Category: Collaboration

Collaboration, Conferencing, discussion, Research

#OneNewThing: Conducting Interviews Using FlipGrid

Mendi Benigni

There are times when you or your students want to conduct an interview with someone but it’s very difficult to get together due to time zone issues, busy schedules, or some other reason.  Well, Michael Overholt, former instructional technologist with LCWA came up with a great remedy for these issues…

FlipGrid

Flipgrid is a video discussion tool from Microsoft…The idea behind this education tool is to use video to create an open platform of discussion and learning that doesn’t require a physical classroom to get everyone involved.  (Tech Learning) But why not expand its uses to interviews.

The concept behind FlipGrid is that someone (the instructor or another student) creates an initial audio/video recording then others respond to it also using audio and/or video.  Because it’s not synchronous, the students can respond at any time that is convenient to them.   Each FlipGrid “class” can have multiple FlipGrid “discussions.”

Now let’s apply this to an interview…

 

  1. You create either one FlipGrid discussion containing all of the questions or one FlipGrid discussion for each question.
  2. Send the link to your interviewee(s).
  3. The interviewee, at their convenience, listens to your recording containing the questions then they will create a video of themselves answering the question.  It’s all done online so it’s incredibly easy for them.
  4. Multiple people can answer the questions if you need to interview multiple people.  In the settings you can select to not allow users to see other users’ responses.
  5. Now you can go back in and listen to all the of the responses. You can even download the videos and edit them together.

This saves you and your interviewees the headache of scheduling a time to meet.

This can be used in your research or by your students for class assignments.  Makes it easy for them to interact with experts in the field in different timezones and countries.

Give it a try!

 

[button link=”https://blogs.cofc.edu/tlttutorials/2020/09/25/flipped-friday-flipgrid-updates/” newwindow=”yes”] Access the tutorials for you and your students[/button]

Collaboration, Pedagogy, TLT

Using Lumi and H5P to create Easy Images with Hotspots, Timelines,  and Sequencing

Mendi Benigni

What is Lumi and H5P?

H5P is an open source application to create interactive and engaging learning objects quickly and easily.  Up until now it required an on-campus installation but now there’s an application called Lumi Education that allows you to create these interactive objects and even embed them into OAKS for your students to use.

It’s free and easy and you, and your students,
can use it to create interactive learning objects.

How It Works

  1. H5P Editor StartGo to https://lumi.education/ and click on Download.
  2. Select your operating system to download the app for your computer.
    NOTE: if you get sent to a page asking for a donation, just click the back button and do it again.  Next time it shouldn’t ask you.
  3. Save the installer, then install the Lumi app.
  4. Once it’s installed, click on the Lumi app to open it.
  5. Under H5P Editor choose Start.
  6. Choose Create New H5P.
  7. Next to the item you want to create, click Get to load this option into your Lumi app.
  8. Click Install (if first time).
  9. Then click Use.
  10. Always start by viewing the Example and the Tutorial.
    screenshot of tutorial and example

Image Sequencing

image sequencing content type that allows authors to add a sequence of their own images (and optional image description) to the game in a particular order. The order of the images will be randomized and players will have to reorder them based on the task description.

You and your students can use these to:

  • learn process
  • sort anything
You can add text and audio to your images.  Just because it’s an image doesn’t mean it can’t contain text as well.

Question showing sorting planets by size

 

Timelines

TIMELINES

The Timeline content type allows you to place a sequence of events in a chronological order. For each event you may add images and texts. You may also include assets from Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Vimeo, Google Maps and SoundCloud.

Timelines can be used for more than dates.

Use them to organize processes, jigsaws, storyboards, image timelines, show changes over time, develop historical context, develop arguments, compare time periods, create visual literature review, just to name a few.

screenshot of timeline

Hotspot Images

Image hotspots makes it possible to create an image with interactive hotspots. When the user presses a hotspot, a popup containing a header and text or video is displayed.

You and your students can use these to:

  • Expand the information in an infographic
  • Explain data in a map or add history to a map
  • Explain specific details of artwork
  • Create games
  • Great for foreign language or english vocabulary
You can add text, links, audio and video to the hotspots to make them interactive.

screenshot of hotspot map

REMEMBER: each learning object type in Lumi contains a built in tutorial so be sure to use those to learn how to create these.  Most are self-explanatory and easy to learn but having the tutorials is handy.

