Accountability: Effective Quizzes Online and In-Class
Kevin Yee
Best Practices
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Give quizzes regularly – perhaps even one per class meeting?
Use both online and face-to-face (F2F) quizzes
Restrict online quizzes to self-grading options to save time
Target self-grading online quizzes to lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy
Restrict online quiz options (one question at a time, no revisiting questions, etc.) to
minimize chances students have time to look up the answers
6. Ask open-ended questions in F2F quizzes to gauge higher-order skills
7. Infuse all quizzes with material from prior chapters/modules – every quiz is cumulative,
a “miniature final exam.”
8. The majority of questions in each quiz should reflect the reading/video most recently
assigned
9. Quiz questions should be designed to be easy to answer if the student performed a
good faith effort to read/watch the assignment without distractions. Avoid “trick”
questions. It might mean all students could score 100% on this.
10. Require many quizzes, but consider assigning only a small percentage of the semester
total to the quiz category
11. Vary F2F quiz practice as the semester matures: allow occasional group quizzing,
peeking at notes, sharing with ONE neighbor, etc.
12. Take the F2F quiz at the start of classes each time (caveat: if early departures are a
problem, be open to a second, easier quiz later in the class period)
13. A percentage (10%? 30%) of the midterm and final exam questions should come directly
from the quizzes—and remind the students of this frequently
14. Configure the online quizzes to provide the right answers and/or additional commentary
and context after all students have taken the quiz.
15. Provide correct answers (and further context, as needed) for F2F quizzes, if desired right
after the paper quizzes are handed in and before grading.
16. For large classes, clicker quizzes can replace paper quizzes, but will likely restrict
questions to the multiple-choice variety.
Further Reading:
•
•
Osterlind, S. J. (1998). Constructing test items: Multiple-choice, constructed-response,
performance, and other formats. Evaluation in education and human services. Boston:
Kluwer Academic.
Oosterhof, A., Conrad, R.-M., & Ely, D. P. (2008). Assessing learners online. Upper Saddle
River, N.J.: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.
The Text as Flipped Content: Flipping Without Videos
“Traditional” flipped courses
Flipping does not necessarily mean making videos or using narrated PowerPoints. In fact, most
courses in humanities have always been flipped, without using any technology. Students have
always been assigned to read novels or historical analyses at home. During class time, students
engage in discussions on the assigned readings while the teacher facilitates class discussions,
often intervening to steer discussions towards a desired direction.
Specific tricks to ensure students complete their reading assignments
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
teach as if students had done the readings
teach discrete reading skills, specifically, how to read particular types of academic
material
instruct students how to take notes
give online quizzes
give quizzes right at the beginning of class
make the link between pre-class reading and in-class activities explicit to students
ask students to introduce readings to the class
have students complete a worksheet while reading and pick it up at the beginning of each
class (it can be easy: who did what, and when, and what were the results?)
have students come up with a list of things they understood and things that are still
unclear
ask students to bring the book/textbook/assigned reading to class
do not answer simple questions that students could have grasped if they completed the
assigned readings
Create a different in-class experience
DO
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
challenge students with questions
that assume they have done the work
set high expectations
have students engage the readings,
examine them and work with them
have students collaborate
challenge students to design in-class
activities based on the readings
make connections with students
bridge to previous and future
material
DON’T
• provide a verbal or written summary of
the reading, even one with active
learning technique, or students will not
read
• lecture exclusively; if you do lecture,
present NEW material that students
could not understand if they did not
complete their pre-class work
Oana Cîmpean | oanacimpean@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 1
The Text as Flipped Content: Flipping Without Videos
Things to consider
•
have a classroom management plan (in case students stop reading early in the semester)
•
choose your reading material carefully
•
give students a view of the whole course material (i.e., the textbook’s structure)
•
if possible, select a less expensive textbook (do not let costs prevent students from
reading)
•
take full advantage of what can be found on the Internet (such as MERLOT
https://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm, The Orange Grove http://florida.
theorangegrove.org/og/home.do, authentic documents, and scientists’ websites)
•
assign a substantial percentage of course grade to in-class participation
•
consider changing some reading materials so students do not feel overwhelmed (make
sure the material is manageable for students to complete and at the appropriate level of
difficulty)
•
consider offering students a way to ask questions about the readings outside of class
•
align the assigned material with the course objectives
•
give students a goal for each assigned reading (for instance, tell them that the following
class’s reading will prepare them to discuss how the pancreas is working) to help them
see why the material is important
•
assign material that is NECESSARY for students to engage in class discussions
•
make the readings personal (ask students to answer how the readings are relevant to their
own lives)
•
do not allow students to engage in general exchanges of ignorance; explain to students
what the consequences for not completing the assigned reading are
•
use “mind dump”: allow students to write down everything they remember from the
assigned reading and return these writings to them at the beginning of a test
•
have students find secondary readings on their own: for instance, assign a topic for which
students need to find a peer-reviewed article and post it online for the whole class to read
Oana Cîmpean | oanacimpean@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 2
The Flipping Workload: Ways to Streamline Your New Tasks
Flipping a class may require novel approaches, but it doesn’t have to consume your whole schedule.
Whether you’re just testing the waters or ready to dive in, we’ll discuss a range of strategies and tools to
simplify your workload.
Take-home points
•
•
•
•
You are not alone! ATLE is here to help.
Flipping does not have to be an all-or-nothing undertaking.
Lesson plans developed around learning objectives replace lecturing.
The practice and assessment elements of teaching can be incorporated into your new in-class
time rather than relegated to homework and exams.
Will flipping increase my workload?
•
•
The short answer: Probably, but it’s temporary.
o The implementation of a flipped classroom design in a pharmaceutics course required
127% more faculty time than in the previous year’s traditional lecture format, but
instructors expected that time to decrease once the course was established (McLaughlin
et al. 2013).
o Indeed, after the initial year of redesigning pharmacy course for flipped pedagogy, classplanning time returned to previous years’ levels (Ferreri et al. 2013).
o Consider that you have been trained to lecture (informally and formally) for many years.
It is natural for a new pedagogical approach to require extra effort before you become
comfortable.
Strategies for starting slowly
o Flip a portion of each class
 Flipping a small portion of each class meeting will establish student expectations
and foster a tone of inquiry.
 Whether you use videos or text as your flipped content, limit them to short,
small modules of out-of-class work (<10 minutes)
 As you develop content, keep in mind your content’s portability to other
courses.
o Co-teach or collaborate
 Simply having an accountability partner may help with time management.
 Regular meetings to discuss your progress can help cross-pollinate ideas or
generate solutions to obstacles.
• Share resources
• Have a conversation while recording videos together
 Invite TAs to participate in content-building to build their CVs.
 Even if you are co-teaching, remember to keep an eye on portability to other
courses.
o Flip certain class meetings
Brittany Sears, Ph.D. | Brittany.Sears@ucf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 1


