April 23, 2013

Use learning contracts to encourage students to take responsibility for their learning

Create learning contracts for students in your courses with the following two purposes:

• Promote reading the syllabus at the start of the course
• Foster student ability to take responsibility for and self-regulate their learning

For first course assignment, ask students to create a draft of a learning contract in which the student establishes a learning goal to accomplish in your course during the term. Students should also describe the support they hope to receive from you (their instructor) and from their peers (their classmates) to help them attain this goal.  

The learning contract format contains the following elements:

A statement of the learning goal that meets the following criteria:

• The student should describe the relation between the learning goal and course content
• The goal must be achievable during one term
• The goal must be measureable

The student should describe each of the following in his/her learning contract:

• Actions he/she commits to complete during the term to accomplish this goal
• The kind of support he/she needs from his/her instructor to accomplish this learning goal
• The actions and activities he/she expects from peers in the course to help him/her accomplish this learning goal

During the first class session, include an activity in which students learn to write a learning goal using Bloom´s taxonomy (see the CUTLA web site for information on Bloom’s: http://uwf.edu/cutla/assessstudent.cfm and http://uwf.edu/cutla/writingslo.cfm). During the second class session, students should give one another feedback on their learning contracts and make adjustments to eliminate actions and expectations that are not reasonable. Ask students to submit their final draft at the end of class or post it in eLearning by the end of the week. 

During the term, ask students to complete a self-assessment exercise two or three times before the end of the term. In this activity, the students should evaluate their progress toward achieving their learning goals by responding to closed and open ended questions. 

Suggestions for self-assessment questions:

• How much progress have you made towards attaining your learning goal this term?
• Describe any aspects of the class that help you meet your learning goal.
• Describe any aspects of the class that made learning more difficult.
• What changes do you plan to make in your learning activities to help you attain your learning goal?
• What would you like your instructor to do differently to help you meet your learning goal?
• What would you like your peers/classmatesto do differently for the rest of the term to help you meet your learning goal?

Distribute the self-assessment to students through e-mail as a Google Form, which will enable you to collect responses in an Excel spreadsheet. Summarize the students’ responses during class to facilitate a group discussion on how the class is progressing and how students feel about their learning progress. The learning contract activity engages students in the course content and helps instructors identify aspects of the class that students perceive to help and hinder their learning. The self-assessments help students become aware of the relation between their activities and effort and their level of success in attaining their learning goals.  

This tip is based on a teaching strategy submitted to the Teaching Issues Writing Consortium by Anabella Martinez, Professor of the Education Department and Director of the Centro for Teaching Excellence (CEDU), Universidad del Norte (Barranquilla, Colombia).

WKU Writer’s Consortium

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October 2, 2012

eLearning crashed just as I tried to submit my paper to the Drop Box!  Ensure students have technical assistance with eLearning when planning assignments

Our culture has a long tradition of deadlines that end at midnight (think of the deadline for filing your taxes with the IRS).  Although students “ought” to plan their work to accommodate unexpected obstacles near the submission deadline, some deadlines might be more punitive to procrastinators than others.  A particularly punishing deadline is one that occurs when students have no access to assistance with last-minute technical problems.

When you select deadlines for student work that requires the use of technology (e.g., electronic submissions of work to a drop box in eLearning, access to a timed online quiz, assignments that require use of a limited-access piece of technology), give some consideration to when campus help resources are available to students for technical support. 

• Check with the Academic Technology Center (ATC) for information on regularly scheduled system updates and avoid creating deadlines on dates that coincide with times when eLearning is scheduled to be taken offline for routine service. 
• Set deadlines for times when campus technology help desks are open and staffed.  Procrastinating students might still have panics and difficulties with last-minute technical problems, but they can at least seek assistance and might still manage to meet the deadline.  Midnight closing deadlines are not kind to students who encounter technical problems.

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November 15, 2011

Motivate students to learn by offering “extra credit” opportunities that reinforce course learning outcomes

Near the end of a term, more students will ask their instructors if they will give them opportunities to earn extra credit to improve a course grade.  Instructors have many good reasons to object to these requests.  Completing an extra assignment requires time that a struggling student ought to allocate to study and completion of regular course assignments.  Students often expect that the extra work will earn all the credit they need to make the target grade.  If a student spends time on an extra assignment and still does badly in the course, the unmet expectations create a conflict between the student and the instructor.  If the extra credit activity is unrelated to the primary learning outcomes of the course, the inflated grades will fail to accurately describe student achievement on the student learning outcomes for the course.

The following assignments and activities can be used to provide students with opportunities to improve their course grade and motivate students to learn the intended course skills and content.

