Do you use a rubric or grading criteria when evaluating student work?

Consider providing opportunities for students to practice applying the criteria to sample work.  Discussion is likely to ensue, which is a great thing!  Students have a chance to ask clarifying questions and explore the meaning of items listed in the rubric or grade sheet before their own work is evaluated based on its contents.  This process can get a lot of the confusion out of the way early on and may even result in a greater number of high quality submissions from students(!).

For my intro-level class, I collect samples of student work across semesters, maintaining a collection of a few samples for each assignment type.  Important: I only use samples for which I have the student's permission - their work is their work!  I remove any of the student's identifying information and replace it with a generic label for each sample (e.g., Sample X, Sample Y, Sample Z) to use for reference purposes.

I am a fan of using the same type of assignment (as part of a variety) at least a handful of times throughout the semester, simply adjusting the topic to coordinate with our focus at various points in time.  I then vary topics from semester to semester, which works out well for practicing with the rubric as an in-class exercise.

Example:

The first short writing assignment from last semester focused on consumer spending, so when it is time to discuss consumer spending this semester, I pull out the coordinating student writing samples and set aside class time for the rubric practice activity.

• Step 1: The students cluster into small groups (size of group = number of samples), and I provide each group with a set of the student samples and multiple copies of the coordinating rubric (one for each student).   

• Step 2: In a round robin fashion, the students are to rotate through the samples, marking down their evaluation of each on their copy of the rubric.  Depending on the assignment type and the size of the groups, 10-15 minutes may be needed for this step in this process. 

• Step 3: Group discussion of evaluation results.  Some questions for the students to explore and discuss include: How similar are the group's ratings for each writing sample?  What the reasons for any differences in the ratings for a particular writing sample (be specific!)?  What details in the rubric need clarification before your group is comfortable re-evaluating the writing sample(s)?  Estimated time: 7-10 minutes

• Step 4: Debriefing with the whole class.  This is a great opportunity to hear from the groups about any sticking points with the rubric and to answer any lingering questions.  Estimated time: 7-10 minutes

I started using this activity in my classroom after taking part in an artifact read.  As the group of reviewers, we spent a considerable amount of time "calibrating" our use of the rubric and discussing the details it contained.  This was a necessary part of the process, particularly because the work we were reviewing fell outside our of primary disciplines most of the time.  When it came to disciplines for which I would consider myself a non-expert, the rubrics often seemed to be filled with jargon and muddy details; I often found that I could make more sense out of the language in a rubric once I saw a few examples that coordinated with the various levels.

As non-experts, especially in an intro-level course, I figured students might also benefit from a set of examples and practicing the art of matching them up with the criteria stated in a rubric.  The first time I tried this activity, I figured the minutes spent in the classroom would pay off in terms of students having a better understanding of the assignment type and how their work would be evaluated.  However, since the rubric contains elements for accuracy and clarity of the information about the topic, we often end up having great conversations about the topic itself, particularly when groups have feedback about examples/applications shared in the writing samples or share additional examples that may better illustrate the concept.

Students are expected to do more in active learning - and they deserve to know why.

When it comes to what is happening in the classroom, an active learning approach requires that students do more when compared with a traditional lecture-based class.  Comments about this often sneak their way into course evals, prompting frustration from instructors who have spent countless hours preparing and integrating active learning strategies into a course (myself included!).

Take the time to explain why you are incorporating active learning to the students.  Better yet, demonstrate to students why active learning is beneficial through an activity.

This recommendation lands squarely at the top of the list of "Do's" when it comes to active learning.  David Gooblar's recent post on Vitae, "Why Students Resist Active Learning," offers this tip as one way to help combat student resistance to doing more in the classroom.  In Helping Students Learn in a Learner-Centered Environment, Doyle argues that student buy-in is the biggest hurdle instructors face when trying to adopt a learner-centered approach to teaching (p.17).  Telling students that the class will include active learning is not enough - it is the "why" that is so important here.

If I have learned anything from ten years in the classroom, it is this: be as obvious as possible.  Sure, meeting in a classroom that is arranged in pods (instead of rows or individual desks) is a visual clue that the class meetings may run a little differently than what students are used to.  Clues are not enough, even when they seem glaringly obvious.  Talk with the students about active learning.  Explain why it is being used in conjunction with (or as an alternative to) lecture.  Provide an opportunity for students to ask questions about it.  Also, be prepared to offer the "why active learning" message throughout the semester.


Including students in the conversation about active learning during the semester may help to alleviate some of the backlash that would otherwise show up on course evals.  After all, if a student's first opportunity to say something about active learning is on the course evaluation handed out at the end of the semester, then the comments are most likely to surface right then and there - on paper (or an online form) at the end of the semester.  This is less than ideal for a couple of reasons: (1) there is no longer an opportunity for a conversation, and (2) the next opportunity to make adjustments will be in a future semester with (most often) a different group of students.  Start the conversation about active learning early and keep it going throughout the semester.

Looking for more on discussing active learning with students?  Here are a couple of options:

• Check out instructor-created resources on Framing the Interactive Engagement Classroom available from the Science Education Initiative at University of Colorado - Boulder.  Resources include slides, clicker questions, video clips, procedures and materials for classroom activities, etc.
• Pick up a copy of Helping Students Learn in a Learner-Centered Environment by Terry Doyle; Chapters 3 and 4 offer research-based guidance on talking with students about how we learn and coordinating reasons for modifying our approach to teaching.

