Category: Pedagogy

1-1-1, Faculty Showcase, Faculty Technology Institute, Innovative Instruction, Pedagogy

Tackling challenging concepts with problem-based learning in the classroom

Kaitlin

Our guest blogger is Elizabeth Burton, an adjunct professor in the Department of Biology. Elizabeth was a participant in the 2013 Summer FTI.  This post is a report on her experience using problem-based learning in her courses.

In the classroom, many students have trouble translating the facts into action.  This is particularly true in the non-majors introductory biology classes that I teach.  Many of these students enter into the classroom with little knowledge or understanding of biology, with many having no interest at all in the subject.  Most only take this class as a general education requirement.  I have chosen to incorporate problem-based learning into the classroom to provide students with a way to translate abstract ideas into functional scenarios.  This is of particular importance in biology because many of these biological concepts translate into proper functioning of the human body.  From my experience, both personally and as an instructor, I have found that it is easier to understand a tough concept when you are “forced” to work through it.  Students are more interested in the topic when you relate it to something familiar to them or something that is more interesting than a cell, such as a disease.

One example of problem-based learning from my classroom is based around the concept of mitochondrial functioning in cellular respiration.  This concept is probably one of the most difficult for students to understand because everything is explained at a minute level.  In this section, I give a lecture on the basics of the electron transport chain in the mitochondria in one class period.  During the next class period, I reinforce this material through the use of a case study.  The one that I use is from the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science (http://sciencecases.lib.buffalo.edu/cs/), which is a great resource for case studies in all sciences, not just biology.  In this case study we follow the story of Connor, who is a wrestler hoping to lose weight and get down to a lower weight class for competition.  His friend suggests taking a weight loss drug that is available from foreign internet pharmacies but is banned in the United States.  Through this case study, the students dissect the mechanism behind how this weight loss drug works, looking specifically at mitochondrial functioning and why this drug is banned in the US.  Once the students figure out the mechanism by analyzing actual scientific data, I then show them additional substances that have a negative impact on mitochondrial functioning such as cyanide.

From my experience, more students understand the basic concepts after working through a case study problem.  In the classroom, I usually use one case study per unit to reinforce the material from lecture and multiple questions during the lecture.  I have had positive feedback from students on the use of problem-based learning in helping them understand the material.  The in-lecture questions also allow the students to think about the material that we have not yet covered to see if they can find the answers.  Sometimes I ask the question after covering a topic to reinforce understanding.  Frequently, students retain lecture material if they were “forced” to think about it during class instead of frantically writing notes.  While this does take away from the amount of material that I am able to cover, the material that we are able to cover during the semester is understood and retained better by most students.  Overall, I have found problem-based learning to be a welcome addition to the classroom that has facilitated a greater understanding of complex biological ideas.

work-struggle-with-technology-Veer
Assessment, Classrooms, Innovative Instruction, instructional technology, Pedagogy, TLT

A Plan of Attack for Implementing Technology into Your Instruction

Amy Ostrom
work-struggle-with-technology-Veer
Image Credit: Veer

Here at Teaching, Learning, and Technology part of our mission is to support, develop, and educate faculty in the integration of educational technology into pedagogy and assessment.  Our goal for doing this is that it will enhance student learning and promote effective or innovative practices.  Lately, I have met with several members of the College of Charleston faculty who are interested in getting started with incorporating more technology into the classroom or starting to look at it for the first time.  It can be daunting when faced with the choices of technology tools that are on the market.  Which one is the best?  Can my students use it?  Do I really HAVE to use technology to get my point across?

Here are our top 5 tips to consider when you are looking at implementing educational technology into your courses:

  • Above all, technology should be chosen to ENHANCE instruction.  Too often faculty members find a new tool and try to come up with a way to use it in class, which is not necessarily a bad thing and can lead to some innovative instruction.  However, trying to force a tool to fit into your course simply because it’s new and shiny may not be the best way to introduce technology into your courses.  Remember, the instruction should be used to structure tool choice rather than using the tool to structure your instruction.

 

  • Define what you want the tool to accomplish and the relevant features. There are tons of tools out there to achieve your goal for any action.  Just do a quick Google search for apps for managing a to-do list (http://bit.ly/1oquZP2)! The first step to a purposeful integration is to reflect on your current teaching practices to see where your lessons could be enriched with a technological tool.  Next, define what you want the tool to be able to do and what are your “deal breaker” features, or features that the tool absolutely must or must not do.  This will help to narrow your search.  Of course, when it comes to this, you can always have a conversation with your neighborhood, friendly Instructional Technologist to help with the narrowing and research process!

