to be less disruptive in class in exchange for a better grade on an assignment rewards unacceptable behaviour, harms your credibility, and is unfair to your other students. Make sure that your response to conflict situations is consistent with your teaching and assessment goals and is equitable to all in your course.
Quick fix. A band-aid solution, like changing a grade to get rid of a student, can not solve a conflict. This strategy also rewards unacceptable behaviour, harms your credibility, and is unfair to other students.
Thank you to colleagues in university educator development at the Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Waterloo, the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Colorado Boulder and others for their materials that informed or were adapted into this resource. Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: PREP Matrix
Writing Center Resources
The Writing Center at Claremont Graduate University offers resources for graduate students related to writing, citing sources, and presenting conference papers.
Posted by: Admin
Navigating Context
Posted on: PREP Matrix
Web Center for Social Research Methods
The Web Center for Social Research Methods provides resources related to applied social research and evaluation.
Posted by: Admin
Navigating Context
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation
Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation (CTLI)
Purpose: The mission of the Center for TLI is to support MSU’s educators and their practices through collaboration and consultation. What do we do:
Support MSU communities where educators work together across roles to provide inclusive, research-informed experiences that support student success.
Build a path to success for every educator by leading the university with unwavering integrity and a strong culture of teaching and learning
Collaborate with and empower all MSU educators in their engagement in equitable, student-centered teaching and learning practices.
Services Provided:
Instructional Consultation
Curriculum Development & Course Design
Online Program Management
Academic Entrepreneurship
Training and Workshops
Website: https://teachingcenter.msu.edu/Contact Usteaching@msu.eduRequest a ConsultationContact Staff Directly
Purpose: The mission of the Center for TLI is to support MSU’s educators and their practices through collaboration and consultation. What do we do:
Support MSU communities where educators work together across roles to provide inclusive, research-informed experiences that support student success.
Build a path to success for every educator by leading the university with unwavering integrity and a strong culture of teaching and learning
Collaborate with and empower all MSU educators in their engagement in equitable, student-centered teaching and learning practices.
Services Provided:
Instructional Consultation
Curriculum Development & Course Design
Online Program Management
Academic Entrepreneurship
Training and Workshops
Website: https://teachingcenter.msu.edu/Contact Usteaching@msu.eduRequest a ConsultationContact Staff Directly
Authored by: Educator Seminars
Navigating Context
Posted on: Center for Teaching...
I had the good fortune to attend an enlightening workshop today: "Student-Centered Approach to Grading" presented by Jeremy Van Hof and Monica Mills. Among the resources they provided was this treasure trove: https://www.gettoby.com/p/jp9xrk523nt1
Posted by: David V. Howe
Assessing Learning
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Writing Centers and Access: A Disability Justice Speaker Series" brings together the fields of composition, writing center studies, and disability studies to ask (and begin the process of answering) the question: How do writing centers engage the process of disability justice? Featuring world-renown disability studies scholars, the series seeks to generate conversation and provide community to teachers of writing, to writers, to writing center professionals, and to communities both on our campuses and beyond about the ways in which disability affects writers, writing, and higher education. The series is hosted by The Writing Center at MSU through the hard work of their Accessibility Committee, under the supervision of Dr. Karen Moroski-Rigney.
This series is still ongoing! The schedule and links to RSVP can be found in the upload below!
This series is still ongoing! The schedule and links to RSVP can be found in the upload below!
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu
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
Posted by: Ellie Louson
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu
The more educators can treat students as professional learners by providing them with reliable, timely, and accurate information about their progress in a course, the more likely it is that students will persist, thrive, and ultimately succeed in their educational journey.
The typical learning experience in American high schools is an in-person experience that is infused with online tools. Students are regularly required to engage with learning content in online platforms, and they have constant access to their grades, class announcements, and course materials via online and mobile platforms. Given that this is the most common learning experience students have prior to beginning at MSU, it follows that establishing a digital learning environment that mirrors the students’ known processes will create a more seamless transition into the MSU learning ecosystem.