• For large classes using multiple-choice exams, include an optional short essay question as a “bonus question.”  Students who have difficulty with multiple-choice questions have an opportunity to demonstrate their learning in an essay (and improve poor performance on the main exam).  High performing students might earn grades of more than 100%, but this will not impact the distribution of grades in the course.
• Create an extra-credit assignment such as completing a practice quiz in eLearning or writing a short paper that applies a concept from current course readings and lectures to a practical problem.  The assignment must be submitted before the exam date.  In this case, when students complete the extra credit assignment, they also engage in structured study of course content for the exam.
• Students write and submit multiple-choice questions for course content that the instructor might actually include on the course exam.  The student who writes a question included on the exam will get an added benefit when taking the exam.  Award extra credit only for exam-worthy questions to avoid problems created when students submit trivial fact-based questions that do little to improve their understanding of course material.
• Suggest course-related web or print resources that explain or illustrate course concepts effectively and accurately.  Require students to submit an evaluation of the resource and describe why the resource is effective for learning.  This assignment should have a due date earlier than the scheduled exam date on this course content.
• Allow students to revise and resubmit an assignment to earn up to half of the points missed in the original submission.  Manage the extra grading produced by this option and avoid an end-of-the semester rush for extra credit by requiring resubmission no later than one week after the work is returned to the class.   

Thanks to Ed Gehringer, North Carolina State University, Stacy Jacob, Texas Tech University, Stuart McKelvie, Bishop’s University, and June Pilcher, Clemson University for suggestions included in this teaching tip.

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November 1, 2011

Use learning outcomes to organize class lectures and lessons and focus student attention

Begin developing a class lecture or plan for the class discussion with the specific student learning outcomes you intend to promote during that lecture.  This approach will shift your focus from pure content coverage to student learning and understanding.  Students have difficulty separating the essential course content from other content included in a lecture.  If you clearly identify three or four main concepts and how these are related to one another as the primary goal of a given class session, you can focus the class discussion and activities on those key learning outcomes.  Packing more content into a 50-minute block of time does not necessarily lead to more student learning or guarantee retention or understanding of all of the content presented.  Students benefit from class time spent engaging in content-related problem solving and activities that require them to integrate content into a larger, coherent representation of how content is related to larger course questions and themes.

Want to learn more about backward course design?

Fink, D. (2003).  Creating significant learning experiences:  An integrated approach to designing college courses.  San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.

Nilson, L. B. (2007).  The graphic syllabus and the outcomes map:  Communicating your course.  San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.

Tip based on suggestions included in Sibley, J., and Canuto, L. (2010).  Guide to teaching for new faculty at UBC.  Available at http://issuu.com/ubc-aspc-cis/docs/faculty_guide-2010

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August 30, 2011

Using the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) to improve courses and student learning

Many faculty rely on an informal process in which they reflect on the success of teaching strategies or assignments throughout the term and think about how these might be improved.  These reflections inform decisions the instructor makes when revising assignments and structuring the course in future terms.  This strategy of ongoing reflection on teaching and learning can be an effective way to improve one’s teaching and improve the quality of student learning in a course. 

An instructor who gathers documentation about how courses and assignments evolve over time will develop good materials to include in an annual evaluation or tenure portfolio to document the quality of teaching.  A more systematic approach that includes formal assessments of student learning demonstrated in course assignments might produce high-quality evidence that revised teaching strategies are effective.  An instructor could submit this scholarly work on teaching and learning for publication in a peer reviewed journal on teaching.  These peer-reviewed SoTL publications could be included as documentation of research and scholarship in annual evaluations and tenure portfolios.

Finding the time and resources to implement a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning project in a course can be a challenge.  The Assessment Grants offered by the Academic Programs Assessment Council include a category to support faculty SoTL projects.  The faculty grants will fund up to $1,000 for projects in which faculty use assessment evidence to evaluate the impact of a change in teaching strategy or new activity on student learning related to program-level student learning outcomes in a required course in the degree program.  For more information on Faculty SoTL Project grants, review the Request for Proposals and rubric used by APAC reviewers housed on the Provost Office web page (http://uwf.edu/academic/apac/).  The CUTLA web site provides resources on how to develop a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning project (http://uwf.edu/cutla/sotl.cfm).  Contact Claudia Stanny at CUTLA for a consultation on how to develop a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning project.

NOTE:  Deadline for submitting an APAC Assessment Grant proposal is September 16, 2011.

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August 23, 2011

Use an annotated syllabus to track your thinking about course design and teaching

The UWF Tenure and Promotion Guidelines (2010) include course syllabi as one example of artifacts that faculty might include in a tenure portfolio to document their contribution to high quality teaching.  An annotated syllabus is an artifact that is based on a simple course syllabus and then grows in scope and in depth as instructors add annotations and links to additional materials.  An annotated syllabus is an ideal mechanism for prompting and tracking your reflections about teaching and learning that contribute to good course design.  You can also use an annotated syllabus to document the intellectual work you invest in teaching.  