The Flipping Workload: Ways to Streamline Your New Tasks
Flipping some classes but not others is less preferable than flipping a small
portion of each class because the tone and expectations are difficult to establish
if a class is suddenly flipped.
Nonetheless, this approach might be a good match for specific portions of your
curriculum (e.g., technical skills, group projects).
Teaching = Content + Practice + Assessment
•
•
•
“T=CPA” applies to any course, whether lecture, flipped, or hybrid!
Content
o Your content will probably not change dramatically as the result of a flipped approach,
but be open to some changes. You may find that flipping is conducive to covering
greater depth of a topic at the expense of breadth.
o Although most of your initial focus when flipping may fall on your new content
preparation (e.g., videos), don’t forget that the real meat of a flipped classroom occurs
in the classroom with practice and assessment.
o Use pre-existing tools!
 Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/
 Merlot (free online teaching and learning tools): https://www.merlot.org
 Orange Grove (free, open textbooks for Florida teachers): https://www.
floridashines.org/orange-grove
 Your textbook publisher: e.g., http://www.pearsonmylabandmastering.com
o How can I produce my own?
 Refer to your STS-03 “homework” on Canvas for step-by-step tutorials
• Recording Power Point presentations
• Screencasting (Camtasia, Screencast-O-Matic)
o Every take won’t be perfect and that’s OK: In-video tricks
 Be prepared! If you’re well-prepared, you’re less likely to need a second take.
 Just as in any other form of public speaking, using an outline—not a script—will
keep your dialogue sounding natural.
 Use picture-in-picture and callouts to clarify points rather than re-recording
portions of the video.
Practice
o Build lesson plans around your learning objectives.
 Let learning objectives dictate your in-class activities.
• Introducing an ethical dilemma? Try “Minute Papers”
(http://www.usf.edu/atle/teaching/interactive-techniques.aspx#
individual).
• Covering cellular organelles? Try the Apollo 13-esque “Build from
Restricted Components” (http://www.usf.edu/atle/teaching/
interactive-techniques.aspx#groups).
 The lesson plan (not a Power Point) should drive your class.
 Time management will become one of the most important elements of your
new classroom. You will have to focus not only on the clock but also on
shepherding students through transitions into new in-class activities.
Brittany Sears, Ph.D. | Brittany.Sears@ucf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 2
The Flipping Workload: Ways to Streamline Your New Tasks
Your use of face-to-face time will fluctuate between individual, partner, and group
activities. Be mindful that you incorporate all and that the use of each meets your
learning objectives.
o Don’t reinvent the wheel—utilize resources like ATLE’s 237-item-long list of interactive
techniques (http://www.usf.edu/atle/documents/handout-interactive-techniques.pdf).
Assessment
o You don’t need to grade every assessment yourself. Utilize peer-grading for formative
assessments.
o Automate assessment where possible (e.g., clickers, self-populated quizzes).
o Test cumulatively
 Cumulative assessment is better for retention (Khanna et al. 2013).
 Not only is it better for learning, but it reduces your workload because you don’t
have to re-teach it!
 Automating cumulative quizzing on Canvas: assign questions to “sets” for each
unit. You can then set quiz parameters to incorporate a certain number of
questions from any/all previous quiz sets.
o
•
The “don’ts”: Tactics that will surely un-streamline your life
•
•
•
Overloading Canvas with links
o You and your students will get confused.
o Just use one path for all of your material instead of scattering material across Modules,
Assignments, etc.
Mismatching your weekly tasks
o For example, don’t assign a weekly quiz due every Tuesday if you have a new class to
prep for Wednesday mornings. You won’t be able to return assessments in as quickly as
you could if the quizzes were assigned to a lighter day.
Being a perfectionist
o You can spend hours fine-tuning your videos. If you struggle with perfectionism, aim to
allot the same time to produce a video as you would spend speaking in class.
References
Stefanie P. Ferreri and Shanna K. O’Connor (2013). Redesign of a Large Lecture Course Into a SmallGroup Learning Course. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education: Volume 77, Issue 1, Article 13.
doi: 10.5688/ajpe77113
Maya M. Khanna, Amy S. Badura Brack, Laura L. Finken (2013). Short- and Long-Term Effects of
Cumulative Finals on Student Learning. Teaching of Psychology: Volume 40, Issue no. 3, 175-182. doi:
10.1177/0098628313487458
Jacqueline E. McLaughlin, LaToya M. Griffin, Denise A. Esserman, Christopher A. Davidson, Dylan M.
Glatt, Mary T. Roth, Nastaran Gharkholonarehe, and Russell J. Mumper (2013). Pharmacy Student
Engagement, Performance, and Perception in a Flipped Satellite Classroom. American Journal of
Pharmaceutical Education: Volume 77, Issue 9, Article 196. doi: 10.5688/ajpe779196
Brittany Sears, Ph.D. | Brittany.Sears@ucf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 3
Course design: Thinking about structure in a flipped classroom
Designing or redesigning a course for flipped classroom style requires a structured framework
to follow. We suggest the use of backward design model (Wiggins and McTighe, 2005). In
backward course design, we start by identifying outcomes (what we want the students to know,
do, or feel), then choosing methods of assessing learning (how do we know they are learning
what they need to know), and finally, identifying.
content and teaching strategies.
In flipped classrooms, students should be engaging
with course materials before coming to class and
actively participating in carefully-designed
interactive class activities that involve small-group
discussions, problem solving, debates, and/or peer
reviewing. The pre-class assignments must be
aligned with in-class activities. These activities are
often associated with feedback from students or
Traditional
instructor. Therefore, instructors should focus on
two main aspects: how to engage students with
materials before coming to class and how to design
the face-to-face session to be interactive so
students will engage in higher-order thinking
activities (application, analysis, synthesis). Hence, it
is important to start with clear, measurable,
achievable objectives because these will guide
instructors’ choices, as well as, assessment of both
Flipped Classroom
pre-class and in-class activities.
An instructor may choose to flip one or few classes
per term or just flip the whole course. In either cases, some issues should be considered:
• Start with clear learning goals for the course and for each lecture, share those with students
• Make sure the objectives of an activity are clearly linked to course objectives and
assessments
• Introduce the concept of active learning and its benefits to students early in the semester,
so it will not be a surprise for those who are unfamiliar with it
• Use assessment early and frequently to ensure students’ readiness for in-class activities
• Share rubrics for grading assignments with students (make it available on Canvas)
• Use peer review as part of an assignment before final submission
Emad Mansour | emansour@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 1
Course design: Thinking about structure in a flipped classroom
Other factors that may be observed in traditional courses, but are especially important in
flipped classroom design are:
•
•
•
•
the ability to introduce the task clearly, i.e., explain what students are expected to do in the
pre-class activity, the amount of time needed for each learning activity, and how their effort
will be assessed
the ability to design challenging but achievable assignments
the ability to provide just-in-time feedback
the ability to motivate students throughout the learning process
Example of a lesson plan in traditional and flipped classroom
Traditional
Flipped classroom
Activity
Time
Activity
Time
Go over previous class’s
homework
10 min.
10 min.
Warm up activity
5
Clicker polling or individual readiness
assurance quiz
(Also can be conducted online before
class)
Q & A time on video/readings
Lecture new content
45
Guided and independent practice
and/or lab activity
65
Guided and independent practice
and/or lab activity
25
Introduce the next task
5
Assign homework
5
10
Resources:
Course design: planning a flipped class. Center for Teaching Excellence. University of Waterloo.
https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/
Wiggins, G & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design. 2nd Ed. Association for supervision
and Curriculum Development, VA.
Emad Mansour | emansour@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 2
How to Design a Flipped
Class
Flipped
Learning Goals
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
• Identify main components of backward course
design
• Compare course design in traditional and
flipped classroom
• Design a plan for one flipped class
Emad Mansour, Ph.D.
ATLE, USF
What should students learn/ take
away from this course/lecture?
Learning
outcomes
Deliver
How will I know if students are
learning what they need to know/do?
Assessment
Design
http://assessment.uconn.edu/primer/mapping1.html
What content and teaching strategies
I will use?
Teaching and
learning activities
What is a learning goal?
Learning outcomes = Goals, Objectives
A general statement of what is desired
for the learner to know, do, or feel as a
result of the learning experience.
• Cognitive (knowing/head)
• Psychomotor (doing/hands)
• Affective (feeling/heart)
3Hs
1
Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy
Creating
Creating
Evaluating
Evaluating
Analyzing
Analyzing
Critical
Thinking
Activities
Applying
Understanding
Remembering
Foundational
Thinking
Activities
Examples of learning goals:
By the end of this course students will be able to:
• Define the differences between basic, translational, and
clinical research.
• Communicate effectively in the language of the target
country and read appropriate vernacular materials.
• Apply the necessary mathematical tools to solving complex
design problems.
• Compare/contrast and synthesize research on the
Psychology of Aging in a written paper.
• Identify the most common types of assistive technology
found in libraries.
• Identify and interpret elementary pop/jazz chord symbols.
(From Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001, pp. 67-68)
Is there a problem with this learning
goal?
• Students will learn essential concepts about
the Cell.
• Students will understand the linkage between
psychology of aging and other disciplines.
• Students will be familiar with main classes of
biomacromolecules.
Common Ambiguous
Words
"Better" Performance
Words
Know
Choose (or select)
Understand
Solve
Determine
Identify
Appreciate
List/ Sort
Grasp the significance of
Apply
Become familiar with
Assemble
Become aware of
Adjust
Learn
Align
Believe
Compare
http://pt3.nau.edu/toolbox/how-objectives.htm
What is a learning objective?
• A detailed description of how data will
be collected to provide evidence that
learners have achieved a learning goal.
Goal
broad
Objective
narrow
general intentions
precise
intangible
tangible
abstract
concrete
can't be validated as is can be validated
Zook (2001)
http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/resources/tutorials/id/developObjectives.asp
2
How to write learning objective?
The ABCD
Learning Goal:
To identify the bones in human body
• Audience: Who will be completing the lesson/unit?
Learning Objective:
• Behavior: “What will be done?” “action” verb
• Condition: “In what environment will it be done?”
• Degree/ Criteria “What is level of acceptable performance?”
Seels and Glasgow (1998)
name thename
206 bones
in the
human
without
Students will correctly
the 206
bones
in thebody
human
referring
to the
textbook
andtextbook
without missing
more missing
than 6
body
without
referring
to the
and without
names.
more
than 6 names.
Audience – Green
Condition – Yellow
Behavior - Red
Degree - Blue
Learning Goal:
Learning Goal:
Apply the rules of collegiate basketball
Student will not discriminate against different races
Learning Objective:
Learners
Learnerswill
willbe
beable
ableto
to demonstrate
demonstratetheir
theirability
abilityto
to apply
apply
the
basketballby
by participating
participating
the rules
rules of
of collegiate basketball
in
minutes without
without
in 33 on
on 33 scrimmage
scrimmage situations for 10 minutes
receiving
themselves.
receiving more
more than 3 fouls upon themselves.
Audience – Green
Condition – Yellow
Behavior - Red
Degree - Blue
Learning Objective:
•• “Given
“Given the
theopportunity
opportunity to
to work
workin
in aa team
team with
with
several
several people
peopleof
of different
different races,
races, the
the student
student will
will
demonstrate
demonstrate aa positive
positive increase
increase in
in attitude
attitude
towards
towardsnon-discrimination
non-discrimination of
of race,
race, as
as measured
measured
by
by aa checklist
checklist utilized/completed
utilized/completedby
by non-team
non-team
members.”
members.”
Audience – Green
Condition – Yellow
Behavior - Red
Degree - Blue
Wolf, 2011
Your turn
• Write one learning objective
for a class in your discipline.
3
Instructional alignment
Learning
outcomes
Assessment
Teaching and
learning activities
Goal
Pre-class
activity
Students will
write research
reports in APA
style.
Video
lecture
Or
A reading
on APA
style
guidelines
Objective:
In a research
report,
student will be
able to conform
to APA writing
style with 100%
accuracy.
In-class activity
Assessment
1.Clicker polling on APA.
Or an individual quiz
1-Objective exam
questions on the
second quiz and
the final will
examine student
knowledge of APA
style guidelines.
2. Instructor answers
questions about video or
readings
3-Students will work in
groups to apply the APA
style manual to a set of
simulated research report
sections created to include
APA style violations.
4-Whole-class discussion
will ensure that all
violations have been
identified.
2- Students will
submit research
reports.
The grade for
these reports will
include a
measurement of
conformity to APA
style.
Flipped Course Design
• Clear learning goals/objectives
• Aligning goals with assessment and class
activities
• Introduce active learning on/before day one
• Introduce pre-class task clearly
• Design in-class engaging higher-order thinking
activities
• Assess/feedback early and frequently
• Peer review
• JiTT
( Modified
Allen, 2004, p. 45)
Example of a lesson plan in traditional and
flipped classroom
Traditional
Flipped classroom
Activity
Go over previous class’s
homework
Time
10 min.
Activity
Clicker polling or
individual readiness
assurance quiz
Time
10 min.
Warm up activity
5
Lecture new content
45
Guided and independent
practice and/or lab activity
25
Q & A time on
10
video/readings
Guided and independent 65
practice and/or lab
activity
Introduce the next task
5
Assign homework
5
4
Your turn
• Design a lesson plan for one flipped class
1.Use one learning objective
2. What is the pre-class work for that objective?
3. How you assess their readiness?
4. What are the classroom activities?
Complete this sentence
To me, course design in flipped
classroom means………
What should students
learn/take away from this lecture?
Learning
outcomes
Deliver
How will I know if students
are learning what they need to know?
Assessment
Design
What content and teaching strategies
I will use?
Teaching and
learning activities
5
Anything but Text
Kevin Yee
Context:
In all three typical activities of teaching (delivering content, giving students an opportunity to
practice, and assessment of student work), the most common methods of delivery and
communication are verbal and written. But there is more than "just text" available--other
media make it possible to deliver content, let students practice, and even assess learning
through multimedia. Students value variety in classes, so consider ways to create variety. Try to
adhere to the rule of FIVS (focused, interesting, varied, short).
(Delivery) Options beyond text:
1. Canvas Discussion Board – voice (or video) requirement
2. Podcast (audio only – mp3 created in Audacity and uploaded to Canvas)
3. PPT narrated, but with unrelated visuals (such as photos of nature)
4. PPT with minimal captions and background music, auto-advanced and saved as a movie
5. PPT with narration, saved as movie (through YouTube)
6. Prezi captured as video (voiceover if desired), hosted through YouTube
7. Screencast – narrated tour of software, or your screen (use Screencast-O-Matic.com)
8. Screencast – video capture of online whiteboard (such as Stoodle or a tablet app)
9. Twitter username (or hashtag) feed embedded in a Canvas page
10. Video - webcam at office
11. Video - on location (from smartphone?)
12. Video - skype interview with an expert in your field (or captured as a screencast)
13. Video - watch a TED talk or other existing online movie
14. Windows Movie Maker slideshow movie, with pan/zoom effects (voiceover and music
also an option)
15. Zaption video – YouTube (etc) videos with instructor-created questions that “interrupt”
the student viewing, and will not restart until answered.
Web 2.0 tools optimized for the students' practicing:
1. Bubblr – Create customized comic strips (with word or thought bubbles, as needed)
using photos found on Flickr. http://www.pimpampum.net/en/content/bubblr
2. Storify is a "social story" timeline creator, by creating a storyline from different online
content found around the Internet. https://storify.com/
3. Sway – Microsoft owned alternative to PowerPoint; Web-based like
Prezi. https://sway.com/my
4. Wordle - Wordle is an online "word cloud" generator that illustrates the frequency of
word use in a passage. http://www.wordle.net
Effective Lecture Capture
Anything but Text
Core Principles:
1. Tell AND show. A visual will always win attention over verbal.
2. Be who you are. Don’t try to be “television guy.”
