Fall 2009
Bridges
In this Issue
Teaching for Learning
An Interview with Rick
Schwier New Acting
Director of ULC
Using a Simple
Technology to Improve
on Student Learning,
Motivation, Retention,
and Assessment
Unabridged: An
interview with our new
Master Teacher
Dr. Leslie Biggs
Talking Shop with
Serene Smyth
Bridges, Vol. 8, No. 1
Volume 8, No. 1
Reflecting the Scholarship of
Teaching and Learning at the
University of Saskatchewan
Teaching for Learning
Jim Greer, Director, University Learning Centre and The Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching Effectiveness
During my 20-year
career as a professor
of computer science,
people would often say
to me, “Oh, you teach
computers!” I would
routinely answer, “No,
actually I teach people.” Now, of course
since my research was investigating artificial intelligence and machine learning, I did
try to teach computers too, but not in the
sense people might initially think. The point
I want to make here is that whether the
disciplinary area be chemistry or economics, Spanish or plant physiology, professors
should focus a little less on teaching the
content and focus a little more on teaching
the learners.
the content, explore the content in a
variety of ways, talk about the content
in their own words, grapple with the
content through problem-solving, and
discuss the content with one another.
It takes time to approach content from
many sides, using many modalities, and
to sneak up on the concepts rather than
simply blurt them out and move on.
Of course, some of our most talented
students can learn despite the teaching
– they can seemingly grasp the concepts
and internalize meanings regardless of
the quality of teaching or the efforts of
the teacher. One cannot forget that many
faculty were themselves talented students who could learn by self-engaging
with almost any lecture, even from a
less-than-gifted teacher. I fear that faculty
members sometimes locate these most
talented students by filtering out those
others who need a little more teacher effort in order to master the content. If the
professor’s goal is to identify the exceptional students, teaching doesn’t really
matter at all. Toss them all in the deep
end, and keep the few who are natural
swimmers!
What is this act of teaching? Many faculty
members and students alike think of teaching as somehow describing, elaborating,
elucidating, or “covering” content. We need
to realize that teaching is more complex
than teachers reciting facts, theories, concepts, or proofs and expecting students to
remember the details of the recitation. We
should also realize that teaching is more
complex than explaining or elaborating
those facts, theories, concepts, or proofs
and having students parrot back the details But the act of teaching is more than “cov(nearly all of which they frequently forget as ering material,” and more than “filtering
soon as the exam is over).
out the best” or “filtering out the weak.”
We need to think a little more deeply. If
Teaching is setting the stage for learning.
teaching is intended to facilitate learning
This means helping students engage with
for all students, then teaching requires
1
www.usask.ca/gmcte
Fall 2009
Vol. 8 No. 1
The Gwenna Moss Centre for
Teaching Effectiveness
University of Saskatchewan
Room 50 Murray Building
3 Campus Drive
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A4
Phone (306) 966-2231
Fax (306) 966-2242
Web site: www.usask.ca/gmcte
Bridges is distributed to every
teacher at the University of
Saskatchewan and to all the
Teaching Centres in Canada, and
some beyond.
It is freely available on our web
site. Your contributions to Bridges
will reach a wide local, national,
and international audience.
Please consider submitting an
article or opinion piece to Bridges.
Contact any one of the following
people; we’d be delighted to hear
from you.
Jim Greer
Director
Phone (306)966-2234
jim.greer@usask.ca
Christine Anderson Obach
Program Manager
Phone (306) 966-1950
christine.anderson@usask.ca
Corinne Fasthuber
Assistant
Phone (306) 966-2231
corinne.fasthuber@usask.ca
Views expressed in Bridges are
those of the individual authors
and are not necessarily those of
the staff at the GMCTE.
ISSN 1703-1222
effort. Teaching needs to employ varied
approaches; teaching needs to explore
multiple modalities; and teaching needs
to focus on covering somewhat less
material with a greater degree of learner
engagement. We must also recognize
that different learners have different
needs, styles, strengths, and shortcomings. There is no one best way to facilitate
learning in every student. Yet there are
some best practices.
Good teachers tend to
• motivate and inspire: motivated learners are more resilient learners
• use multiple teaching strategies to
address different learners’ needs
• encourage active learning to help
engage learners
• facilitate deeper learning beyond
transmission of content
• offer experiential learning opportunities to make content relevant
• be conscious of the quantity of
content taught.
Deeper learning leads to lasting
knowledge and better understanding
for more students. Teaching to promote
deeper learning seems to be a logical
goal to pursue. There is a significant body
of knowledge, research, and scholarly
literature on the topic of deep learning.
In addition to the references below, I
invite you to read the primary articles in
this issue of Bridges and to explore some
of the resources the Gwenna Moss Centre
has to offer on this topic.
References
Connexions
is:
a place to view and share educational
material made of small knowledge
chunks called modules that can be
organized as courses, books, reports, etc.
Anyone may view or contribute:
• authors create and collaborate
• instructors rapidly build and share custom collections
• learners find and explore content
All content is free to use and reuse under
the Creative Commons “attribution”
license.
http://cnx.org/
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
In June of 2009 the University Learning
Centre, in partnership with the Library,
ITS and DSS, hosted the 4th Annual
Canadian Learning Commons
Conference. The keynote speaker was
Richard Baraniuk, founder of Connexions. Dr. Baraniuk spoke on the topic of
ANDERSON, L W, & KRATHWOHL D R (eds.)
(2001). A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s
Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New
York: Longman.
BIGGS J (2003). Teaching for Quality
Learning at University (2nd ed) Buckingham: SRHE and Open University Press
(note the 3rd edition is now available
too).
2
Open Access Learning. For more information about the conference visit
http://CLCC2009.usask.ca
Bridges, Vol. 8, No. 1
Rick Schwier
New Acting Director of ULC
From October 2009 through March
2010,our Director, Jim Greer will be away on
leave. In his absence, Dr. Rick Schwier has
been appointed as Acting Director of the
ULC and GMCTE for six months. Welcome
aboard Rick!