Another advantage to creating an annotated syllabus is the immediate and tangible benefit to course development.  How often do you identify useful changes you might make to a course midway through the term?  Changes might consist of better ways to design an assignment or modifications that improve an in-class learning activity.  It is seldom possible to implement these changes during the term that you first think of them.  Unless we capture these good ideas when they arise, we might not recall them or our rationale for making changes the next time we prepare for this course.  

Annotated syllabi can motivate reflection on your assumptions about course design.  Notations allow you to pose questions such as “is this textbook really accomplishing what I want from it?” or “does my policy about class participation motivate students to give their best?” or “is my grading rubric as clear as it can be about different levels of performance?”  These notations will remind you to revisit these questions later, when you are more likely to have the time to explore other options for course design.

Annotate your syllabus in ways that serve your goals for improving the course and your teaching.  Include annotations for questions you have about the course or teaching activities, to indicate where you are considering making changes, to explain the scholarly thinking that informed your decision about an aspect of the course design, or indicate assignments or other graded work that provide opportunities for you to assess how well students are achieving a desired learning outcome in the course.  

Consider reading a book about instructional improvement or course design that could serve to prompt your own questioning about instructional choices.  Some titles available from the CUTLA library that may be useful are:

• Ken Bain (2004).   What the best college teachers do.
• Stephen Brookfield (2005).  The skillful teacher (2nd ed).
• L. Dee Fink (2003).  Creating significant learning experiences:  An integrated approach to designing college courses.
• Maryellen Weimer (2002).   Learner-centered teaching: Five key changes to practice.

Creating an annotated syllabus

Save a copy of your current syllabus in Word under a file name that identifies it as your annotated syllabus.  Open the Review menu in Word and use the comments feature to add annotations at relevant points in your syllabus.  Add a date to each comment to indicate when you implement these changes to the course syllabus.  You can add reflections on the impact of changes in later terms.

You can view samples of annotated syllabi created by faculty at Metropolitan State College of Denver at http://metrofacultydevelopment.pbworks.com.

This tip is based on a teaching strategy submitted by Mark Potter, Director, Center for Faculty Development, Metropolitan State College of Denver (www.mscd.edu/cfd/).

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April 19, 2011

Balance flexibility and fairness through course design

College students lead increasingly busy lives, juggling college courses, off-campus work schedules, family responsibilities, and other demands of personal life.  When planning a course, consider the need to balance work and life, for your students and for yourself. 

Maryellen Weimer (2006) encourages instructors to occasionally put themselves in their students’ shoes by taking a college course outside their field of expertise every few years.  Attending an out-of-field course has several benefits. 

• You will learn something new and interesting and will serve as a model for life-long learning for students.
• You might observe an intriguing new teaching strategy that might be adapted to teaching in your discipline. 
• The experience of being a novice learner in a discipline with a vocabulary, approach to solving problems, or writing conventions that differ from those used in your discipline can help you identify areas in your field that present similar challenges to students in your classes.  This experience might inspire you to provide more detailed explanations of difficult concepts or create additional opportunities for students to practice challenging new skills and improve their success in learning. 
• Your experience with conflicts between class demands and the various professional demands associated with your own teaching, service, and research might sensitize you to the conflicts students experience and inform your decisions about setting deadlines when you plan a future course.  Consider whether your course deadlines occur at the same time as those of other courses students are likely to take.  Consider building in some flexibility for deadlines.  Keep in mind that you must also protect your own workload and time management!  Hold students to reasonable standards and deadlines, be compassionate and empathic to student requests for flexible arrangements for deadlines, but avoid granting special treatment to individual students unless extraordinary circumstances do require these unique adjustments.  Reserve your right to determine boundaries or “lines in the sand” that cannot be violated without undermining course quality (Robertson, 2003).

This tip is based on a suggestion from Mark Potter, Center for Faculty Development, Metropolitan State College of Denver (http://www.mscd.edu/cfd/).

Robertson, D. (2003).  Making time, making change: Avoiding overload in college teaching. Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press. 