 

  • Plan ahead and test it out.  Whenever you are trying a new instructional technology tool, it may take a while for you to feel comfortable with using the tool or to get it set up the way that you want.  Like anything, this comes with practice and exposure to the product.  Make sure that if you want to use a new tool in your courses that you give yourself at least 2 weeks to really get to know the app or tool before implementing it with your students.  Also, try the tool in multiple locations and using multiple platforms.  For example, try using a web based tool both on and off campus, in the classroom where you want to work with it, and on Chrome/Firefox/Internet Explorer/Safari to make sure everything displays and functions the same way.  Nothing is more frustrating than getting in front of your students to facilitate a wonderful lesson planned with technology and have it not work the way that you intended.  Which leads me to our next point…

 

  • Have a backup plan just in case.  In a perfect world, we would all be able to walk into any classroom and have every lesson go smoothly…the students are actively learning, all of the technology functions perfectly, and you leave class with the high of knowing that you have helped to mold young minds into the way of the future.  Snap back to reality!  There are too many variables to have that utopian classroom be a constant, so as effective instructors we need to be prepared with various instructional strategies to help our students meet the end objectives for the lesson.

 

  • Don’t be afraid to try something new!  Yes, things can go wrong and it’s scary to change from the way that you may have done things for years.  It can also be amazing and you can see growth, access, and engagement with material that you never thought possible.  Be honest with your students about your new endeavors and ask them for their feedback.  When the students know that you are learning and that you value their opinions about what is going on in the classroom, it creates a sense of ownership within the cohort of learners in your course.

One faculty member on campus told me that he tests his material for his online courses in his face to face course and has his students rate them.  It helps to shape the instruction and trouble shoot for the next running of the course.  Another faculty member in the Department of Communication told his students that they were going to try a new tool in the class and that it was the first time he had ever tried to use this tool, so they were going to experience it together.  The students responded to his openness and they ended up learning from each other and allowing this particular faculty member to branch out and try more technology tools to engage his students.

 

When you start to look at integrating new tools into your lessons it may seem like there are so many options and only one of you, but keep in mind that there is always safety in numbers.  Talk to your colleagues to see what they are doing and what they have found to be successful and what has not.  You can learn just as much from a failed attempt as you can from a successful one.  Attend workshops and training sessions to help with your comfort level.  In addition, you can always contact your Instructional Technologist to help with an individualized plan of attack!

miriam klous
1-1-1, Assessment, Collaboration, Faculty Technology Institute, Google Apps, Innovative Instruction, Pedagogy, TLT, Video

PollEverywhere and Google Moderator to Increase Student Engagement

Mendi Benigni

This week’s guest blogger is Miriam Klous in Health and Human Performance.

In May 2013 I attended the Faculty Technology Institute (FTI) training. We learned about new technologies that could be useful in a classroom setting, research or service. In my classes, I have been trying to increase the interaction with the students and particularly between students. Through the FTI I learned new iPad applications that could help me increase this interaction. One of the applications that was very helpful is ‘PollEverywhere’ and in another project I have been combining Google Moderator and video creation apps.

Many times in my classes when I ask questions, the same students answer. Of course there are several ways of dealing with this, but I found ’PollEverywhere’ to be an effective tool to influence this. Basically, I create questions online with the app ‘PollEverywhere’ and provide them with multiple answers (true-false and open-ended questions can also be created). The students have to text or email a number representing the answer they pick to a (phone) number. You are able to follow the voting directly on screen, and it can be anonymous.  For me it is a great way to see if students have difficulty with a question/content. If everybody answers the question correctly, I know I can move on with other content. If the answer to a question is very diverse, additional explanation of the topic may be necessary. Besides, the student can see that he/she is on the right track or, if not, that he/she is not the only one choosing that answer (while staying anonymous). When discussing the question and the topic after the vote, I perceive more interaction with the students. It seems like students trust asking follow-up questions now that they know they are not the only one that picked a certain answer. The questions can be created very easily and quickly and could be done in class. I prefer to prepare the questions ahead of time and login to ‘PollEverywhere’ to provide them to the students.

