PROGRAM OF 2017 ANNUAL MEETING PRESENTATIONS
Course Transformation Case Studies
Friday, September 29th8:40-9:45
Case Study 1
Transformation of "Experimental Physics" at CU Boulder
Daniel Bolton, University of Colorado Boulder
By multiple measures, the introductory “Experimental Physics” course at CU Boulder is not currently meeting expectations and the department has been seeking a re-design. In this case study, we will discuss the multi-year process of this re-design (the new course is set to launch in Spring ’18). Although some specifics of the course will be presented, emphasis in this presentation will be on the process. A series of interviews, surveys, and round table discussions produced learning goals. Then, learning goals influenced course structure and activity choices. We will attempt to transit some lessons learned about course transformation along the way.
Case Study 2
Students’ struggles to make generalizations in behavioral biology
Laura Hurley, Indiana University
This session will demonstrate what it means to find a difficult bottleneck to student learning, break it down, and teach to it. Participants will act as “students” in a lesson on making generalizations that uses analogies and provides practice for students. It will show assessments of student proficiency at making generalizations and offer a sense of how the bottleneck approach informs teaching and course design.
Case Study 3
Peer Assisted Learning in Introductory Biomedical Engineering
Mark Appleford, University of Texas San Antonio
This session will focus on designing and implementing undergraduate peer-assisted learner models into established classes with particular attention to budget, time and program impact effectiveness. Peer-assisted learning programs have a rich history of successful application with remarkable outcomes including improved learning and grade performance, retention in majors, and efficacy in cross discipline coursework. Most peer assisted models have also shown especially strong outcomes with minority students in small group settings. A case study model will be discussed of a biomedical engineering focused first year class redesigned utilizing peer learning to improve first year retention and preparation for further studies in the engineering program at the University of Texas San Antonio. Discussion will also focus on effective scalability of peer-assisted learner models, institutional support and implementation.
Poster Session
Friday, September 29th 10:30-11:30
Transforming Advanced Physics Lab Courses to Include Scaffolded Projects
Bei Cai, Queens University
Enhancing Learning in a Large Psychology Course with Team-Based, Problem-Centered Assignments
Andrea Follmer Greenhoot & Marsha McCartney, University of Kansas
Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs): The Challenge of Balancing Science Curriculum and Experimental Discovery
Pamela Harvey, University of Colorado Boulder
Overcoming a Mathematical Proof Techniques Bottleneck
Ryan Henry, Indiana University
Defining What We Do: Early Work in the History Teaching & Learning Project at the University of Colorado, Boulder
Natalie Mendoza, University of Colorado Boulder
Transforming STEM Faculty through Evidence-based Teaching and Growth Mindset
Joan Middendorf, Indiana University
Who is TRESTLE?
Blair Schneider, University of Kansas
Getting Students ‘Psyched’ About Psychology: What Do We Want Our Students to Learn in an Introductory Psychology Course?
Jennifer Stratford, Diane Sasnett-Martichuski, Naomi Friedman, Soo Rhee,Joe Berta, Stephanie Chasteen and Irene Blair, University of Colorado Boulder
Scaffolding Freshman Chemistry Posters: Development, Implementation, and Utility of "Fauxsters”
Drew Vartia, Roderick Black, Stefanie DeVito, Jason Applegate, Mary Erikson, Jacob Johannsen, MonisolaOkeowo, and HasithaRathnayakaMudiyanse, University of Kansas
Lunch Speaker
Friday, September 29th 11:30-1:30
Student Predictions, Mental Models and Need for Complex Problem Solving in the 21st Century
Presenter: Mark Guzdial, Georgia Institute of Technology
Opening remarks by Amr Sabry, Chair of Computer Science, Indiana University
In this talk, Mark Guzdial will share results from a computer science course developed for non-STEM majors, and designed using theories of student achievement and motivation. In the course, students are encouraged to develop their own mental models by predicting results before demonstrations, using a process known as sub-goal labeling. His research about this teaching approach indicates that asking students to make predictions through self-explanations improved learning and knowledge transfer. This especially appears to be the case when novice students experience cognitive overload due to the complexity of the task at hand, and the manner in which the material is presented.
By using sub-goal labeling, students who do not plan on becoming software engineers or software developers become computational literate, which according to Guzdial and his research group, will increasingly become a necessary skill for solving complex problems in the 21stcentury. Guzdial will also discuss how using sub-goal labeling to make predictions can help students become better learners in STEM disciplines other than computer science, as well in any course where they need to engage with procedural knowledge.