 

[button link=”https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ORFHEy2U0YkHImzc5qS0zs34PoaBfbhpaBNIZDjgZfc/edit?usp=sharing” newwindow=”yes”] View a tutorial on how to add these to OAKS![/button]

motivation
Best Practices, Collaboration, Pedagogy

Pedagogy Pointer – Student Motivation

Mendi Benigni

Motivation is defined as the “general desire or willingness of someone to do something” and it’s what we are all after –

Motivated Students

Motivation can be divided into three types:

  • Amotivation – lack of any motivation; going through the motions.
  • Intrinsic motivation – for self enjoyment or interest; because the individual wants to for their own betterment.
  • Extrinsic motivation – to obtain an outcome; avoid feelings of guilt; to benefit someone else.

Our current educational system relies on extrinsic motivation by introducing “external controls, close supervision and monitoring, and evaluations accompanied by rewards or punishments (grades) into learning climates to ensure that learning occurs.”(Ryan and Brown, 2005)   However, Deci and Ryan (2000) posit that the best type of motivation is intrinsic and they tie motivation to three basic psychological needs, for competence, autonomy, and relatedness.

Let’s take a look at how you can use these three needs to motivate students in your own classes! 

COMPETENCE

This is the feeling that they are not completely over their head.  CAN I DO THE WORK?

  • Hold high but realistic expectations for your students and make these expectations very clear to your students.  When instructors expect the best work from their students, research has shown that students generally rise to the task.(1)
  • In addition to setting high expectations, make it clear that you believe they CAN meet the expectations. (2)
  • Encourage students to focus on their continued improvement, not just on their grade on any one test or assignment.(2)  To do this, you may need to restructure your assessments.  Allow for low-stakes rote learning assessments to be done multiple times until they “master” the material.  Or allow large projects to be done in pieces where you give feedback on the pieces but not a lot of feedback on the final project.  This gives the students the opportunity to learn and develop before turning in the final project.
  • Communicate clear expectations for each assignment (e.g., use rubrics). (2)
  • Provide lots of early feedback to students but only if giving them an opportunity to resubmit and learn from the feedback. (2)
  • Have students provide peer feedback. (2)
  • Scaffold assignments. (2)
  • Praise student effort and hard work (2). This doesn’t mean that you don’t give them a grade eventually or praise poor work. It just means that you acknowledge when a student is learning from their mistakes.  It’s all part of making learning the focus and not making it all about grades.
  • Provide a safe environment for students to fail and then learn from their mistakes (2).  As I said before, this needs to be reiterated at the beginning of the semester and often throughout the term.  This expectation of improvement and moving toward mastery needs to be the mantra of you and your students.

AUTONOMY

Autonomy allows students to express themselves and their learning in different ways.  These suggestions come from Yarborough, C. B., & Fedesco, H. N. (2020) out of Vanderbilt University.

  • When possible, allow students to choose assignments.  For large assignments or high-stakes assessments offer two or three assignment alternatives.  They should all accomplish the same learning outcomes.
  • Have students choose the medium with which they will present their work.  For example, all students may do the same assignment with the same rubric, but how it looks may be different for each student.   It may be a video, a presentation, a paper, a flyer, etc. When you can give this type of freedom you should.
  • Co-create assessment rubrics with students (e.g., participation rubrics, assignment rubrics).
  • Have students choose the topics you will cover in a particular unit.  Not for every unit but you could leave one or two classes where the students can vote on what’s covered.
  • Drop the lowest assessment or two (e.g., quizzes, exams, homework).
  • Have students identify preferred assignment deadlines within reason.  This flexibility could be as simple as something being due on a Mon, Wed, or Fri of a week.
  • Gather mid-semester feedback and make changes based on student suggestions.
  • Provide meaningful rationales for learning activities.  All assessments should have a “why” with them.  This why will also blend into making class items relatable.
  • Acknowledge students’ feelings about the learning process or learning activities throughout the course.

RELATEDNESS/RELEVANCE

Relatedness revolves around where or not the student sees value or importance in what they are learning.  DO I WANT TO DO THE WORK?  However, it can also relate to how the student feels supported within the class and by faculty and peers.

The University of Wisconsin guide on student motivation states that “students usually direct their behavior toward activities that they value and in which they have some expectancy of success.” (1). Therefore, providing this relatedness or relevance is critical to student motivation.  Below are a few suggestions to increase this relevance.

