'Higher Education'
Recently, the BGSU community has been introduced to a conceptual learning model, designed by BGSU’s Connecting the Undergraduate Experience (CUE), Faculty Senate Committee. The learning model combines the major elements of the teaching and learning process, such as the subject matter, the instructional methodology, optimization of learning context, and recognition and measurement of the learning process itself.
Among the many questions raised at the CUE workshops in early November, the issue of how to measure such learning experiences seemed to be among the most common. Educators want to discuss alternative ways to recognize and measure students’ learning. Ultimately, we are all asking: how do we know that students are learning?
The main problem seems to be that many educators think of examinations when they think of measuring or evaluating. They believe the purpose of evaluation is to assign a final grade. In the learner-centered classroom that CUE seeks to promote, both the methods and the purpose of measurement are broader in their scope. Moreover, evaluation must be directly connected to course objectives and learning outcomes.
A primary purpose of evaluation is to help students develop broad knowledge of the subject and, more importantly, the skills to apply this knowledge effectively and efficiently. Evaluation exists to help students construct knowledge and set goals for further achievements.
To develop a broad knowledge of the subject, students need continuous feedback on their work in progress, which might include self-assessment and peer review. Evidence shows that student performance improves with this type of evaluation, which allows students to track their own progress, thus increasing their motivation to learn. Additionally, assessment does not necessarily have to be one way – from teacher to students. It is also important for students to have a chance to give their feedback on their learning experiences to their teachers. This practice allows students to use critical thinking and reflective skills that are necessary to their achievement of the University Learning Outcomes.
There are many ways for educators to measure students’ knowledge and skill development. The Chronicle of Higher Education offers a list of assignments that can be implemented in a learner-centered classroom (http://chronicle.com/article/Chart-More-Faculty-members/48848).
As the CUE committee’s learning model is discussed and debated, we hope to continue the dialogue about measuring student learning that will inform our curricula, instruction, construction of productive learning environments and the learning process itself. In the coming weeks this blog will present a number of new ways to think about measuring learning. We hope that you will join us for a frank and fruitful discussion about how we know when students are learning.
November 16th, 2009
There are several adjustments that first-year BGSU students must make. Many new students will learn how to manage new responsibilities, make new friends, meet new expectations, and negotiate a number of other new experiences. One of the ways that BGSU works with new students and the adjustments to college life is through the Common Reading Experience. Since 2001, BGSU has been one of many universities around the country that use a Common Reading Experience as a way to build community for incoming first-year students.
Essentially, the Common Reading Experience brings together the BGSU community by providing a common discussion source. Prior to the beginning of classes, faculty, staff, and incoming first-year students read the same book. A committee chooses the book each year with input from different groups on campus, including the college deans. When classes begin in the fall, students across different disciplines and backgrounds will share in the “BGSU community” discussion. Some instructors and departments also integrate the Common Reading into their curriculum. While maintaining an academic tone, the Common Reading allows first-year BGSU students to become part of a communal, discussion environment.
During the fall semester the CTL’s Interact at the Center blog will have weekly posts dedicated to this year’s Common Reading, This I Believe. Faculty, administrators and students will be “guest bloggers.” They will present their reactions to the book, along with sharing their own “This I Believe” statements. Our blog will also have postings titled “Classroom Highlights” and “On Campus,” which will offer insight into how different classes and departments incorporate This I Believe. Each week we will provide audio samples of essays from the book, as well as resources to help you integrate the Common Reading into your course discussions.
For more information concerning BGSU’s Common Reading Experience, including books selected in the past and other background questions, please visit: http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/infosrv/cre/. You are also invited to visit NPR’s “This I Believe” website http://www.thisibelieve.org, which includes podcasts and curriculum guides.
August 3rd, 2009
Plagiarism is one of the unavoidable topics that must be talked about in higher education. Instead of discussing how common it is and/or how to detect its occurrence, according to Dustin Wax, there are significant lessons that can be learned from someone who plagiarizes. Wax, an instructor and published author, believes that there are five overarching ideas “we can all learn from plagiarists.”
Here are the lessons that Wax feels people can learn:
1) Never do anything that would embarrass you if anyone knew about it.
