Writing Focused

For several years now, I have students write lab reports in calculus I, II and differential equations. The set of directions given to students on what to include in the lab report were ones that I created. Every semester, students would ask follow up questions on what to include in their document. Students constantly missed points for missing information/data or not being detailed enough. This past semester, I decided to see if chemistry faculty had a lab report template, and they do! So, Dr.

I'm very sold on the idea of using OERs (Open Educational Resources) -- they save students money, and they allow all students to have immediate access to course materials.  The downside is that some students seem less engaged with these types of course materials; I think this is because they have been conditioned to the ideas of a textbook.

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.

My ESL students have been challenged to produce clear and coherent writing on a particular topic, even when the topic is on their own preferred choice. I came up with the idea of using a visual, a graphic organizer, and work step by step toward producing good writing. Dissecting and discussing the paragraph structure, looking closer into each of its parts helped my students understand the purpose of writing – how each part (beginning, body, and ending) contributes to producing cohesive and clear writing.

As a part of an online early childhood education course I will require students to turn their first paper into Smart Thinking before submitting their final paper. The paper that is submitted for a grade must also include the draft and notes from Smart Thinking in order to receive credit for the paper.  This is the first of three papers that students will write for the semester.  I am interested in tracking:

Most chemistry labs are of the "cookbook" style, the labs are a series of steps to perform in the alloted time and not much thought goes into the performance.  The other option is to give students a problem to solve and then give them free reign to design a lab.  Many of the students have no idea where to begin the design phase of a lab and end up just looking up a cookbook lab and trying to make it work.  The other problem with the free reign option is safety and logistics with the laboratory prep.  Is it a safe lab?

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.

A key to fully appreciate art is understanding the creative journey and the underlying creative critical thinking which leads to the “message and meaning” of the piece.

Honors students are given the option of completing an individual or small group creative project to fulfill their honors enrichment plan.

 SBU200 – Society and Business is being taught online for the first time this Spring.  Case study assignment submissions rarely connect the ‘’solution” for the case problem, with the content (concepts, examples, vocabulary) in the chapter in the textbook or other resources provided at the end of the chapter.  Student responses are heavily weighted with opinion, even though a rubric is provided and used to provide consistent feedback.                       

In Fall 2014 I re-designed my COM225 Public Speaking course into a 5-week "Fast Track to Completion" format.  When I recalled having taught Summer sessions (which are also 5 weeks in duration), I remembered that students had difficulty completing the reading assignments from the established textbook--it was quite lengthy (and expensive).  But, I wanted to see if taking the course during the regular semester might make a difference in student engagement with the textbook.  Dismal results. Only about 75% of the students were reading and comple

My BIO 160 students often have difficulty identifying and locating peer reviewed resources for a disease research paper. I have worked with the EMCC librarians to show students databases, citation tools, and a discussion of peer revied versus popular articles. At this time the students used the library website and found two potential resources. To improve this process, Jennifer Wong has created a screencast that shows how to use the library website to locate resources.

The goal of these assessments was to engage students in hands on experiments similiar to a science lab.   Students always ask why differential equations is so important in STEM fields.  So, two labs were done in my differential equations class.  One was using thermometers and checking their accuracy (how long does it take for the thermometer to get back to body temperature after drinking cold water, doing jumping jacks, and chewing gum (placebo)).  The 2nd one was to verify that a mass spring system follows a 2nd order differential equation.

This assessment is intended as an alternative to the syllabus quiz. It is primarily for use in online and hybrid courses, but could be used in face-to-face classes that utilize Canvas. Students are required to preview each module of the course in the first week of classes. Students open each module and preview each assignment, activity and due dates within each assignment. Students then write a summary of what is required for each module. This gives students a clear picture of what will be required of them throughout the semester and first hand experience negotiating Canvas.

Since Spring 2013, I have required students to submit their drafts to the Online writng center for feedback.  Over the past several semesters, I have seen their average scores go from 43 out of 60 on increase to 52 out of 60 on the short essay and from 62 out of 80 on the long essay to 70 out of 80 on the long essay.  I have made some revisions using submission links to canvas and hope to close the loop at the end of the semester for RDG 095, RDG 091, CRE 101 and RDG 081.

Discussions are a prime way to enrich online and hybrid classes as well as engage students. In my spring 2014 classes, many of my students waited until the last 24 hours to post their initial answer to the Discussion prompt. This procrastination averaged 75% of the students. Since I require of my students a three response minimum to other students’ posts, there was often not enough time for meaningful exchanges. Despite my urgings, this procrastination continued.