Weimer, M. (2006).  Enhancing scholarly work on teaching and learning: Professional literature that makes a difference.  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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March 29, 2011

Preparing for the end of the term:  Strategies for deterring grade complaints and coping with them when they occur

Strategies for deterring complaints

• Beware of unplanned extra credit opportunities.  At this point in the term, students may beg for extra credit work but are likely to do this work badly and complain that the work did not improve their grade as much as they expected.  Incomplete grades that permit extra time to complete an extra credit assignment easily turn into an F and leave the student with a worse grade than he or she might have otherwise earned.
• Recheck your syllabus grading policies and your math to avoid situations in which an unexpectedly low grade is in fact your mistake.  If it is your mistake, own it, apologize, and correct the grade promptly.
• You can be empathetic toward students who are stressed about a grade without changing or compromising your standards.  Offer advice for avoiding these problems in future classes if it is too late to recover from poor performance in your class.
• Some students will complain, no matter what you do.  The final criterion to guide grading assignments is whether the quality of student work matches the learning objectives of the course.  Create rubrics for grading assignments that clearly articulate the criteria you will use to judge student work.  When you communicate your criteria clearly, students will have fewer questions and fewer complaints about how you evaluated their work.
• Consult the student’s SASS report to confirm any claims that a student might make about the impact of a grade on his or her academic progress or status at the university. In spite of what a student might assert, your course is never the “only one” that will prevent a student from maintaining his or her academic standing, keeping a financial aid award, or participating in a university-sponsored team or activity.  These decisions are based on the student’s entire academic record. 

Strategies for coping when complaints occur

• You don’t have to make any decision about a student problem or student request the moment it is presented to you.  Wait (but not past the grade deadline) until you and the student are calm and you have complete information.  Everyone is stressed near the end of the term and we don’t make good decisions when stressed or partially informed.
• Be careful about handling student issues via e-mail.  It is usually better to call the student on the phone.  Remember that if a parent calls or e-mails you, FERPA standards limit what you can discuss and reveal about student performance without the student’s permission.  Refer parent questions to the department chair, college dean or university registrar.
• Record the events surrounding any grade complaint.  Keep any e-mail correspondence with the student and copies of relevant assignments or exams, in case the complaint moves to the department chair for review.  No one likes to be surprised.  Alert your department chair of problematic situations when these emerge and before they escalate. 

And for fun (in anticipation of Finals Week)

Visit the fantasy software Grader 2.95 created by Sally Kuhlenschmidt, Director, Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching (FaCET), Western Kentucky University

http://www.wku.edu/~sally.kuhlenschmidt/fantasygrader.htm

This tip was adapted from a contribution to the Teaching and Learning Writing Consortium, (sponsored by Western Kentucky University) by Sally L. Kuhlenschmidt, Ph.D., Director, Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching (FaCET), Professor, Department of Psychology, Western Kentucky University.

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February 8, 2011

Design courses that align learning outcomes with assignments, class activities, and assessments:  Make the implicit explicit for improved student learning

Do you expect students to write professionally, using the accepted style of your discipline?  Do you expect students to develop critical thinking skills that characterize scholarly thinking in your discipline?  Do you hope your students will develop creativity in your course?  Do you tell students directly about these expectations?  Or are these implicit expectations?

How often have you thought, If I had only known that you wanted me to do that, I would have done it.  We might have said this to an annoyed spouse, a funding agency that declined to fund our project, editors of journals, or major professors.  We all appreciate when others clearly describe exactly what they expect us to do.  When making requests ourselves, we often assume that some expectations “go without saying.”  This assumption can set the stage for miscommunication, frustration, and disappointment with the work produced.

A recent review of syllabi for General Education courses indicated that the student learning outcomes described on syllabi focused almost entirely on course content.  Although skills in writing, thinking, analysis of data, use of scholarly sources in argument, working effectively as a collaborator on a team, or adherence to professional ethics were implied in many assignments and course activities, these learning outcomes were seldom articulated as course student learning outcomes.  Identify student learning outcomes related to implicit expectations about skills acquired along with content knowledge to clearly communicate course goals to students and colleagues. 

Course redesign is a process in which faculty reflect on the relationship between their course goals, stated learning outcomes, the structure, activities, and assignments in a course, and the procedures used to evaluate and assess student learning.  A well-aligned course is one in which the instructor intentionally creates classroom instruction, activities, or assignments that develop the skills describe in the SLOS.  These courses will include assignments, projects, or exams that clearly assess these learning outcomes.

Contact the Center for University Teaching, Learning, and Assessment if you would like to discuss course redesign for a course that you currently teach or design a course you are thinking about developing. 

Resources on Course Design

Diamond, R. M.  (2008).  Designing and assessing courses and curricula:  A practical guide (3rd ed.).  San Francisco, CA:  Jossey-Bass.

Fink, L. D. (2003) Creating significant learning experiences:  An integrated approach to designing college courses.  San Francisco, CA:  Jossey-Bass.

Wehlburg, C. M. (2006).  Meaningful course revision:  Enhancing academic engagement using student learning data.  Bolton, MA:  Anker.

Wulff, D. H. (Ed.).  (2005).  Aligning for learning:  Strategies for teaching effectiveness.  Bolton, MA:  Anker.