An effective way to support student learning is for educators to use the learning management system as a student-centered academic hub for their course. At MSU, that means using D2L in specific, targeted ways that are intentionally geared toward meeting most students’ needs. In addition to optimizing the students’ experience, this intentional deployment of the learning management system serves to streamline much of the administrative load that is inherent in teaching, thereby simplifying many of the time-consuming tasks that often dominate educator’s lives. Accomplishing this need not require a comprehensive deployment of D2L in your course. In fact, using the LMS in four or five critical ways, and perhaps modifying your practices slightly to facilitate that use, can make a significant difference in students’ perceptions of your course.
1) Use the Grade Book
2) Post a syllabus and a clear schedule
3) Use the announcements tool
4) Distribute materials via D2L
5) (optionally) Use the digital drop box
Click the PDF below for more context on how these five simple steps can maximize the students' experience in your class, and streamline your teaching workflow at the same time.
The typical learning experience in American high schools is an in-person experience that is infused with online tools. Students are regularly required to engage with learning content in online platforms, and they have constant access to their grades, class announcements, and course materials via online and mobile platforms. Given that this is the most common learning experience students have prior to beginning at MSU, it follows that establishing a digital learning environment that mirrors the students’ known processes will create a more seamless transition into the MSU learning ecosystem.
An effective way to support student learning is for educators to use the learning management system as a student-centered academic hub for their course. At MSU, that means using D2L in specific, targeted ways that are intentionally geared toward meeting most students’ needs. In addition to optimizing the students’ experience, this intentional deployment of the learning management system serves to streamline much of the administrative load that is inherent in teaching, thereby simplifying many of the time-consuming tasks that often dominate educator’s lives. Accomplishing this need not require a comprehensive deployment of D2L in your course. In fact, using the LMS in four or five critical ways, and perhaps modifying your practices slightly to facilitate that use, can make a significant difference in students’ perceptions of your course.
1) Use the Grade Book
2) Post a syllabus and a clear schedule
3) Use the announcements tool
4) Distribute materials via D2L
5) (optionally) Use the digital drop box
Click the PDF below for more context on how these five simple steps can maximize the students' experience in your class, and streamline your teaching workflow at the same time.
Posted by: Jeremy Van Hof
Posted on: GenAI & Education
AI Commons Bulletin 1/13/2025
Human-curated news about generative AI for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
😮 Word of the Day: “AI-giarism”
“The unethical practice of using artificial intelligence technologies, particularly generative language models, to generate content that is plagiarized either from original human-authored work or directly from AI-generated content, without appropriate acknowledgement of the original sources or AI’s contribution.” (Chan, 2024)
Learn More: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-13151-7
💚 H-Net Hosts 2025 AI Symposium: Fear, Faith, and Praxis: Artificial Intelligence in the Humanities and Social Sciences
This year’s theme, “Fear, Faith, and Praxis: Artificial Intelligence, Humanities, and Social Sciences,” focuses on student-centered approaches to the use of AI in pedagogical practice and reassessing previous assumptions about AI. This two-day event will be held on MSU’s campus on Feb 20-21, 2025, and available via live stream on the H-Net Commons.
Learn More: https://networks.h-net.org/2025-ai-symposium
💬 Try This: Use AI to Make Peer Feedback More Effective
Use this prompt: ‘‘I teach a university class where students work on teams for the semester. You are my assistant, who is going to help me provide formative feedback to my students. I collect peer comments periodically throughout out the semester, and I would like you to summarize the comments into a performance feedback review in a way that is constructive and actionable. Additionally, the students assess themselves and I would like you to compare their responses to the peer feedback. The output should be in the form of a letter, and please exclude anything that is inappropriate for the workplace.’’ [If there are less than 2 comments for a student, please provide generic feedback only.]
Learn More: https://www.ijee.ie/1atestissues/Vol40-5/02_ijee4488.pdf
🫥 AI’s That Can Read Your Student’s Emotions
Google wants its AI bots to read emotions. Critics point out the dangers from misclassifying user behaviors. AND recent research suggests the science of “universal emotions” is culturally biased.
Learn More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/05/google-says-its-new-open-models-can-identify-emotions-and-that-has-experts-worried/
Bulletin items compiled by MJ Jackson and Sarah Freye with production assistance from Lisa Batchelder. Get the AI-Commons Bulletin on our Microsoft Teams channel, at aicommons.commons.msu.edu, or by email (send an email to aicommons@msu.edu with the word “subscribe”).