  • Be enthusiastic about your subject. (1) This enthusiasm will not only be contagious but it will show the students why this subject matters to you and it may begin to matter to them.
  • Design tests that encourage the kind of learning you want students to achieve. (1) Add application questions or use case studies so that your students see the application and relevance.
  • Share personal anecdotes. (2)
  • Get to know students via small talk before/after class and during breaks. (2) Establishing this relationship may help you tailor content to meet students’ expectations.
  • Have students complete a survey where they share information about themselves and how this information relates to the subject.  Again so you can relate it back in lectures and personalize the subject.
  • Require students to come to office hours (individually or in small groups). (2) Again, gives you a chance to get to know them and it shows you care about their success in your class and you can offer the support they may not feel comfortable asking for.
  • Use students’ names (perhaps with the help of name tents). (2)
  • Have students incorporate personal interests into their assignments. (2)
  • Incorporate group activities during class, and allow students to work with a variety of peers.(2)
  • Convey warmth, caring, and respect to students.(2)

Want to know what motivates your students?

ASK THEM

Make it their first homework assignment to reflect on what motivates the to attempt to do well in a class.

 

Remember – Students are more willing to challenge themselves when they engage in meaningful work. 

 

RESOURCES:

(1) Motivating Students, University of Wisconsin Whitewater, Retrieved June 13, 2021 from https://www.uww.edu/learn/restiptool/motivating-students.

(2) Yarborough, C. B., & Fedesco, H. N. (2020). Motivating students. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved July 6, 2021 from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu//cft/guides-sub-pages/motivating-students/

(3) Lonsdale, C., Hodge, K., & Rose, E. (2009). Athlete burnout in elite sport: A self-determination perspective. Journal of Sports Sciences, 27, 785-795.

(4) Deci, E.L. and Ryan, R.M. 2000. The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11: 227–268.

(5) Niemiec, C. P., & Ryan, R. M. (2009). Autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom: Applying self-determination theory to educational practice. Theory and Research in Education, 7, 133-144.

(6) Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. New York: Guilford

Question Formulation Technique for Deeper Inquiry
Best Practices, Collaboration, Innovative Instruction

Using the Question Formulation Technique to Get Students to Dig Deeper

Mendi Benigni

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We all want our students to ask “good” questions and to dig deeper but we also know that this isn’t a skill they often come by naturally.  When faced with a statement or a problem you may hear,

I don’t even know where to start… 
OK, but now tell me what to do…. 

The Question Formulation Technique, or QFT, can help students get past the “I don’t know” roadblock.

 

WHAT IS QTF?

According to the Right Question Institute, “The Question Formulation Technique (QFT), created by the Right Question Institute, helps all people create, work with, and use their own questions — building skills for lifelong learning, self-advocacy, and democratic action.”

Basically, it’s a questioning technique that removes hesitation and allows your students to dive right in to the questioning process.

The Benefits are many:

  • All students are heard.
  • There truly is no dumb question, all questions are recorded.
  • Encourages students to think of a question then work with the question later to improve it.
  • Encourages deeper thinking and questioning.
  • Gives a structured, guided way for students to participate and learn.

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If you are interested in talking to a faculty member that is using this in their CofC classroom, just let me know.

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THE PROCESS

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INSTRUCTOR:

  1. Create one or more focus statements (NOT questions).  Here’s an example, “The only way to motivate students if through grades.”
  2. Determine time limit for each Round (see below).
  3. Divide into groups of 3-4 people. – Identify one person as your note taker.   
  4. Give the students the rules for producing questions
  5. Ask as many questions as you can.
    • Do not stop to answer, judge, or discuss the questions.
    • Write down every question exactly as it is stated.
    • Change every statement into a question.

STUDENTS:

  1. Round 1: Produce Your Questions
    • Within a specified time (10 min), students in each group start saying questions (following the rules above).
    • Notetaker writes down every question as it’s said (if it’s a statement the notetaker must remind the team to state it as a question.)
    • You can use a notetaker strategy but you can also use Padlet or Google Docs to allow students to type in their own questions.  If you use this method, still have the students say the questions out loud.
  2. Round 2:  Improve Questions
    • Students work with the questions they produced. This step helps students do high level work with their questions and identify how different types of questions elicit
      different types of information and answers.
    • Questions can be open- or closed-ended: Closed-ended questions can be answered
      with yes, no, or with one word. Open-ended questions require an explanation and cannot be answered with yes, no, or with one word.
    • Categorize questions as closed or open-ended: Students find closed-ended questions and mark them with a “C”. Students find open-ended questions and mark them with an “O”.
    • Discuss the value of each type of question:
      • Students identify advantages & disadvantages of closed-ended questions.
      • Students identify advantages & disadvantages of open-ended questions.
      • Change questions from one type to another: Students change one closed-ended question to open-ended. Students change one open-ended question to closed-ended.
  3. Round 3: Prioritize Questions
    • Prioritization instructions should bring students back to teaching objectives and the plan for using student questions. This step helps students think convergently. The instructor should have select the number of questions they’d like the groups to settle on (example, top 5).
    • The students rank their questions, all of their questions, then select their top most important things they need to know.
  4. Round 4: Discuss Next Steps
    • How will questions be used? Next steps should align with priority instructions. For students, this further contextualizes how their questions will be used.
  5. Round 5: Reflection
    • Students should reflect: • What did you learn? • How can you use what you learned?
  •  

 

Steps of the Question Formulation Technique (QFT)

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider _builder_version=”4.8.2″ box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px” vertical_offset_tablet=”0″ horizontal_offset_tablet=”0″ z_index_tablet=”0″ /][et_pb_video _builder_version=”4.8.2″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6rKiGgc1v0″ box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px” vertical_offset_tablet=”0″ horizontal_offset_tablet=”0″ z_index_tablet=”0″ /][et_pb_button _builder_version=”4.8.2″ button_text=”Learn more about QFT from the Right Question Institute” button_url=”https://rightquestion.org/what-is-the-qft/” button_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”button_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ button_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” button_text_shadow_vertical_length=”button_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ button_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” button_text_shadow_blur_strength=”button_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ button_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px” vertical_offset_tablet=”0″ horizontal_offset_tablet=”0″ z_index_tablet=”0″ url_new_window=”on” button_alignment=”center” custom_button=”on” button_bg_color=”#0c71c3″ button_border_width=”4px” button_border_color=”#8529f4″ /][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

people discussing
Collaboration, discussion

Online Discussion Guides for Instructor & Student Success

Mendi Benigni

As you’ve probably figured out by now, online discussions are not the same as discussions in your face-to-face class.  They don’t happen as organically and do require a bit of planning and work to be successful.  Below are two guides to help you, and your students, be more successful in this arena.

The Guide to Engaging Instructions in a Face-to-Face and Online Course offers professors tips and strategies to hold deeper discussions and to promote student response.

The Guide to Successful Student-Led Discussion Boards offers students tips on how to create an initial discussion prompt and manage the discussion board, encouraging deeper discussion.

Hopefully these two guides can help you get more out of your students in the discussion tool.

Don’t forget to browse or search the TLT Tutorials site to find even more resources to help you teach!

Activity feed Icon with a + a pencil and Post
Collaboration, discussion

Tech Tip Tuesday: Communicate in a New Way in OAKS

Mendi Benigni

In our OAKS (D2L/Brightspace) classes there are often two types of communication: detailed and thoughtful discussions and class questions and answers.  While the Discussion tool is great for the first type of communication, it’s less effective for the Q&A type.

Now, however, OAKS has a new tool called the Activity Feed.  This is a tool that you can add to your Course Home and allows you and your students to communicate quickly and easily.

The Activity Feed functions more like a chat feed. Check it out.

screenshot of the activity feed

You, as the instructor, can set it up so that students can only comment on your posts or can create their own.  This interaction is what sets it apart from News which is a more static means of communication.  However, like the News tool, it can take advantage of Notifications, so the students can make sure they won’t miss a message AND it’s the first thing they see on the Course Home when they enter the class.

Activity Feed:

  • On the Course Home
  • More interactive
  • Allows Notifications
  • Great for quick communication

 

HOW TO:

Add it to your course home

  1. In OAKS, go to your course
  2. Select Management > Edit Course > Homepages
  3. Next to CofC Default Course Homepage choose the dropdown arrow and choose Copy.
  4. Now click on the copy to open it.
  5. Rename your homepage to something you can easily identify (ex. My course home with activity feed).
  6. Now scroll down to the Widgets area and click Add Widget in the area where you want to see the Activity Feed.
  7. Select the Activity Feed box and then click Add.
  8. Move the feed to the proper location by dragging it.
  9. Click Save and Close.
  10. Now at the top, under Active Homepage, choose your new homepage from the dropdown menu and then choose Apply.
  11. Click on Course Home in the top left and you should see your new homepage with the Activity Feed.

