Comments for Center for Teaching Excellence http://blog.smu.edu/cte Blogging about teaching & learning Sat, 11 May 2013 17:10:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Comment on Faculty Play Dates by more tips here http://blog.smu.edu/cte/2013/04/02/faculty-play-dates/#comment-6091 more tips here Sat, 11 May 2013 17:10:38 +0000 http://blog.smu.edu/cte/?p=356#comment-6091 I am continuously searching online for posts that can facilitate me. Thx!

]]> Comment on First: Scantron. Now: Automated essay graders. What’s next? by on front page http://blog.smu.edu/cte/2013/04/09/first-scantron-now-automated-essay-graders-whats-next/#comment-6090 on front page Sat, 11 May 2013 17:10:37 +0000 http://blog.smu.edu/cte/?p=364#comment-6090 I’ve been exploring for a little bit for any high-quality articles or blog posts on this kind of area . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this web site. Reading this information So i am happy to convey that I’ve an incredibly good uncanny feeling I discovered just what I needed. I most certainly will make certain to do not forget this website and give it a glance on a constant basis.

]]> Comment on Should pre-med requirements be reformed? by Ryan Gray http://blog.smu.edu/cte/2013/04/14/should-pre-med-requirements-be-reformed/#comment-5534 Ryan Gray Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:23:41 +0000 http://blog.smu.edu/cte/?p=370#comment-5534 It’s very early to tell, but I think this may be the future. We rounded, happy medical students make for well rounded, happy residents. I like this better than the 3 years medical school change for a number a reasons.

Allowing students to explore the world, and not be stuck in a book will allow physicians to better connect with their patients.

I was lucky enough to interview Dr. Muller about the FlexMed program, and I think I was sold after. The podcast interview can be found here.

]]> Comment on The Flipped Classroom by Brandy Stigler http://blog.smu.edu/cte/2013/02/20/the-flipped-classroom/#comment-5116 Brandy Stigler Wed, 27 Mar 2013 17:16:22 +0000 http://blog.smu.edu/cte/?p=320#comment-5116 I am an assistant professor in the math dept and I have been using the “flipped” model for all of my upper-division undergraduate courses and all my graduate courses. What I use is an inquiry-based model for the classroom environment: students read a topic, write a summary about the topic, and work on problems related to the topic outside of class, all before we formally discuss the topic in class; on a subsequent day, I give a mini-lecture based on their questions in their summaries; on a subsequent day, they present homework problems and compare and contrast their solutions in class.

Most students really appreciate this model over lecture. A consequence of this type of environment is that they feel I care about them more than if the course had been lecture based. They also recognize that they have absorbed much more than if I had lectured: they feel they “own” the material.

I recall one semester where I had two classes: one was lecture and one was “flipped”. There was such a difference in the level of engagement of the students. Most students in the lecture-based class took on a glassy-eyed appearance the moment I approached the board with chalk in hand, whereas in the inquiry-based class most students were fully engaged for the majority of the time. Over the course of that semester, it became clear to me that the students in the lecture class weren’t actively learning in class; instead the active part happened later when they struggled through the homework. The following questions arose: What did they get from my lecture, was it conducive for their learning, and was it efficient use of our time? On the flip side (pun intended), the students in the inquiry-based course were actively engaged in my mini-lectures as well as in the student presentations.

At this point, the main complaint I have received is related to the organization of the class: I don’t give them enough time to work on the assigned problems. This is an easy fix.

It is interesting that the ONLY real push-back I’ve received was from a 3-yr graduate student: she didn’t buy the idea that she needed to own her education. She felt that it was more important to see more information than to understand it: it’s clear she missed the point of doing graduate work and I could not convince her otherwise.

While I still struggle with the flow at which we move through the material in an inquiry-based course, I still very much enjoy the classroom experience over lecture-based courses. (With some topics we can move quickly and with others it may take a few class periods; by contrast, in a lecture-based course I can ensure that a new topic is covered every class period lecture regardless of the students’ ability to keep up). I have a greater ability to assess their progress and maturity as I see every student at the board at least once a week for smaller classes. This active learning environment also helps me gauge where they need more help.

I feel I am more effective as an educator in an inquiry-based course. My students walk away with a greater and deeper understanding of the material. They also develop some level of independence which is crucial in learning to become a learner.