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January 11, 2011

Include an assignment on evaluating sources to develop skills in scholarly research

Faculty often tell their students that they must only use scholarly sources in their research projects and papers, but many students have trouble distinguishing between scholarly and popular sources.  Consider including an activity on the evaluation of sources that highlights the differences between such scholarly writings and other sources.

Suggested activities on the evaluation of sources

• Students conduct an “initial appraisal” of different types of sources (e.g., website, newspaper article, article in a general-circulation magazine, scholarly article, book).  Identify characteristics of the source that are frequently used to evaluate the quality of the source:  Who is the author?  What is the author’s basis for recognition as an authority?  When was the work written?  Who is the publisher?  What type of work does this publisher typically produce? 
• Students conduct a “content analysis” of the material in a source.  Who is the intended audience for this work?  Does the author use objective reasoning or does the author use other methods of persuasion?  What is the scope of the material?  What type of writing style is used (scholarly, popular audience, sales)?  Has the material been reviewed or evaluated before publication (and who was the reviewer)?
• Discuss the standards for research and writing in your discipline.  Describe the necessary components of quality research articles (literature reviews, etc).  Describe the peer-review process in the discipline.  Explain where students can learn about the specific peer review process used by a particular publication.

Talk with your subject-specialist librarian if you need assistance finding sample materials or developing one of these assignments.  You may also assign one of the Pace Library Evaluating Sources Tutorials (e.g., scholarly journals vs. popular magazines) and quizzes as a graded activity for the course.   Assignments that require students to evaluate the quality of source material promotes information literacy and critical thinking skills and helps students identify quality sources in a variety of source formats for future assignments.

Olin Library Reference, Research and Learning Services, Cornell University Library. (2009). Critically Analyzing Information Sources. Retrieved from the Olin & Uris Libraries Web Site:  http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/skill26.htm

University of West Florida Libraries. (2010). Online Tutorials. Retrieved from the UWF Libraries Web Site: http://library.uwf.edu/tutorials/.

Thanks to Britt McGowan, Pace Library, for contributing this teaching tip.

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November 16, 2010

Web Resources on Course Design

Dee Fink, author of Creating Significant Learning Experiences, has launched a web site with resources on how to design courses that encourage student engagement and produce better student learning.  http://www.designlearning.org/

The web site includes examples of course designs and links to useful print resources related to course design.  An especially good resource on this site is the report, Enhancing student learning through effective formative feedback (2004).

Juwah, C., Macfarlane-Dick, D., Matthew, B., Nicol, D., Ross, D., & Smith, B.  (2004).  Enhancing student learning through effective formative feedback,  York, UK: The Higher Education Academy (Generic Centre).

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November 9, 2010

Improve the technical preparation of students in your class by describing the technical skills and specialized software needed for your course during course registration

Students will begin registering for courses on November 15. 

All UWF students are expected to have an active ArgoNet e-mail account, regular access to e-mail (2-3 times a week), and basic skills in the use of a word processor.  Many courses make additional demands on technology skills, including the ability to use web conferencing for Elluminate sessions, access to D2L, the ability to use course functions in D2L (such as uploading material to an assignment drop box), and the use of specialized software required for tasks such as statistical analysis, creation of power point presentations, or creation and manipulation of digital images. 

The academic course search pages on the UWF web site include icons for each course that allow students to view the course syllabus, determine whether the course is an eLearning course or a distance learning course (and whether the instructor will be present in the location for that section), determine the extent of computer use expected in the course, and identify other technology needs associated with the course (special software available only in a lab, Elluminate, need to purchase a clicker, use of proctored exams, and other specialized software or technology needs).

If you expect students to use specific technology in your course, identify these needs on your syllabus and set the appropriate technology codes for the course.  After logging into MyUWF, select the Classmate App and then click on the Syllabus/Tech Codes link under Action to open an interface for uploading your syllabus.  This interface also includes drop-down menus that allow instructors to set technology codes for their course.  When a technology code is selected, the appropriate icon will appear in the course search output for this course.  A full list of the technology codes available for the course search interface can be found at https://nautical.uwf.edu/people/techCodesExplained.cfm.

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November 2, 2010

Improve team dynamics by providing resources to help students develop and complete a major group project

The Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation at Clemson University published an 88-page resource, Successful Strategies for Teams: Team Member Handbook (Kennedy & Nilson, 2008), that is designed for students to guide them through the potentially treacherous waters of completing a major group project.  The Team Member Handbook equips students with techniques and templates based on models from corporate experience that are effective in making teams more productive, efficient, and successful.  Specifically, these techniques help teams organize information, organize and run effective meetings, and generate useful member contributions.  This handbook promotes a variety of learning outcomes for students:

• recognize different team player styles and identify what each style contributes to the team
• organize a new team with clear ground rules, roles, and responsibilities
• organize and run effective team meetings that stay on track
• practice sound project and time planning
• solve problems effectively by following a series of steps
• apply qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques to solving problems
• describe when and how to use the appropriate organizational, data collection, and analysis tools for a team task.

