Best Practices

Professional Development Day
January 9, 2001

Case Presentation - Laura Schmidt

Students are given part of a case with initial signs and symptoms of a disease process. They are divided into groups of 3-4 students per group. They must come up with 2-4 questions to ask the facilitator (faculty member) to learn more about the illness. The outcome is that students identify the illness then develop a plan of care. There are various reference books in the room for students to use.

They learn to identify what info is missing that they must gather to assist the client. This is done the day before the final to help bring the info from the class together.

Case Studies Integration (Pharmacology) - Linda Walter

I teach Pharm II; the students promptly forget what I taught as soon as they take the exam. I am going to assign them to a group that they will need to work with the entire semester. Each group will get a case study with a patient with multiple medical problems and multiple drugs. As I lecture, the group will have to examine that drug classification with their patient. As the semester unfolds, they will have to consider additional factors (cost, complications, interactions, etc.)

Hopefully, they will be able to integrate multiple drugs on a real patient instead of just memorizing facts for the test. (Example: their patient has high blood pressure and develops a cold...what cold medications can they use?) By using groups, hopefully they will reinforce each other's learning.

Epidemic at NMC (Microbiology) - Keith Overbaugh

A group of ill people (signs & symptoms) are given to a group of students who play

1. Primary physician
2. Laboratory clinician
3. Epidemiologist

Each has responsibilities for diagnosis, appropriate testing, follow-up testing and control measures---all three are responsible for a cohesive approach

Pass the Hat (Anatomy & Physiology) - Julie Medlin

I put questions in a "hat" and pass the hat. If the first student answers the question correctly, they get a point. If they cannot answer the question correctly, they pass it to the next student. Other students pass judgement on the correctness of the question. This is done during recitation.

When passing the question on, they must address the next student by name. This way the students know all the other students by first name (and I learn the names more quickly also).

Creating Hands-On Exercises - Scott Goethals

I provide many hands-on exercises for the students over the semester. At the end of the semester, the students are put into groups and assigned a topic we covered in the semester. Each group then creates a "hands-on" exercise for the other groups to solve. They are instructed to be creative and have fun. Each group then has to present their exercise to the rest of the class.

Community Service Projects

Students are involved with community service projects by educating grade school children and others about oral health. Preparation for these projects is extensive - by faculty person and dental health professionals prior to community presentation. Evaluation is done by personnel within the facility. (soon by using a rubric)

2D vs 3D (Beginning Drafting)

I use three dimensional styrofoam models to help beginning drafting students grasp 2D to 3D drawing.

Work Sheets - Mike McIntosh

I create work sheets that force the students to research (read) the assigned chapters. This keeps the students on track and gives them feedback early as to what I consider important before test time.

Seems Simple (Auto Tech) -Ken Masck

I "list" the order of the class on the board before each session.

"Live" problem in class from day one for diagnosis (i.e., automatic transmission--car won't move.) List diagnostic sequences.

Mini-Dramas (Literature) - Laurie Chesley

Have students create and stage mini-dramas/skits which show their understanding of major literary concepts, characters, authors, or themes. Examples:

1. create a skit in which four gods from mythology debate leadership theory
2. create a skit in which four essayists on technology debate about internet issues

These skits are often assessed by a student panel of "judges."

Question Learning Techniques - Tim Nelson

Are students receptive to learning techniques being used? Three times during the semester, review methodology and suggest changes in delivery that will help that particular class better achieve its learning goals. Evaluation...both written and verbal.

Outcome--appeared to be helpful. Always resulted in some modifications. I also found that the students seemed to take more responsibility for their learning and preparation and participation.

Video Clips

Use of movie/video clips and CDTs to bring history alive.

Using A Client to Define the Semester Project

A semester design project used the office manager of the nursing program to identify a database design problem. Students met with the client to further develop the requirements.

Drawing On Experiences - GLMA

While teaching Cargo Stowage, cadets have to present loadings that they themselves saw.

• connecting theory to practical
• generated questions cadets had and analyze why?
• encourages cadets to pay attention

Gradual Comfort

Throughout the semester, students must write on the board or use the overhead to discuss their ideas/contributions. It gets them up in front of others gradually--getting them more comfortable "presenting" to others.

Mind Mapping - a way to "outline" a complex idea by drawing Use of word pictures--drawing abstract concepts like justice or freedom.

Disputed Question Format for Position Papers

Surrounding the core position with objections and replies

First Class Meeting (Accounting) - Bill Faulk

No accounting. Establish rapport. Get students to relax. Create atmosphere. Establish a dialog. Students at board teaching.

Current Events (Communications) - Colleen Moore

I try to relate each lesson to a current event that affects their life right now and gives purpose to why we are studying that form of writing or essay.

