Check for Understanding

Many students who take the Introductory Biology for Allied Health (BIO156) course are new to the field of biology. As with other introductory courses, BIO156 students must begin to learn how to effectively synthesize and present challenging technical information, in a way that is meaningful to them, in the form of notes. Departmental colleagues introduced me to the concept of the Learning Journal. This semester BIO156 students are required to compile a Learning Journal, with the aim of developing their note taking skills.

Occasionally interpreter assistance is needed at the Library Desk but help isn’t always available. Identifying this opportunity, I designed a solution using Google Translate. I created a set of instructions with step-by-step directions for colleagues. Equipment purchased to support this solution were wireless mice & keyboards. This was necessary in order to facilitate sharing in the typing and browsing process. The outcome of the adoption of this approach to service has been successful.

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Need: Students who make use of class/campus resources perform better academically. However, many rarely use their syllabi. As a result, students frequently ask instructors for things like due dates, class policies, or the # of assignments/points in a class. I've attached two docs: Syllabus Questions & a syllabus.

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Need: Students are required to use at least 5 credible sources, but have struggled to identify and use them.

Enhancement (see esp. #2): 

(1) Instruction: Credible sources meet all 3 criteria: (a) written by a named [with rare exceptions] authority on the subject under discussion; (b) timely [which usually, but not always, means recent]; (c) has minimal bias [completely objective sources don't exist].

(2) Template: Students type into/complete the attached Word document, "Research Packet." (10 points of speech)

The Communication Abilities Rubric assesses areas of physical and vocal delivery.  Instructors and students have not fully understood the categories in the rubric. As an innovative approach, my Com230H section did a media project breaking down each element of the rubric into video. I allowed for flexibility with strict guidelines to ensure all disciplines and communication research was covered. Next, 18 students assessed themselves 3x for 3 group presentations.

To combat students being overly concerned with page length and the number of quotes/paraphrases when writing research papers, I decided to take the paper out of the equation. For this research project, students use the research process to determine how realistic the science/technology is in a selected Marvel film. By removing the paper, the students are able to focus on and practice the various steps in the research process, such as crafting a research proposal, annotated bibliography and outline.

In both my ECN211 and ECN212 courses, I include a learner outcome related to student success habits (along with course-specific outcomes).  Each week, I post a discussion assignment related to brain-based learning techniques (e.g., practicing recall, spacing learning over time), wellness behavior (sleeping, nutrition, exercise), and metacognitive skills (mindfulness, metacognition).  To assess the impact of this module on student learning, I will provide an open-ended assessment question where students will report what was particularly impactful for them that semester.

I have used the textbook for reviewing physics content.  In the fall spring of 2015, I allowed students an option of doing small at home labs/demos, video themselves doing the activity and explaining the physics behind it.  I found that the students who did these activities liked them and demonstated a deeper understanding of the material. In the fall of 2016, I decided to expand this idea and make the assignment a larger requirement of the overal grade. I also provided more opportunities to do these type of small projects.

A prior CATS (Accounting Chapter 6 Re-Teach, March of 2016) measured what was learned in inventory valuation from one semester to another, after a teaching intervention (candy example) was included.  Although the grade/scores improved from the formative assessment, the first quiz, the class average for the second quiz was only 11 out of 20 or 55%, which is a failing grade.  Since this second quiz was not for a grade, but rather just a summative evaluation for research purposes, I decided to use the same quiz, but as a graded item for Fall of 2016 and Spring of 2017.

Students enrolled in Culinary courses measure ingredients by weight and volume on a daily basis while producing a variety of recipes/baking formulas.  Challenges occur with differentiating between weight and volume measurement / fl oz, and the ability to identify the appropriate measuring vessel (gal, qt, pint, cup, TBSP, TSP). I sought collaboration from other Culinary instructors at local high schools and colleges in relation to instructional methods on volume.

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 1 group for duration of the semester, 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.

SWU 292 will be offered as a pilot course in Spring 2017.  Students in SWU 292 will explore the skill sets needed to deliver services to diverse populations.  The course will offer a pre and post test that assesses their cultural competence via a self-report survey.  The survey along with the final video reflection will be evaluated to measured knowledge gained and areas in which the course can expand in learning opportunities.

In Spring 2017, I will be implementing an updated orientation process for students to learn the MathAS system (the LMS we use in Math) and get oriented in the course including:  navigating in MathAS, syllabus, netiquette, time management, and learning styles.  This is all done in MathAS rather than Canvas.  I will track the number of students that are withdrawn from the course for not completing the orientation and compare that to previous semesters in other online courses.  I will also track the success of the students in the course (end course grade) compared to comple

For the on-line (SPA 117) course, students are required to submit a video recording of a role-playing situation for each of the course modules.  In the video recording students use the target language in order to complete meaningful tasks they will counter in the real world as health care professionals.  These task based role playing activities will assess verbal and nonverbal communication skills, mostly the students’ grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, and speaking capacities learned in each module.

This assessment is designed to review students final projects that they will construct during their e-commerce course. This project involves creating a simple storefront with a simple shopping cart as well as methods for utilizing social media to market the products.