3. Forgive imperfections. Just mentally shrug and move on.
4. Commercial breaks matter - aim for 15 minute chunks
Nuts and Bolts:
5. Aim for a 1-to-1 relationship. Don’t think to yourself you are communicating “1-tomany” (it will make you nervous). Really talking is not orating or reading a script.
6. Look through the back of the lens at imaginary eyes.
7. Minimize props.
8. Make sure you have adequate lighting in front of you, not behind
9. Try not to lean or sway (don’t want to give your audience motion sickness).
10. Speak from the gut (not your throat), which will give you a deeper voice
11. Wardrobe: avoid stripes and polka-dots. Also avoid white if the background is white
12. Wardrobe: avoid re-using the same clothes all the time (or recording all your lectures at
the same time)
13. Speak slower than you think you have to (remember language-learners!)
14. Do a practice run first, so you can see yourself exactly as your students will see you (and
can make any changes before it’s for real).
Tips for capturing with Panopto and a live audience:
15. Repeat student questions
16. Use doc-cam rather than white board exclusively (the board is harder to read)
17. Don’t use animations; each one is registered in Panopto as a separate ‘event’ and makes
the table of contents unusable.
Other Things to Keep in Mind:
18. Too much editing will become time consuming and may detract from the “naturalness”
of the lecture.
19. Focus on your audience, not the technology.
20. Recording quality is less important than you might think--perfection is overrated; learn
to love YOUR voice!
21. If you get thirsty while speaking, drink warm as opposed to hot or cold beverages.
22. Title your slides.
23. Short recordings are better; if you "mess up" you can just record that mini-lecture again.
24. Express some emotion/passion; smile while you record (it affects the tone of your
voice).
Kevin Yee | kyee@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 2
Flip or Flop: Attendance, Student Resistance, and
Problems with Flipping
Resistance to changing from a lecture approach
Students are accustomed to passive learning and have become accustomed to rewards for lowlevel thinking activities. They are not used to taking responsibility for their own learning, practicing
critical thinking, or learning by peer instruction (Schell, 2012). Some suggestions to ease this
transition are:
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Introduce active learning from the first day of class, but don’t tell students you are “flipping”
or “experimenting” because students may be suspicious or resentful of being test subjects.
Using the term “active learning” is less likely to meet resistance.
Show evidence that engaged students learn better (e.g., Bonwell, & Eison (1991).
Repeatedly explain to your students the benefits and values of this model.
Carefully design engaging in-class activities that align with the pre-class ones.
Maintain clear, steady, and prompt communication via Canvas and in-class announcements:
where to go, how to navigate the course, and step-by-step instructions, where needed.
Being thoroughly prepared and organized.
Use a variety of active learning strategies. Using one active learning strategy over and over
becomes boring for the students. (See ATLE Interactive
Techniques: http://www.usf.edu/atle/teaching/interactive-techniques.aspx).
Assess early and often: use both formative and summative assessment to improve and
judge quality, respectively.
Stick with it! In the words of early flipping champion Jonathan Bergmann: “Change is a
process. By year three, it’s culture.”
Attendance (if the content is available online, won’t students skip class?)
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Include a firm attendance policy in your syllabus, for example, allow two “free” absences
and then reduce the final grade by a certain fraction for each additional absence.
Have a clear participation policy in your syllabus, and assign a portion of the grade to class
participation.
Use engaging activities and hands-on, higher-order thinking questions in class. Students see
value in attending lecture when class time is used in application of concepts.
Student accountability/preparedness
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If students come to class unprepared, don’t re-lecture—move forward anyway. Once
students see that you are serious about supporting active learning in the classroom, they
will likely be better prepared the next time.
Flip or Flop: Attendance, Student Resistance, and Problems with Flipping
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Alternatively, offer in-class video-watching for students who did not watch at home while
other students are doing the planned interactive exercises. The unprepared students must
then make-up the assignment on their own or lose participation points.
Make out-of-class lessons entertaining, engaging, and brief (<10 minutes for video).
Give assessments (e.g., online or in-class quizzes, blog comments) to maintain accountability
for out-of-class content.
Ask for a “door ticket,” such as an interesting question about the topic that they could not
answer without completing the online material, at the beginning of each class. Then have
students exchange and answer each other’s questions or use a subset of these questions for
assessments.
Insert several multiple-choice questions or a “word of the day” within the Power Point
lecture video and quiz students for the answers (online or in-class).
Require note-taking or summaries of the online content and check (or spot check) at the
beginning of class.
Keep a record of unprepared students. Are the same students repeatedly unprepared? If so,
have a conversation with them.
Instructor time constraints
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Redesigning a course requires additional work and time, but it pays off with improved
student learning and a lighter workload next semester.
Take it slow by flipping only a portion of each class while you build your content library.
Keep track of the student response, and make notes to adjust accordingly in future classes—
both in this semester and the next.
Don’t be afraid to use pre-existing open content, such as:
o Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/
o Merlot (free online teaching tools): https://www.merlot.org
o Orange Grove (free, open textbooks for Florida teachers): https://www.
floridashines.org/orange-grove
o Textbook publishers: e.g., http://www.pearsonmylabandmastering.com
Work with a colleague to redesign the course and find/produce content to help alleviate the
workload.
Technology
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New technologies, such as video-recording software, will have learning curves. Allow
enough time to learn the new technology, and be prepared for some glitches along the way.
Seek help from support units on your campus.
Carefully consider and select content that students will go over before coming to class
(reading, videos, etc.). Videos should be 10-15 minutes (5 min. is even better); chunk them
by objectives.
Amanda Helip-Wooley, Brittany Sears, Emad Mansour|ahelip@usf.edu brittany.sears@ucf.edu emansour@usf.edu
Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 2
Flip or Flop: Attendance, Student Resistance, and Problems with Flipping
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Pre-class assignments don’t have to involve technology; they can be given on paper, with no
need for a computer or internet connection (reading assignments, for example). Keep it
low-tech if you are not comfortable with technology.
Students have access to computers and the internet on campus, so internet access for preclass assignments is generally not an issue. For special circumstances where internet access
is an issue, consider the use of thumb drives and DVDs.
Ask ATLE for more support.
Student Evaluations, Tenure & Promotion
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Again, explain the value of this method to students to reduce student resistance that might
result in negative evaluations.
Although student evaluation of teaching is not the most important factor for tenure and
promotion decisions at research universities, it might be in the best interest of pre-tenured
faculty to take small steps. Try flipping a small portion of each class (or one or two individual
lectures) before going in full speed.
Present evidence for the efficacy of flipped classrooms relative to lectures.
If you use flipped teaching, collect mid-semester feedback from students. This is not only
informative but also tends to improve end-of-semester evaluations.
Keep in mind that class size and mandatory/optional course status can affect evaluations
regardless of the pedagogical method used.
References
Bonwell, C., & Eison, J. (1991). Active learning: Creating excitement in the classroom. (ASHE-ERIC
Higher Education Report No. 1). Washington, DC: George Washington University.
Schell, J. (2012, July 12). Choreography of a flipped classroom. Turn to Your Neighbor. Retrieved
from https://blog.peerinstruction.net/2012/07/03/choreography-of-a-flipped-classroom/
Amanda Helip-Wooley, Brittany Sears, Emad Mansour|ahelip@usf.edu brittany.sears@ucf.edu emansour@usf.edu
Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 3
Working the Room: Facilitation Tricks
Context
Where do teachers stand now that they are no longer behind a lectern? What are the
classroom arrangements and facilitation techniques that favor the best classroom
discussions possible? How can every voice be heard, both literally and figuratively? These
are a few of the questions we will address in this session. We will also explore strategies to
build a classroom community.
Physical arrangements of the classroom
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consider changing the focus of the room: not on you, but on the students and their learning
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classrooms can have multiple center points
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if possible, ask students to sit in circles or in half circles
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if teaching in a big auditorium, students can form groups by turning to the students behind
them
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walk around the room as much as possible (moving around the classroom discourages
possible disrupters from acting up)
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if teaching in a room with multiple rows, and there is enough space, ask students to leave an
empty row so that you can walk along it
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if the room allows it, walk in an interior loop (like in the following pictures):
•
encourage students to come use the board
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if the classroom has more than one board, consider switching between them
Oana Cîmpean | oanacimpean@usf.edu | Sara Friedman |spfriedm@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching
and Learning Excellence | 1
Working the Room: Facilitation Tricks
Teaching presence
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try to deepen your voice and project it further (breath from your diaphragm; put your hand on
your belly to check that you’re doing this and see how your voice sounds)
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modulate your voice
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tape yourself: put the recorder in the farthest possible spot in the classroom and see how well
you are heard
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avoid finishing a declarative sentence with a question mark
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make eye contact, move around the room, use broad gestures
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minimize distracting behavior: mispronunciations, false sentence starters, volume fade-outs
at the end of sentences, pacing, swaying (repetitive movements), leaning on the desk or
board, lengthy checks of notes, apologies to the audience
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videotape yourself: you will be able to pick up possible annoying tics (verbal or gestures)
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body language needs to be synchronized with what you are saying
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in order to get students to speak louder, move away from them
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vary where you sit so that all students can feel close to you
Oana Cîmpean | oanacimpean@usf.edu | Sara Friedman |spfriedm@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching
and Learning Excellence | 2
Working the Room: Facilitation Tricks
Building a classroom community
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a feeling of community helps to foster an environment of collaboration and contribution
in the classroom
when students experience encouragement, support, belonging, and empowerment in the
class, they feel comfortable participating, making it easier to interact with the instructor
and with each other
to effectively establish classroom community, build it into the design of the course and
start early in the semester
Strategies to help build community:
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learn student names
help them learn each other’s names (name tents, name tags, name games)
o ex: What’s in a name? Students introduce themselves by providing the story
behind their name (first, last, or middle)
o ex: scavenger hunt – ask students to circulate around the room and locate
classmates who match up with certain categories (i.e., only children, lived abroad,
bi- or multi-lingual, same major, etc. Can also include statements that revolve
around class content)
give students a little background about yourself; admitting that you are human helps
students feel more at ease
develop class rules/policies together with the students
when doing group work, rotate students among groups so they get a chance to speak to a
wide variety of classmates
casually chat with students before or after class to get perspective on their lives
pair high-achieving students with those who need extra help – instills a sense of support
among classmates
ask that students use each other’s names during class discussion
change your own language and behavior from “yes, but” to “yes, and” which does not
negate the previous speaker’s point
Oana Cîmpean | oanacimpean@usf.edu | Sara Friedman |spfriedm@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching
and Learning Excellence | 3
Working the Room: Facilitation Tricks
Suggestions for a successful classroom discussion
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ask one question at a time and WAIT for students to formulate an answer (5-15 seconds)
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for an especially difficult question, allow students to clarify their thoughts in writing
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calling on students
1. predetermined order: broad participation, yet a possibly stiff atmosphere; students who
already participated might tune out
2. by raised hands: relaxed class, but does not really increase participation; uneven and
some students monopolize the conversation and might even reinforce discrimination
3. cold calling: ensures participation and encourages students to prepare; might produce
stress
4. at times, it is advisable to allow students to not answer
5. pay attention to non-verbal clues (some students’ faces might indicate they are ready to
answer)
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addressing uneven participation
1. break the class into groups for shy students to feel safe to participate
2. wait until several students seem ready to answer (judging by their facial expressions or
raised hands)
3. if shy students refuse to participate, do not put them on the spot; maybe ask them to read
something aloud
4. consider a private approach with shy students
5. limit the number of times any student can participate before everyone else has a chance to
participate (colorful sticky notes might help keep track of how many times a student
participates)
6. besides saying “What are others thinking?” or “Who we haven’t heard from?” ask the
class a question like, “What are you wondering or trying to understand better?”
• make your rules clear: what will not be tolerated; how you will react when students will try to
sidetrack the conversation
• lead a discussion on what a good discussion is
• reemphasize the importance of hearing different points of view
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encourage students to take notes during a discussion
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ask students to extend an incomplete answer, to clarify a wrong one (by asking the class to
comment on it)
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avoid saying “you are wrong” or identifying and correcting errors by yourself for as long as
possible
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when you respond, try to incorporate the student’s answer, mentioning that student by name
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if you assign group discussions: randomly select groups, and persons within those groups to
summarize their main points
Oana Cîmpean | oanacimpean@usf.edu | Sara Friedman |spfriedm@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching
and Learning Excellence | 4
Working the Room: Facilitation Tricks
•
consider sharing a personal anecdote of a time when you said something foolish; share the
strategies that helped you “survive” that moment
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end the discussion with a wrap-up
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randomly pick a student to summarize the class discussion (keeps them all alert)
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at the start of the following class, you can ask students to review the previous class
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raising the quality of discussions
