There is an inherent challenge associated with engaging students in high-enrollment, lecture-based introductory coursework in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Recent advances have emphasized providing students with a learning platform that promotes communication skills, critical thinking, social engagement, and service.
Inclusive Course Design & Universal Design for Learning
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a beneficial approach to course design because it provides a scientific and flexible framework for guiding the ways in which content is presented and student comprehension assessed. I am interested in integrating UDL in my teaching because it more fairly serves an increasingly diverse student body and as an educator, I aspire to provide an inclusive educational environment. For me, the core benefit of integrating UDL is in its emphasis of the learning goals rather than the means (assessments) students choose to get there based on his/her own unique neural diversity. This paradigm shift and educational framework provides flexibility and reduces barriers to make learning more accessible for variable learners.
For many courses, there is an opportunity to “prime the pump” and implement a full or half "flip" in terms of how you plan for knowledge acquisition and knowledge application. Traditionally, in-class lecture time has been used for acquisition of content material thereby leaving students without an opportunity to practice applying new knowledge. Ideally, in a flipped classroom design, pre-lecture assignments expose students to material that will be practiced and applied during lecture time when both the instructor and graduate TAs (or even undergraduate peer leaders) are available to help answer questions. These pre-lecture assessments build upon reading material via audio or visual formats such as specific podcasts, TED Talks or YouTube videos. This enables instructors to provide just a brief overview of the basics during lecture, leaving the majority of in-class time for reviewing the more complex concepts, misconceptions and real-world examples. After class, learning can be extended through post-lecture assessments such as a weekly progress check (mix of multiple choice and short answer) using questions that will resemble the types of questions they can expect on midterm or final exams. This weekly homework assignment gives students an opportunity to practice using new terminology and gives the instructor one last chance to address any confusion or misconceptions before moving on to the next week’s content.
Maximizing Impact with Canvas and LTI-Integrated Publisher Content
Learner-centered classrooms differ from traditional lecture format by emphasizing the student's role in building their own understanding for long-term retention. This type of teaching represents a shift from a "sage on the stage" approach in which students are told information as passive observers, to a "guide on the side" in which students are expected to be active participants in their own learning. This can be an uncomfortable transition for students--instead of enjoying the "lecture show" each class, they are expected to come to class prepared with some exposure to the topic and to test their knowledge comprehension along the way rather than just cramming for two or three summative assessments (e.g. midterm and final exams). Recently it has become feasible to integrate textbook publisher content into learning management software (LMS) (such as Canvas or Blackboard). For example, I have been involved in courses that use Pearson's MyLab and Mastering platform to deliver educational content (e.g. eText, Dynamic Study Modules, Mastering Homework Assignments, Focus Chapter Reviews) that supports a flipped classroom for specific pre (exposure), during (apply), and after (review) lecture use. In addition to simple Grade Sync functionality, students are given the opportunity to engage with new content material either through mandatory (graded) or supplemental (non-graded) assessments. This enables instructors to gain a sense of student comprehension prior to heavily-weighted in-class assessments, such as exams, that are difficult for students to recover from if they perform poorly.
Project-based learning (PBL) is a systematic teaching method that engages students in learning through long-term, applied problem-solving of complex questions. Digital projects (digital storytelling and multimodal projects) are one method of PBL and serve as high impact practices that can truly deepen student learning. Reflection is an important component of PBL therefore, digital reflections (blogs and digital portfolios) can engage students in an extra post-assessment step by asking them to critically consider the value of what they are learning and perhaps, inspire their desire to deepen that comprehension on their own. Self-regulated learning promotes the skills necessary for life-long engagement while digital reflection tools provide a platform to document that knowledge progression. In addition to allowing students to track and synthesize their learning, by generating a public product, students may also be more competitive in internship or job applications where they can visually display their academic and learning achievements as well as new 21st century competencies developed in the process (e.g. building and maintain a website). At the departmental and university levels, the ability to showcase student digital reflections (e.g. ePortfolios) within the concept of metacognition and student-centered learning can be powerful examples of successful curriculum implementation and/or areas in need of improvement.
Facilitating Active Learning & Collaboration with Canvas Tools
Collaborative (or perhaps, more truly cooperative) activities facilitate learning in a social context hopefully through intentional goal-setting by small groups of students (student-student interaction). Often, when assigned a group project, students are often given some flexibility in terms of selecting the general topic and perhaps presentation date (based on their own schedule), however they are often randomly assigned to groups and are expected to meet outside of class to prepare this assignment. Unfortunately, this assignment structure does not provide accommodations for the diversity of students on campus (those who work full-time, have young children, etc.) nor does it enable adequate and fair documentation of work load separation. To address these weaknesses, Canvas (our LMS) offers a couple of collaborative tools: 1) use Canvas Groups tool to configure group-specific pages that allow students to upload and share files, send messages and track project progress, 2) use Canvas Conferences (BigBlueButton) for sharing presentation slides and virtually practicing presentations with student group members (regardless of their physical location) and grad TAs or the instructor, and/or 3) use Canvas Collaborations with group members to work on a document in real-time through the Google Docs platform.
Efforts to increase accessibility in our teaching ensure that all individuals (with or without disabilities) are able to access, engage with and understand educational information or services in the same time-frame and with comparable ease of use. There are many resources available to assist in creating accessible content, and in fact, research indicates that all students benefit from accessibility improvements to course materials. For example, closed captioning or transcripts of audio content can increase comprehension for students without hearing impairments. As options for online learning continue to increase and become popular alternatives to traditional classrooms, the standards and requirements for accessible content will also rise to meet that demand. This can include making sure that documents contain proper color contrast, standard serif and sans serif font, alt-text is provided with images or graphics, reading order details are provided in documents (PDF, Word, or PPT) uploaded to LMS, and a microphone is used to amplify your voice while lecturing.