Winter 2000
Fostering Critical Thinking
Discussants: Roger Ideishi Laura Mandos, Fran Mayville,
Elena Umland, and Rod Wigent
- Try to get students to go through problem solving steps, can
be modeled by faculty at first, then students do with assistance
- Students need to learn to accept uncertainty, that there is
not always one correct answer
- Students need to learn that they need to take risks in their
learning and to be able to show their mistakes and learn from
these experiences
- Using real life examples helps to foster problem solving
- Pharmacy faculty have tried to integrate material into blocks
or have taught separate courses relating to different diseases.
Divided opinions as which is the best method
- Principles of Chemistry tries to develop following skills:
- Develop a data base of terminology, facts, fundamental principles
- Comprehend the problem, identify main point or type of problem
that is necessary to solve the problem
- Recognize relevant information from that which is not relevant
to solving the problem
- Recognize any necessary assumptions that are needed
- Use fundamental principles to manipulate information to
arrive at a reasonable solution to the problem
- Critically assess the solution
- Develop insights to alternative methods to solving the problem
- Apply concepts learned in solving this problem to new problems
- OT plans their entire curriculum to foster critical thinking
skills. There is a developmental progression of reasoning skills:
- Procedural thinking (usually enter professional program
with this skill)
- Interactive reasoning – as it relates to the situation,
solution is not determined in advance
- Conditional or narrative reasoning.
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Making Pre-lab Lecture a Learning
Experience
Participants discussed and reflected on what makes an effective
presentation and what their own strengths and weaknesses are concerning
presentation skills. Stress management and the role preparedness
plays in easing the stresses of presenting were also discussed.
The attention span of students is about 15 minutes. If you will
be speaking longer than that, the 15-minute interval is a good time
to pause and allow your audience to digest or regroup the contents
of the lecture.
Preparing an effective pre-lab lecture
- Determine objective for lab and pre-lab lecture
- Plan what you will say
- Organization of lecture
- Introduction
- Body of lecture
- Conclusion - 2 minute recap
- Prepare lecture notes.
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How Classes Change With Technology
Discussants: Amy Kimchuck and Stan Zietz
Some Key Points that were touched upon during the discussion:
- When technology is first introduced to students, they are not
efficient with it. Therefore, early classes or activities using
technology go much slower.
- The use of technology allows students to spend more time discussing
why something happens.
- In math, it is still important for the students to get a feel
for how to do the calculations by hand, even if they mostly use
technology to solve the problems.
- Textbook selection should be consistent with technology used.
- Since students have been using graphing calculators, they have
a greater sense of understanding the math and not just feeling
like they are doing the problems without understanding.
- Searching for information using technology is different from
searching using the print sources, new skills need to be developed.
- Graphing calculators can be used in chemistry labs to show real
time data.
- Using technology can take away from content in course if students
concentrate on learning to use technology.
- Must be concerned with accessibility for students, support for
using the equipment.
- New palm top computers cost about $600.00 have many capacities
of larger computer.
- Using technology greatly facilitates students ability to look
for patterns, test if something changes, what will be the results
of that change.
- Many simulations available that aid in understanding.
- With technology students do not have to understand theory to
able to solve problems.
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Supplemental Instruction (SI)
Student Mentorship
Disucssants: Gail Webster, Phyllis Blumberg
Some key points that were touched upon during the discussion:
- SI is a widely used, well researched academic assistance program
- SI helps students in historically difficult classes master content,
while developing study skills that can be used throughout college
- Within the selected courses, anyone can participate in SI sessions
- An upper class student re-takes the course by attending all
classes, does homework, as part of the job as SI leader
- The SI leader holds 3 one-hour sessions/ week to assist the
students to learn the material.
- Students may go over problems, review material
- Students determine what will be done and lead the discussion,
the SI leader provided guidance and clarifies when necessary
- Students who actively participate in SI sessions do better than
those who did not attend SI sessions
- Students do better when the course faculty actively supports
and encourages students to attend SI sessions
SI is currently being offered on a pilot basis with General Chemistry
this semester
A proposal is being developed to establish SI more broadly at USP
A purpose of these Table Talk discussions is to see which faculty
are interested in having their course participate in SI in the future.