1.
2.
3.
4.
make it clear to students discussions will play a big role in their grade (from day one)
post participation grades throughout the semester
create a rubric (to help students understand how you grade participation)
help students understand what discussions can help them with (exploring unfamiliar
ideas, deep learning, critical thinking, problem solving, listening actively, communicating
orally, transferring knowledge to new situations, retaining the material)
5. make the connections between discussions and the rest of the class evident to students
Resources
Nilson, L. B. Teaching at Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors (John
Wiley & Sons, 2010).
Oana Cîmpean | oanacimpean@usf.edu | Sara Friedman |spfriedm@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching
and Learning Excellence | 5
Accountability in class: Strategies to enhance readiness
There are several reasons students don’t complete the pre-class assignments and come to a
flipped class unprepared. Here are some:
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They see no value in doing the pre-class assignments
The assignments are too difficult
The assignments take a lot of time
Pre-class assignments are not directly related to class activity
The videos/readings are long and boring
There are no assessment for pre-class assignments or it does not directly affect their grades
It is unclear what to do with the assignments
How can instructors help reduce or eliminate some of these challenges?
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Introduce active learning from the first day of class, so students become familiar with it
early in the semester.
Assess early and often, so you can gauge their learning and adjust your activities
accordingly.
Make it clear and visible: Make outcomes of pre-class work visible and measurable. What
students should do when they prepare? Take notes, answer embedded questions, write a
reflection, make an outline, draw a concept map, etc. What they will bring as evidence for
completion? If assignment is clear and measurable, it is more likely that they will do it.
Add timelines (clarify how much time, on average, a student needs to finish pre-class
assignments). Ex. a 15- min. video with 5 quiz questions may take approximately 30 min.
total.
Build rapport: It is less likely that students will come unprepared if they know that you know
them.
Establish routine focusing activity at beginning of each class: Student will need to be able to
recall or use their pre-class work for this activity.
Create value: Ask student to bring their notes (cheat sheet) on the readings and use them
for in-class quiz/activity, so they would see value in pre-class work.
Give one free-pass (in case of a life situation). Hand a printed pass to each student to use
for that one occasion. Students will respect that. Variation: Just tell student who come
unprepared that he/she has used his/her free-pass. However, this will need a little more
recordkeeping by the instructor.
Emad Mansour | emansour@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 1
Accountability in class: Strategies to enhance readiness
Examples of activities you may use in class to enhance preparedness:
Graded in-class activities
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Quizzes: announced or pop
• Ask broad questions that cannot be answered by just skimming through the readings at
the beginning of class (or online before class, self-grading).
• Use multiple choice questions before or in class to reduce your time spent grading.
Door ticket: As students come into class, ask them to each hand in an index card with two or
three questions on the assigned readings/video. For the video, require a time stamp that
correspond to their questions (if applicable). Grade those questions. Alternatively, you may
redistribute those questions randomly to students and ask them to answer each other’s
questions or use those questions as part of small group activity or class discussion.
One-word journal: Ask students to summarize the entire topic (readings/video) with a single
word. Then ask them to use a paragraph to explain that word choice.
Easily graded in-class activities
To avoid high grading demands, the strategies below are suggested:
• Use clicker questions at beginning of class (and throughout). Each clicker device has a
unique serial number and students should register their devices online. Students’
answers can be synchronized directly into the Canvas gradebook.
• Peer review/grading: pairs of students can provide feedback to each other on answers
for specific questions or on short writing assignments. Instructor can briefly check
student’s feedback to each other.
• Consider using completion points for some assignments to avoid grading workload. For
example the “Door ticket” above, where students get points for completing such
assignment.
• Choose-a-side strategy: If you have a topic with two opposing sides (or two view points),
ask students to write their names on a sticky note and post it on the board under one of
each view point they choose. Students should be ready to defend their choice.
References
Honeycutt, B. (2016): 10 Strategies to Encourage Students to Actually Do the Pre-Class Work in
Flipped & Active Learning Classrooms. FLIP It Consulting, LLC. Raleigh, North Carolina.
Honeycutt, B. (2016). Ready to Flip: Three Ways to Hold Students Accountable for Pre-Class
Work. Faculty focus (Jan. 25, 2016). http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles
Emad Mansour | emansour@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 2
Asking Open-Ended Questions
Context: One of the ways to encourage more meaningful classroom discussions is to ask
questions that require students to pause, think, and reflect. Open-ended questions have the
potential to achieve this and to obtain deep, meaningful, and thoughtful answers that can
expand the conversation. In this session, we will discuss open-ended questions and how to use
them to probe for clarity and completeness, encourage creativity and critical thinking, and steer
the discussion toward a desired goal.
Definition: An open-ended question cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no," or with a
specific piece of information. It is objective, does not lead the person being asked, and results
in an answer with many words. Think of open-ended questions as short response and essay
exam questions and close-ended questions as multiple choice or true/false exam questions.
Open-ended questions typically begin with the following words: why, how, what, describe, “tell
me about...,” or “what do you think about....”
Types of Open-Ended Questions:
• Clarification
o Invites rephrasing, elaboration, or an example to make the idea understandable
o “What in particular do you identify with in this character?”
• Completeness
o Asks the student to go beyond the superficial or from the general to the specific
o "What else do you like?" or "What other reason did you have?"
• Requesting more evidence
o Requires the student to defend their position with additional information
o “What passage in the text supports that position?”
• Cause and effect
o Considers causal relationships between ideas, actions, or events
o "If X happened, what would happen to Y?"
• Hypothetical
o Involves creative thinking and prediction of possible scenarios given a fact change
o "If this candidate had lost the election instead of winning, what effect would it have
had on our state?"
• Linking or extension
o Encourages students to think about relationships between their responses and those
of others
o “How does this relate to what was previously said?”
Asking Open-Ended Questions
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Summary and synthesis
o Necessitates review and reflection on the discussion and articulation of key concepts
o “What themes have emerged from today’s discussion?” or “What issues remain
unresolved?”
Tips, Tricks, and Potential Pitfalls:
• Giving up control
o Using open questions can initially be intimidating if viewed as a loss of control of the
discussion; however, well-placed questions allow you to steer the discussion where
you want and engage participants.
• Pseudo-open-ended questions
o Avoid leading or loaded questions such as “Isn't this a beautiful metaphor?" or
"Don't you think the author has a point?"
• Setting boundaries
o Be specific. Instead of "What are you looking for in a person?" include specific
parameters: "What personality traits are you looking for in a person?"
• Avoid asking, “Any questions?”
o Instead try, “That went by fast. What did I leave out?” or “What was the least clear
(or muddiest) point?”
• Ask one question at a time and wait for a response. Let silence stretch for 15 to 30 seconds
to encourage participation.
Bloom’s Taxonomy:
Bloom’s hierarchy of six cognitive processes can also be used
to structure a discussion. Begin by assuring that students
understand the material and that any misconceptions have
been identified and corrected by asking knowledge,
comprehension and application level questions. Then
encourage higher order critical and creative thinking with
analysis, synthesis, and evaluation directed questions.
Amanda Helip-Wooley | ahelip@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 2
Asking Open-Ended Questions
Cognitive Level
Questions
Knowledge
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What did you notice about _________?
What do you recall about ________?
How does the process work?
What does the term _______ mean?
Comprehension
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How would you explain _______ in non-technical terms? (or to a fifth
grader)
What do you think the author/researcher is saying?
In your own words, what does ________ mean?
Application
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What would be an example of _______?
How would you solve this problem?
What approach would you use?
How would you apply _____ in this situation?
Analysis
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How are _____ and _____ alike? How are they different?
How is _____ related to ______?
What type of _____ is this? How would you classify it?
What evidence does the author/researcher provide?
What assumptions are behind the argument?
Synthesis
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What conclusions can you come to about _____?
How would you design/structure/organize a ____?
How can you resolve the differences?
What new model would accommodate these disparate findings?
Evaluation
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What would you choose and why?
Why do you approve or disapprove?
Why do you think the conclusions are valid or invalid?
What is your position on _______ and how can you justify it?
How would you evaluate _______?
*Adapted from Nilson, Teaching at its Best, 2010.
Amanda Helip-Wooley | ahelip@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 3
Approachability—being a real human
Take home points
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Traditional lecturing creates a clear power dynamic of instructor-in-charge and subordinate
students. A flipped classroom reduces some of this hierarchical distance.
Approachability creates a safe learning space and a sense of community, both of which are traits
crucial to the success of a flipped classroom.
Even instructors who want to be approachable can inadvertently engage in behavior that causes
students to perceive them as unapproachable.
Why Focus on Approachability?
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Establishes a safe learning space where students are comfortable asking for extra help when
they need it.
Pro-approachability behaviors like self-disclosure increase participation and motivation (Mazer
et al. 2007).
Enhances a sense of community
o “College experience”
 The historic role of higher education has been fulfilled in residential settings
that prioritize civic engagement.
 As instructors, we have to bridge (and, hopefully, reduce) the gap between
“student culture” and “academic culture” (see Bickford and Wright)
o Students’ sense of community in a course and their academic performance are strongly
positively correlated (Sadera et al. 2009).
Unapproachable Teachers
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Not being physically available, or being emotionally/attentively unavailable with students
(checking email, taking phone calls)
o Solution 1: maintain lines of communication, whether through email, office hours,
discussion boards… preferably as many as possible!
o Solution 2: send out email welcome message at the beginning of the semester.
Counterproductive non-verbal signals & body language
o Solution: In terms of body language, approachable is the opposite of authoritative.
“Playing low” with your body language equalizes power dynamics.
Use of space
Eye contact
Speech
High Rank
Open, relaxed, taking up maximum space
Holding eye contact while speaking but
allowing gaze to wander when lowerranking individuals address you
Keeping head still while speaking and
speaking in complete sentences
Low Rank
Body is small, footprint minimized
Glancing around, looking away until
addressed by a high-status person
Lots of submissive smiling to check in
whether high-rank person is OK
Sara Friedman, M.S. | spfriedm@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence
Brittany Sears, Ph.D. | Brittany.Sears@ucf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence
Approachability—being a real human
Gender role expectations (see http://leanin.org/education/power-influence/)
 Women are socialized to “play low.” Female instructors may need to make a
conscious effort to counter this socialization.
 Unfortunately, for women, power and “likeability” tend to be negatively
correlated.
Inadvertent disparaging/dismissive attitudes towards questions
o Solution: Paraphrase the student’s question as part of your response to ensure you
understand and to validate the question.
Dry, just-the-facts delivery does not encourage participation or inquiry
o Solution 1: Self-disclosure will increase your relatability and, in turn, student motivation.
o Solution 2: Invite comments and questions, and attempt to lead students through their
thinking to arrive at a conclusion rather than answering point-blank.
o Solution 3: Learn and use student names.
Unrealistic expectations
o Poor understanding of students’ educational context
 Solution 1: Given the high-stakes testing in K-12 environment, it’s unsurprising
that knowledge could be poor and/or shallow. Try giving pre-assessments at the
beginning of a course to establish students’ baseline knowledge.
 Solution 2: The “Curse of Knowledge” may cause instructors to forget that they
were once novices! Remember to thoughtfully consider what your students
need to know to understand a concept, and endeavor to arm them with those
skills beforehand.
o Poor understanding of students’ life context
 Solution 1: Remember that not all of your students are “traditional” college
students. For example, working students may not be able to participate in group
projects outside of class.
 Solution 2: Proactively address negative habits. Millennials are used to multitasking, but don’t understand that it hinders their performance. Showing them
evidence to this effect while discussing that laptops and tablets are not
permitted in class will help remove the perception that you’re simply antitechnology or bristling against “kids these days!” (see Morrison 2014, Mueller &
Oppenheimer 2014).
 Solution 3: Don’t ignore in-class issues, such as attendance and homework
completion, as something outside of your concern. This can prevent you from
connecting with a student who has relevant personal or scholastic issues to
disclose. By reaching out, you can reduce both your and their anonymity,
increasing the likelihood that they will contact you questions.
o
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References
Bickford DJ and Wright DJ. 2006. Chapter 4. Community: The Hidden Context for Learning. Learning
Spaces, Diana G. Oblinge, ed. http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/PUB7102.pdf
Sara Friedman, M.S. | spfriedm@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence
Brittany Sears, Ph.D. | Brittany.Sears@ucf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence
2
Approachability—being a real human
Mazer JP, Murphy RE, Simonds CJ. 2007. I'll See You On “Facebook”: The Effects of Computer-Mediated
Teacher Self-Disclosure on Student Motivation, Affective Learning, and Classroom Climate.
Communication Education, Vol. 56, Iss. 1.
Morrison J. 2014. The Myth of Multitasking And What It Means For Learning. Forbes, published online
Nov 26, 2014. http://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorrison/2014/11/26/the-myth-of-multitasking-andwhat-it-means-for-learning/
Mueller PA and Oppenheimer DM. 2014. The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of
Longhand Over Laptop Notetaking. Psychological Science, 25(6): 1159-1168. doi: 10.1177/
0956797614524581
Sadera WA, Robertson J, Song L, and Midon MN. 2009. The Role of Community in Online Learning
Success. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, Vol. 5, No. 2.
Sara Friedman, M.S. | spfriedm@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence
Brittany Sears, Ph.D. | Brittany.Sears@ucf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence
3
5/13/2016
Changes in Accessibility
Understanding and Requirements
Students With Disabilities Services
Captioning and Course Accessibility
 Accessibility is a “civil right” rather than an “accommodation” that
must be requested
 No longer acceptable to require a request before providing basic
access
 Applicable to captions/transcripts of media resources / websites
 Similar to building a building w/ a ramp (i.e. no request for ramp but
ramp included)
 Harvard and MIT both sued for lack of captions in on-line courses:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/13/education/harvard-and-mitsued-over-failing-to-caption-online-courses.html
www.sds.usf.edu
USF Caption and Media Policy (10-506)