And I think almost everyone on campus
shares an interest in our students, and we
want to be effective teachers. The difficulty isn’t that we don’t want to be good
teachers; rather, our lives as academics
have become more and more demanding
and diverse. The popular impression of
1. What do you look forward to the most the monk-scholar in deep reflection may
about taking on the Acting Director posi- never have been accurate, but it certainly
tion at the GMCTE and ULC?
bears no resemblance to how we live
today. So the challenge on one front is
This is a wonderful opportunity to be
to get the attention of very busy scholinvolved at a deep level in the University’s ars, and help them get the support and
investment in developing a new culture
develop the expertise they need—and
around teaching and learning on campus. to do it as efficiently as possible. At the
The U of S has searched for ways to ensame time, we need to find new ways to
courage instructors on campus to invest
support students, and help them become
in teaching and its support, and to inspire more effective learners. In the end, every
our students to immerse themselves in
successful classroom experience involves
their own learning in fresh ways. I think
a partnership between students and
one of my most pressing responsibiliinstructors, so we need to attend to both
ties will be to trumpet the work of both
sides of the equation. Quite a challenge!
Centres and to help the units find ways to
reach into as many corners of our univer- 2. What inspires you the most in your
sity as possible. That sounds simplistic,
teaching?
but it is actually a profound challenge.
We know that there are already very
In my own teaching? I would have to
strong, very resilient cultures in departsay that I’m inspired by a lot of different
ments and colleges on campus that influ- things—colleagues, excellent books and
ence how teaching and learning happen. thought on teaching, a challenging situHow can we support the wide variety of
ation in the classroom—but the most dragood things that are already happening,
matic is the dedication and hard work of
and also challenge the university commu- my students. Our students are older, more
nity to rethink the activities that could be experienced, and they face tremendous
improved? I will certainly not bring a list
challenges to be students at our universiof answers, but I do hope to continue the ty. It is no secret that tuition is rising, and
impressive tradition of the units.
many of our students are often juggling a
handful of part time jobs to support their
I don’t, by the way, think that research
learning habit. Others take time away
and teaching are antagonistic, nor do I
from promising careers and borrow time
think that there is a lot of negativity surfrom their families to study here. I admire
rounding teaching and learning on cam- them, and I respect them for making hard
pus. On the contrary, I think research and choices and dedicating themselves to a
teaching are complementary. The desire dream—their dream. That dream might
to create knowledge and to inspire stube a good career or a credential that
dents to learn about—and even contrib- moves them in a direction they value, but
ute to—discoveries is central to a teachalong the way, it is also a fantastic oper-scholar approach to academic life.
portunity to open them up to the deep
Bridges, Vol. 8, No. 1
3
satisfactions of learning for its own sake.
Some have said that the notion of a broad
liberal arts education is dead. On the
contrary, I would argue that it is alive and
well if we teach to inspire a love of learning instead of narrow goals, and a broad
exposure to liberal arts is still one of the
most valuable and practical outcomes of
a university education, regardless of the
primary discipline students study.
3. You have spent time already working
with the staff at the GMCTE and now will
have the opportunity to work with the
staff at the ULC as they go forward with
their initiatives for student learning. How
do you view this opportunity?
I’m glad you asked that question, because
it touches on one of the most exciting
parts of taking on this responsibility. I
will have the opportunity to work with
some of the most dedicated and talented
people I have ever known. Dr. Greer has
assembled an outstanding collection of
people in the GMCTE and the ULC. They
view the work of the Centres as a mission,
and they regularly go far beyond what
would be normal expectations of people
doing jobs. Instead, these are highly
skilled professionals, and I count them as
colleagues instead of staff. My job will be
to support them in the outstanding work
they are already doing, and would continue to do, even if I wasn’t there. I know
how highly our staff is regarded around
campus. I hear it all the time from people
all across campus, and I know that when
people think of the work of the Centres, it
is our staff they think of.
Now, it isn’t possible to single out people
here, but regular readers of Bridges know
that it is the staff who also create the
content of this publication. So if they scan
the names and photos of people who
contribute to it, they’re being introduced
to many of our outstanding people.
www.usask.ca/gmcte
4. Will you still be actively teaching while
you are Acting Director?
Yes. I’ll be teaching Transforming
Teaching during the year, and I’ve
deferred some of my regular teaching
load to next summer. But that’s nothing unusual. Jim Greer has maintained a
teaching presence in his home discipline,
and many of our staff also teach regularly
on campus. And beyond formal classes,
our staff are teaching all the time in workshops, professional development events,
special sessions for interest groups,
preparing student tutors in the help
centres and student PALs for the learning communities project, to name a few.
Essentially, teaching touches everything
we do in the Centre, and it is a part of our
work that the staff love to do. These are
teachers, and they are passionate about
being teachers, not just talking about it
with others.
5. You play a large role in the Transforming Teaching course that we offer to new
faculty. How would you describe the
value of this course for new faculty?
Ah… Transforming Teaching. I love this
course. Where else on campus do we
have the opportunity to gather together
several faculty at the beginning of their
careers to make a year-long commitment to concentrate on becoming better
teachers? Their dedication and energy is
inspiring, and it is important to remember that they are making this commitment without any promise of immediate,
tangible reward. They realize that they are
making a long-term investment, and the
people we have met so far in the course
are doing it because they see teaching as
a critically important part of what they
do in their disciplines. They come to us
from all over—mathematics, languages
and linguistics, law, agriculture, the health
sciences—virtually every part of our
multiversity is represented. But what
brings them together is a respect for
teaching and a hope that they can make
a difference in the lives of their students.
campus and begin to form friendships.
I think that initiatives like Transforming Teaching help make the walls of the
silos in which we work a little thinner.
We get to see how somebody in another
discipline thinks, and we find out that
we share far more than we realized with
other professors on campus.
Let me make an important point, however. The course is not limited to new faculty and instructors. In the Centre, we want
to reach anyone interested in teaching,
and we would love to attract seasoned
members of our community. The issues
we deal with are not just issues for new
faculty; they are challenges and ideas
that we face our entire careers. In fact, the
content of the class is modeled closely
after the content of GSR 989, which is
targeted at senior graduate students who
plan to have teaching careers in higher
education. GSR 989 is an exceptionally
successful program that was created by
GMCTE staff. They team with faculty leaders to offer the course, and the model has
worked so well, we followed it in Transforming Teaching. So, while I would like to
take credit for TT, the truth of it is that it is
inspired, designed and to a large extent
delivered, by our staff in the Centre.