Sections of the handbook address why students should learn to excel at teamwork, the stages of team development, team player styles, mental models of teamwork, teamwork skills, ways to troubleshoot group problems, and tools for organizing, problem solving, and collecting and analyzing information.

Successful Strategies for Teams: Team Member Handbook
by Frances A. Kennedy, Ph.D. with Linda B. Nilson, Ph.D
Available as a free download to everyone at:
http://www.clemson.edu/OTEI/documents/TeamworkHandbook.pdf

You can also download an Excel spreadsheet with templates for team planning tools:
http://www.clemson.edu/OTEI/documents/team-tools.xls

This tip was adapted from a contribution to the Teaching and Learning Writing Consortium (sponsored by Western Kentucky University), by Linda B. Nilson, Ph.D., Director, Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation, Clemson University (www.clemson.edu/OTEI).

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October 26, 2010

Balance flexibility and fairness when designing courses

Learner-centeredness shifts responsibility for learning to students by creating varied learning opportunities and multiple evaluation options that allow students to make choices and determine how they will demonstrate their learning (Weimer, 2002).  Learner-centered course designs simultaneously hold students responsible for their learning and provide allowances for flexibility when life “interrupts” their studies, while preserving our “lines in the sand” for academic standards and our sanity.

Students need to know that submitting work late creates obstacles for getting and using feedback effectively.  Still, life sometimes gets in the way of the best of intentions.  Instructors who provide flexible solutions for these situations create opportunities for students to manage deadlines and learn material without delivering instructions or course material multiple times. 

Examples of course design ideas that accomplish this:

1. Include carrots that create incentives for on-time submission of assignments.  Grant the option to rewrite a paper and incorporate your feedback for an improved grade only to those students who submit their work on time.  You might accept papers late (up to a limit for efficient grading on your part, e.g., up to three days late) but only timely submissions earn the right to improve the work for a second review.
2. Create flexibility with reasonable boundaries.  Give students a “syllabus quiz” in the first week of the semester.  Every student who passes earns 5 credits that can be “cashed in” to offset penalties for turning in work late (1 credit = 1 day past the due date).  Students can cash in all of their credits at once with one assignment, or they can split them across assignments at different times in the semester.  In this case, students earn “wiggle room” for deadlines and must use their “late options” wisely.

Weimer, M. (2002). Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 

This tip was adapted from a contribution to the Teaching and Learning Writing Consortium, (sponsored by Western Kentucky University) by Mark Potter, Center for Faculty Development, Metropolitan State College of Denver (http://www.mscd.edu/cfd/).

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October 5, 2010

Request closed captioning feature or obtain a companion transcript when ordering DVDs to ensure compliance with ADA

Segments of video from a DVD can be a great way to liven up a lecture or engage students with material in an online course.  However, instructors should be aware of the ADA implications associated with these materials, which might not be accessible to a student who has difficulty hearing. 

Many commercial materials are available with closed captioning and/or printed transcript options.  When ordering these materials, request these features to prevent future difficulties if a student who needs accommodations for hearing impairments enrolls in your class.  Although making transcripts available to accommodate students with documented disabilities is necessary for ADA compliance, including these features for all students is beneficial to student learning.  Hearing students appreciate having access to a transcript to clarify speech that might be garbled in the audio or to rapidly review the content in follow-up study.  Arranging for closed captioning or transcripts for existing materials can be extremely costly.  These expenses can be avoided if care is taken at the time departments place orders for these materials.

Learn how to turn on the closed caption or subtitles feature of  DVDs used in class.  In addition to being prepared to accommodate the needs of hearing impaired students, displaying the captions will benefit students who may have difficulty hearing the audio because of poor quality sound systems, a noisy air handler in the room, a groundskeeper running equipment adjacent to the building, or various auditory distractions created by other students.   Many difficulties can be forestalled if these features are requested when placing an order. 

1. Check DVD Remote Controller for Closed Captioning On/Off Toggle. If present, set to "On"
2.  If the remote controller does not contain a closed captioning toggle, enable the Online Remote Menu of the remote control device to see if the Remote Control can be set to a closed captioning menu default for on/off for closed captioning.  Set this default to ON.
3. If running the DVD from a PC or Menu Enabled DVD Player, go to extra features menu of the DVD, usually found on the main menu screen of newer DVD's.  In the "extra features" determine if there is a Closed Captioning option from the extra features presented, usually these are located separately or with the other language options if present (e.g., French, Spanish options). 
4. Contact ITS for assistance with a DVD player that uses a different protocol.  Consider bringing your laptop for use in class that day.  Laptop computers using either WinDVD (PCs) or a Mac DVD player can usually detect and display closed captioning.
5. If none of these options work or are available, request the library to purchase a transcript for the DVD.  These are available for better quality DVD (e.g., a PBS documentary will always include a transcript option).  The library will be happy to consider these purchases as necessary.