Additional faculty may indicate interest by contacting Phyllis
Blumberg
Once the number of courses that will participate in SI is determined,
the exact costs of the program will be determined. It costs about
$1200 for each three credit course to have a SI leader, and a SI
supervisor to coordinate the program.
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March, 2000
Becoming a Successful Graduate
Student Instructor Workshop Series
Handling Difficult Situations in the Lab
The participants were asked to bring a written description of a
difficult situation they encountered in their roles as lab instructors.
Each of these descriptions was attached to flip chart paper that
was distributed around the room.
Participants, including some faculty, went around the room and
wrote suggestions on how to handle each of these difficult situations.
Thus, each participant received written guidance or help from numerous
people.
Next the individual papers were grouped into appropriate categories.
For the set of situations presented the categories were:
Disinterested, unprepared students
Classroom management skills
Students who work without thinking, makes mistakes, panic
Students with attitude problems
Lack of information, knowledge by GSI, faculty
The participants worked in small groups on one self-chosen category.
They wrote further suggestions, comments, and developed strategies
further.
At the end of the session, participants received their original
sheet along with all the comments.
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Fostering Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Discussants: Peter Miller and Joseph Ruane
Some key points that were touched upon during the discussion:
- One of the ways students develop their critical thinking is
to challenge what they accept or what they have grown up with
through asking about implications of their thinking
- Through class discussions and assignments, students come to
question and expand students’ perspectives and view of the
world
- Assignments on sociological theories can be personalized so
that students have to apply the concept to their own lives
- In discussions, it is important for the faculty to role model
respect for what students have to say and to accept different
points of view
- In such an accepting environment, students become more willing
to participate and open up about themselves
- Random assignment of groups and rearranging the groups throughout
the semester helps students to learn how to work with others and
hear about different perspectives
- Throughout discussions students are asked to probe for deeper
meanings and help to identify their biases
- Uncomfortable experiences with conflict can be good growth experiences
to foster critical thinking
- Student groups can be given unknown problems. They need to explore
the literature to help solve the problem.
- Students have difficulty when there are more than one correct
answer or solution to a problem. Faculty need to help them become
comfortable with uncertainty.
An unplanned, but discussed sub-topic was peer and self-assessment.
- Although students are uncomfortable with peer and self assessment,
practice doing these assessments helps them do a better job with
them.
- Peer and self assessment skills help build critical thinking
abilities.
- Asking students to write peer assessments before presenting
them to their classmates helps them think them through better
Ask students to write 3 positive and 3 negative things about themselves
and each peer
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Using On-line Testing
Discussants: Mignon Adams, Jeannette McVeigh, Andrew Peterson
For the past two years, Andrew Peterson has used Cyberexam, Internet-accessible
online testing software, in his class for the 4th year pharmacy
students. Since the pharmacy licensing exam is now given online,
experience in online testing is important for our students. He says
that a definite advantage is that students get immediate feedback;
a definite disadvantage is that they get immediate feedback and
want to discuss it immediately. To discourage cheating, he uses
randomization of both questions and answers, although that negates
the use of other types of multiple choice questions: all of the
above, for example.
Some of the security concerns with online testing: verifying the
test taker on the Internet and possibility of test taker receiving
answers via e-mail from another source. Some of the features of
Cyberexam help ease some of these issues.
Jeanette McVeigh has used Cyberexam as a way for students to demonstrate
that they are familiar with computer use policy. In the past, all
students have been required to attend a half-hour class. Now, each
student takes two out of three sections, randomly determined. Students
have been vocal in their enthusiasm about having it available at
their own convenience.
Other ideas for using an online exam as a teaching medium; for
example, when a student misses a question, he or she could be directed
to a website that instructs the student so that the questions can
be answered correctly.
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How are on-line courses different
from live courses.
Jacquie Smith and Lili Fox Velez
Web-Based Courses require four types of support, 1)distribution
of course materials; 2) access to materials and related resources;
3) dialoguing, between faculty and students, among students and
between students and resource; and 4) management and assessment
process.
