Teaching from and to objectives

Do we really pay attention to learning objectives? Oh yes, they are clearly identified on our class syllabii and, hopefully, there is some cross referencing between stated learning objectives and assessment.

But what about today's class? When our students walk in to our classrooms (or log in to our virtual classes), do we know what outcomes we're hoping for when they leave today? Do our students know? Do we assess the achievement of those hoped for outcomes?

I'm not talking about testing each day (basically because I don't believe we can simply test and get a clear understanding of our student's learning). I'm wondering what we do, as community college instructors, to find out if our students learned TODAY what they will need to move on to TOMORROW's class.

I don't know the answer, but I don't think I am alone in the wondering. See the post "Teachers Need Objectives" at 21 Apples [Link to full post].

I wonder what the answers would sound like if we began to consistently ask our students, "what did you learn today"? I wonder changes we would make based on those answers.

Take the UGH out of Group Work

You know you should include some group work in your instruction, right? I mean, we've been told that and have endured group activities as participants in professional development workshops, so it must be true. But, if no one was looking and your response was just between you and me, would you admit that you HATE group work?

Many instructors I know are sailing the "you have to do this in a group" boat even though they would, if they were the students, prefer to NOT participate in a group.

I have a theory that the reason so many of us dislike group work is because we were never taught how to be successful with a learning group. Like us, I'm betting OUR teachers disliked group work, too (and probably for the same reasons). As educators, I think we have the responsibility to help our students learn not only the subject matter related to the title of the class we teach, but the real world skills they need to be successful (like how to effectively contribute as a member of a group).

I just read an Eduforge article entitled "Disigning engaging online group work". If you're interested, I recommend the full article [Link to full article ]. Just to give you a dose of context from author Anouk Janssens-Bevernage, he lists these 10 components which we MUST include in any group work assignment:

Design a well-structured meaningful task

Clearly describe the expected deliverable

Give a deadline

Give students clear directions

Develop a clear strategy for group composition (including team roles)

Explain your rationale (why is group work important for this particular course?)

Explain how the group task supports the learning objectives of the course

Grade the activity; if you can't (e.g. because of moderation requirements), link work to individual assessment

Design a feedback strategy that is motivational for all the learners involved

Drama controversy make learning more exciting it should always be fun!

Speaking for myself, there are several of these that, now that I think about it, make perfect sense but which I have never considered when assigning group work.

Look ma! No more UGH!

Do hungry students learn better?

According to this NY Times article [Link to full text of "Empy-Stomach Inelligence", 12-10-06], laboratory mice who were hungry processed and retained information better than their well-fed counterparts.

So .... maybe we should skip the chocolate for answering a question in class?

Pretty interesting read.

Are we accomplishing our goals? Tech use in higher ed classes

I just finished reading a couple of fascinating articles concerning the use of technology in higher ed classrooms. Talk about a learning experience!

Student perceptions of tech use in higher ed classes: This Educause article is a must read for community college faculty, whether they are tech users or tech resisters. Data were gathered in 2004 from survey responses received from over 4000 university students. Not surprisingly, the "digital natives" report heavy reliance on and ownership of a litany of personal technology devices. But they purport to be quite discerning when it comes to preferences for technology use in their classrooms. I'm betting they have seen a lot of bad PowerPoint, but whatever the reason, they indicate a partiality for a "moderate" level of technology use by their instructors. When it comes to their online classes, they report, in general, positive experiences with the Learning Management System (LMS) at their institution. Interestingly:

"the interactive features least used by faculty were the features that students indicated contributed the most to their learning. The students were especially positive about sharing materials with students (38.5 percent), faculty feedback on assignments (32 percent), and online readings (24.9 percent)".

[Link to full article]

Enhancing Teaching With Technology: Are We There Yet?: Expanding on the findings related to student preferred components of their LMS was this article from Innovate which states:

"Students claim that their schools and teachers have not yet recognized—much less responded to—the fundamental shift occurring in the students they serve and in the learning communities they are charged with fostering".

As indicated in the article, we have to question the level of engagement we ask of our faculty. And my own 2¢ is that we could use a whole lot more professional developement opportunities and round table types of discussions for sharing of ideas and best practices when it comes to helping the faculty get excited about embracing a new technology.

[Link to synopsis, full article available if you create an account ]

Student engagement

Survey of student engagement: Each year the CCSSE surveys community college students from around the US to determine their level of engagement with their studies. This year's survey is out. Key findings include:

• Outside the classroom group work is not as prevelant as inside the classroom.
  
• A full third of responding students indicated that they spent 5 hours or less preparing for class.
  
• Two thirds (TWO THIRDS) of responses indicated their coursework relies primarily on "rote memorization"!!
• Part-time students report significantly less interaction with faculty than do full-time students.
• Less than half of developmental students make use of available learner support services

The full report, an executive summary and a report on what some community colleges are doing about some of these areas is available from the CCSSE web site [Link to CCSSE web site] [Link to threaded discussion at the Chronicle for Higher Ed]