Thanks to the following members of the UWF community for assistance with this tip:
Dr. Vannee Cao Nguyen, SDRC
Dr. Ray Uzwyshyn, Head of Digital and Learning Technologies, Pace Library
Dr. Vance Burgess, Director, Distance & Continuing Education
Dr. Michael White, ITS

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September 21, 2010
Textbook affordability:  Encourage students to read by making sure they have access to a text

Many students have difficulty acquiring course texts, especially at the start of the term if they must delay purchasing texts until after their financial aid has been disbursed.  Instructors have several options to help make textbooks more affordable for their students.

• Place a copy of required texts on reserve.  Some instructors will place a copy of the required course text on reserve in the library to provide immediate access to the text for students who might not be able to make an immediate purchase. 
• Textbook rental program.  The UWF bookstore initiated a textbook rental program in the Fall Term, 2010.  Timely submission of the titles selected for use in your course in future terms will enable the bookstore to determine which of these textbooks are available for rental.  The bookstore requests that texts for the Spring Term be ordered by mid-October.  Orders for Summer Term should be submitted by mid-March.  Orders for Fall Term should be submitted by mid-April.  

Information about accessing the textbook rental program is available at:  http://www.bkstr.com/CategoryDisplay/10001-529757-10759-1?demoKey=d

• Consider selecting a textbook from the Orange Grove.  UWF participates in the Florida Orange Grove, Florida’s Digital Repository of electronic texts and instructional resources.  Visit the Orange Grove at: http://florida.theorangegrove.org/og/logon.do and select the “log in as guest” link. Click “Browse Collections” and then select the Open Textbooks Collection.  You can search for items by keywords, titles, and author names, or browse the textbooks.  Additional textbooks are available through Orange Grove Text Plus, a partnership of the Florida Orange Grove and the University Press of Florida. 

Visit the FAQ page for the Florida Orange Grove for additional information, including pricing information:  http://www.theorangegrove.org/OGTtest.htm

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April 13, 2010

What is Universal Design of Instruction?

Universal Design of Instruction (UDI) is an approach to teaching that consists of a proactive design and use of inclusive instructional strategies that benefit a broad range of learners including students with disabilities. 

The seven principles of UDI provide a framework for faculty to use when designing or revising instruction to be responsive to diverse student learners and to minimize the need for "special" accommodations and retrofitted changes to the learning environment. UDI operates on the premise that the planning and delivery of instruction as well as the evaluation of learning can incorporate inclusive attributes that embrace diversity in learners without compromising academic standards.

Seven Principles of UDI

1. Equitable Use. The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities. For example, a website that is designed so that it is accessible to everyone, including students who are blind and using text-to-speech software, employs this principle.
2. Flexibility in Use. The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. An example is a museum that allows a visitor to choose to read or listen to the description of the contents of a display case.
3. Simple and Intuitive. Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level. Science lab equipment with control buttons that are clear and intuitive is a good example of an application of this principle.
4. Perceptible Information. The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities. An example of this principle being employed is when multimedia projected in a noisy academic conference exhibit includes captioning.
5. Tolerance for Error. The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions. An example of a product applying this principle is educational software that provides guidance when the student makes an inappropriate selection.
6. Low Physical Effort. The design can be used efficiently and comfortably, and with a minimum of fatigue. Doors that are easy to open by people with a wide variety of physical characteristics demonstrate the application of this principle.
7. Size and Space for Approach and Use. Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of the user's body size, posture, or mobility. A science lab work area designed for use by students with a wide variety of physical characteristics and abilities is an example of employing this principle.

Information about UDI is from the University of Washington DO-IT program.
http://www.washington.edu/doit/

The guidelines are from The Center for Universal Design at North Carolina University.
http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/

Thanks to Vannee Cao-Nguyen, Ed.D., Assistant Director of the UWF Student Disability Resource Center for this teaching tip.

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April 6, 2010

Help students organize their learning by identifying the “big questions” for your course

Gerald Nosich (2009) points out that any large body of knowledge has a core belief, “a fundamental and powerful concept . . . that can be used to explain or think out a huge body of questions, problems, information, and situations.”  Fundamental concepts are useful for instruction because they help students understand and organize the course content.  Blythe and Sweet note that they begin their courses in World Literature each semester with a discussion of one fundamental idea that illuminates the overall content of the course:  Art reflects its culture.  In each subsequent class, they discuss how the work studied that day reveals something about the culture that produced it. 