6. So, when do you start?
Dr. Greer begins his sabbatical on October 1. Until then, and following his return
in April, I will be an faculty associate
member in the GMCTE and ULC. I’m looking forward to the year and the opportunity to work with so many people who
share a passion for teaching and learning
on campus. I want to invite anyone on
campus who has an interest in student
learning initiatives in the ULC, or in teaching initiatives of the GMCTE to get in
touch with me during the coming year.
Teaching Awards and Grants
at the Gwenna Moss Centre
for Teaching Effectiveness
Welcome to all new instructors as well as
the not so new. Summer is winding down
and our university is gearing up for the
fall term. The Centre offers the following awards/grants for excellent teaching
practices:
• Provost’s Prize for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, deadline June 30th
• Provost’s Project Grant for Innovations
in Teaching and Learning, deadline June
30th
• Sylvia Wallace Sessional Lecturer Award,
deadline mid-November
U of S Master Teacher Award, deadline
mid-February
• 3M Fellowship Award, check their website for informatoin (http://www.stlhe.
ca/en/stlhe/) Deadline for submissions
August 31.
• Information regarding these awards can
be found on our website: www.usask.ca/
gmcte
You are encouraged to read this information carefully and if you know of someone who you feel deserves recognition
for their excellent teaching, please take
the time to nominate them for one of
these awards. The Gwenna Moss Centre
also promotes other teaching awards,
both at this university and nationally.
They are as follows:
• U of S Student’s Union Award, check
their website for their deadline (http://
www.ussu.ca/)
• Society for Teaching and Learning in
Higher Education (STLHE) Annual Conference Sponsorship, deadline mid-April
(http://www.stlhe.ca/en/stlhe/)
• Alan Blizzard Collaborative Projects
Award, deadline mid-January, information can be found on this website, http://
www.stlhe.ca/en/stlhe/
And another thing happens along the
way in Transforming Teaching. We have
a gaggle of new participants every year
who get to know colleagues from across
4
Bridges, Vol. 8, No. 1
Using a Simple Technology to Improve
on Student Learning, Motivation,
Retention, and Assessment
by Tereigh Ewert-Bauer, Program Coordinator, GMCTE
“A teacher affects eternity; he [sic] can never or sarcastic). This results in rewriting
tell where his [sic] influence stops”
many comments. Finally, I wonder if
–Henry Adams
the students even read my comments,
how they receive them, and whether the
Two years ago, I was in my seventh year of comments are helpful.
teaching the class “GSR 989: Introduction
to University Teaching.” Even before
I had an epiphany (although
the winter break, I began to fret over
unbeknownst to me at the time, it was
the impending marking of the students’
hardly an original thought): If I recorded
major final assignments in the spring:
oral feedback and then distributed the
their teaching portfolios. In previous
feedback to students via mp3 files, I could
years, I had experienced the same
resolve many of the aforementioned
trepidation, originating from the same set issues. What I hoped to accomplish with
of concerns. In their teaching portfolios,
my experiment was to generate feedback
the students take many risks, and usually that was meaningful, accessible, personal,
go through a remarkable pedagogical
and supportive. Eager to conduct my
transformation. Their risks and efforts
experiment, I invested in a small recorder
needed to be validated, and the feedback that attaches to my ipod. My “research
needed to be supportive, inspiring, and
methods” were incredibly informal,
motivating.
using a brief and simple “what worked,
what didn’t work, how I might I use this
My written feedback didn’t seem
differently?” questionnaire. I let my class
to do the students justice. First, my
know that I would be conducting an
handwriting is abysmal. Quite often I
experiment using this alternative form
can’t read it, so how can I expect the
of assessment, and that I would gladly
students to decipher and benefit from my receive any feedback they were willing
hieroglyphic comments? Second, I get
to provide. Later on, I would eventually
frustrated because I feel like I am never
learn that other teachers have been
giving enough feedback, and that the
employing recorded feedback as well, for
feedback could be so much richer. Third,
precisely the same reasons I did, and with
due to the fatigue that inevitably sets
the same results I uncovered.
in as I work my way through a daunting
stack of portfolios, I feel as though I
Two criticisms came out of the students’
spend more time pointing out areas
comments. First, a few students had
needing improvement, while comments
difficulties with the feedback format:
on the students’ strengths are more brief. I had created mp3 files, compressed
Many times, I want to express my genuine them, and then emailed the files to the
curiosity about their work, and to learn
students. But for a few students, these
more. I want to include comments
files were too large, and so they had to
that connect students to what we’ve
go to a fair amount of trouble to access
studied over the year, to refer students
their files. I have since uncovered other
to resources that they might be eager to
methods of delivering the feedback, with
access, and to share stories and examples which I will experiment in the fall iteration
that deepen the students’ learning.
of the course. At the end of this article,
Fourth, I agonize over my written
I have included references to several
comments, reading and rereading them,
that address various approaches to both
trying to imagine how they might be
recording and delivering the student
misunderstood (e.g. perceived as abrupt
feedback.
Bridges, Vol. 8, No. 1
5
A second concern came from one
student who indicated that he would
have preferred written feedback, and
two students who indicated that they
would have preferred written feedback
in addition to the oral feedback because
with the oral only, they found that they
were taking notes as they listened. From
a pedagogical perspective, I believe
that students understand and retain
more information if they go through the
process of listening, synthesizing, and
then taking notes. But there are students
who benefit more from only the oral
feedback, without taking notes. Bob
Rotheram, of Leeds University concurs,
reporting that “students whose first
language is not English were pleased
that it gave additional practice with
their listening skills [and] a dyslexic
student said that it was easier to listen
than to read.” In order to meet multiple
learning styles, I intend to experiment
with speech recognition programs that
will generate a word document from
my spoken comments, which I will then
append to the verbal feedback. Both
recommendations are valuable, and I am
grateful for the feedback.
The positive outcomes from this
experiment, however, have been
plentiful and remarkable. Student
comments affirmed everything I had
hoped to achieve. My attempts to avoid
subjecting my students to my cryptic
handwriting were validated when I
read this student’s comments: “It was in
some ways easier to simply listen to the
comments than to read them, especially
since in my long career as a student I have
had many, many, many, professors whose
handwriting has left me puzzling.”
My marking frustrations stemmed from
fatigue, and the feeling that I was not
providing enough feedback, and in
particular, not enough positive and/or
www.usask.ca/gmcte
conversational feedback. By recording
my oral comments, I was able to provide
far more comments in ten minutes of
recording than I was ever able to in 3060 minutes of hand-written comments.
