Written Communication

In calculus I, summation notation is introduced for finding area under a curve using an infinite number of rectangles. From Fall 04 to Spring 15, I utilized a Power Point to introduce the concept. A lecture would be given with interactive moments throughout the lesson. Students would try problems on their own and in teams. The scores on the exam averaged a mid to high D. Approximately 40% of the class would show little to no work on summation problems. Each semester, the lesson would be updated. Yet, exam scores stayed at a D average with no improvement on summations.

Note: This CATS is being submitted by Rebecca Baranowski, Michelle Breaux, Teri Graham, Sarah Lockhart and Luvia Rivera. In summer 2015, these math faculty attended the Johnson & Johnson Cooperative Learning Institute at SMCC. One of the suggested activities for increasing cooperative learning is to put folders on the tables at the beginning of class. Inside of the folders is a warm up for students to work on together. The institute suggested having only 1-2 sheets of paper in the folder to "force" students to talk to each other about the documents in the folder.

I wanted to find the most beneficial method for students to understand their writing revisions. 

Based on their learning styles tendencies, I compared the their VAK Learning Styles Self-Assessment Questionnaire (Swinburne University of Technology) results with their method of submission (online or in-person) to the Writing Center. 

Every semester my students start class (both face to face and online) with the Getting Started Module.  One of the assignments is the "Meet Your Class" assignment.  This assignment is standard in Canvas and requires that students embed a picture into their discussion post.  Embedding a picture in Canvas is not the simple cut and paste or upload that the students are used to.  When I first started using this assignment (Spring  2013) the average score on this assignment was 16.44/20 due to an unsuccefully embedded photo.

In ENH202: World Literature after the Renaissance I utilized Literature Circles as a method for creating stronger community in online classes, deepening the engagement between students, and practicing group work in prep for the course final. Students were in 3 groups for 4 weeks at a time, each group given additional readings to read, analyze and report out using the Literature Circles roles. The student in the Connector role would collect the student’s work and post it in Canvas for grading and students would switch roles on their own each week.

For the Career Research Paper, students had to submit their rough drafts to the Writing Center.  Some students waited to submit to the Writing Center. As a result, 30% of students did not submit edited rough drafts with Writing Center documentation.  

In the flipped classroom, we spend the majority of class time working in groups at the boards.  I typically only change groups a couple of times in the semester.  My goal for Spring 2016 is to change groups at least twice each class session, meaning that students will work in at least 3 different groups each time the class meets.  Since this hybrid class meets 13 times (excluding 2 days for Midterm and FInal), this means that the students will work with at least 26 different groups.  This will force the students to work with nearly everyone (if not everyone) in the class

For over three years, I have collaborated with peer mentors from the peer mentoring program in my developmental reading classes including rdg 081, 091, 095, and CRE 101 when the group looped up from RDG 091.  There has been a dramatic increase in student retention, course completion and completion of the next round of courses at the 100 level and above as compared to those sections without a peer mentor.  

Taking organized notes while learning both drafting and a software program, AutoCAD, helps with retention.  Notes will also be an integral part of the way we will communicate.  Students will use Google Docs. They will add notes of important drafting and drawing tips to remember later.  Usually as learning takes place, questions arise.  They can ask questions with a note or add a reminder to ask something later.  During Grade Checks this semester, students will share their notes with the instructor.

A key component of Anthropology classes is group discussion.  Students need to learn to respect other cultures but also their own, it is harder to connect & haver respect for people when they are faceless.  Having this discourse is hard in online classes where students get very little interaction other than in writing.

Assement: Early Childhood Education Lesson Plan on Creative and Cognitive Play incorproating components from all 6 Modules of the course. I want students to include and apply the following components within their lesson plan: ​1) Early Childhood Standards; 2) creative activities; 3) safetey considerations; 4) types of play; 5) creative art; 6) creative music and movement; and 7) materials and manipulatives using one of the provided lesson plan templates.

The EDU students at EMCC strive to become future preK-12th grade teachers.  I strive to prepare my students for the reality of teaching by teaching the students to lesson plan, to provide effective instruction,  and in maintaining strong classroom management.   For the past 3 years, my students have learned the foundational skills in each area through in-class lesson plan writing and teaching their lessons to peers.  While this is valuable practice,  it is not the same as actually teaching children.   In or

Unit 7: Describing people's appearance and their actions.  I posted my video and picture.  I narrated based on the picture - about two men riding on a motorbike approaching two unsuspecting women near a shopping area.  I describe their appearances/clothing as shown on the picture, then I describe their actions.  A man at the back of the motorbike suddenly grabbed a purse and they ran away.  After students watch my ASL narration, they are expected to find a different picture that show at least two people with their action.

I will utilize Adobe Connect to build an online presence, increase engagement, and utilize expert guest speakers in the online environment. I will provide the option of reviewing the session archive and writing a one page summary to students who are unable to attend the live session. I propose to track which students consistently attend and participate in the live session and which students utilize the archives. I would like to see if there is a correlational connection betweeen success in the course and students who particiapte in live sessions.

The "I Am Human" Campaign focuses on choosing language that creates an inclusive culture demonstrating social awareness. Students watched the "I Am Human" video in addition to reading about the campaign on the EMCC website. Students participated in a pre/post survey and discussion board directly connected to the campaign. Their weekly video reflection and final journal entry are typical assignments in the Sociology courses. The students mentioned the campaign in both assignments as examples of what impacted them in the course. Please see the attached document on the results.