Identifying a few fundamental concepts for your course serves two purposes. First, it demonstrates your own mastery of the subject.  Second, it creates a touchstone for your students to organize their understanding of new content throughout the semester. These fundamental concepts will also transfer to other courses within the discipline.  When students complete a course in World Literature and then take a course in English or American Literature, they will begin these courses with the advantage of knowing that the works they will study will reveal aspects of English or American culture.

Tip contributed by Hal Blythe and Charlie Sweet, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY.

Nosich, G. (2009). Learning to think things through: A guide to critical thinking across the curriculum (3rd ed.)  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

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March 30, 2010

Use effective grading strategies to help survive the demands of grading during finals week

• Remember that judgment is a part of every grade, whether it is a judgment about what to measure, how to measure it, or how to assign a point value to a component of student work when computing a grade.

• If your criteria for learning are clear, student work is easier to score and score consistently. Rubrics help you score more efficiently and provide feedback that informs students about how they might improve their work.  Visit http://uwf.edu/cutla/rubricdevelopment.cfm  for a description of rubric development and links to examples of rubrics for a variety of assignments.
  
  
• Pace the grading task so that you remain fresh.  Break the task into components that will allow you to complete each component in one sitting (e.g., grade all student responses to essay question one in one grading session, then grade all responses to essay question two in a separate grading session).  Distributing the task over several sessions will enable you to grade each question efficiently and consistently. You can defer grading remaining questions to another day, when you will be rested.
  
  
• Make notes while grading about things you want to change in your next set of instructions, based on common student errors.  Keep these notes for your contribution to departmental documentation of use of assessment evidence for improvement of courses – your department chair and colleagues will appreciate this contribution to departmental assessment efforts!
  
  
• If the paper isn’t going to be returned to the student (or if you know that students seldom pick up these papers), don’t mark a lot of feedback.  Make minimal notes that are sufficiently detailed to document your decisions should a student raise a question about his or her grade. 

Thanks to Sally L. Kuhlenschmidt, Ph.D., Director, Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching (FaCET), Western Kentucky University,  for contributions to this teaching tip.
http://www.wku.edu/teaching/

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August 11, 2009

Planning a course syllabus to adapt to emergencies

Hurricane season reaches its peak during the first half of the fall term. Many instructors on the Gulf Coast plan their course calendars to accommodate a potential “hurricane day” much as instructors in other regions make contingency plans for “snow days.” Another incentive to make contingency plans for emergencies is the current concern over the emergence of a contagious illness that might limit face-to-face interactions (such as the H1N1 virus).

The UWF emergency planning team has created guidelines for contingency plan in the event of a campus closure or limited operation associated with inclement weather or a pandemic. Consult these guidelines (http://uwfemergency.org/) for planning information that could be included in your syllabus.

The Syllabus Construction page (http://uwf.edu/cutla/frs-syllabus.cfm) provides suggested language for the syllabus that refers students to sources of official information and describes various contingency plans that faculty might implement for ensuring continuity of courses following an emergency.

The following language can be added to a syllabus to inform students about how information about campus emergencies will be disseminated:

Official Emergency Information

• WUWF-FM (88.1 MHz) is the official information source for the university. Any pertinent information regarding closings, cancellations, and the re-opening of campus will be broadcast.
• In the event that hurricane preparation procedures are initiated, the UWF Home Web Page and MyUWF will both provide current information regarding hurricane preparations procedures, the status of classes, and the closing of the university.

Information about hurricane preparedness plans is available on the UWF web site:
http://uwfemergency.org/hurricaneprep.cfm

Information about other emergency procedures is available on the UWF web site:
http://uwfemergency.org/

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August 20, 2009

Developing information literacy skills

Are you planning to include an assignment in your class that requires a search for relevant resources in the scholarly literature? When students have a large writing assignment or research-based project, they frequently make the error of procrastinating and begin their search for relevant sources too late in the term. In their rush to find suitable materials, students may cut corners and use inappropriate materials or, worse, use materials inappropriately. In addition, many students tend to carry out a search in Google (and the “wiser” students search using Google Scholar).

Consider scheduling a classroom workshop with a Reference Librarian in your discipline to develop student skills searching relevant databases for disciplinary scholarly resources, identify appropriate scholarly sources, and evaluate the quality of information located on web sites. Create an assignment connected to the workshop such as developing an annotated bibliography on the assignment topic as a prompt to begin a large research/writing project early in the term. Creating a series of preliminary assignments related to these projects also serves as a deterrent to problems such as submitting a literature review paper found on a web site.

 

Updated 05/17/13 cdw