Further, these comments were far
more in-depth, specific, constructive,
and conversational than my written
comments. One student recognized this
benefit and wrote, “Wow, that was my first
oral feedback ever and I loved it! It would
probably have taken you so much longer
to write all the things you mentioned in
your oral feedback.”
My worries that my written comments
might be misinterpreted were also
diminished when students confirmed
that my meaning and tone became
significantly clearer via the audio
feedback. This student nicely summarizes
the benefits he experienced:
It is an excellent idea to give
verbal feedback. The time spent
on preparing audio feedback is
totally worth it. To me, it is more
effective than that of giving
feedback in written form. It is
easy to emphasize key points
using variable pitch, pause, and
intonation. It helps avoid
confusion, which is unavoidable
in written form. 1
“greeted” the student, and acknowledged
some of his/her valued contributions over
the course of the class. This helped me
to a) personalize the feedback for each
student, and b) help me imagine that
the student was sitting in the chair in
front of me (I must add here that during
this process, I was facing the windows
of my door. Colleagues and visitors
to our teaching support centre would
walk past and see me speak animatedly,
with full facial expressions and hand
gestures, seemingly with myself. I would
recommend either using blinds, a closed
door, and/or having your back to any
peeping toms).
Finally, and for me perhaps the most
significant questions I addressed through
my experiment were, “Do the students
read written comments, How are they
received, and are they helpful?” Indeed,
one student confessed, “Thanks a lot for
the feedback. It was excellent. Honestly
I hardly read the written feedback but I
really enjoyed this verbal one.” Knowing
that the alternate feedback did increase
the chance that the students had
listened to and considered the feedback,
I was then interested in how they felt
about the feedback they received, and
ultimately, how helpful they found the
comments and whether the comments
helped the students improve upon their
performance.
This week has been particularly
hard for me. My husband and I just
got declined for landed immigrant
status at our interview in Buffalo.
That was a hard blow and I still try
to believe that it actually happened.
After one year of waiting and
hoping we have to start all over
again.
I felt so devastated and unwanted
after that trip to Buffalo that your
words were like balm for my soul.
When you were talking about my
passion for teaching and the person
you saw in me, I had to cry ...ok, I am
still crying now! This week has been
an emotional roller coaster and your
feedback meant so much to me.
Thank you for making me feel
welcomed again.
My heart broke for this student, who is
an excellent scholar and teacher. My
other reaction, however, was a realization
of how my oral comments had had a
powerful influence outside of our class, a
result that I had not anticipated, or even
considered.
As I reflected on this letter in
particular, I began to see connections
with other areas of interest to me,
including Chickering’s and Ehrmann’s
“Implementing the Seven Principles:
And students found that the comments
Technology as Lever,” and research I’d
were also far more conversational. One
It was here that my experiment took an
done on emotions in the classroom,
student offered, “I felt that the oral
unexpected turn. In many of the replies,
and emotion and its effect on learning.
feedback was more tangible and real
the subtext conveyed very positive
Chickering and Ehrmann identify that
compared to the written feedback,” and
feelings toward the audio feedback
faculty contact and “… concern helps
another wrote, “It was very nice to have
strategy. But giving the students audio
students to get through rough times
the immediate / conversational feel of the feedback didn’t just provide them with
and keep on working” (1996). Further,
recording.” A conversational tone was
more feedback that was more detailed,
alternative methods of communication
certainly what I was hoping to achieve.
but it also made them feel good.
(i.e. the recorded feedback) “for many
To do so, I read over the students’
students…seems more intimate,
portfolios and made some jot notes as
One response in particular brought tears protected, and convenient than the more
reminders to myself. I then sat in my
to my eyes, made the hair on the back of intimidating demands of face-to-face
desk, facing the chair in which visitors to
my neck stand up, and even caused me to communication with faculty. This best
my office usually sit. Then, I hit “record.” I
experience some fear. She wrote:
practice resonated for me as I looked
back on my efforts, in multiple formats, to
1 I would add a caveat to seek
I must admit, I was probably
engage, in particular, my more reflective
ing the above benefit of the oral
holding
my
breath
for
the
whole
10
students, and/or those for whom English
recording. If your voice tends to
minutes
because
I
kept
thinking:
was second language. Thus, the recorded
be fairly inexpressive, or if you
"ok, where is the criticism coming..."
feedback allowed the students to listen
are prone to sarcasm, understatements, or humour that is not often
but instead something different
to the comments at their own speed,
understood by your students,
happened.
without feeling the pressure to respond
written comments may be a more
to comments or questions I might have
suitable feedback format for you.
6
Bridges, Vol. 8, No. 1
posed on the spot in a face-to-face
meeting.
switch on, causing us to be “motivated
to act [and] thinking and learning are
enhanced” (Lawson).
uncovered in the recorded discussion.
As an educator whose primary purpose
is to enable student learning, I believe
Through my audio feedback, I
that the often-ignored affective byencouraged positive emotional responses products of recorded audio feedback
to the feedback, by focusing on being
are invaluable. When students hear a
constructive, and on fostering in the
voice that is encouraging, validating, and
students their self-confidence, a sense
that motivates students, that feedback
of being valued, and motivation to
generates positive student emotions
continue to improve upon the work they that then fosters deeper thinking and
had already completed. Indeed, another
learning. Though the technology
result of several studies reveals that
is simple, the results are complexly
students who have a positive emotional
enmeshed and reflect the “best practices”
experience are more likely to work
recommendations of Chickering and
harder, and to engage in self-reflection,
Ehrmann.
evaluation, and correction (Nortcliffe and
Middleton; Ingleton). By empowering
Technical Resources
the students through recorded audio
feedback, additional positive emotions
Anson, C. (2007). “Dr. Chris Anson on Oral
are generated, and so deep thinking and Commentary and YackPack. Accessed
learning are nurtured.
online: http://blogs.bedfordsmartins.
com/adjunctadvice/2007/11/18/dr
To conclude, Nortcliffe’s and Middleton’s
-chris-anson-on-oral-commentary-andThese results are consistent with research article, “A Three Year Case Study of Using
yackpack/, on February 20, 2009. 2pgs.
that explores the relationship between
Audio to Blend the Engineer’s Learning
emotions and learning. Traditionally,
Environment,” has inspired me to find
Francis, D. and Wheeler, A. (no date).