In addition to ‘PollEverywhere’, I also wanted to develop a project that makes students work together outside class time. Previously I had students writing research papers/labs together, but I was looking for a project where I could implement sophisticated technology. Therefore, in my EXSC 433 ‘Research Design and Analysis’ course I had students work together on a video project with the topic ‘How are we all consumers (users) of research?’. Students at an undergraduate level seem to have difficulty understanding why learning about research is important/exciting.  However, research is all around us, it is a part of our daily life. My goal was to make students more aware of research in our daily life by letting them make a video on this topic. Most students really enjoyed the assignment and I believe they received a better understanding of how research is integrated in society and it will be part of their life even if they don’t have a research job. In the FTI I learned about making videos and editing. This experience in FTI made me comfortable enough to implement this in my class, knowing I could help the students when it was necessary.  Students first received feedback on their storyboard before they started creating the video. In this project I also implemented the Google Moderator app. I wanted students to be involved in the development of the rubric. The students could make suggestions on aspects of (creating) the video that they believed were essential for a good video and thereby required for successfully fulfilling the assignment. Therefore, I created a rubric and placed it on Google Moderator. Students could log on to the Google Moderator and vote on the items if they believed were important aspect of (creating) the video. They could also reformulate items or add items and other students could vote again on those items. I assigned class time for students to spend 5-10 to do this, to make sure they knew how to vote or add items/comments. I received great feedback on time restrictions for the video and suggestions to reformulate certain items. Based on the feedback I created the final rubric. This strategy helped to have the students be aware of the aspects they would be assessed on and also to have them agree on the assessment of their assignment.

I see the benefit of the FTI training. The interaction between students in my class and myself definitely improved. Of course there were some issues along the way with students not doing their part, but this would probably also have been the case in more traditional group work. I definitely will keep on using those apps, and hope to implement other applications that I learned during the FTI training.

TLT logo
Collaboration, Innovative Instruction, instructional technology, Pedagogy, Research, Round Table Discussion, Share, TLT

Polling and Poll Everywhere Faculty Roundtable Discussion Recap

Mendi Benigni

At TLT’s latest Faculty Roundtable Discussion, held on Monday, February 24th, faculty discussed their use of polling, in particular Poll Everywhere, into their teaching to increase student engagement and assess understanding.   Poll Everywhere is an online polling and quizzing app that works like an audience response system (clicker) but using the student’s cell phones, computers, and mobile devices.  A university-wide license for Poll Everywhere is available to all CofC faculty, staff and students.  If you are interested in trying Poll Everywhere after watching the Roundtable recap contact your Instructional Technologist.  We’d like to thank Sarah LeBlanc (Communication), Ryan Milner (Communication), Cynthia Hall (Geology), and Brooke Van Horn (Chemistry) for giving their time and expertise to this conversation.

 



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		Assessment, Collaboration, Faculty Showcase, Google Apps, Innovative Instruction, iPad, Mobile, Pedagogy, Research, Round Table Discussion, TLT, Web 2.0
Winter Roundtable Discussion Recap
	


	

							

			 Chris Meshanko		
		
		

			
TLT’s latest roundtable session, on December 3, 2013, encouraged participants to explore five stations which focused on tools and best practices relating to research, assessment, and student learning.  TLT would like to recognize and thank Andrea DeMaria, Merissa Ferrara, Michael Hemphill, Mark Hurd, and Jessica Smith for presenting and sharing their experiences.


Below is a summary of the content delivered at each station:






 3 

Station 1 – Merissa Ferrara, Ph.D. | Department of Communication


Dr. Ferrara described how she used the app, “Scavenger Hunt With Friends Lite”, on the first day of class to establish a culture of collaboration, creativity, and acceptance.


Presentation Handout: Scavenger Hunt With Friends


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Station 2 – Michael Hemphill, Ph.D. | Department of Health and Human Performance


Dr. Hemphill described how he uses the app, “Go Observe”, to evaluate students in both teaching methods and field experience courses. He also explained how his students use the “Observation, Analysis, and Recording System” (OARS) app to provide feedback to peers during student teaching.


Presentation Handout: Go Observe/OARS


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Station 3 – Andrea DeMaria, Ph.D. | Department of Health and Human Performance


Dr. DeMaria described how she and her students use the app, “SoundNote”, to record notes that sync with the audio from a qualitative interview or focus group. Her students also use the app when taking notes during lecture.


Presentation Handout: SoundNote


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Station 4 – Mark Hurd, Ph.D. | Department of Psychology


Dr. Hurd described how he uses the Web 2.0 tool, “Remind 101”, to alert students of upcoming assignments and exams via free text messages. He also shared how his students use the app, “Splice”, to create video documentaries on the various drug classes for Behavioral Pharmacology.


Presentation Handouts: Remind 101 | Splice | PSYC 386 Group Video Project


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Station 5 – Jessica Smith, Ph.D. | Department of Communication 


Dr. Smith described how her students use Google Apps–specifically Google Drive and Google Docs. Students use Google Drive to store and evaluate their work (over time) as a digital portfolio. They use Google Docs to collaborate on group assignments, as well as to provide peer editing. Dr. Smith also uses the commenting feature in Google Docs to provide student feedback.


Google Apps are available to all CofC faculty and students.


Presentation Handout: Google Education Suite


For more information on these tools, please contact your instructional technologist and check the TLT Training Calendar for upcoming professional development opportunities.