Questions to consider prior to developing on-line courses. What
kinds of content work well? What content may not be appropriate?
What level of course may be appropriate? Which students are best
suited for this? How do you develop relationships with the class?
Is the class entity going to be replaced with a lot of individuals?
How can you achieve a class community? How can students learn to
be more independent? How can you handle 25-30, or more students
in this environment?
Creating and sustaining online communities requires interaction,
collaboration cooperation and a sense of community.
Interaction Activities
Begin by requiring interaction between 2 peers
Give plenty of time (i.e. one week) to allow for scheduling difficulties
Bottom Line
An online community does not "just happen". It must be
diligently planned and requires commitment from the class and especially
from the faculty member.
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New ERes
Course Document Management System
Mazen Khoury from Docutech
- Nicole Duncan-Kinard is developing a new handout explaining
how to use ERes.
- Version 4 was demonstrated (Version 3 was used in1999-2000)
- Documents can be put on the ERes system, password protected
or archived to be available for future use or for a specific time
period.
- Documents can be imported 3 ways-
- Type or Scan
- Fax
- Browse local machine, find document and insert, can stay
in the same format
- Documents can be downloaded in any form-
- link URL
- Audio
- Video
- Text
- Discussion bulletin board can direct discussion to specific
topics, follow entire discussion on this topic.
- Chat rooms are live, cannot be archived, but all discussion
from chat can be printed.
- All journals that the library receives electronically can be
downloaded on ERes files.
- We will have 2 ways to access ERes using new service-
- From on-campus through the University website
- From off-campus through campus access
- Creating a course page -
- Very user friendly, just follow directions given.
- Specific help information provided along with each section.
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Use of Assessment Data
Eric Boyce
The fundamental goal of higher education is to improve the abilities
(knowledge, skills and attitudes/behaviors) of students. Assessment
data can assist with this.
General Assumptions of Assessment Activities
- Assessment should be an ongoing, prospectively planned, efficient
activity.
- The most important outcomes and/or goals of a program need to
be assessed.
- Students, alumni, faculty, student service staff, and administrators
all have a role in assessment activities.
- Assessment is not an evaluation of an individual student, instructor
or course. Assessment is of whole program.
- Data should come from a variety of sources and be collected
in a fair, unbiased manner.
- Both formative (developmental) and summative (at the end of
the program) assessment data should be collected and used.
- Assessment data need to be disseminated to all appropriate individuals
- Assessment data should analyzed and used to make decisions in
academic and student services programs.
- The assessment plan also needs to be assessed routinely.
The Teaching Improvement Loop
From the Framework for Outcomes Assessment, Middle States Commission
on Higher Education
For further reading see www.aahe.org/principl.htm
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How can the successful innovation that won the
2000 Patricia Leahy "OWL" Award be adapted for other courses?
Annette Iglarsh
- Requiring students to develop a portfolio of their work is a
good technique for a capstone course.
- Projects students developed included a health fair, an in-service
activity, reviews, etc.
- This portfolio was very helpful for students in their job interview
process.
- Contract grading requires the students to decide what grade
they will get by the number of assignments or projects they will
do.
- If students contract for their grades, work is either acceptable
or not acceptable (needs to be redone or not counted).
- Students can do more work to get a higher grade than originally
contracted for, but not less work and get a lower grade.
- Need to spend time talking about expectations, requirements.
- Assignments need to be very clearly described.
- Tell other faculty, especially in the same department, about
the course and its expectations - they might hear about it as
complaints from students.
- Students can hand in their projects 1 week in advance of deadline
for feedback.
- For a capstone course, all materials were due at the end of
the semester; students did not always budget their time well.
- Students requested that they carry over the completion of their
projects past the semester.
- This year the students will get 1 credit hour in the spring,
with most of the credits being assigned in the fall semester.
- Students worked harder for this course, complained as they were
going through it and then saw how helpful it was later on.
- Now that students know this portfolio is coming as a capstone
course, they are beginning to think about preparing it as they
go through the program.
- The second time this course is being run is going much smoother
than the first time. There are far fewer student complaints.
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