many educators have felt that a truly
other examples of how audio feedback
“Reflections on Using Podcasting for
objective classroom be devoid of
is successfully implemented in the hard
Student Feedback.” Accessed online: emotion. Yet even in an “objective,
sciences, mathematics, and professional
www.gees.ac.uk/planet/p18/df2.pdf, in
emotion-free” math classes, strong,
colleges. Applying this strategy to my
February, 2009.
negative emotions are experienced by
transformative graduate class, and to
many learners (Ingleton, 1999). These
the humanities and social sciences feels
Hiadky, J. (2009).“Using Tokbox for Live
negative emotions can play a significant
intuitive, yet there are those educators
and Recorded Video Feedback,” MASHe
role in students’ ability to learn, and in
who are finding innovative ways to
blog, February 2009. Accessed online: their confidence and belief in their ability implement audio feedback in the less
http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.org.uk/
to succeed in the subject. More and more “touchy-feely” disciplines. Secondly, I
mashe/2009/02/using- tokbox-for-liveresearch indicates that “emotions can be
intend to provide audio feedback earlier
and-recorded-video-feedback/, in May
powerful in encouraging and inhibiting
on in the course, as well as at the end,
2009. 2pgs.
effective learning” (Ingleton). Additional
providing both encouragement and
research suggests that “emotions may
constructive criticisms, and thereby
McClean, S. (2008).”Making Small Talk—
be helpful and even necessary, rather
giving the students an opportunity
Audio MP3 Files Made More than inimical, to the construction of
to see what they’ve accomplished,
Portable,” Bioscience Education, 12.
knowledge (Jaggar, qtd. in Gould, 2002).
and to develop goals for themselves
Accessed online: www.bioscience.
for the rest of the course. Finally,
heacademy.ac.uk/journal/vol12/beej-
The relationship between emotions and
I intend to experiment with one
12-L1.pdf, in February 2009. 2pgs.
learning becomes more clear when we
strategy implemented in Nortcliffe’s
understand that emotions are generated and Middleton’s study, whereby the
Parmar, N. (2009). “Introducing Audio
in the limbic system, through which all
instructors record a dialogue with the
Feedback,” Colligo: Reflections of a
stimulus passes on its way to the cortex,
student, rather than a monologue for
Learning Technologist, entry for 11/03/09.
which is where thinking and learning take the student. For some students, a oneAccessed online: http://colligo.wordpress.
place (Lawson). As the stimulus passes
on-one discussion of class performance
com/?s=audio+feedbACK, on June 15, through the limbic system, it can be
would give the students an opportunity
2009. 6pgs.
tagged with either a positive or negative to seek clarity, and to be inquisitive; the
emotion. Strong negative emotions can
students would also have an opportunity Rotheram, B. (no date). “Using an MP3
turn off the “switch” that enables learning, to revisit the conversation later on in
Recorder to Give Feedback on whereas positive emotions turn the
the course, as a reminder of what was
Student Assignments. Accessed online: What also became apparent to me are
the affective benefits of this strategy,
and how these influence learning. The
personalized feedback, and feedback
that demonstrates the instructor’s
support and encouragement of, and
appreciation for, students, is powerful in
terms of student engagement (Nortcliffe
and Middleton, 2008). In his article
on graduate student achievement,
homework habits, and motivation
to learn, Dawson Hancock’s study
revealed that “students exposed to welladministered verbal praise by a professor
performed significantly better on a
professor-created examination, spent
significantly more time doing homework
and exhibited higher motivation to learn
in the classroom than did students who
received no verbal praise” (2002).
Bridges, Vol. 8, No. 1
7
www.usask.ca/gmcte
web.mac.com/simonft/Sounds_Good/
Documents_files/MP3_recorder_for_
feedback.pdf, in February 2009.
Sharp, J. and Peacock, S. (2009). “Student
Audio Feedback: What, Why and How,”
MASHe blog, May 22. Accessed online:
http://www.rsc- ne-scotland.org.uk/
mashe/2009/05/student-audio-feedbackwhat-why-and-how/, on June 8, 2009.
4pgs.
Tremblay, E. (no date). “Audio Feedback
on Student Assignments in Online
Courses,” e-Learning Acupuncture: Eric's
ramblings, experiences and random
thoughts about e-Learning, distance education and Educational Technology.
Accessed online: http://erictremblay.
blogspot.com, on July 14, 2009. 2 pgs.
reprint/8/3/219.pdf on July 10, 2009. pgs.
83-95.
Hulterström, T. (2005). “Oral
Feedback: Students’ Reactions and Opinions,” Institutionen för kultur och
kommunikation, Karlsads universitet.
Accessed online:
http://kau.divaportal.org/smash/record.
jsf?pid=diva2:6565&sear chId=1,
February, 2009. 27pgs.
Hyland, K. (1990). “Providing Productive
Feedback,” ELT Journal, 44.4, Accessed online: eltj.oxfordjournals.org/
cgi/reprint/44/4/279.pdf on June 6, 2009. pgs. 279-285.
Hirschy, M. (2002). “The Sociology of the
Classroom and Its Influence on Student
Learning,” Peabody Journal of Education,
Williams, M. (no date). “Audio Feedback
77.3. Accessed online: louisville.edu/
in Student Papers in MS Word.” Pepperdine education/departments/ecpy/cv/cvUniversity, Accessed online: hirschy.pdf on July 14, 2009. pgs .85-101.
https://wikis.pepperdine.edu/display/
GSBME/Online+Audio+Feedback+in+St
Ice, P., et al. (2007). “Using Asynchronous
udent+Papers+in+MS+Word on July 14,
Audio Feedback to Enhance 2009. 2pgs.
Teaching Presence and Students’
Sense of Community,” Sloan-C Works Cited and Consulted
Series: A Consortium of Institutions and
Organizations Committed to Quality Online
Brenner, K. (no date). “Oral Journals:
Education, 11.2. pgs. 3-25.
A Journey from Analog to Digital,” Essential Teacher, TESOL
Ingleton, C. (no date). “Emotion
website. Accessed online: http://
in Learning: A Neglected Dynamic,” www.tesol.org/s_tesol/sec_document.