2) Never underestimate the intelligence or resourcefulness of others.
3) Own your actions.
4) It’s never too late to seek a second chance.
5) Sometimes, the most important lesson you can learn is failure.
Matt Hill, a respondent to the article, offers some insightful thought, saying “Much education is about imparting knowledge; it often fails to teach people how to think. If your educational establishment is rife with student plagiarism, I’d wager that the students haven’t been taught how to think for themselves.” In the web page you can read other interesting comments that many people have made in response to Wax’s ideas.
May 29th, 2009
Below is an excerpt from the article about a college student’s inquiry into Wikipedia and journalism in the digital age. What he found out might surprise some of you or even cause a reconsideration of using Wikipedia in the classroom. Read the full article
here.
Here are some highlights (quoted here, not “lifted”)
Irish student hoaxes world’s media with fake quote
DUBLIN -
When Dublin university student Shane Fitzgerald posted a poetic but phony quote onWikipedia, he said he was testing how our globalized, increasingly Internet-dependent media was upholding accuracy and accountability in an age of instant news.
His report card: Wikipedia passed. Journalism flunked.
The sociology major’s made-up quote — which he added to the Wikipedia page of Maurice Jarre hoursafter the French composer’s death March 28 — flew straight on to dozens of U.S. blogs and newspaper Web sites in Britain, Australia and India.
A full month went by and nobody noticed the editorial fraud. So Fitzgerald told several media outlets in an e-mail and the corrections began.
“The moral of this story is not that journalists should avoid Wikipedia, but that they shouldn’t use information they find there if it can’t be traced back to a reliable primary source,” said the readers’ editor at the Guardian, Siobhain Butterworth, in the May 4 column that revealed Fitzgerald as the quote author.
Walsh said this was the first time to his knowledge that an academic researcher had placed false information on a Wikipedia listing specifically to test how the media would handle it.
How do you handle the use of Wikipedia in your courses and/or your own research?
May 13th, 2009
A faculty member recently asked us if we could work with her in finding a resource for conferences concerning higher education. During our search, we cam across Conferencealerts.com, which we thought could be helpful for many faculty members and TAs.
Conferencealerts.com is a huge website dedicated to marketing higher education conferences across all disciplines and topics. The site also has a database that helps you find a conference, add an event, or promote their event with email. Users can find professional conferences for everything from Islamic Studies to Teaching and Learning. Moreover, the workshops that are advertised on the Conferencealerts.com are from all over the world.
Here’s a little more information from their website:
“Conference Alerts brings together two groups of people – conference organizers, and academics who need to stay informed about conferences. We work with both small first-time conference organizers and established professional societies to ensure that notification of their conferences reach specifically interested parties. Both individual academics and a wide range of ‘knowledge brokers’ – such as journal editors, web site administrators and discussion list moderators – rely on our searchable online database and on Conference Alerts Monthly to remain informed about upcoming academic and professional events.”
Take a visit to Conferencealerts.com and see if you can find a conference somewhere in the world that you would like to attend or inquire about.
April 28th, 2009
We have written a few postings that mentioned some of the debate behind the academic use (or non-use) of online websites for research or as a teaching resource in higher education. While many academics openly discourage the use of websites like Wikipedia or the process of “Google’ing” a topic for research, there are some scholars who are saying that researchers should take the idea of online research seriously. Sara Kubik is an associate faculty member at University-Purdue University Fort Wayne who thinks that it could be time for Academia to take online research more seriously. According to Kubik, instead of completely forbidding the use of the Internet as a credible research tool it might be time for scholars to participate in improving the validity of online resources.
Read Kubik’s article for yourself and learn about her ideas. She makes some interesting points and offers some nice insight that we think are worth reading. Here are just a couple excerpts from the piece:
“Since groundbreaking information may be delivered from a grassroots level, academics should not dismiss this type of content creation.”
“While it once made sense to equate print with quality, it’s time to embrace newer forms of communication as valid. If they need academically sound forms of verification and procedures for citation, let’s get to work.”
