connecting teaching and research: is it the impossible dream? donna m. qualters, ph.d....
TRANSCRIPT
Connecting Teaching and Research:Is it the Impossible Dream?
Donna M. Qualters, Ph.D.Director/Associate Professor
Northeastern University
Minority Faculty Development Forum
Washington, D.C.August 1, 2006
Objectives:
Be exposed to some interesting (intriguing) research on the teaching/research nexus
Understand “Backward Design” process as a possible means to incorporate research
Be exposed to AEM learning: active, engaged, measured learning as a form of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
WHO ARE YOU?
You are from a top 100 research institution You are from a Research
Intensive/Extensive (old Carnegie 1) institution?
You are from a Comprehensive Institution You have less than 5 years of teaching
experience More than 5 years of teaching experience Any training in teaching/education
Research – your reaction Professors find their own research and
teaching activities merging in a seamless blend (Clark, 1987)
“US higher education needs to break away from the tired old teaching/research debate!” (Boyer, 1990)
“ Colleges whose faculty are research oriented increases student dissatisfaction and impacts negatively on most measures of cognitive and affective development” (Astin, 1993; Astin & Chang, 1995)
“Bringing teaching and research together involves developing a conception of teaching as being student focused and concentrating on conceptual change” (Brew, 2001)
Turn to a partner, small group What is your reaction to these
quotes What are the challenges to a
seamless teaching research nexus?
Research – your reaction Professors find their own research and
teaching activities merging in a seamless blend (Clark, 1987)
“US higher education needs to break away from the tired old teaching/research debate!” (Boyer, 1990)
“ Colleges whose faculty are research oriented increases student dissatisfaction and impacts negatively on most measures of cognitive and affective development” (Astin, 1993; Astin & Chang, 1995)
“Bringing teaching and research together involves developing a conception of teaching as being student focused and concentrating on conceptual change” (Brew, 2001)
1. BACKWARD DESIGN (Wiggins & McTighe: Understanding by Design)
Identify Determine Plan learning desired acceptable experiences results evidence and instruction
Strategies to increase relationship between teaching and learning
Stage 1: Identify Desired Results
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS that your class answers
Rich and engaging questions that cause someone to RETHINK previous ideas or see from a DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE and create
ENDURING UNDERSTANDING!
If I ran into a student one year after my course
what would I want s/he to tell me about my class!
Engineering Essential Questions
Overarching
What are the ethical concerns of engineers?
TopicalUnit on car
manufacturing What EPA laws
apply to car manufacturers?
What are the challenges of
balancing profit and environment?
Enduring Understanding!
Facets of Understanding:1. Explanation: sophisticated theories
which provide knowledgeable and justified accounts of an event
2. Interpretation: narratives, translations that provide meaning (Donna’s velcro theory)
3. Application: ability to use knowledge effectively in a new situation or diverse context
Enduring Understanding!
Facets of Understanding:1. Perspective: critical and insightful
points of view
2. Self-Knowledge: wisdom to know one’s ignorance and how one’s patterns of thought and action inform as well as prejudice understanding
YOUR ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Take a few minutes, think about your course and write a couple of Essential Questions (integration YOUR RESEARCH) that provide enduring understanding for a course you will teach!
Write a topical question that your course will answer.
2. Determine Acceptable Evidence
Lowest – Material worth being familiar with Traditional quizzes, tests etc
Middle – Material important to know and DO
Know – traditionally Do?? – active learning – projects, group activities,
application exercises, simulations
Highest – Enduring Understanding Performance tasks and projects
3. Plan the Learning Experience
W = Where are you going? (where does this fit into the larger picture? How do I connect new material to prior information, where can this contribute/ enhance my research?)
H = Hook – How am I going to introduce the topic? (pose questions that you’re researching and are trying to answer, show some puzzling results from your research)
E = How will you Engage and Equip students for enduring understanding
R = How will my class cause students to Reflect and Rethink their idea? (how do you create an atmosphere where students can take risks and change their mind? How are differing viewpoints encouraged?)
E = How will students Exhibit their understanding?
Summary Start with essential questions
Overarching/topical – integrate research
Determine evidence that will allow you to know that students can answer the essential questions of your course
Plan activities – including traditional lecture and “hands-on” feedback –integrate research
AEM Learning: Active, engaged & measured
Active engagement of students in the process of their own learning
Investment of mental and physical energies to make learning meaningful
Careful two way on-going feedback system
Techniques to do AEM
How do I know what students are really learning?
How do I measure enduring understanding?
How do I convey in a timely manner to students their knowledge and skills (or lack thereof)
How do I build to a final assessment?
Step 1: create an integrated course/research map
Objective Evidence of Learning Research Int
Explain the con- quiz final examtheories
cept of green Engineering
Demonstrate short answerEthical decision Air Model (Cohen
& Qualters)
making
M: On-going learning measurement
Classroom Assessment Techniques: (CATs)T. Angelo & P. CrossT. Angelo & P. Cross
Techniques & active approaches to Techniques & active approaches to leaningleaning
Ways of knowing HOW students are Ways of knowing HOW students are learning so as to better plan teaching learning so as to better plan teaching activitiesactivities
Simple, non-graded, often anonymous in-Simple, non-graded, often anonymous in-class activities that give IMMEDIATE class activities that give IMMEDIATE feedback to teacher and learnerfeedback to teacher and learner
One Minute Paper
On a 3x5 card anonymously write down the answer to the following question(s):
What was the main point of today’s class?
What questions do you still have? What would enhance learning in this
class
Let’s try it! What’s the most important insight about
teaching and learning you’ve had so far? What’s one technique for you to create a
teaching/research nexus?
MY Question – what do you do with this data? Remember recreational data collecting creates burnout!
Think-pair-share After a segment, give a task that can be
accomplished by pairs in several minutes
Each task has several parts Formulate the answer alone in writing Share the answer with a partner Listen to the partner’s input Create a BETTER answer through synthesis
Ask a student to explain the answer to the class
Concept Quiz - PRS
Prepare a brief conceptual multiple choice quiz
Have students write their answers on a card/paper and hold it up
Discuss the answer with partner Brief class debrief of answer and
why
Example
Teaching/Research nexus is important because
A. It is more efficient and will assist in tenure
B. It will create an active learning environment
C. It will force faculty to talk to each other about their teaching
Cold Calling: brr…….
Write student’s names on cards, shuffle the deck, use the order to call on people to answer questions on points you think may be difficult.
Should you cold call? How do you warm them up?
Note Checking
At the end of a lecture segment, students pair up to complete a short exercise with their notes:
For example Summarize the three major points so
far Write a quiz question
Let’s try it!
Find a partner Think about the session so far and
write 1-2 possible quiz questions I could ask if I was testing you on this material.
Application Cards
After students have heard about a principle, theory, procedure, etc
Hand out card Have them write a least ONE real
world application for what they’ve learned
Debrief the class
Directed Paraphrase Select an important concept students
have studied in depth
Determine who would be a realistic audience for the paraphrase of this topic – make it two different audiences
Have students construct a paraphrase/share and critique each others.
Let’s try it
You have just learned about Classroom assessment techniques to improve learning. Explain what they are to: Students in your freshmen class Senior colleague
Involving Students in Your Research
Can you design a project that students can participate in as a class project Simulation we designed – we had students
write the EPA cards. They had to research an EPA law around car manufacturing and come up with a challenge card for the game.
Course – the faculty member was researching consumer responses to designs and she had her class respond to her project
Undergraduate Research projects
Take Home Points
Find points DURING the planning process to integrate your research into your class
Involve students actively in your class
If possible, find ways to involve students in your research