HERDSA Annual International Conference,
asp?CID=1958&DID=11858, in May, 2009. Melbourne, 12-15 July 1999. Accessed
4 pgs.
online: http://docs.google.com/gv
iew?a=v&q=cache:kaIXzjYiimMJ:w
Chickering, A and Ehrmann, C. (1996).
ww.herdsa.rg.au/wpcontent/uploads/
“Implementing the Seven Principles:
conference/1999/pdf/Ingleton.PD F+ingl
Technology as Lever,” AAHE Bulletin,
eton+emotion%5D&hl=en&gl=ca, on July
October.Accessed online: http://www.
7, 2009. Pgs 1-11.
tltgroup.or/programs/seven.html on July
7, 2009. 3 pgs.
Jordan, J. (2004) The use of orally
recorded exam feedback as a Gould, J.B. (2002). “Thinking With the
supplement to written comments.
Heart: Provoking Emotion As a Tool For
Journal of Statistics Education, 12.1.
Learning, Journal of Excellence in College
Accessed online: www.amstat.org/
Teaching, 13.1. 5-27.
publications/jse/v12n1/jordan.html, in
February2009.
Hancock, D.R. (2002). “Influencing
Graduate Students’ Classroom Lawson, C. (no date) “The Connections
Achievement, Homework Habits, and
Between Emotions and Learning,” Center
Motivation to Learn With Verbal Praise,”
for Development and Learning, digital
in Educational Research, 44.1. Accessed
library. Accessed online: http://www.cdl.
online: http://alh.sagepub.com/cgi/
org/resource-library/articles/connect_
8
emotions.php in May, 2009. 5 pgs.
Nortcliff, A. (2008). “A Three-Year Case
Study of Using Audio to Blend the Engineer’s Learning Environment,”
Engineering Education: Journal of the
Higher Education Academy, 3.2. Accessed
online: http://www.engsc.ac.uk/journal/
index.php/ee/article/view/110/145, in
May 2009. 11pgs.
The Gwenna Moss Centre
for Teaching Effectiveness
welcomes everyone back
for the fall term at the
University of Saskatchewan.
Please visit our website
and find out more about
our services and resources
for new faculty, experienced faculty, sessional
lecturers, those new to
teaching in Canada, and
graduate students who
teach. We offer various
workshops throughout
the year, host a book club,
coordinate faculty peer
consultations, maintain
a small library of teaching resources, and always
welcome visitors to our
centre.
Our website is
www.usask.ca/gmcte.
Bridges, Vol. 8, No. 1
Unabridged: An interview
with our new Master Teacher
Dr. Leslie Biggs
1) What was one of your best teaching
experiences?
My best teaching experience was with
Susan Gingell (Department of English)
when we taught the first course of WGSt
110.6, Introduction to Women’s and
Gender Studies in 1992. We didn’t know
each other very well when we signed
up to teach the course, but having
designed the course, attended each
other’s lectures, conferred on marking
tests, exams and projects, we developed
profound respect and insight into the
other’s disciplines, methodologies and
conceptual frameworks. The effect was
synergistic; the teaching experience
not only transformed our individual
approaches to pedagogy, but also to the
teaching of WGSt 110.6 from an addand-stir approach to the integration of
ideas, concepts, and methodologies.
What made that experience work?
Trust! We laughed a lot, tore our hair
out sometimes, but over time, we
developed ways of communicating that
allowed us to critique each other’s ideas.
That friendship continues today as we
continue to work on other projects.
generous towards students, particularly
encouraging students who aren’t doing
well. He used to say find at least one good
thing to say to a student who has done
poorly, and offer one element of critique
to the student who excels. From there, I
learned to write comments on papers as
if I was having a conversation with the
student about her or his work, and only
to write comments that I would say to
her/his face; a strategy that I also use in
reviewing manuscripts.
3) Why did you become a teacher?
I didn’t actually plan on becoming an
academic; I really enjoyed learning
particularly when I got to graduate
school. From there, as they say, it is
history. When I got the job here at the
U of S, I learned that I really enjoyed
teaching. One of the biggest thrills for
me is when students have those “aha”
moments and their understanding of the
world shifts. Those times keep me going.
4) As a teacher, what do you really want
your students to learn from
you – aside from content?
2) Did you have a role model or mentor
that affected your personal
teaching philosophy?
I would like students to first learn the
wonders of learning/knowledge. When
I first went to university, all kinds of
imaginative possibilities opened up for
I didn’t really have a role model or mentor, me; and they continue to do so. I am in
but I had a few individuals who gave me
awe of what the world has to offer, and
“permission” to find my own approach to that often makes me a bit of a dabbler;
teaching. Cary Milner, the first lecturer for but somewhere in the mix, these ideas
whom I was a teaching assistant, taught
collide and coalesce, and in the end, I
sociology through novels. I learned that
think that they make me a better scholar/
there are many ways to teach sociology
teacher.
outside of the standard textbook. I now
use all kinds of “texts” ranging from
Second, I would like students to learn to
graphic novels, music, movement, images think critically, and it was one of the most
as well as journal articles and books.
difficult skills to teach. I want students
From my supervisor, David Coburn,
to respect the views and ideas of others,
I learned that a teacher should be
but to engage critically with them, as well
Bridges, Vol. 8, No. 1
9
as test their own tried-and-true beliefs. I
don’t want students to think that they
should regurgitate what they think that
I would like to hear; but to think for
themselves. I want them to be able to ask
themselves, “Does that argument make
sense?”, “What kinds of evidence support
that particular view?”, “Do I agree or
disagree with this idea? Why or why not?”.
5) Do you see a change in students since
you began your teaching career?
I think that this is a very difficult question
since I think that we often revise
our views of the past, which is often
represented more positively than the
present. So I am distrustful of making
these kinds of judgments. But one of the
main differences from when I started here
is the diversity of the student body; there
are more Aboriginal and international
students, as well as older students
attending university. These students’
experiences and ideas contribute and
expand upon the idea of the university
(from the Latin, universitat-, universitas,
the whole, entire number, universe)
6) How has your teaching evolved as your
career progresses?
When I first started teaching, I was very
concerned about getting the content
down. I wrote everything out for my
lectures including the jokes (such as they
were)! Over the years, I have become
more confident as a teacher; I use a
range of techniques, but mostly I use
the Socratic method. This pedagogical
strategy was enhanced when I switched
to power point which allowed me to post
and speak to the slides, and I rarely now
use notes. I find that I have less control
in the classroom regarding the terrain
of the debate, but the Socratic method
promotes a greater depth of conversation
with and among students.
