Transformative Dialogues: Teaching and Learning Journal
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Reimagining a Sociology Course for Improved Student Engagement: Lessons on Design and Delivery
Get PDFThe purpose of this reflective essay is to offer commentary on the pedagogical potential of deploying innovative approaches for course (re)design in an effort to improve student engagement. It focuses on the experiences of one faculty member who utilized design thinking and user experience research to reimagine an Introduction to Sociology course as a lab science to achieve just that. It highlights two phases of a course (re)design that centered the needs of students in order to make pedagogical changes. We share this reflective essay in hopes of inspiring other teacher-scholars to use the lessons on design and delivery to reimagine their own practices. Further inquiry, including empirical research, is needed to better understand the efficacy of design thinking and user experience research as tools for course (re)design in higher education
Documenting the Experiences of Faculty Participants in a University Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Seminar
Get PDFThe Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) has a rich history of demonstrating the importance of faculty studying their own teaching. One institution sought to better understand the impacts a SoTL seminar had on its campus since 2015. This qualitative research describes the lasting impact a SoTL seminar had on its participants and their institution. Thirty-three faculty who participated in SoTL were surveyed regarding their experiences as members of a university-supported SoTL seminar. The findings revealed a three-point faculty learning cycle that included: SoTL support, faculty experimentation and risk-taking, and assessment and feedback. Moreover, SoTL support had dimensions that included a sense of faculty connection, accountability, career development, and support for university-wide assessment. This article concludes with ideas for future research and a discussion of the importance of documenting university programs to support faculty and student learning
Developing Collaborative Solutions to Teaching Challenges
Get PDFThe Solve My Problem professional development program was built upon evidence-based principles from Scientific Teaching (active learning, inclusivity, and assessment) and faculty learning communities (autonomy, competence-building, and connection). Over a four-week period, faculty worked in groups to collaboratively solve a shared teaching challenge. The virtual summer program was designed for faculty to develop implementable solutions. Participation and engagement were supported by maximum flexibility and minimal cost. At the conclusion of the program, each group shared the solutions, materials, and products they developed. Here, we describe the structure of this professional development experience and reflect on its impact and future
Reflecting Back and Looking Forward: Critical Reflective Practice in an Online Master’s in Art Education Program
Get PDFThis article explores student and faculty conceptions of reflective practice in the online master’s degree program in art education at The Ohio State University. Critical reflective practice is one of the underlying values of the program; yet what exactly is meant by reflective practice, how it is integrated into the program as a whole and into individual courses, and how it is understood and carried out by students had not been clarified. Employing participatory action research, we looked at how faculty and students described and utilized reflective practice, analyzed responses utilizing Robinson and Rousseau (2018), and used findings to further refine our own practices, essentially modeling a critical reflective practice
Translating Student Voices into Action: A Call for Equitable Teaching Practices Amidst Growing Basic Needs Challenges
Get PDFBasic needs challenges such as housing and food insecurity have long affected the wellbeing and academic success of college and university students in the U.S., and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these trends, including their disproportionate impact on historically marginalized students. As survey-based studies have been the primary means to document basic needs challenges among students, including the rise of such challenges during the pandemic, there has been a lack of interview-based research that would provide depth of understanding of students’ experiences. We conducted 883 surveys and 38 in-depth interviews with students a year into the pandemic to not only better understand the experiences of basic needs challenges among students in a time of growing inequality, but also to highlight teaching practices that students felt supported their resiliency and to uplift the importance of cultivating empathy through intentionally seeking out and listening to student voices. While respondents reported that the pandemic had exacerbated their financial insecurity and subsequently diminished their mental health and academic performance, they further highlighted effective instructional practices that ameliorated their stress and boosted their classroom success. These included established inclusive teaching practices such as flexibility in attendance and assignments (beyond temporary campus-wide policies) and taking the time to build classroom community, practices that should occur in tandem with campus-wide efforts to boost resources to fully support the growing number of students experiencing basic needs challenges
The Case Study Analysis Technique and 110 Fitness: Giving It All for the Parkinson’s Community
Get PDFThe case study analysis technique (CSAT) is an effective methodology that bridges academic theory with practical applications. Long-lasting student meta-skills are developed by using the CSAT. It is particularly beneficial when the case study is based on a real-world situation that recently occurred. The CSAT is flexible and adaptable to fit a wide variety of higher education courses that involve a main protagonist and a related organizational problem. The case on “110 Fitness: Giving It All for the Parkinson’s Community” was used in this study to illustrate how the CSAT can be applied using a basic three-part approach of the case study, teaching note, and epilogue
Third-Year Bachelor of Education Students’ Perceptions of Collaborative Assessment
Get PDFCollaborative assessment incorporates the skills needed in the workplace today, and yet it isn’t a common form of assessment practiced in postsecondary institutions. Previous research shows that group testing has many benefits, including improved results and reduced anxiety (Muir & Tracy, 1999; Wiggs, 2010; Zimbardo et al., 2003; Fahim et al., 2014). In this study, Bachelor of Education students were interviewed to gather data on their perceptions of collaborative assessment. It was found that the majority, when given the option, would choose this form of testing despite the pressure of potentially feeling like a burden toward their peers. This study provides examples pointing to the need for more awareness of this form of assessment and the benefits that collaborative assessment offers
Ask Me Why I Asked: Using Concepts of Collaborative Communication to Think Together about Teaching and Learning
Get PDFImproving communication skills is a priority for many of us in the classroom, in the workplace and in many other interpersonal relationships. We who work as educational developers often provide space for conversations that focus on content or topics in teaching and learning, but perhaps could do more to promote the process of conversation. One university in the U.S. has used a process called Collaborative Communication (CC) to promote informal dialogue on teaching and learning among instructors and staff. In this article I explain the aspects of CC, including examples, share general feedback from participants in an informal CC learning community, and share the benefits for using CC as a framework for creating meaningful dialogue around teaching and learning
Labour-Based Grading: An Attempt to Decolonize
Get PDFIn this article, the author describes an attempt to decolonize the assignment and grading process in one course through labour-based grading. Labour-based grading, first described by Inoue, is used to assist in reducing teacher bias and is an act of social justice. It focuses on the learning process and not only the final product. The way the author modified labour-based grading for this course is noted. A brief discussion about the purpose for decolonizing and the importance of recognizing postsecondary student wellness is provided. Student voice is offered through the qualitative scholarship of teaching and learning research methodology
Barriers and Supports for Student-Parents in Higher Education
Get PDFStudents who are also parents (student-parents) are unique and often underrepresented in postsecondary settings. Balancing the responsibilities of home life alongside academic pursuits is often challenging for students in general and for some student-parents even more so. Faculty and students in a partnership project at a mid-size university in Alberta, Canada, took on a small study to examine student-parent experiences at their university. The partner team describes how a unique blend of student-faculty collaboration looked at supports, barriers, and higher education student norms relating to student-parent experiences. This study looked at the available literature as a foundation to identify the concerns facing students who are parents in higher education settings, as well as the policies and practices of postsecondary institutions that support student-parents. Survey and focus group methods aided in our understanding of the lived experiences of student-parents and their views of support within the university. Recommendations for institutional policy and practices for more supportive learning environments for student-parents include accessible childcare, information about campus resources, faculty awareness and compassion, and facilities on campus that can foster a sense of belonging