Configure your Activity Feed

  1. On the Course Home click on the dropdown arrow next to Activity Feed and choose Manage commenting and posting.
  2. Determine who can post and who can comment.  I would recommend checking Enable comments on posts and Allow all learners to create posts.
  3. Click Save.

Use your Activity Feed

  1. Just type your message in the box and click the blue + to post it.
  2. I would also recommend that you not use the Assignment feature of this tool at this time as it can be confusing for the student.
role play graphic
Assessment, Collaboration, Pedagogy, Teaching Advice

Role Play as a Learning Tool

Mendi Benigni

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I was inspired by a Faculty Focus article when creating this newsletter.  This article spoke about adding role playing activities to your teaching to act as practicum experience but I think you can take it further.  The article states, “Role play can be implemented by college instructors and professors as an additional way to increase practice of skills within the confines of a college classroom among peers.”  Staying within these constraints, this strategy can be used in almost any discipline.  It’s just a matter of creating a scenario or roles/characters and having your students submerge themselves into the activity.  Hopefully, during this submersion, they will get to experience a practical skill or what it’s like to be in a specific scenario.

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HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

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  1. Create your outcomes.  Write down the outcomes you wish to happen as a result of the activity.
  2. Write up debrief questions that will let you know if you met your outcomes.
  3. Create a scenario.  Examples include: “You are in a pub in Nazi Germany…,” “It’s Parent-Teacher Conference day…,” “You are a member of FEMA’s first responders after a hurricane disaster…,” “You are on a team of researchers who will look at the effects of exercise on…”
  4. Create the roles/characters.  On notecards, write up the different roles that the students will take on.  From the examples above they could by “SS, Jew, Woman, etc.,” “parents of a student with a learning disability, parent of an unengaged student, etc.,”
  5. During class, post the scenario on the screen.  Give each group a stack of role notecards.  The students are then given a minute to get familiar with their roles and jump into the scenario.
  6. Debrief. Set a specific time for the activity to take place then debrief with all the student groups.

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Uses:

Just a few of the possible role playing opportunities are:

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  • Classroom management,
  • Parent teacher conferences,
  • Student teacher conferences,
  • Mentoring,
  • Historical scenarios,
  • Exercise Science testing,
  • Disease containment,
  • Natural disaster recovery,
  • Interview with and Nutritional plan creation for a patient,
  • Interview with and Exercise plan creation for a patient.

These are only a few.  Let your imagination run wild.

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Become a teaching superhero
Assessment, Best Practices, Collaboration, Distance Ed, Pedagogy

BECOME A TEACHING SUPERHERO WITH TLThd’S CLASS OBSERVATIONS

Mendi Benigni

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TLThd is launching a new service to all instructors at CofC…CLASS OBSERVATIONS

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These observations can be for your face-to-face or your online classes.  An instructional technologist will come to your class (or review your OAKS online class) and observe you and your students.  At the end of the observation we will provide you with a full report of everything that occurred during the class.  You can then use that information however you see fit! The important thing to remember is that this is just for you, no one else. We don’t mention it to your Chairs, Dean, or Colleagues nor will we conduct an observation at the request of anyone else. The only purpose of the observation is to give you the data to allow you to reflect on your teaching and your student interaction.

Currently we are offering In-class, Videotaped, and Student Focus Group observations for the face-to-face classes and a Module Review in the online classes.  We hope to expand our online offerings in December. 

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PLC Applications are now open
Collaboration, Pedagogy

Professional Learning Club Applications are OPEN!

Mendi Benigni

The Professional Learning Club (PLC) applications are now open and will close on July 15th so APPLY TODAY!

A Professional Learning Club is a group of faculty that meets to collaboratively reflect on and improve their teaching practices. These learning clubs will consist of 4-6 faculty who will take the year to explore, implement, and reflect on specific, empirically-grounded instructional strategies.

The next round of PLCs take place during the 2019-2020 academic year. The clubs will meet for the first time in late August and then every two weeks after that, throughout the entire academic year.  Applications close July 15 so don’t delay!

  • Combining Science, Technology, English, Art and Math
  • Flip the classroom with highly effective problem based learning
  • Process Oriented Guided Inquiry (POGIL)
  • Service Learning
  • Practicing the Science of Successful Learning
  • Focus on Assessment
  • Best Practices Through Teaching Observation

For a full description of the topics visit PLC Topic Descriptions (2019-2020)

 

APPLY FOR A 2019-20 PLC