7) What is your favorite book or movie?
My favourite movie is “The Tango Lesson”
directed by Sally Potter. What I love first
about the movie is the dance (the tango
is one of my favourites to dance) and
the music including Astor Piazzolla’s
Libertango. The film also captures the
www.usask.ca/gmcte
complexity of gender relations. The film
is semi-autobiographical and tells the
story of a writer played by Sally Potter
who goes to Argentina to learn to dance
the tango from internationally renowned
dancer, Pablo Verón. The story centers
on the negotiations that take place
both professionally and romantically,
as the roles of teacher and student are
reversed—first when Potter must learn to
take the lead from Verón, and then when
Verón must take direction from Potter in
a film.
Talking Shop with
Serene Smyth
by Daniel Delury, Graduate Student Assistant, GMCTE
My favourite genre of books for the last
eight years or so is the memoir. Three
that stand out for me are—Tuesday’s
with Morrie by Mitch Albom; Persepolis
by Marjane Satarpi, , Azar Nafisi. In
addition, I thought Lawrence Hill’s, The
Book of Negroes, was fantastic. Each
book tells the story of the desire for
the human spirit to be free. I find them
inspirational—a bit clichéd I know, but I
find them inspirational and a reminder
of what I have. In addition, I am an avid
reader of mystery novels since I like
puzzles.
Last week I had the opportunity to sit
down and “talk shop” with a talented new
educator and researcher at the U of S, Serene Smyth. Serene just finished her first
year of a Masters of Science program in
Kinesiology. Unlike most people just beginning a Masters Program, she has also
just finished teaching a full course in her
discipline, (Kin 223: Contemporary Health
Issues), with stellar results. Although she
has had some TA experience as an undergraduate, (at the Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo), she had never taught
a full course before Kin 223. I heard rave
My favourite all-time academic book is
reviews about her teaching, and I wanted
Michel Foucault’s, Discipline and Punish.
to find out for myself what she was doing
I am in awe of the brilliant insights into
that made her jump into teaching at such
the regulation of human behaviour in
an early stage of her studies? What enthe modern Western world. I have read
abled her to do so well as a teacher “the
it many times, and each time, I learn
first time around”? During our interview
something new.
her experience and ideas on performing
in teaching and learning were fresh and
8) How would you spend a day off? (If you
insightful, and I found myself reflecting
only had to please yourself )
back on my own classroom experiences
to see where her techniques might have
Lie on the beach and read a book, garden,
come in handy. One or two of them I will
play tennis, go dancing. Not necessarily in
definitely use the next time I am in front
that order.
of a class. However, I think you have heard
quite enough from me; let’s hear what
Serene had to say about her teaching
9) Without breaking any rules of
experience:
confidentiality, what is your most
memorable wrong answer from a student
I have heard good things about your
in one of your classes?
work as a sessional lecturer. Do you want
to speak to that?
I think the most memorable wrong
answer was on a test on which a student
Well, in my course evaluation I had a high
referred to the bourgeoisie as the
response rate—only one or two students
beaujolais. I thought that was an apt
didn’t comment.
Freudian slip.
I am sure it was more than just response
rate, though!
10
Yes, the feedback was good too. I was
very happy with my student evaluations;
it was all quite positive and encouraging. In the written comments the first
thing that became apparent was that the
students appreciated my enthusiasm. This
was one of the qualities I wanted to bring
to my teaching. I had identified it in the
GSR 989 1 course [I took last term], when I
was questioned about what made a good
educator. I liked the vibrant, humorous,
and engaging professors. In the literature
I have read enthusiasm is the number one
quality of the best college educators. I
guess I am passionate about Kinesiology,
and that passion came through naturally
in my teaching.
Besides enthusiasm, were there any other
points that came through in the evaluation?
Yes, in the SEEQ evaluation, the students
liked the strong relationships and good
rapport I had established with them.
Sorry, what is SEEQ again?
Students Evaluation of Educational
Quality. It is an anonymous and detailed
evaluation, with set questions as well as
a section for written comments. It can be
done on-line or written in class, although
I found that those that are filled out online are not filled in as “fully” as the paper
forms. The university might be moving to
a completely on-line version, so that is a
bit of a concern.
Back to the written part – I felt the information concurred with undergraduate
Bridges, Vol. 8, No. 1
courses that I have taken. Courses that I
did the best in I had strong relationships
with the instructors. Luckily this was most
of my courses!
In the GSR 989 course, this as well as
enthusiasm were noted as traits of a high
quality instructor.
What were some of the strategies to
achieve this enthusiasm and teacherstudent relationship?
One of the strategies was to learn the
students’ names. It was a small class, so
it wasn’t too bad. It was important for
my class too, because 10% of the mark
was for participation, and I had to keep
records of the students’ frequency and
quality of responses. I could only do this
if I knew their names. This also brings in
inter-personal relationships outside academics. Students are people with multidimensional lives and they respect you as
an educator and person when take time
to get to know them.
What technique did you use to learn their
names?
Before the class started, I contacted all of
the students by e-mail and asked for their
background in the area of the course
and asked for a picture as well, if they
were comfortable providing one. Almost
everyone did.
This also allowed you to understand the
demographics of the classroom, right?
Yes, before I stepped into the classroom I
could see the diversity of the learners!
Is there anything else you would like to
add to strategies to create strong relationships and good rapport?
I was able to use my age as strength.
Do you mean because you are so old?
No, I mean the students and I are very
close in age. We have similar attributes,
concerns, expectations and are at similar
stages in life. I can remember not long
ago balancing a job, classes, as well
as family and social life; actually that’s
what I’m doing right now too! As I went
Bridges, Vol. 8, No. 1
through the textbook and started developing lectures I thought about what was
most interesting and relevant to my life
and I realized that these same issues and
topics were what many students would
find interesting.
some other class, so it gives me a way to
contextualize my classroom experience.
Having a good relationship with students
helps facilitate these casual discussions.
I just talked to students at the end of the
lesson. It was casual and informal, and
they told me a lot. Sometimes they ask
questions, say what they found most
interesting and sometimes they let me
know that they already learned all that in
There was also good feedback about
humour. I like to bring humour into my
classroom; you can’t fall asleep when you
are laughing!
