Quad-Pod Programs

• National Speakers and follow-up discussions• Faculty book clubs• Faculty Learning Communities

FLC Group

• Formed randomly• Set goals

– Publishing and presenting– Working on a local issue– Collaborating across four campuses– Meet regularly

Project Parameters

• Settled on Flint Water Crisis as collaborative topic

• Designed unique assignments for each discipline involved in the study

COMSTATSETHICS

COMPOSITIONBIO

Measuring Results• Created Pre-Tests

– Pre-What is your initial reaction to participating in the Quad Pod collaboration on the Flint water crisis?

Student Collaboration

Measuring Results• Created Post-Tests

– Post-Please reflect overall on how this project didor did not enhance your learning. (For example: What aspects of the project did you find most / least interesting or exciting? How did these aspects impact how much you got out of the assignment & course?)

Data Collection

• Transcribed all data• Coded data utilizing nVivo software

– Done in groups, meeting 2-3x weekly, throughout the summer

Data Analysis• 123 Unique Students

– 42 pre-test only; 47 post-test only; 35 both

• 1,234 comments coded into 87 fine-grain and 18 broad categories (excluding “other”)

Broad Fine-GrainPedagogy:

Deeper understandingEnjoyed or engaged, sparkIntegration of learning across own classesThinking about learning process

Real world (extends beyong classroom, 21.79

Collaboration, 15.6

Pedagogy, 34.76Interest, 3.45

Current event, 4.29

Pedagogy: engagement, spark, 3.81

Value of assignment, 5.12

Empowered, 3.81

POSTTEST: Percent of Themes

Real world (extends beyond classroom), 20.16

Collaboration, 14.66

Pedagogy, 14.14

Interest, 8.64 Workload,

8.64

Current event, 6.02

Political, 5.24

Pedagogy: engagement, spark, 4.19

Value of assignment, 3.4

Clarity of the assignment, 3.14

Media, 2.62

PRETEST: Percent of Themes

Initial Cut: Distributions of Themes

A Network Approach• Rather than comparing the frequencies of

themes at two points in time• We can conceptualize the themes and

students as a network• Students connected by shared themes, and• Themes linked through students

Three Questions for Today

• Are “Collaboration”, “Interest” and “Engaged, Spark” closely connected? And are there differences between pre and post-test results?

• Are students from different institutions “situated” differently in the network?

• Are there institutional differences in how students are linked through the three themes?

“Collaboration”, “Interest” and “Engagement, Spark”: Pretest

Engagement, Interest and Collaboration are fairly central

But, Real World emerges as most central

“Collaboration”, “Interest” and “Engagement, Spark”: Posttest

Interest, Collaboration and Engagement remain fairly central

But, Empowered becomes most central

Students Tied through Shared Themes: Pretest

BakerKetteringMottUM-Flint

Density=0.7670Highly Connected

Network Degree Centrality=0.2151Minimal Variation

Students Tied through Shared Themes: Posttest

BakerKetteringMottUM-Flint

Density=0.9649Very Highly Connected

Network Degree Centrality=0.0238Essentially no variation

Average Number of Ties (through shared Themes) by Institution: Pretest

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Baker Kettering Mott UM-Flint

Collaboration Only Density = 0.2210 Network Degree Centrality = 0.2523

Interest Only Density = 0.1632 Network Degree Centrality = 0.2432

Engagement, Spark only Density = 0.0421 Network Degree Centrality = 0.1622

Aver

age

Degr

ee C

entr

ality

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Baker Kettering Mott UM-Flint

Collaboration Only Density = 0.7272 Network Degree Centrality = 0.1278

Interest Only Density = 0.0903 Network Degree Centrality = 0.2111

Engagement, Spark only Density = 0.0979 Network Degree Centrality = 0.2160

Average Number of Ties (through shared Themes) by Institution: Posttest

Aver

age

Degr

ee C

entr

ality

< variableslightly < variable

> variable

Conclusions• Current FLCs

– Engagement of Undergraduate Students in Research– Group Projects and their Challenges– Incorporating Rich Learning Tasks to Support Deep

Learning– Student Engagement as Incorporated Across Four

Institutions– The Teaching of Writing in the College Setting– Using Simulation to Increase Student Performance in

Health Professions Education

• Comments/Questions?

Image Sources• http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2012/02/this-day-in-labor-history-february-11-1937

– Sit down strike

• http://population.us/mi/flint/– History of Flint’s Population shifts

• http://laborfilms.org/roger-and-me/– Roger & Me Movie by Michael Moore

• http://globalsistersreport.org/column/contemplate/equality/icon-contemplate-lent-37351– Time Magazine cover on Flint Water Crisis