Bulletin items compiled by MJ Jackson and Sarah Freye with production assistance from Lisa Batchelder. Get the AI-Commons Bulletin on our Microsoft Teams channel, at aicommons.commons.msu.edu, or by email (send an email to aicommons@msu.edu with the word “subscribe”).
Human-curated news about generative AI for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
😮 Word of the Day: “AI-giarism”
“The unethical practice of using artificial intelligence technologies, particularly generative language models, to generate content that is plagiarized either from original human-authored work or directly from AI-generated content, without appropriate acknowledgement of the original sources or AI’s contribution.” (Chan, 2024)
Learn More: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-13151-7
💚 H-Net Hosts 2025 AI Symposium: Fear, Faith, and Praxis: Artificial Intelligence in the Humanities and Social Sciences
This year’s theme, “Fear, Faith, and Praxis: Artificial Intelligence, Humanities, and Social Sciences,” focuses on student-centered approaches to the use of AI in pedagogical practice and reassessing previous assumptions about AI. This two-day event will be held on MSU’s campus on Feb 20-21, 2025, and available via live stream on the H-Net Commons.
Learn More: https://networks.h-net.org/2025-ai-symposium
💬 Try This: Use AI to Make Peer Feedback More Effective
Use this prompt: ‘‘I teach a university class where students work on teams for the semester. You are my assistant, who is going to help me provide formative feedback to my students. I collect peer comments periodically throughout out the semester, and I would like you to summarize the comments into a performance feedback review in a way that is constructive and actionable. Additionally, the students assess themselves and I would like you to compare their responses to the peer feedback. The output should be in the form of a letter, and please exclude anything that is inappropriate for the workplace.’’ [If there are less than 2 comments for a student, please provide generic feedback only.]
Learn More: https://www.ijee.ie/1atestissues/Vol40-5/02_ijee4488.pdf
🫥 AI’s That Can Read Your Student’s Emotions
Google wants its AI bots to read emotions. Critics point out the dangers from misclassifying user behaviors. AND recent research suggests the science of “universal emotions” is culturally biased.
Learn More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/05/google-says-its-new-open-models-can-identify-emotions-and-that-has-experts-worried/
Bulletin items compiled by MJ Jackson and Sarah Freye with production assistance from Lisa Batchelder. Get the AI-Commons Bulletin on our Microsoft Teams channel, at aicommons.commons.msu.edu, or by email (send an email to aicommons@msu.edu with the word “subscribe”).
Bulletin items compiled by MJ Jackson and Sarah Freye with production assistance from Lisa Batchelder. Get the AI-Commons Bulletin on our Microsoft Teams channel, at aicommons.commons.msu.edu, or by email (send an email to aicommons@msu.edu with the word “subscribe”).
Posted by: Sarah Freye
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Disruptive Students - This was an assumed issue just for K-12 settings. However, we have the current events and issues impact students at all levels in different ways. This is an older resource that helps to identify specific disruptive behavior types and offers some strategies for dealing with them.
attached here and accessible at:
https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1590876479/northwestmsedu/mrlaokp6aqomejlcpd2f/copingwith7disruptivepersonalitytypes.pdf link
attached here and accessible at:
https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1590876479/northwestmsedu/mrlaokp6aqomejlcpd2f/copingwith7disruptivepersonalitytypes.pdf link
Posted by: Jay Loftus
Navigating Context
Posted on: Ungrading (a CoP)
the Center for Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities invites you to attend a workshop on Alternate Grading April 21st, from 10 to 11:30 am via Zoom.
We are honored to welcome Prof. Nicole Coleman of Wayne State University to run the workshop. If you are interested in learning ways to prioritize learning over grading and to make assessments more meaningful for students, you may want to consider a new grading system. Coleman will lead an interactive program on her experiences with teaching courses in both the Specs Grading and Ungrading structures. She will provide some information on how each system works and the theory behind them. She will then guide educators in adjusting an assignment or a syllabus to work with these methods. Please bring a rubric and/or a syllabus to the session to be able to participate fully in this workshop.
We are honored to welcome Prof. Nicole Coleman of Wayne State University to run the workshop. If you are interested in learning ways to prioritize learning over grading and to make assessments more meaningful for students, you may want to consider a new grading system. Coleman will lead an interactive program on her experiences with teaching courses in both the Specs Grading and Ungrading structures. She will provide some information on how each system works and the theory behind them. She will then guide educators in adjusting an assignment or a syllabus to work with these methods. Please bring a rubric and/or a syllabus to the session to be able to participate fully in this workshop.