Mark Guzdialis a Professor in the School of Interactive Computing in the College of Computing at Georgia Institute of Technology. He studies how people come to understand computing and how to make that more effective. He leads the CSLearning4U project to create ebooks that help high school teachers and students learn CS. He is one of the leaders on the NSF alliance “Expanding Computing Education Pathways" which helps US states improve and broaden their computing education. He invented Media Computation which uses media as a context for learning computing. He is a Distinguished Educator and a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). With his wife and colleague, Barbara Ericson, he received the 2010 AACM Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator award.
Quick Hits
Friday, September 29th 3:30-4:40
A collaborative semi-structured ‘open-classmate’ quiz in a large upper-division genetics class.
Marina Crowder, University of California-Davis
A sinking sub: An outreach activity on the Bisection Method.
Matt Coles, University of British Columbia
Teaching Quantitative Methods for Environmental Studies Majors
Eve-Lyn Hinckley, University of Colorado Boulder
Modeling ways to test the complexity and efficiency of an algorithm
Yuzhen Ye, Indiana University
Integrated Reading Assignments
Georg Rieger, University of British Columbia
The Table Method for Writing Functions in Intro CS
Sam Tobin-Hochstadt, Indiana University
Workshops
Saturday, September 30th8:30-10:45
Mini-Workshop Round 1 Options
Sassafras Room
Title: Comparing Approaches by TLF’s to Build Engagement with Faculty for Program Transformation
Presenters:Deena Salem and Bei Cai, Queen’s University; Molly McVey, University of Kansas; and Sarah Sherman, University of British Columbia
Abstract: This interactive panel workshop is aimed at developing strategies a Teaching and Learning Fellow (TLF) may use when working with faculty, in particular in building buy-in for thinking about and actively incorporating changes into their teaching. This workshop will be facilitated by a diverse group of educators with backgrounds in science and engineering education and in working with faculty and course transformations (electrical and mechanical engineering, geology, and physics).
By the end of this workshop you will:
- Develop strategies for fostering faculty buy-in
- Role-play scenarios/situations that a TLF may encounter in their his/her role
- Compare experiences and pathways to success
Persimmon Room
Title:Productive Failure in the Classroom
Presenter: Karen Smith, University of British Columbia
Abstract: Not all in-class activities are created equal. Successful learning activities promote student engagement; model positive learning habits; encourage persistence, creativity and collaboration; and provide an authentic learning experience. At the University of British Columbia, in a first-year cell biology course, we investigated best practices for in-class activities by employing two design principles, Direct Instructions (DI) (Hattie, 2009), and Productive Failure (PF) (Kapur, 2015). The Productive Failure (PF) design model has been found to trigger students’ prior knowledge, optimize creativity and promote better long-term learning. Data suggests that student learning and long-term retention is optimized in a PF model. In this session, we will define and discuss the benefits and pitfalls of DI versus PF approaches for learning activities.
Mini-Workshop Round 2
Sassafras Room
Title: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach to Change
Presenters:Apu Kapadia,CarwinaWeng and Sabine Lammers,Indiana University
Abstract: Why does Indiana University’s Transformative Learning Collegium (TLC) think working across disciplines is so important to change teaching practices? Professors from computing, law, and physics will discuss ways the cross-discipline format helped them to uncover their own tacit knowledge, articulate it so non-experts (students) could understand, and refine their lesson by having to explain it multiple times, making clarifications every time. The session will begin and end with whole group discussions of the strengths of cross-disciplinary work and where session attendees might apply this approach.
Persimmon Room
Title: Fostering STEM Learning and Engagement with Authentic and InductiveLearning Tasks
Presenter: Andrea Follmer Greenhoot, University of Kansas
Abstract: Giving students authentic reasons for their work in a course can increase motivation and deepen learning. In this workshop, we will explore the design of assignments and learning activities that place students in real or realistic situations where they use knowledge and skills learned in their course to solve messy problems, to help someone who is not the instructor, or to create products for real audiences. We will also address how and why to create such learning opportunities early in the learning sequence, rather than waiting until the end of a course or curriculum. Participants will consider how to adapt these practices to different disciplines and course types, including those without a traditional focus on real-world application.