Student Engagement

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.

This is the start of the CATS for the Learning Inquiry Group on Curricular Models for Sustainable Undergraduate Research. As the semester goes on this will be edited to include more of the details of our work. But in brief we will be creating a cross prefix class for undergraduate research. This will include course outline and comptenecies that can be put through the curriculum process for multiple prefixes (PHY, CHM...). Then next academic year we hope to offer at least one of these to complete cycle. 

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.

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  I will track the number of students that are withdrawn from the course for not completing the orientation and compare that to previous semesters in other online courses.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

Every semester the Estrella librarians seek to engage and reach out to students who may not be familiar with the Estrella Library. Participating in student club activities is one method to reach students and promote the Library’s resources and services. Working with the Asian Pacific Islander Club (APIC), I coordinated a social educational event that utilized my educational background in Asian Pacific American Studies and research methods. I created an interactive presentation to engage students to think critically about the food they eat using a popular culture context (K-Wave).

Trying to visualize molecular processes for students can be very challenging.  Neil Raymond and I decided to try 3-D printed objects to use in the classroom to teach these concepts in Biology.  I used the database thingiverse to search for models, and Neil designed and printed his own working sarcomere through tinkercad.  After using the models in class, I discovered that they can be powerful tools to aid in conceptualizing and visualizing processes, especially at the molecular level.  The 3-D printing is a compliment to STEM curriculum and promotes problem solving skill

A straight lecture on cell structures is torture for students. To remedy this, I designed a system of flashcards where each organelle is represented by 3 types of cards: a picture card, a structure card, and a characteristic card. Cards have alignment hints for the other two cards. Each group of 4 students is given one set of 36 cards. They work together to align the 3 cards for each organelle.  While groups are engaged in collaborative work to tease out details about each organelle, I can work more closely with each student as they learn to critically evaluate card content.

Instructors are tasked with having to prepare EMT students for work in pre-hospital, in-hospital and now more recently, mobile integrated healthcare settings.  The use of simulation in the classroom helps prepare students for the workplace by exposing them to a broad variety of situations they may encounter by allowing them to apply knowledge and skills without endangering a live patient.  During the simulation the students are placed in an environment set to a standardized patient scenario with a variety of sensory distractors such as props, smells, patient actors with moulage (m

Using National Library Week as a vehicle for outreach to students has been a continual goal for the Information Resources Department. The purpose of the promotion of this week is to engage students to connect and celebrate their library, in this case, Estrella’s library. Previous endeavors included free food and promotional giveaways, however, these activities did not really engage in a connection between the Library, research assistance, and services.

The problem:  Some students have been misinterpreting my instructions for class assignments with multiple steps.  With two multiple stepped assignments, on average 6 out of 31 students missed a concept. 

The process:  Peer groups consisted of 4 students.  After groups were given instructions for the assignment, peers repeated the instructions to their group. Afterwards, each group (8 tables) had to summarize and rewrite the instructions on a mini white board. 

*Not being one to explicitly tell students to place their electronic devices away, I wanted to see if I could not only do that (that is, have them put them away) but also assess their basal understanding of communication concepts within COM 225, public speaking.  

The EMT program was experiencing an issue with students not coming to class prepared and they were not completing their reading assignments prior to coming to class. Instructors noticed that students were not as engaged and lacked the ability to create an open dialogue during classroom discussions.

Two of my hybrid EDU classes this semester were challenging me to actively engage my students, especially when involved in group tasks or assignments. Collaborative groups expert Spencer Kagan recommends, among a variety of strategies, the use of Talking Tokens. Each student is given 3 tokens (I use paper clips from a box in the middle of each table). As they talk, ask a question, give a suggestion, etc., they put a token back in the box. When they are out of tokens, they cannot talk until everyone else in their group is also out. Then, the process begins again.

EMCC has recently instituted a "no late enrollment" policy, due to the understanding that "learning starts on Day One" and the idea that students who enroll after the first day of class generally are not as prepared, and therefore not as successful as their peers who were in the class from the beginning.  However, does this phenomenon reach back even further in time?  Do students who enroll early in a class do better than those that enroll at the last minute (even though they did enroll before the first day)?