My research is based around the knowledge that youth have, so this helps me
How did you do that, make it relevant for center my class around the students as
them?
well. I am a teacher and a researcher,2
and they reflect each other. My research
Well, I would look at the textbook and see is based on building relationships with
what resonated as a concern for me. This young Aboriginal people. I think that
what you value in one aspect of your life
worked well because the class was on
contemporary health issues. I also tried to transcends into other aspects of your life.
“read” the students in class, as well as takI find it interesting that you have an aping feedback at the end of the day.
proach of “Age as a Strength”. What about
people that are not close to their students
How do you read students and adjust a
lesson for them? Do you use power point age? Do you have any advice for them?
or some other method in class? Can you
I think it is important to build a relationadjust that?
ship with your students. Know who they
are as students and people. It is amazing
I do use power point. But when somewhat you would find out just by sitting
thing comes up that seems to interest
down and having a cup of coffee with
students, I make it flexible. I shut off the
power point and explore that issue more. your students. Lastly, don’t forget what
it’s like to be a student.
You just shut off the power point? Don’t
What other points were brought out in
you run out of time for your class?
the SEEQ evaluation?
No, because I plan the lesson to take
Students thought the material was rel80% of the time, the rest is flex time that
evant and well organized. I tried to relate
is built into the day, and I can use it as
the material to students lives. This may
I need to. I post my power point slides
be part of teaching in Kinesiology, where
before class and then the students take
there is something every day that you can
notes just on the details that aren’t on
the slides. This technique allows students take home and integrate with your life. I
think this keeps people engaged in class
to spend time engaging in discussion
and in school. Being able to take home
instead of frantically writing to keep up,
knowledge and apply it immediately
which saves time. If something is imshows students that their time, effort, and
portant or needs further explanation, I
money are well spent.
engage the students in active learning
through group work or discussion. I also
I was also happy to see that students
use these discussions as topics for the
really appreciated the class discussions,
exams, and develop case studies around
and interactive group work. I really tried
them. When they are interested the
to make my classroom an active learning
students can handle very complex case
environment that catered to different
studies and do very well.
learning styles. I noticed on the written
What about taking feedback at the end of exams that students did very well on
questions about discussion material.
your day, how do you do that?
11
www.usask.ca/gmcte
You have pointed to the GSR 989 course a
few times during this interview. Can you
explain what this is for people who are
not familiar with it?
It is an introduction to teaching course for
graduate students. (There is also a similar
course for faculty). Basically we meet for
two hours a week where we sit down and
actively learn about the art of teaching.
We learn about best practices in teaching
(something that has been very helpful),
we learn a lot about ourselves and who
we are as educators, as well as tangible
skills and knowledge we can integrate
into our teaching immediately, such as
fitting teaching methods with learning
styles. Also there were things that were
extremely important in setting up the
course I taught, how to build a syllabus,
what a good lesson plan looks like, evaluation techniques, etc.
The best thing for me was that it was
based on research and theory. I like
evidence-based teaching knowledge.
In your first response you alluded to your
teaching philosophy and your learning
outcomes. Can you tell me more about
that?
The teaching philosophy statement was
the end product of the course. For me,
because I didn’t have post-secondary
teaching experience before taking the
course, I was writing what I wanted to be.
This may be different than someone who
has been teaching for some time already,
who are expressing who they are. My
philosophy statement coincided very well
with my course evaluation which I think
was because of the guidance I received in
GSR 989.
So do you think your philosophy will
change?
With experience comes knowledge. I
think I will change it, but not right now.
Maybe after a year it will shift as I teach
different classes and see different realities, such as larger classes. Maybe not the
underlying philosophy, but the examples
and details.
How do you imagine teaching the class
would have been without taking the GSR
989 course?
Well, I think I could have taught the
course and done a good job, but I don’t
think the quality of the course would be
anywhere near what it was. It is not just
about getting information across, but
how you do it.
I decided to take the course after I
had been to a workshop3 for TAs at the
GMCTE. I heard about the course, and
said “Why not?” I wanted to teach, but
didn’t imagine doing it without being
in a PhD program or having completed
my MSc. Originally I was concerned the
course would be too much work, but I
came for a few sessions and it was fantastic, so I kept coming.
I couldn’t fathom teaching the way I did
without the tools it gave me. It increased
by classroom confidence 100%. The
confidence knowing that what I did in the
classroom was considered good practice
makes all the difference. It also helped in
getting the sessional position, as well as
executing it. If I hadn’t taken the course, I
wouldn’t have known what a rubric was,
let alone how to design a course and set
learning outcomes.
For many who get a sessional position,
getting started is the hardest part. But
with the course I can go from laying out
the first day all the way to the last day
just by flipping through the coursework
binder.
Was your teaching stable, everything
worked out?
Not every class was perfect. I remember
one particular lecture I felt was poor, it
was an “off” day and I wasn’t completely
comfortable with the topic that day. The
next class I apologized to the students
and we had a laugh. One student commented after that she really appreciated
that I felt accountable and cared enough
about the class to discuss it with them.
But 99% of the time, I felt it was a good
day after teaching.
12
One thing I would do was to research all
the questions students had the evening
after the class, and have answers for them
the next day. I can’t know everything, but
I can find out. Students have some really
good questions!
Do you have any advice for graduate
students that would like to teach?
Stay relevant with respect to the material
you are teaching. Stay in touch with the
literature for best practices in your teaching, and learn what the best practices are!
You can take a course like 989, but if you
don’t have time, take workshops when
you can, or even get a college teaching
book and read it when you have time
– there are lots of books at the GMCTE
library.
Also be true to your own characteristics. Learn who you are as a student and
educator, I had to learn about my own
learning style before I could teach others
effectively.
One last thing, relationships with students are important; whether it is on
an individual level or group, such as in
a large class. These relationships are
enhanced by using active learning techniques—learning is not a spectator sport!
Endnotes
1. GSR 989: Introduction to University
Teaching is a two-term non-credit course
for graduate students with some teaching experience, offered Wednesdays,
3-5:30pm from Sept.16.-Mar.31. To
register for this course, fill out the online
application form at http://www.usask.ca/
gmcte/drupal/?q=node/411.
2. Serene was also just selected for a
Canadian Institute for Health Research
(CIHR) Masters Scholarship!
3. Our GMCTE orientation for new graduate student teachers this fall will be held
all-day on Wednesday, August 26th. Register for this event on the GMCTE website:
http://www.usask.ca/gmcte.
Bridges, Vol. 8, No. 1