April 15th, 2009
The newest CTL “Communicating for Learners” newsletter has just been released. In the latest newsletter you can find the interesting “What If…” article concerning the University Learning Outcomes and how they can apply in classrooms here at BGSU. There is also a thought-provoking article titled, “Brain Rules for Learning” that describes John Medina’s twelve famous Brain Rules. In addition, the newsletter features five new websites that we find helpful and beneficial to educators and students. Our Visionary Status in this newsletter is John Tagg, who is a well-known writer and researcher in the education field. Finally, you can also look at the different dates and times of workshops and discussions available here at the CTL.
To read a copy of the latest newsletter click here.
April 7th, 2009
Instructors can have a less than easy time trying to implement teaching strategies that are outside of certain methods, like lecturing. There are other effective alternatives to lecturing, however. One of these alternatives is group learning, which has its merits. Team-Based Learning is also one of these alternatives that is growing in momentum and offers significant opportunities for student learning. Recenetly, the Center hosted a workshop facilitated by Dr. Karen Sirum (Biological Sciences) to introduce TBL to BGSU faculty.
Team-Based Learning is a systematic method for helping students work in groups and learn together. Its supporters believe that the benefits attached to TBL are well worth the time it takes to learn how to implement the method. Moreover, TBL’s proponents are saying that it is an excellent way of supplementing their other methods for teaching that have been helpful for their students’ learning.
According to its supporters, TBL has been structured to help student learning in group settings and, almost as importantly, has accountability built into it. Before trying this method with students plans need to be made, which include partitioning the course content into macro-units, identifying the instructional goals and objectives, and designing a grading system. Later, in class, there are more methodical instructions on correctly implementing TBL. Please see Introduction to Team-Based Learning and Getting Started with Team-Based Learning to read why and how you can try TBL for yourself.
There is an entire website dedicated to TBL that we invite you to visit. The site has video examples, professional testimonies from people who have tried it and a number of other resources. Please take a look at the site to learn about the “buzz” surrounding Team-Based Learning.
April 3rd, 2009
We found this list of ten “commandments of lecturing” by Rob Weir interesting. Weir generated a list of ten policies for instructors to follow when they lecture. Please read the list and feel free to share your own ideas.
I. Thou shalt connect new lectures to previous ones.
II. Thou shalt move beyond chalk and talk.
III. Thou shalt not lecture like caffeinated hummingbird or a tree sloth.
IV. Thou shalt not assume too much.
V. Thou shalt link known to unknown.
VI. Thou shalt be enthusiastic.
VII. Thou shalt not be a pompous ass.
VIII. Thou shalt not tolerate disruptive or disrespectful students.
IX. Thou shalt not lecture outdoors.
X. Thou shalt seize learning moments.
This is just a list of Weir’s commandments. The Inside Higher Education website has more elaborates concerning each of the suggestions that he has for instructors.
March 24th, 2009
The use of Wikipedia for class assignments or as a citation source has been an ongoing debate. Some professors accept the website’s use, usually after encouraging their students to caution what they take from the website. Other professors absolutely abhor the use of the website by their students. Robert E. Cummings says that he has found a new way to incorporate the use of Wikipedia into his classrooms and makes a strong case for using it in higher education, particularly as a writing tool.
According to Cummings, detractors of Wikipedia’s use in higher education assignments have reasons to be concerned. Wikipedia, indeed, is an open source where essentially anyone can edit or create information concerning almost any subject. With this in mind, people who use the website do expose themselves to getting inaccurate information or are subject to relying on information that is unfounded.
On the other hand, Cummings believes that Wikipedia offers several advantages for students. He believes the major advantage to helping student essay writing with the use of Wikipedia is that students have audiences that are real and can provide plenty of immediate feedback to their writing. In his classes Cummings literally has his students post their work to the website for people all over the Internet to provide them with comments concerning their work. More importantly for the students, Cummings believes that students are writing and having more exposure to having having to write formally. According to Cummings,
“Composition assignments in Wikipedia frame writing as a collaborative practice hosted within a network. This arrangement seems much more predictive of the environment our students will find themselves writing in after they leave the composition classroom, both in later college courses (as they collaborate across networks with fellow students in coursework) or in the workplace (as they collaborate with co-workers to prepare reports, proposals, or Web pages).”
We invite you to read Cummings’ article and see if what he has to say can be beneficial in any of your classes.
March 20th, 2009
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