In place by Fall 2016
Specifies that all media utilized needs to be accessible
Applicable to online course delivery
Policy is immediately applicable to new courses
Transition period for existing courses
USF Caption Policy - http://regulationspolicies.usf.edu/policiesand-procedures/pdfs/proposed-system-policy-10-056-captioningand-access-of-media-posted-112415.pdf
Video Captions and Audio Description
Accessible Video
YouTube’s AutoCaption
 Recorded or live lectures
 Course related videos
 Audio Description
http://atcoalition.org/article/using-youtubes-autocaptionfeature-generate-captions
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734796?hl=e
n&ref_topic=2734692
USF IT’s lecture capturing
http://www.usf.edu/atle/technology/lecture-capture.aspx
http://www.usf.edu/atle/technology/panopto.aspx
Additional Resources for
Captioning
SDS Accessibility Guide
http://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/student-disabilitiesservices/documents/accessibility_guide.pdf
• Free Resource for USF Community
• Details accessible software available
• Details the when and how of course accessibility
Website Considerations






Color blindness
Layout (left to right, columns)
Photo/diagram “tags”
Statement of how and where to acquire access
Ease of navigation/Intuition
USF MEWAs: http://www.usf.edu/diversity/equalopportunity/disability.aspx
 3rd party links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbfhC_a3fvM&feature
=youtu.be
https://www.techsmith.com/tutorial-camtasia-8-addcaptions-manually.html
1
5/13/2016
Accessible PDF’s & Word Issues
Accessible PDF’s
 Provide a great quality scan
 Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
http://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/student-disabilitiesservices/documents/creating-pdf-guide.pdf
http://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/student-disabilitiesservices/documents/reading-ocr.pdf
Canvas
Extended Time & Additional Attempts
 Instructors have the capability to extend time
for individual students
 Instructors can modify the amount of attempts
students have to complete an exam
http://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/student-disabilities-services/documents/canvasaddtional-time.pdf
Word Issues
 Use text styles to indicate titles, headings,
etc. (used for screen reader navigation)
 Use format buttons instead of visual
underlines
Discussion Boards
 Navigating Discussion Boards with Screen
Readers
 Ongoing meetings with Canvas to remedy
issues
Questions?
Please visit www.sds.usf.edu for additional information or
feel free to call us at 813-974-4309.
2
Worked Examples
Context:
True mastery of concepts can be demonstrated by applying basic principles to a wide variety of
problems. Many students lack this level of understanding or the problem solving, critical
thinking, and math skills necessary to successfully solve such problems. Worked examples
demonstrate how to read problems/examples and model how to solve them, through slow,
deliberate and narrated steps.
Definition:
A step-by-step demonstration of how to perform a task or how to solve a problem designed to
support initial acquisition of cognitive skills through introducing a formulated problem, solution
steps and the final solution (Atkinson, 2000).
Rationale:
Worked examples reduce the strain on working memory at the beginning of skill acquisition
when few schemas are available. Once basic skills are acquired, the learner can transition to
more complex problem solving through the use of faded-worked examples. In this scenario the
worked solution steps are successively “faded out,” or removed, and the student develops selfexplanation activities (Renkl, 2005).
Keys for developing effective worked examples/modeling expert thinking:
1) Problem formulation
• Generate problems or scenarios that are specific to the skill set being taught and
representative of those found in homework and on exams
• Demonstrate how to approach and break down word problems. For example, what
are the relevant facts and what is the student being asked to do?
2) Solution steps
• Clearly identify each step, its purpose, and how it is accomplished
3) Final solution
• Be explicit about how the final solution maps to the question being asked
4) Encourage self-explanation
• Guide students through the process of self-explanation, talking to themselves about
what to do, step-by-step, and why
5) Provide timely feedback
• Give prompt feedback when possible on homework and assessments to keep
students on track and to help identify where in the process they are lacking skills or
conceptual understanding
Worked Examples
Math Example: cocoa bean problem
If it takes 385 cocoa beans to make 1 kg of pure cocoa, about how many cocoa beans does it take
to make one 100 g bar of 60% cocoa dark chocolate?
Step 1: Use like units: convert kg to grams
1 kg = 1000 g
Step 2: Convert percent pure cocoa to decimal
60% cocoa = 0.60
Step 3: Multiply decimal by the total bar weight to
determine the amount of pure chocolate needed
Step 4: Set up a ratio and cross multiply
0.60 x 100 g = 60 g
Step 5: Solve for x
385 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏
1000 g
=
x
60g
1000x = 23100
x = 23100/1000 = 23.1 or about 23 beans
Faded Math Example:
If it takes 385 cocoa beans to make 1 kg of pure cocoa, about how many cocoa beans does it take
to make one 100-g bar of 60% cocoa dark chocolate?
Step 1: Use like units: convert kg to grams
1 kg = 1000 g
Step 2: Convert percent pure cocoa to decimal
60% cocoa = 0.60
Step 3: Multiply decimal by the total bar weight to
determine the amount of pure chocolate needed
Step 4: Set up a ratio and cross multiply
0.60 x 100 g = 60 g
Step 5:
385 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏
1000 g
=
x
60g
If it takes 385 cocoa beans to make 1 kg of pure cocoa, about how many cocoa beans does it take
to make one 100 g bar of 60% cocoa dark chocolate?
Step 1: Use like units: convert kg to grams
1 kg = 1000 g
Step 2: Convert percent pure cocoa to decimal
60% cocoa = 0.60
Step 3: Multiply decimal by the total bar weight to
determine the amount of pure chocolate needed
Step 4:
0.60 x 100 g = 60 g
Step 5:
If it takes 385 cocoa beans to make 1 kg of pure cocoa, about how many cocoa beans does it take
to make one 100 g bar of 60% cocoa dark chocolate?
Step 1: Use like units:- convert kg to grams
1 kg = 1000 g
Step 2: Convert percent pure cocoa to decimal
60% cocoa = 0.60
Step 3:
Step 4:
Step 5:
Amanda Helip-Wooley | ahelip@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 2
Potential Positives
Potential Negatives
•
•
Focus on the process rather than
conceptual understanding.
•
Requires additional preparation time.
The worked-example effect suggests
that learning by studying worked
examples is more effective than
problem solving. (Crippen, 2009)
•
Particularly effective for underprepared
students.
•
Applicable, as modeling expert thinking,
to multiple non-numerical disciplines.
References
Atkinson, R.K., Derry, S.J., Renkl, A., & Wortham, D.W. (2000). Learning from examples:
Instructional principles from the worked examples research. Review of Educational Research,
70, 181–214.
Crippen, K.J. and Brooks, D.W. (2009). Applying cognitive theory to chemistry instruction: the
case for worked examples. Chemical Education Research and Practice, 10, 35-41.
Renkl, A. (2005). The worked-out examples principle in multimedia learning. In Mayer, R.E.
(Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
Writing in the discipline
In our professional careers, faculty members use writing every day for a variety of purposes:
•
•
•
to communicate information (memos, textbook evaluations, letters of recommendation,
email)
to clarify thinking (when we work through an idea or problem in writing)
to learn new concepts and information (taking notes on reading and research topics)
Writing to learn
•
•
•
"Writing to Learn Means Learning to Think,"
Writing to Learn activities
Useful to apply to foundational concepts
Writing in the Disciplines
•
•
•
Basic definition
o Teachers primarily comment on substance of assignments
o But professional standards of format and mechanics are also assessed
Useful for upper-level students, but lower-level classes can also introduce it (e.g., writing a
methods section of a paper)
Scope can be limited by class size
Selecting WTL vs. WID
•
•
•
Student level (lower-level: WTL; upper-level: WID)
Enrollment size (high enrollment: WTL; lower enrollment: WID)
Learning objectives (this is a good time to reflect on backwards design in your curriculum!)
o Foundational skills: WTL
o Critical thinking, reading, writing: reading journals, response papers (these can start
bordering on WID, depending on the guidelines you provide as an instructor)
o Practice writing conventions: real writing tasks (academic papers and/or those directed
at professionals’ audience), research tasks: WID
Who has the time?!
•
Follow a clear framework so that writing is not so poor that it is excessively time-consuming to
grade
o Explicitly state key criteria
o Distribute models of good documents
o Peer-review prior to formal submission
 Meet out of class (a la group project)
 Swap drafts at one class, return during a subsequent class
 Getting the most out of peer review
o Provide commentary
Resources
The WAC Clearinghouse
Case studies, micro-scenarios, long term simulations, role play, RTTP
Benefits of such approaches
•
•
•
•
•
•
require students’ active engagement and use of the material
supplement real-life experiences and accustom students to accept and adapt to uncertainties
foster critical thinking skills and ethical decision-making
increase attendance
increase students’ self-efficacy
ensure learning outcomes are met
Case studies
• might be written in the second or third person, in the present or the past; assigned to the
whole class or to groups of students
• good ones include the following: realism, opportunities for synthesis, uncertainty, risk
(Nilson, 2010)
• case studies need to be followed by a debriefing session
• guide to debriefing:
 What are the problems?
 What are the solutions?
 How could these problems have been prevented?
• additional possible issues to be discussed during debriefing: reasons why a character acted a
certain way; the impact of characters’ actions; the role the historical, financial, or geographical
contexts played; different imaginable outcomes, etc.
• consider providing your written questions for debriefing to keep it focused
Micro Scenarios
•
•
•
•
•
shorter case studies
because they're shorter, they do not provide a lot of information and spur creativity
they resemble real-life situations (without an omniscient “writer”)
they do not take up a lot of time
disadvantage: hypothetical situations could lead to ambiguity
Long term simulations
• they are more experiential than case studies
• they place the students in the story’s key role, in the present
• mostly used in sciences
• example of a simulation in a humanities course: have students imagine they live in a specific
country for a certain amount of time; ask them to lease an apartment, pay utilities, get a phone,
shop, eat out, etc.
Oana Cîmpean | oanacimpean@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 1
Case studies, micro-scenarios, long term simulations, role play, RTTP
Role Play
• students are asked to "act out" a part; they have to place themselves in another person’s shoes
• students get a better idea of the concepts and theories being discussed
• can be very emotional, a dimension that should be explored thoroughly
• role-playing exercises can range from the simple (e.g., "What would you do if a client rejects
your engineering design concept based on the cost and usability of the product?”) to the complex
• consider brief as well as long role-play activities
Reacting to the Past
• specific types of role play
• elaborate games, set in the past, in which students are assigned roles informed by classic
texts
• class sessions are run entirely by students
• instructors advise and guide students and grade their oral and written work
• draw students into the past, promote engagement with big ideas, and improve intellectual and
academic skills
• capitalize on what Mark Carnes (Minds on Fire) argues is at the core of American student
life: competition and subversive play (there is nothing more subversive than pretending to be
someone else)
• when students assume the role of a historical character (be it an abolitionist or a French
Jacobin), they understand the period better, gain different perspectives, and also understand
themselves better (from https://reacting.barnard.edu/)
Things to consider
• students might object to a non-lecture environment
• students might resist “performing,” especially characters with whom they disagree
• role plays and RTTP games can get very emotional
• use whatever equipment the room has; for instance, if you have SMART boards, do not
hesitate to use them for students to play online simulations
• these types of activities need to be well structured to reduce time loss
Resources
http://sciencecases.lib.buffalo.edu/cs/
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/category/new
http://www.ssih.org/About-Simulation
https://www.csun.edu/science/software/simulations/simulations.html
http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jos/about.html
https://reacting.barnard.edu/
Carnes, M. C. Minds on Fire: How Role-Immersion Games Transform College (Harvard
University Press, 2014).
Nilson, L.B. Teaching at Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors (John
Wiley & Sons, 2010).
Oana Cîmpean | oanacimpean@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 2
Student Presentations
Summer Teaching Symposium-03
University of South Florida
In-class presentations are a great way for students to demonstrate their learning, share information
with their classmates, and express their creativity. They are especially useful in a flipped classroom,
where more time and effort can be devoted to developing, giving, and evaluating presentations.
Helping Students Improve Their Presentations
Preparation
To have students produce quality presentations, sufficient guidance and preparation time is crucial.
• model for students what you would like to see by giving a presentation of your own.
Demonstrate the appropriate timing, structure, and format that correspond with the
presentation students will be giving
• dedicate a portion of class time to presentation prep. Allow students to use this time to become
familiar with their presentation’s content, timing, structure, and format
• consider having students submit a presentation proposal or draft in the days or weeks leading
up to presentation day so that you can give feedback or corrections, if necessary
• have students practice giving their presentation to a small sample of the larger class to receive
feedback from their peers before their speaking day
Organization
Provide students with resources to help them properly structure their presentations.
• content organization – encourage students to outline the content they will be presenting and
divide it into logically-organized sections (beginning, middle, and end)
• share the following presentation tips with students:
o do a dry run of the presentation to verify timing and any parts that you might get stuck
on. Have a partner come up with sample questions that the audience might ask
o dress professionally
o take it slow; avoid speaking too fast and rushing through your notes
o don’t overload the class with too much information ( and avoid excess text on slides)
Confidence
Employ in-class activities and strategies to help build students’ public speaking confidence.
• communicate the importance of body language when presenting – using expressive gestures,
making eye contact, and avoiding fidgeting and folded arms all project confidence and make for
a more engaging presentation
• gradually build up to the individual class presentation: start with students speaking to each
other in their chairs, then speaking out in class from their chairs, presenting with a partner, and
finally, presenting on their own
Sara Friedman | spfriedm@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 1
Student Presentations
•
consider leading students through (or encourage them to practice on their own) speaking
exercises before presentation
day: www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_how_to_speak_so_that_people_want_to_listen
(start at 7:38)
Community
A strong sense of community within the class will help students feel more comfortable, confident, and
relaxed when getting up to speak in front of their peers.
• ensure students know (and use) each other’s names; encourage familiarity
• model/instruct how to give constructive feedback
o instead of, “what I didn’t like about this presentation,” use “how this presentation could
be improved”
• make ‘questions from the audience’ a part of all presentations – this will help students practice
communicating with each other and ensure that the presenters are able to discuss their topic in
depth
Evaluating Student Presentations
•
•
use a specific presentation rubric that focuses not only on content but presentation style, as
well. Share this rubric with students beforehand so they know what is expected of them
2 sample oral presentation rubrics are included on the following pages
References
Center for Teaching and Faculty Development Advisory Board. (n.d.). Top ten tips for helping students
overcome presentation fear. Retrieved from http://ctfd.sfsu.edu/feature/top-ten-tips-for-helpingstudents-overcome-presentation-fear
Jacobs, L. F., & Hyman, J. S. (2010, February 24). 15 strategies for giving oral presentations. Retrieved
from http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/professors-guide/2010/02/24/15-strategies-for-givingoral-presentations
Sara Friedman | spfriedm@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 2
Presenter Name _________________________
Average
Sufficient
Average
Below
Good /
Above
Exemplary
Content