]]> Comment on Do I need to make classroom attendance more important? by Barbara Whitehead http://blog.smu.edu/cte/2013/03/14/do-i-need-to-make-classroom-attendance-more-relevant/#comment-4913 Barbara Whitehead Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:17:59 +0000 http://blog.smu.edu/cte/?p=341#comment-4913 David, it’s great to see you, Lynne, and others grappling with what to do in the classroom when content is delivered out of the classroom. I love technology when it works and when it’s useful, but I’m not a gadget person who injects technology for novelty. I sense there are some great options and outcomes for new uses of class time. I’m eager to see your innovations.

]]> Comment on Do I need to make classroom attendance more important? by DJ http://blog.smu.edu/cte/2013/03/14/do-i-need-to-make-classroom-attendance-more-relevant/#comment-4830 DJ Sun, 17 Mar 2013 00:24:03 +0000 http://blog.smu.edu/cte/?p=341#comment-4830 Thanks for this! We’ve been building an ed resource at http://UniversityWebinars.org too. Bringing together some of the best speech & lecture videos from top universities for use for higher ed faculty, staff, and students. It’s a good free resource for courses, learning, or professional development. Feel free to share or blog it if you find it useful.

-DJ
http://InnovationLearning.org

]]> Comment on Moving Beyond Text by Lynne Stokes http://blog.smu.edu/cte/2013/02/28/moving-beyond-text/#comment-4135 Lynne Stokes Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:37:51 +0000 http://blog.smu.edu/cte/?p=327#comment-4135 In my field, one can illustrate many concepts about randomness with simulations. Lot of people have made freely available teaching simulations on line. Now the difficulty is in looking through so many to find the “best” one to illustrate a particular concept. Here is a cool one illustrating the Let’s Make a Deal problem. (Have fun!)
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~delma001/goat/

I also have found a number of TED talks that illustrate interesting statistical concepts. Here is one of my favorites:
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/hans_rosling_religions_and_babies.html
I did have several students who commented or sent me email about his last video–told me they sent it to their friends.

]]> Comment on The Flipped Classroom by Meghan Ryan http://blog.smu.edu/cte/2013/02/20/the-flipped-classroom/#comment-3922 Meghan Ryan Fri, 01 Mar 2013 20:11:15 +0000 http://blog.smu.edu/cte/?p=320#comment-3922 Thanks Lynne!

]]> Comment on The Flipped Classroom by Nathan Huntoon http://blog.smu.edu/cte/2013/02/20/the-flipped-classroom/#comment-3914 Nathan Huntoon Fri, 01 Mar 2013 16:29:53 +0000 http://blog.smu.edu/cte/?p=320#comment-3914 This post raised a lot of questions for me. I have been an advocate of non-traditional teaching methods for years. I have focused more on project based learning and real world experience over the flipped classroom concept, but many of the ideas are the same. As a member of CTE I get involved in lots of conversations about teaching methods and this is the first time I’ve heard someone bring up the preferences of the students.

I occurs to me that I may have forgotten that teaching requires two side, a teacher and student. To teach a class I have to reach an agreement with my students that I will teach and they will learn. This agreement is often assumed and not clearly defined, but I think successful classes have it. If the students aren’t willing to change the terms of the agreement as required by some of these non-traditional methods, we may need to evaluate some things.

I firmly believe that things like flipped classrooms and project based learning can provide better learning experiences than traditional lectures. Before we (the faculty) jump in with both feet though, we may need to ‘sell’ the ideas to the students. And I thought selling these ideas to other faculty would be hard…

]]> Comment on The Flipped Classroom by Lynne Stokes http://blog.smu.edu/cte/2013/02/20/the-flipped-classroom/#comment-3910 Lynne Stokes Fri, 01 Mar 2013 15:06:57 +0000 http://blog.smu.edu/cte/?p=320#comment-3910 Meghan:
I don’t think I would recommend this for an untenured person in my department right now, as it is risky the way we evaluate teaching here. There is one untenured faculty member who may be able to tell you more about this, as he is trying it. He is in math and his name is Scott Norris. Perhaps he can chime in.

If tehre were more of a culture of using this type of teaching here, then I believe students would be less surprised and resentful. Or if the instructor took more time to explain why they are doing what they are doing, it is possible that would help (though I’m not confident about that.) If I get evidence that it is helping students learn and present that to students, that will be persuasive to some, I think.

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