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: CISAH
Please join the Center for Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities for our FALL FACULTY KICKOFF on Friday, August 25, from 10-11:30 am. In-person and virtual attendance options are available. See the attached flyer for more details, and please use the RSVP link below to let us know if you plan to attend.
https://forms.gle/jTZj7aZMzpvNboZF6
See you there!
https://forms.gle/jTZj7aZMzpvNboZF6
See you there!
Posted by: Garth J Sabo
Navigating Context
Host: CTLI
No Surprises: Designing Assignments Students Understand
This workshop introduces the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework as a tool for designing clear, equity-minded assignments. Participants will explore how transparency supports student success, reduce confusion and grading time, and learn how to structure assignments using the Transparent Assignment Design (TAD) model. The session includes strategies to improve student motivation, performance, and clarity around expectations.
Upon completion of this learning experience, participants will be able to:
understand the history of the TILT and it’s related research findings
describe how the TAD framework relates to equitable learning
define transparent assignment design and its key elements (purpose, task, criteria)
apply TAD best practices
identify resources for implementing the TAD framework.
Navigating Context
Host: MSU Libraries
Intro to Modeling for 3D Printing: TinkerCad Zipper Pull
Get creative with 3D printing in this hands-on beginner workshop at the MSU Libraries Hollander Makerspace—a space where all students can explore, design, and make.
You’ll learn how 3D printing works, design your own custom zipper pull using simple modeling tools in Tinkercad, and watch it print before your eyes. No experience needed—we’ll guide you step by step as you combine shapes to bring your design to life. Your custom zipper pull is yours to keep—use it to fix a broken zipper, personalize your gear, or show off your new tech skills!
Attendees will need to arrive with or be willing to make a free Tinkercad account with a valid email address.
Navigating Context
Host: MSU Libraries
Intro to 360 Room @ DSL: Drop-in Session
The 360 Room at the DSL is your gateway to collaborative learning, teaching and shared experiences. Look at work created by other MSU faculty, staff and students and start thinking about how you can take that next step to better present and engage, here and remotely across a range of disciplines.
Navigating Context
Host: MSU Libraries
MSU Libraries and The Poetry Room present Olivia Gatwood
Join the MSU Libraries and Lansing’s The Poetry Room for an afternoon of poetry, connection and conversation celebrating student, alumni and community voices. The event opens with performances from the MSU Poetry Club alongside recent alumni, spotlighting emerging talent and the power of being heard. The showcase will be followed by acclaimed poet, author and viral sensation Olivia Gatwood, whose work blends humor, intimacy and sharp social insight. Gatwood will share poems as well as excerpts from her 2024 novel “Whoever You Are, Honey,” offering an unfiltered look into her craft and creative journey. The afternoon will conclude with a Q&A — a mix of moderated conversation and audience participation — creating a rare opportunity to connect with one of today’s most dynamic literary voices.
Olivia Gatwood is the author of two poetry collections, “New American Best Friend” and “Life of the Party,” and co-writer of Adele’s music video “I Drink Wine.” She has received international recognition for her poetry, writing workshops and work as a Title IX-compliant educator in sexual assault prevention and recovery. Her performances have been featured on HBO, MTV, VH1, the BBC and more, with poems appearing in “The Poetry Foundation,” “Lambda Literary” and “The Missouri Review.” Originally from Albuquerque, she now lives in Los Angeles.
Event is free and open to all.
Navigating Context
Host: MSU Libraries
Latine Voces Uncensored: Symposium on Latine Narratives
The digital age has brought us virtually (pun, intended) limitless access to information in the digital age. Despite this access, Latine communities continue to confront the challenges of rampant misinformation, censorship and misrepresentation—influencing how Latines are depicted in news coverage to popular culture to domestic and international policies that directly impact (and harm) our communities. Accurate Latine narratives and exposure to our histories are as important as ever. In this timely and important symposium, we address representation and free speech through the lens of Puerto Rican storytelling.
Hosted by Latino Spartans & MSU Chicanx/Latinx Association (ChiLA).
Note: The first half of this event will take place at the Multicultural Center. The Library portion will begin at 1:30 in the Green Room.
Please register by clicking here
Navigating Context