2013-2014+Meeting+Highlights


 * November 19th, 2013 **

**Teaching Evaluations** With the end of term approaching, it is time for course evaluations. While the standard course evaluations administered by the university may provide some feedback, they do not allow for student comments or much detailed insight that allows us to improve our teaching. Consequently, some of us administer our own course surveys (usually online for large classes) to ask more specific questions about a given course and teaching performance and to allow for student written comments. These surveys can provide more insight into student perceptions of what is effective and a way for students to provide input and suggestions. One challenge of online surveys is that participation rates can be low. One way to encourage participation (if the survey is run through My Learning Space) is to use the selective release feature and to make release of additional review material for the final exam (as an example) conditional on the survey being completed. Here is a link to a discussion about end of term surveys and evaluations: What Types of Students Participate in End-of-Course Ratings? [] **Clickers** Effective use of clickers in large classes was discussed (this is a common theme of discussion). Specifically, while clickers may be useful for fostering student participation in large classes, clicker participation grades can mean that some students come to class to make sure they get the clicker credit. These students may not otherwise attend class and may not pay attention as much. As a result, these students can sometimes be more disruptive (by talking in class). The idea of removing the graded component of clickers was discussed; this way, students can still use them as a participation tool, but are not coerced into attending class. Alternatively, providing students the chance to “opt out” of the clicker grade and have it replaced by something else was presented. These ideas might mean that potentially inattentive and disruptive students are less likely to attend class, making classroom management somewhat easier. **Final Exam Review Session** Many faculty members conduct final exam review sessions, either during their last class, or scheduled outside of class time during the exam period. Are these review sessions effective learning tools, or do they simply provide reassurance to students? Depending on the nature of the course, in some cases and exam review session can provide a bigger picture perspective on the course and highlight some key concepts or important areas. In other cases, it may be an opportunity to go over sample exam questions or other practice problems. How do you make sure these sessions are useful? Here are some links: Exam Preparation: [] Example of game exam review strategy (not jeopardy) - Journal on Excellence in College Teaching: [] "As a result, for the second exam review in Real Analysis, I decided to play the "True/False" game. I prepared statements related to the test questions on formulations of properties, definitions, and theorems. Students had to indicate which statements were correct and which were incorrect, using examples. For each correct answer, a team received 5 points, but for an incorrect answer, it lost 3 points. The "True/False" game made students pay attention to the details. For example, some of the questions were formulations of theorems in which one of the assumptions was missing, making the entire statement wrong. Whether a student gave a correct answer on the question or not, I asked him or her to give an example in which all of the assumptions except the missing one were satisfied but the statement of the theorem was not. As a result, the "True/False" game challenged students to analyze the problem and come to a conclusion in a short period of time in order to win the game."


 * October 15th, 2013 **

**Using Grading Rubrics** We discussed the use of grading rubrics for assessments, noting the importance on reflecting first on the purpose of the assignment (or other assessment). Reflection on the purpose of the assignment allows you to make sure the outcomes actually fit with your goals. From this point, constructing a rubric that ties back into the desired outcomes becomes much easier. It was noted that the use of a rubric may not be necessary for every type of assessment and every subject area, but that it is often an important tool for ensuring consistency in grading. Furthermore, in situations where TAs are grading, a clearly rubric is critically important for ensuring consistent grading between individuals.

**Interactive Online Exercises** Several of us are actively involved in blended learning approaches to teaching, where some content is delivered online (often in the form of video lecture lecture). Often, this approach is coupled with some online assessment such as a quiz on MyLearningSpace. While these quizzes may provide some useful feedback, the idea of preparing truly interactive online exercises (or modules) to guide students learning is appealing. Some textbook publishers offer online resources that include exercises, some of which are interactive and based on a mastery approach. The idea of creating custom interactive exercises may offer advantages, but would clearly be a major undertaking.

**Multiple Choice Testing** Reminder: There is an upcoming workshop to be held by David DiBattista (Brock) on designing effective multiple choice tests. This workshop will be held on October 23rd, 2013. For more information and to register, check here: []

__** September 17th, 2013 **__

**Effective Use of Clicke**rs We discussed various ways that clickers can be used in the classroom to engage students and encourage participation. Some faculty assign clicker marks (5-10%) solely based on participation, whereas others opt to assess students and assign grades based on the correct answer. Regardless, the use of clickers can encourage attendance and provides some mechanism for participation in a large class setting. In addition, student responses to clicker questions can provide an immediate assessment of student understanding and allow professors to respond and elaborate on concepts as needed. **Multiple Choice Testing** In large classes and with limited marking support, multiple choice questions become one of the only practical options for exams. Concerns about how effective multiple choice questions are were raised. There is an upcoming workshop to be held by David DiBattista (Brock) on designing effective multiple choice tests. This workshop will be held on October 23rd, 2013. For more information and to register, check here: [] **Technology (phones and other devices) in the classroom** Laurier has a new policy on use of technology in the classroom that provides professors with options on how they would like to see technology used in the classroom. Emphasis was placed on ensuring that the use of laptops or other devices was not a distraction to other students. One strategy that was suggested is to ask students with laptops to sit at the back of the class so that the screens do not distract others. Although students often believe they can multitask (e.g. look at social media sites while listening to lecture), there are studies, including one by Prof. Eileen Wood in Psychology, that show that the use of technology results in poorer performance. **Controlling the Class** Controlling the class in a large classroom setting can be a challenge, particularly in a large class. One particular problem that was raised is the last few minutes of class, where students often pack up their notebooks or even leave before the lecture is done. Suggestions for addressing this challenge included: asking clicker questions at the very end of class, or even simply asking students to be patient (explaining that the material covered will be on the exam and that you just need a few more minutes of their time to finish the lecture. **Online Video Lectures** We briefly discussed the use of short video lectures posted online (either on MyLS or on youtube) as part of a blended learning format. While time consuming to prepare, the idea is to free up time in lectures for active learning activities or to permit more self-directed learning (in teaching labs for example). A few suggestions on software to use were offered:  Screencastomatic : [] (This is free, or a pro version for ca. $15 per year)  Terry Sturtevant has used this software to create videos for the physics labs. Here is a link to his youtube channel for some examples: __ http://www.youtube.com/denethorwiggle __ Other software for recording video lectures (e.g. powerpoint with voice narration): Camtasia Studio: [] (approx. $200) Adobe Captivate: [] (approx. $200)