Reference:

Doyle, T. (2008).  Helping students learn in a learner-centered environment: A guide to facilitating learning in higher education. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

Planning for the first day of an active learning class

I have long believed that the first day of class is an opportunity to set the tone for the upcoming semester.  Ideally, the class environment will be one that fosters collaboration, discovery, and deep, meaningful learning.  Even with this outlook in place, figuring out what to do on that first day is often a challenge.  Sometimes there can even be a couple of hurdles to overcome. Class enrollment, for example, is often still in flux as students drop and add classes at the beginning of the term.  Student expectations can be another - how many of them will show up with the hope that they can hear a little bit about the syllabus and then leave?

An advanced apology to any of those students enrolled in my class this fall; it is highly unlikely that I will be reading the syllabus to you on the first day of class.  Will we take a look at it?  Probably.  If we do, it will likely be as part of an activity that asks you to work as part of a team.  A scavenger hunt-type activity, perhaps.  But there is a word of warning that comes along with that too.  You may have to generate your own list of things to look for first.  (I used to try to anticipate students' questions in designing this sort of activity, but doesn't it make more sense for students to get their actual questions answered?)  Hopefully the activity ends up sparking some discussion - maybe even some revisions to the syllabus too - which is perfect because the rest of the semester is likely to follow suit.

Sharing information about the course and addressing any potential anxieties related to expectations are both important for the first day, but I will probably kick things off with a different type of activity.  I prefer to pull out the syllabus later on after we have had a chance to break the ice and get a start on building community.  This is the tough part for me.  While others can pull off the light-hearted, sometimes silly, icebreakers, my heart just isn't in it, and I have no doubt the students can tell.  Instead, I am on the hunt for an activity that breaks the ice but also has a strong connection to the class.  Sometimes I try out an activity that connects with a key course concept, like the Candy Trading Game for an introductory-level economics course, but I may focus more on the learning environment this time around.  For example, I am interested in trying something similar to the Rainbow Mixer Little Idea for Teaching (LIFT) from the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology at Illinois State.  It reminds me of the Reciprocal Interview activity outlined in Teaching at its best by Linda B. Nilson but with the added encouragement for students to meet and chat with others located elsewhere in the classroom (that is, outside the groups they are already seated in).  Either activity provides the students with an opportunity to provide input about and influence the class environment, which is what I am most interested in.  It may even provide us with a decent segue into the brainstorming session for the syllabus scavenger hunt.

Both of the activities outlined above could easily fill a 50-minute class meeting, but I am hoping to streamline things and reserve the last 5-10 minutes for an exercise that highlights - and gets us started with - the applicability of the course material.  We'll see how things go!  Overall, I will be pleased if we can accomplish the following on the first day: breaking the ice, exchanging information, and building community; the three provide a solid foundation for what is to come this semester.

References:

McKeachie, W. J., & Svinicki, M. (2011). McKeachie's teaching tips: Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers (13th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Nilson, L.B. (2010). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Managing mobile devices and laptops in the classroom

The topic of laptops and mobile devices in the classroom surfaces regularly and is one that cannot be avoided when active learning classrooms are setup to accommodate their use. Many instructors are often concerned as to whether the benefits outweigh the costs. The mere presence of laptops and mobile devices may potentially lead to distractions like checking messages and social media. Potential distractions in the classroom, however, are not new; students have also been distracted from what is happening in the classroom by newspapers, MP3 players, work for other classes, their peers, and lack of adequate sleep - just to name a few. Laptops and mobile devices are simply newer versions of distractions. So, what can an instructor do to manage mobile devices and laptops in the classroom in an effort to minimize the potential for distraction?

Long ago, a colleague recommended that I address the issue by banning such devices in the classroom.  While I understand the reasoning behind this particular suggestion, it left me curious about possible alternatives.  My initial brainstorming efforts turned up two options: (1) gear class time towards student engagement so that they aren't tempted to reach for the mobile devices, and/or (2) find a role for them in the classroom.  In my classes, students are regularly asking questions about a specific detail or reference a current event that I would need to take a look at before providing a response (a by-product of encouraging students to participate in class and find connections with the material).  With laptops and mobile devices, students can play the role of researchers while in the classroom, which is great for offering timely information with the added bonus of engaging students in the process.

The decision about which approach to take is an individual one and will depend on how the potential benefits stack up against the potential downsides in a given class.  "From Distraction to Engagement: Wireless Devices in the Classroom," written by Berlin Fang and published in Educause Quarterly, is an article that outlines both "restrictive" and "integrative" approaches to dealing with laptops and mobile devices in the classroom.   The discussion of integrative methods includes some ideas worth considering, including re-mixing class meetings to include more active learning (and less of the passive stuff) and contracting with students to elicit more self-regulation.  Responsibility of leading the discussion for the last 10 minutes of class?  That would be enough for me to make sure my phone isn't interfering with class!

A shorter article from Jennifer Carey on Edudemic's site, "5 Tips for Classroom Management With Mobile Devices," also highlights student engagement and setting clear expectations for technology use.  The "two eyes, two feet" tip is one worth repeating here:

"The biggest shift for educators when technology enters the classroom is that you cannot be static or stable. The best way to ensure that students stay on task is to walk around the room, look at the work they are doing, discuss and engage with them about their progress. The more active and mobile you are in the classroom, the easier it is to ensure that your students are working on what they should be."

As for the "Let Them Get the Giggles Out" tip, I was lucky enough to see it in action recently.  A member of our team was presenting design tips for digital posters to a class of 70+ students, and after providing a bit of an overview, he asked each group to open the program and encouraged them to use the tips and featured tools to make the tackiest, most outrageous digital poster possible.  And they did.  After fifteen minutes of shocking color combinations, titles not fit for public viewing, and Tyrannosaurus Rex eating baby penguins, the students moved on to collaborating with their groups on their actual research posters.