Clear purpose
Appropriate to student level
Examples and evidence are
sufficient and relevant
Clear purpose
Appropriate to student level
Examples and evidence are
sufficient and relevant
Clear purpose
Appropriate to student level
Examples and evidence are
sufficient and relevant
Clear purpose
Appropriate to student level
Examples and evidence are
sufficient and relevant
Things done particularly well:
Student Presentations
Organization












Delivery
Good introduction
Logical progression of ideas /
transitions
Effective conclusion

Good introduction
Logical progression of ideas /
transitions
Effective conclusion

Good introduction
Logical progression of ideas /
transitions
Effective conclusion

Good introduction
Logical progression of ideas /
transitions
Effective conclusion





Nonverbal: pace, eye contact,
gestures, posture, poise, face
audience (not screen)
Verbal: reading notes / slides,
volume / loudness, tone and
pitch, accent, pronunciation,
verbal fillers
Nonverbal: pace, eye contact,
gestures, posture, poise, face
audience (not screen)
Verbal: reading notes / slides,
volume / loudness, tone and
pitch, accent, pronunciation,
verbal fillers
Nonverbal: pace, eye contact,
gestures, posture, poise, face
audience (not screen)
Verbal: reading notes / slides,
volume / loudness, tone and
pitch, accent, pronunciation,
verbal fillers
Nonverbal: pace, eye contact,
gestures, posture, poise, face
audience (not screen)
Verbal: reading notes / slides,
volume / loudness, tone and
pitch, accent, pronunciation,
verbal fillers
Media





Correct # of slides
Use of colors
Text size and amount
Use of graphics; effects
Appropriate amount of info is
on screen / board





Correct # of slides
Use of colors
Text size and amount
Use of graphics; effects
Appropriate amount of info is
on screen / board





Correct # of slides
Use of colors
Text size and amount
Use of graphics; effects
Appropriate amount of info is
on screen / board





Correct # of slides
Use of colors
Text size and amount
Use of graphics; effects
Appropriate amount of info is
on screen / board
Things to improve:
Sara Friedman | spfriedm@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 1
What You Say
Effective Introduction:
Excellent
Good
Fair
Student Presentations
Poor
You began with an attention getter.
You established a strong sense of purpose.
You gave an overview of the major points you would present.
Major Points:
You organized the major points with logical patterns of thought.
You supported major points with a variety of evidence
You used familiar terms and defined technical terms as needed
You linked the major points with transitions and summaries
Effective Closing:
You acknowledged that the presentation would be ending
You summarized the benefits to your audience
You called for the audience to take certain action
You closed the presentation with a final message
Effective Question and Answer Session:
You actively solicited questions to demonstrate your openness
You rephrased questions to ensure shared understanding
How You Look
Effective Eye Contact:
You faced and looked at one person at a time
You made equal eye contact across the audience
When using visuals, you looked at the visual briefly, then looked at
the audience
You looked at notes briefly, then looked at your audience
Effective Gestures:
You made frequent use of animated gestures
You made frequent use of descriptive gestures
Your gestures appeared natural and spontaneous
You used an effective neutral position when not gesturing
Effective Dress:
Your appearance was free from distracting objects
Your choice of clothing was appropriate for this group
Your hair caused no distraction
Effective Posture:
Your facial expression conveyed interest and enthusiasm
You held your head erect
When standing, you squarely faced the audience
You moved with purpose
How You Sound
Effective Fluency:
You pronounced word sequences without halting or hesitating
Your speech was largely free from filler-type words
You spoke in complete rather than fragmented sentences
Your pronunciation was clear and easy to understand
Effective Vocal Energy:
You spoke loudly enough to convey meaning and enthusiasm
You emphasized important words by using vocal inflections
You raised and lowered volume and pitch to create impact
Effective Timing:
You spoke at a faster rate to capture attention
You spoke at a slower rate to capture attention
Sara Friedman | spfriedm@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 1
Inquiry Learning, Driving Questions, PBL
Kevin Yee
Inquiry Learning:
A discovery-based approach to learning material. Students are not given "answers" so much as
"problems" to work on, of various sizes and with varying amounts of guidance offered. Students
work backwards, often self-directed, from the problem toward the facts, principles, and
concepts underlying the eventual answers.
Features:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Starts (rather than ends) with higher-order thinking
Increases engagement, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills
Implementation matters—students need the RIGHT amount of scaffolding
Worked examples or process worksheets can provide needed guidance
Modes of inquiry:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The absence of an expected phenomenon
A perceived relationship
A controversy and its underlying causes
A theory and its relation to other theories
A complex concept
A process and how it works
A solution to a problem
A course of action
Potential Negatives:
1. Might be at odds with standardized testing
2. There are limits to constructivism. Novice learners might flounder with minimally-guided
instruction
3. Pure discovery may be less effective for most students than a guided one that doesn’t
actually achieve new knowledge
4. It’s hard for teachers to visualize which parts might be difficult for students
5. It requires significant planning and preparation from the teaching
Driving Questions:
A particularly narrow form of inquiry learning, a driving question is often as simple as an
overarching theme for a single class session, coming in the form of a question. An example
might be: "which of these objects will roll down the identical ramps faster?" The subsequent
lecture and activities reveal the concept in focus that day, finally answering the question posed
at the beginning but with conceptual relevance.
Kevin Yee | kyee@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 1
Inquiry Learning
Problem-Based Learning:
PBL is one of the better-known types of inquiry learning. Think of them as distinct from case
studies (which are short, well-defined, and with clear solutions). By contrast, PBL problems are
messy and not have easy, or even clear, solutions. The problem might not be well defined, and
often the students have to do research to understand the background.
See http://www.udel.edu/inst/ for examples.
Sample problem: When Twins Marry Twins / Written by Deborah E. Allen
At their wedding rehearsal dinner, Sally's twin sister Emma meets Harry's twin brother Ken for
the first time. It's a case of love at first sight. As Sally and Harry have their first serious
argument about who should have told whom about having a twin (and exactly when), Emma
and Ken make plans for the evening that don't include the rest of the family. Three months
later, they also decide to get married.
The couples keep in touch, and 3 years later Sally and Emma are delighted to discover that they
are both expecting (twins?). Emma's due date is in October, and Sally's in December. On
December 12th, seventeen hours into labor, Sally is no longer sure she's delighted about the
prospect of motherhood, and begins to worry about the child she's about to deliver.
"Why didn't you think of it sooner?" she says to Harry, gripping his arm rather severely.
"Identical twins should never marry identical twins. Our child's going to look just like Emma and
Ken's little boy." Her first impression of Kenneth, Jr. she recalls, was that he had the sort of face
that only a mother and father could love. Two hours later, Sally is scared to take a look as the
obstetrical nurse puts her first child into her arms.
Questions to ponder:
Will their child look just like his or her "double cousin," Ken, Jr.? Why or why not?
Assuming that Sally is right and the children will look identical, will they also have similar
personalities, behavior, and attitudes?
What is the maximum percent of the two childrens' genetic composition that could consist of
identical genes (allelic versions)? The minimum percentage?
Kevin Yee | kyee@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 2
Further Reading:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Inquiry Learning
Bachtold, Manuel (2013). "What do students "construct" according to constructivism in
science education?". Research in Science Education 43: 2477–96. doi:10.1007/s11165013-93697. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
Berg C A R, Bergendahl V C B, Lundberg B K S and Tibell L A E (2003) Benefiting from an
open-ended experiment? A comparison of attitudes to, and outcomes of, an expository
versus an open-inquiry version to the same experiment. International Journal of Science
Education 25, 351-372
Hmelo-Silver; Duncan; Chinn (2007). "Scaffolding and Achievement in Problem-Based
and Inquiry Learning: A Response to Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark (2006)" (PDF).
Educational Psychologist 42 (2): 99–107. doi:10.1080/00461520701263368.
Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., and Clark, R. E. (2006) Why minimal guidance during
instruction does not work: an analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery,
problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching. Educational Psychologist 41
(2) 75–86
Kuhn, D; Pease, M (2008). "What needs to develop in the development of inquiry
skills?". Cognition and Instruction 26: 512–59. doi:10.1080/07370000802391745.
Mayer, R (2004). "Should there be a three-strikes rule against pure discovery learning?
The case for guided methods of instruction" (PDF). American Psychologist 59 (1): 14–19.
doi:10.1037/0003-066x.59.1.14.
National Institute for Health. (2005). Doing Science: The Process of Science Inquiry.
http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih6/inquiry/guide/info_process-a.htm
National Research Council. 2000. Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards:
A Guide for Teaching and Learning. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Kevin Yee | kyee@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 3
Student Groups: Dynamics, Grading, and
Team-based Learning
Take-home points
•
•
•
•
In the right context, teamwork carries numerous benefits relative to solely individual work.
Teams possess fundamental differences that distinguish them from groups—instructors should
be cognizant of these differences to ensure the formation of teams in class.
Team-based activities may require some creative assessment, but clearly stating your grading
model and its rationale will help combat student resistance to unconventional assessments such
as group grades.
A team-based learning (TBL) model can be used part- or full-time in any flipped curriculum.
Benefits of teamwork
•
•
For students
o Peer learning improves content mastery.
o Discussion with peers can result in deeper learning.
o Done correctly, team work does not permit freeloaders but creates accountability for
preparation outside of class. An unprepared member will impede the team’s ability to
function productively.
o Team work models soft skills needed in life outside the classroom (e.g., time
management, communication, working with those with whom you disagree).
o Team work exposes members to new perspectives.
o Camaraderie and a sense of community among students increases as a result of team
work, which, in turn, increases expectations for performance and retention.
For instructors
o Instructors can assign more complex, authentic problems that can be solved in novel
and interesting ways.
o Reduces the number of projects to grade—but introduces its new grading eccentricities
(see “Assessing Team Work,” below)
Effective teams
•
Distinguishing between teams and groups (Boundless Management 2015)
o Teams are more effective learning and performance units than groups.
o Although group dynamics are fundamentally unpredictable, facilitating the ability of
students to work as teams will help them run more smoothly.
 Keep an eye out for group “circles” that are stretched out or have students
stuck outside of the main group (see youtu.be/VSWHuqmNiWQ for an example
of what early teams and excluded members look like)
Brittany Sears, Ph.D. | Brittany.Sears@ucf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 1
Take a role in establishing teams’ social norms. Students should feel
comfortable challenging one another, but new ideas should be discussed and
debated with respect.
However you decide to form teams (randomly, separating particular students, etc.), be
sure to do it intentionally, considering how it will affect teams’ inner workings.