 








		


			
		
	






			

			
							
		

	
	

		Faculty Showcase, Google Apps, iPad, Pedagogy, Research, Round Table Discussion, Web 2.0
Winter Roundtable Discussion
	


	

							

			 Chris Meshanko		
		
		

			
Please join your colleagues in the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance’s Alumni Center (88 Wentworth) on Tuesday, December 3, at 12:00 PM, for short presentations on technology tools for assessment, research and student learning.  Faculty presenters, Andrea DeMaria, Merissa Ferrara, Michael Hemphill, Mark Hurd, and Jessica Smith, will share their experiences and answer your questions.  As always this event is sponsored by Academic Affairs and Teaching, Learning and Technology (TLT).  Hope to see you there!



		


			
		
	






			

			
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		Innovative Instruction, instructional technology, Pedagogy, Tech Happens! Un-Grant, TLT
Scanner Self-Portraits:  Utilizing a scanner as a way to express identity
	


	

							

			 Mendi Benigni		
		
		

			
Our  guest blogger this week is Tracey Hunter-Doniger in Teacher Education.




scan of a student's hand and artifactsThe Tech Happens! Un-Grant is a small one-time grant intended to assist CofC faulty with innovative technology purchases. These purchases can range from $10 to $200. Through this Un-Grant I purchased a portable scanner to use in my education courses EDEE403 Visual & Performing Arts in Education, EDEE 655 Creativity/Creative Arts in Education, and my spring FYE course.


In each of my courses we discuss life histories and identities of the students through written narrative reflection, and visual narratives (artwork). The theoretical framework of this component is based on McAdams’ (2006) theory of Life Story and Identity, which includes three main segments of inquiry designed to explore one’s identity. These segments are the past, present, and future selves. My students focus on their past self when they create their original scanner self –

portraits.


The Russian scanner artist, Yulia Yukashova, is the inspiration for the students as they focus on their past. Using a scanner provides a medium ideal for telling a visual story that is likely to have a multitude of items such as trinkets, photos, images, ticket stubs, jewelry, and personal notes. To the students each and every item has a meaning, a memory and a powerful purpose significant to the participants’ past. This modern form of multimedia artwork gives everyone the chance to be an artist. After the portrait is created the students create a written narrative that explains the significant items found in their self-portrait.


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		Assessment, Pedagogy, Portfolio, Round Table Discussion
Roundtable Discussion is now available for viewing
	


	

							

			 Mendi Benigni		
		
		

			
Roundtable Discussion: Student Portfolios for Assessment, Reflection, & Employment is now available for online viewing.  Panelists:  Dr. Chris Warnick (English), Dr. Chris Korey (FYE), Dr. Beth Goodier (Communication), Dr. Kevin Keenan (Political Science), Denny Ciganovic (Career Services).

Description:  Five people give their take on student portfolios and discuss what they look for in a portfolio and the ups and downs of doing them.  In the discussion they look at three types of portfolios: student reflection, program assessment, and employment.


If you wish to view this or any of the past Faculty Roundtable Discussions visit Teaching > Roundtable Discussions on this blog.

		


			
		
	






			

			
							
		

	
	

		Faculty Technology Institute, Innovative Instruction, Pedagogy
Engaging the #TechGeneration
	


	

							

			 Bryan		
		
		

			
There are many varied opinions (and some myths) about the characteristics and capabilities of current students. In fact, there is no single accepted label for Americans born after 1990: Net Generation, Digital Natives, and the Tech Generation are all referring to the same demographic.


However, here are three commonly held beliefs about this generation of students:


    

  • They constitute a largely homogeneous generation, and speak a different digital language from their parents.
    • 

  • They learn differently from preceding generations of students.
    • 

  • They demand a new way of teaching and learning involving technology.
    • 



(Thomas, Michael. Deconstructing Digital Natives. New York: Routeledge, 2011)


In addition, the common wisdom describes this generation (though somewhat contradictory) as technically savvy, participatory, isolated, free-spirited, socially aware and engaged, lacking fundamental skills, distracted, and action oriented.


To address this fundamental shift in instructional design, TLT will offer a week-long Maymester session, know as the Faculty Technology Institute (FTI).


The purpose of this professional development seminar is to:


    

  • Identify the challenges and benefits of engaging the current student population.
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  • Examine “alternative” instructional strategies and technologies for engaging and assessing students.
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  • Analyze their own instructional practices to:
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    • Identify areas of potential improvement
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    • Incorporate appropriate technology tools into their instruction
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    • Provide ample opportunity for reflection, creativity, and engagement with the provided content.
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We are excited to offer this to the CofC Faculty.  For more information about the expectations and application, please visit the Faculty Technology Institute page.