o
Purpose
Task orientation
Interdependence
Formal structure
Familiarity
•
Student Groups: Dynamics, Grading, and Team-based Learning
Groups
Groups can exist as a matter-offact and not for a specific
objective (e.g., “students”).
Group members are more
concerned with their individual
sub-outcomes than with a
common purpose.
A group’s individual members
can be entirely disconnected
from one another and not rely
on fellow members at all.
Roles do not need to be
assigned, and norms of
behavior are not specified.
Members’ familiarity varies
from personal to no interaction
whatsoever.
Teams
Teams are formed for a
particular reason and can be
short- or long-lived.
Teams require coordination of
tasks and activities to achieve a
shared aim.
Team members are
interdependent because they
apply a set of resources to
produce a common outcome.
Roles, duties, and social norms
are specified.
Team members are aware of
the set of people with whom
they collaborate because they
interact to complete tasks and
activities.
Characteristics of effective teams
o Give new ideas a safe space in which group members are comfortable challenging ideas
and engaging in open discussion (Duhigg 2016)
o Ascension to the “performing” level of team functioning (Tuckman 1965)
1. Forming
• Team members are eager or anxious; roles and responsibilities are not
yet clear.
2. Storming
• Team members may jockey for position in the group, challenge the
instructors’ authority, and/or feel overwhelmed by their workload.
3. Norming
• Members begin to resolve their conflict, acknowledge each other’s
strengths, and become committed to the team goal.
4. Performing
• Structure established at previous stages allows work to proceed smoothly; a
member entering or leaving will not disrupt work flow.
Brittany Sears, Ph.D. | Brittany.Sears@ucf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 2
Student Groups: Dynamics, Grading, and Team-based Learning
Assessing team work
•
•
Effective group assignments
o Must circumvent three common obstacles to effective group-based learning activities
(Michaelson et al. 1997).
 A few individuals dominate discussion, whether through their own eagerness or
the loafing of other members.
 The group gets sidetracked in unimportant details.
 Despite group engagement, the class discussion resulting from the group’s
report-out may not be engaging.
o Possess clear assessment criteria and grading schemes
 For buy-in, you should be explicit about the purpose of group work and your
assessment from day 1.
 Assess both process (e.g., peer evaluations) and product.
 You will invariably get kick-back to a group-grading process, but this is a realistic
representation of how they will probably be assessed professionally.
o Promote and result from group cohesion
 Require some individual accountability
 Motivate discussion among group members
 Provide immediate, meaningful feedback, especially in comparison to other
groups—this not only shows each group examples of high and poor
performance, but it also feeds a spirit of competition, which inherently
improves intra-group cohesion.
 Explicitly reward high levels of performance
o Therefore, assign tasks that:
 Cannot be completed by 1 – 2 team members alone
 Require members to reach a consensus
The Readiness Assurance
Process is one way to assess
groups while promoting
cohesion.
1. Individual students
complete a test
covering pre-assigned
content.
2. Groups re-take the
same test
• Immediately
scored
• Group scores
posted for crosscomparisons
Michaelson et al. 1997
3. Groups have time to
review material and ask questions about what they missed
Brittany Sears, Ph.D. | Brittany.Sears@ucf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 3
Student Groups: Dynamics, Grading, and Team-based Learning
•
4. Instructor provides input specifically related to misunderstandings apparent from grades
in steps 1 – 2.
More resources for group project assessment
o Group project tools (contracts, assessments, inventories): https://www.cmu.edu/
teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/groupprojects/tools/index.html
o Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IF-AT) for Readiness
Assurance: http://www.epsteineducation.com/home/about/
o Peer evaluation overview: https://assett.colorado.edu/assessing-student-group-workusing-peer-evaluation/
o Methods of assessing group work (with advantages and disadvantages): https://
uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/
developing-assignments/group-work/methods-assessing-group-work
Team-based learning
The introvert in team work
•
•
Criticism around the exclusion of introverted styles in active learning and group work
o Extroversion is encouraged and treated as the norm in American society, but 33-50% of
the population is introverted (Cain 2013).
o Introverts are drained by social encounters and require time to “recharge” in solitary
situations, so extensive interpersonal contact in the classroom tires these students.
Response to criticism
o Many individual active learning techniques exist; these can be used in conjunction with
team-based activities (see ATLE’s Interactive Teaching Techniques: http://www.usf.edu/
atle/teaching/interactive-techniques.aspx#individual).
o Working in pairs or participating in a stable group (as opposed to fluctuating groups that
form quickly and disband) is not beyond the comfort level of most introverted students.
Brittany Sears, Ph.D. | Brittany.Sears@ucf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 4
Student Groups: Dynamics, Grading, and Team-based Learning
o
o
Pair and stable-group options are both preferable to trying to elicit participation from an
introvert in a large lecture class (Monahan 2013).
Introverts and extroverts benefit from team-based learning (TBL) to equal extents,
although introverts have a negative preference for TBL (Persky et al. 2015).
Hills (2001) argues that, given the importance of team work in many workplaces, a need
may exist to develop behavior or skills that are not preferred working styles.
References
Boundless Management. 2015. “Differences Between Groups and Teams.” Retrieved 25 Mar. 2016
from https://www.boundless.com/management/textbooks/boundless-management-textbook/groupsteams-and-teamwork-6/defining-teams-and-teamwork-51/differences-between-groups-and-teams-2614011/
Cain, S. 2012. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. Broadway Books, New
York, New York.
Duhigg, C. 2016. Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business. Random
House, New York, New York.
Hills H. 2001. Team-based Learning. Gower Publishing Limited, Hampshire, UK.
Michaelsen LK, Fink LD, and Knight A. 1997. Designing Effective Group Activities: Lessons for Classroom
Teaching and Faculty Development. To Improve the Academy. Paper
385. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1384&context=podimproveacad
Monahan N. 2013. Keeping Introverts in Mind in Your Active Learning Classroom. Faculty
Focus. http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/keeping-introverts-in-mind-in-youractive-learning-classroom/
Persky AM, Henry T, Campbell A. 2015. An Exploratory Analysis of Personality, Attitudes, and Study Skills
on the Learning Curve within a Team-based Learning Environment. American Journal of Pharmaceutical
Education, 79(2): 20. doi: 10.5688/ajpe79220.
Tuckman BW. 1965. Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, Vol 63(6), Jun
1965, 384-399. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0022100
Brittany Sears, Ph.D. | Brittany.Sears@ucf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 5
Curating, Collecting, and Atomizing:
Khan [YourName] Academy!
Kevin Yee
Premise:
Online collections of lecture videos like Khan Academy can “teach” (or at least, “provide
content”) either as a backup of your own content delivery, or possibly to replace it.
Controversial Claim:
Our roles in the future might become increasingly restricted to curating content instead of
creating it.
Creating [YourName]Academy: create a YouTube Channel
(see https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1646861?hl=en for help). You may or may
not wish to subdivide into Playlists
(see https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/57792?hl=en)
Using Existing Resources, much of this “Open Educational Resources” (OER):
1. Atomic Learning (https://www.atomiclearning.com/highed/home)
2. Annenberg Learner: http://www.learner.org/resources/browse.html (Free educational
programs; look for the “VoD” -Video on Demand- icon for free content)
3. BrightStorm: http://www.brightstorm.com/ (Video lessons and “homework help,”
including lessons in math, science, and English)
4. CNN – News and Videos about Higher
Education: http://topics.cnn.com/topics/higher_education (Includes current news
about college, testing, etc.)
5. Community Video: http://archive.org/details/opensource_movies (Click “browse
collection” and limit search to “Movies”)
6. CosmoLearning: http://www.cosmolearning.com/ (Online collection of documentaries
and lesson plans, grouped by subject; thousands of choices)
7. Discovery Channel videos: http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/ (Includes video clips and
full episodes from shows such as “MythBusters” and “Human Planet”)
8. Educational Videos: http://www.educationalvideos.com/
9. Educreations: http://www.educreations.com/ (View videos from the “Showcase”)
10. FMG – Films on Demand: http://digital.films.com/PortalSearch.aspx?sAll=t (134 videos
with topics including communication, history, mathematics, etc.)
11. Folkstreams.net: http://www.folkstreams.net/ (“A National Preserve of Documentary
Films about American Roots Cultures”)
12. Gale – History in
Context: http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/uhic/?userGroupName=orla57816& (includes links
to PBS clips and more. Click on topic and then select “Videos” from “On This Page”
sidebar at the top, right-hand corner)
Curating, Collecting, and Atomizing: YourName Academy!
13. Google Videos: http://www.google.com/videohp (Searchable database with links to
videos hosted by external websites)
14. Harvard on iTunesU: http://www.harvard.edu/itunes
15. History Channel Video Clips: http://www.history.com/videos (Free video clips and fulllength TV shows, including “Modern Marvels,” “WWII in HD,” and more)
16. HowStuffWorks videos: http://videos.howstuffworks.com/ (Searchable video channel
with content from the Discovery channel)
17. Howcast: http://www.howcast.com/ (Professional and user-generated how-to videos
about technology, health & fitness, home, family, etc.)
18. Khan Academy: http://www.khanacademy.org/
19. LexisNexis Academic – NewsLook
Videos: http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sf&sfi=AC00NBGenSrc
h&csi=390841 (Searchable database with links to videos from over 40 sources from
around the world)
20. Library of Congress: American Memory Project
(multimedia): http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html (Search for “Video”)
21. Library of Congress online
videos: http://www.loc.gov/search/?q=videos&fa=digitized:true (links to external
webpages; must download video plugin)
22. MathTV: http://www.mathtv.com/videos_by_topic# (Free math lessons ranging in level
from basic mathematics to calculus)
23. Met Opera on Demand: http://www.metoperafamily.org/ondemand/index.aspx (Met
player for iPad plays HD-quality videos from the Metropolitan Opera)
24. MindBites: http://www.mindbites.com/category/5-education (Free and paid video
lessons)
25. MIT OpenCourseWare: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/ (Free course content from MIT,
grouped by subject; look for “Multimedia content”)
26. The Moving Images Archive: http://archive.org/details/movies (Includes links to
“Community Video,” movies, television collections, and more)
27. National Geographic: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/ (Includes Nat Geo
TV, Nat Geo Wild, News, and more)
28. Nature – Online Video Streaming
Archive: http://www.nature.com/nature/videoarchive/index.html
29. Nova: Watch PBS Online: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/programs/ (198 videos)
30. Online Education Database: http://oedb.org/library/features/236-open-coursewarecollections#VO (236 open courseware collections, podcasts, and videos)
31. The Open Video Project: http://www.open-video.org/index.php (Contains 494
documentaries, 1263 educational videos, 33 lectures, etc.; videos must be downloaded;
no streaming)
32. Open Yale Courses: http://oyc.yale.edu/ (Some courses include video lectures)
and https://www.youtube.com/user/YaleCourses (YouTube videos of lectures)
33. Orange Grove Repository – also Open Textbooks
- http://www.openaccesstextbooks.org/aboutFDLC.html
Kevin Yee | kyee@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 2
Curating, Collecting, and Atomizing: YourName Academy!
34. OVGuide: http://www.ovguide.com/tv/history_channel_documentaries.htm (Watch
History Channel documentaries online for free; also try searching for other movies and
videos)
35. PBS Video: http://video.pbs.org/ (Episodes of PBS TV shows)
36. SchoolTube: http://www.schooltube.com/ (Online collection of videos produced by
students and teachers)
37. Shambles: http://shambles.net/pages/school/videoOL/ (List of links to external
websites with educational videos, including: SchoolTube, TeachersTV and more)
38. Short Films Online: http://www.indiefilmpage.com/short.html (Collection of shorts and
independent films)
39. ShowMe: http://www.showme.com/learn
40. SnagFilms: http://www.snagfilms.com/ (Free, full-length documentaries, including
popular titles such as “Supersize me”) and http://learning.snagfilms.com/
41. Smithsonian videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/SmithsonianVideos
42. Smithsonian YouTube channels: http://www.si.edu/Connect/YouTube#SocialMedia
43. Stanford University YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/stanford (Includes
videos and course lectures; check out “More Stanford Channels” on the right-hand
menu for channels like “Stanford Graduate School of Business,” “Stanford Medicine,”
“Stanford Law” and more)
44. Teachers TV: http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/toolsandinitiatives/teacherstv/
(Collection of links to external educational video websites; aimed at k-12 audience)
45. TeacherTube: http://www.teachertube.com/videoList.php?pg=videomostviewed (Useruploaded videos, grouped by number of views; includes explanations, raps, lessons, etc.)
46. TED Talks: http://www.ted.com/talks
47. Theatre in Video: http://ativ.alexanderstreet.com/ (Recordings of 250+ performances
of plays and 100+ film documentaries)
48. Top Documentary Films: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/watch-online/ (A list of
streaming online documentaries, including categories such as Biography and History)
49. USA.gov YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/USGovernment (With
“featured channels” such as: The White House, NASA, Library of Congress, the CDC, etc.;
see right-hand menu bar)
50. Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/ (Searchable collection of user-generated movies and video
clips; similar to YouTube)
51. WatchKnowLearn: http://www.watchknowlearn.org/default.aspx (Free educational
videos organized by subject; aimed at k-12 viewers)
52. Wonder How To: http://www.wonderhowto.com/ (User-uploaded how-to videos; very
entertainment- / gaming-oriented)
53. YouTube EDU: http://www.youtube.com/education
54. Identify OER specific to your discipline (ie, Project Gutenberg for literature)
Kevin Yee | kyee@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 3
Choosing the Right In-class Questions in
Science
Take-home points
•
•
•
•
In-class questions are a form of assessment. Advance preparation will help you craft intentional
questions that encourage discussion of content.
Apply Bloom’s taxonomy to your in-class questions, and be mindful of whether you tend to
focus on lower or higher levels in a manner inconsistent with your learning objectives.
Judge whether students’ responses demonstrate mastery of a learning objective by using both
driving and probing questioning.
If students are slow to respond, allow (what feels like) a long pause to draw out answers.
Preparation
•
•
•
Prepare in-class questions as thoroughly as you do those for other assessments, like exams and
quizzes. (Don’t count on on-the-spot clever thinking.)
o Class time should be a series of questions rather than a series of answers.
o Think about the verbs from Bloom’s taxonomy as you develop new questions to elicit
responses from the appropriate cognitive levels (see Table 1 from Allen & Tanner
(2002), next page).
 In particular, science courses tend to fixate on lower-level questioning (see Allen
& Tanner 2002 for a review).
 Naturally, some objectives will be appropriate for lower-level questions (e.g.,
“Name the organelles”), but ensure that you’re being intentional with your
concentration at certain levels.
o Write a few test questions after every class period—students use your in-class questions
as a model for assessments.
Crafting questions to encourage discussion of content
o Be sure to pre-define learning objectives at the outset of your course, and let these
drive your development of questions around those key concepts.
o Consider the intellectual level of your students and what level they need to occupy for
this course. It might not be realistic, for example, to expect relativistic thinking from
first-year students.
o Save especially good discussion-inspiring questions to use in future semesters.
o Conversely, reflect after each discussion on what didn’t work. Why didn’t it work?
Creating meaningful context
o Use current events, pop culture, or otherwise-relevant subjects to frame your questions.
o Incorporate questions with surprising answers, which carry several advantages:
 They employ intuition as a learning tool—even if a student’s guess is wrong,
surprising answers tend to stick!
 They generate discussion.
 If introduced early, they establish a brainstorming-friendly, inquiring tone.
Brittany Sears, Ph.D. | Brittany.Sears@ucf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 1
Choosing the Right In-class Questions in Science
From Allen & Tanner (2002)
•
Creating meaningful context (continued)
o Can you speak more accessibly about complex concepts by turning the floor over to
your students?
 Driving questions use a single, overarching question that informs an entire class.
• For example, you might ask, “Which ball will reach the bottom of the
ramp first?” and conduct a physics demonstration followed by
discussion and activities around gravity, friction, springs, and other
elements of your demonstration.
 Probing questions can build a line of questioning from lower-level to higherlevel thinking
• After establishing a lower-level answer, push higher with additional
questions such as “How do we know?” and “Why do we believe…?”
Brittany Sears, Ph.D. | Brittany.Sears@ucf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 2
•
•
Choosing the Right In-class Questions in Science
Conversely, if you need to verify that an unexpectedly high-level answer
is actually understood by the answerer, you can build downwards with
questions like, “Why is that important?”
Probing questioning is especially useful during the first few class
meetings so students become familiar with the expected length and
depth of answers to in-class questions.
References
Allen D and Tanner K. 2002. Approaches to Cell Biology Teaching: Questions about Questions. Cell
Biology Education, Vol. 1, 63–67. http://www.lifescied.org/content/1/3/63.full.pdf+html
Brittany Sears, Ph.D. | Brittany.Sears@ucf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 3
Choosing the Right In-Class Questions in Arts & Humanities
Summer Teaching Symposium-03: Flip it!
University of South Florida
The flipped classroom offers many opportunities to pose thought-provoking questions and engage
students in discussion. How do we ensure that those discussions are productive and meaningful
conversations that encourage critical thinking?
Facilitation
•
•
•
•
•
•
establish discussion guidelines with your class
o spend some time collectively creating and agreeing upon the discussion guidelines (ex:
should not interrupt when another student is speaking, respect all opinions, keep
responses on topic, etc.)
o emphasize the importance of adhering to these guidelines. Because the students helped
to develop them, they’ll be more likely to follow them ( and to remind their classmates
to do the same)
emphasize classroom discussion as a skill
o model effective discussion techniques for students
o have them practice facilitating a class discussion on their own
let a question “hang” for a few moments before eliciting students’ responses, especially if it is
the first question asked. Give students an opportunity to fully consider what you are asking
avoid cold-calling on students or putting them on the spot – unless this is done purposely for
classroom management reasons
encourage students to go deeper with their responses; challenge them to expand on their
thoughts, ask “why?”, or ask follow-up questions. Have them write down their thoughts about
the question before answering, or let them know what you will be asking them about in an
upcoming class. Giving students time to think about questions beforehand will allow them to
develop richer responses
using the Socratic Method
o both the teacher and the students use questions to push the shared dialogue forward
o use your questions to guide students toward a desired learning outcome, or a larger
driving question about the topic
Crafting Effective Questions
•
develop questions that align with course or lesson learning objectives
o consider how the question leads to students achieving a learning goal
 is the information the question asks for (i.e., recitation of facts, application of
principles, creation of new ideas, etc.) consistent with the objective it is
addressing?
Sara Friedman | spfriedm@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 1
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Choosing the Right In-Class Questions in Arts & Humanities
build in questions that focus on
evaluation
the higher levels of Bloom’s
Taxonomy, which require
synthesis
students to evaluate,
analysis
synthesize, analyze, and apply
avoid questions that are too
application
broad/large in scope
ask questions that challenge
comprehension
students to approach the topic
from a different perspective:
knowledge
use the question to confront
long-held assumptions, play devil’s advocate, or present students with an alternative scenario
(e.g., “Assume that x, y, and z aren’t true. Now what?”)
incorporate Interactive Teaching Techniques into your questioning (or vice-versa)
o visit usf.edu/atle/teaching/interactive-techniques.aspx for the full list of Interactive
Techniques
open-ended questions foster critical thinking; ask students to back up claims with evidence from
the text/content
prepare your questions beforehand; try to avoid asking them as they come to you. Developing
your in-class questions at the same time as your lesson plan will result in more thoughtful
queries
record questions that you know were effective for future use – not just mentally, write it down!
ask questions you don’t know the answer to (to show students that you are not infallible and
that you can learn from each other) and questions that you can’t answer because they have yet
to be answered within your field (to show students that the discipline is continually evolving and
to spark their curiosity in the subject)
References
DePaul University Teaching Commons. (n.d.). Discussions. Retrieved from http://resources.depaul.edu/teachingcommons/teaching-guides/instructional-methods/Pages/discussions.aspx
Nilson, L. (2003). "Leading Effective Discussions." Chapter in Teaching at its Best: A Research-Based Resource for
College Instructors. Second Edition. Bolton, MA.
Ross, V. (2003). The Socratic method: What it is and how to use it in the classroom. Speaking of Teaching, 13, 1-4.
Weimer, M. (2014, May 28). The art of asking questions. Retrieved from
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/art-asking-questions/
Weimer, M. (2010, April 06). Six keys to more effective class discussions. Retrieved from
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/six-keys-to-more-effective-class-discussions/
Sara Friedman | spfriedm@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 2
Supervising TAs: Best Practices
Before the semester starts
• Establish communication prior to the start of the semester (email, personalized letter, etc.)
• Define tasks: offer a job description, clearly defining the responsibilities, and a work plan
(number of hours per week, length, conditions of employment)
• Hold a meeting and discuss:











teaching strategies, grading, writing exam questions
what, if anything, could be changed (the syllabus, handouts, course policies)
work load
general classroom-management techniques
university policies
guidelines for how their work will be evaluated
the place TAs hold within the bigger organization
required university training
online resources (policies, technology)
Canvas usage
optional ATLE Preparation for College Teaching course
During the semester
• Hold weekly meetings to:
 offer ideas on how to teach the week’s content
 ensure consistency across sections and ways to address possible issues on time
 give TAs a heads-up about what difficulties students might encounter before the next
meeting (helps TAs structure their interactions with students) and how their labs fit
into the big picture
 offer coping strategies for when they feel overworked and opportunities to share
successful teaching techniques
 get a better understanding of what students are struggling with
 look over graded materials (to ensure TAs are accurately grading); have TAs provide
samples of A through F papers (might consider holding group grading sessions)
 discuss exams, grading rationales, teaching approaches (TAs need to understand
these, so that they can explain them to their students)
• Give TAs formative and summative assessment; let TAs know that probation for poor work
can occur
• Communicate with other faculty about TA performance
Oana Cîmpean | oanacimpean@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 1
Supervising TAs: Best Practices
Things to consider
•
encourage new TAs to consult with experienced TAs
•
require TAs to observe other TAs' or professors’ courses
•
be aware that students might take out their frustrations on TAs
•
have a plan for dealing with unacceptable situations and poor TA performance
•
reiterate your own expectations throughout the semester (TAs often share their
experiences with other TAs and might get confused about what is expected from them)
•
let the TAs know you are available for help and support (this will encourage them to
come see you if they make a mistake, instead of continuing to make the mistake)
•
consider TAs professionals in training
•
allow a certain measure of independence and autonomy (the more empowered the TAs
feel, the more committed to their work and their department they will be)
•
treat them as partners (introduce them to the class, assign an instructional role,
acknowledge their contribution at the end of the class, thus raising their status)
•
ask TAs for feedback on your teaching
•
allow TAs to teach (meet with TAs prior to the class and guide them)
•
let TAs apply for the jobs (assignments) they wish
•
use incentives (summer teaching opportunities, awards) to encourage and reward good
work
•
encourage TAs to share with you what is going in their lives
Oana Cîmpean | oanacimpean@usf.edu | Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence | 2