Weekly Quiz (Dental) - Sallie Donovan

I teach two courses that have a lecture/lab combination, and I meet with students only once a week for each course. To check retention, give feedback, and reinforce the previous week's content, I give a feedback quiz at the beginning of each class. Depending on the content and course, some of these quizzes are completed in groups; others are done individually and some in pairs.

Photoshop Olympics! (Visual Communications) - Tom Auch

Students create a new image by combining two others...one from them and one from sports. They enter their new images in a competition in class. After the judges (class) vote, they come up to the front of the class to receive their medal (gold, silver, bronze) while the national anthem is playing. They love it!

Group Discussion - Mike Jacobson

Group discussion on factors that influence the Great Lakes water levels. Each group reports. The factors are listed on the board and identified as causing an H2O level increase (+) or a decrease (-) and also as a minor influence or major influence. Factors that influence the factors are also covered.

Time scales associated with H2O level changes are covered.

1. Short term (hours to days)
2. Annual
3. Long Term

Students are then presented with actual data provided by the Corps.

Reading Logs (Communications) - Mary Quinn

You can use 3x5 cards or have students make 2 columns on a sheet of paper

1. On one side, put a quote, paragraph, statement from something they have read. Or, have them summarize a paragraph, chapter, or lesson.
2. On the other side of the card have the students describe their emotional, intellectual, philosophical responses to the text. Have them discuss what ideas the text triggers. Have them answer: What does the text mean to me? What effect does it have on my values, beliefs, my way of looking at the world?

Scenarios/Problems Worksheet (Computer) - Sherry Howard

Handout a list of scenarios/problems with space to write under each (worksheet). Go through the scenarios as a class, writing the computer commands in the spaces along with other notes. Students work together. Can use on quizzes.

Icebreaker (Communications) - John Pahl
As an icebreaker and to introduce the language concepts of concreteness and abstraction, the concept of metaphoric meaning, and the specific terminology "source domain" and "target domain" in metaphoric meaning:

1. Every student writes a specific phrase that is
   1. Concrete
   2. Speaks to his/her essence
   3. Avoids the pronoun "I"
2. These are all collected on paper or electronically (if in a computer lab).
3. A master list is distributed to all students. They must find each other, learning names, and matching them with the concrete phrase, to complete the metaphor.
   Example: 1) A car whose driver thinks she's lost; the map is in the glove box.
   2) A beaver trapped in the desert.

Names to Go With Faces - Jill Hinds

On the first day of class, I take students' pictures with a digital camera. I also ask them to write a brief bio about themselves that will be posted with their picture on the web. I create a web page and print out a copy for myself and each student by the next class. This helps me learn the students names much quickly and helps the students learn each others names and faces more quickly. The students also learn the process of digital photography. I keep this directory in my grade book to refer to quite often since I don't remember names easily.

Treasure Hunt - Tom Gordon

Critical "reading/thinking" exercises to accompany the text and assure its careful reading.

Example: fictitious character "Jo" is a slave with certain characteristics. Based on several paragraphs from the text, where does Jo come from?

Explain to An Alien

For introductory writings regarding critical thinking, supported claims using effective argumentation, and cultural interpretation, I have students write a 5 page essay that explains how they would describe American civilization to an alien that lands a spaceship on campus. The student has to explain the way American society functions to a being that has no idea what America is all about. This makes the student consider the role and meaning of concepts like government, education, religion, and community. The assignment requires interpretive skills and a sense of creative thinking. A focus on critical analysis is also provided.

Study Info From Chat Sessions - Gary Klotzbach

In some of my on-line courses, I have used virtual classroom "chat" sessions as an additional means to communicate with students. I then preserve the transcripts of these sessions for students to use as an additional tool from which to study.

Regular Subject Matter Quiz - Adam Gahn

Regular subject matter quizzes (15 minutes)
a) definitions
b) concepts
c) numeric problems

Given almost weekly on very new material with lowest score dropped but average counts 10% of final grade. Emphasizes who's in trouble. What are difficult topics. What needs further explanation and emphasis.

Test Preparation With Take-Home Tests -- Ernie East

Take-home parts of exams given before in-class parts. Students get a week to work on the take-home part and may use text, notes, and work with each other. This helps them to prepare for the in-class part which is taken individually.

Listening Skills - Marilyn Jaquish

I teach listening skills using visualization, a technique I borrowed and then bastardized.

Basically after several weeks of discussion and practice exercises, the student identifies (using several methods) the listening habits he or she wants to change. The visualization process involves 1) closing the eyes, 2) creating a mental picture of a listening situation, 3) putting oneself in the situation, 4) describing what the person(s) will see who is(are) listening to you, 5) writing this as one part of improvement plan.

A Writing Assignment for A Literature Class - Ken Marek

Reveal the most important elements in the life and works of one or two of the writers we have studied by 1) constructing an imagined interview with a writer or 2) creating an imagined dialogue between two writers we have covered. I have found that these options (on one of the required papers) elicit some of the best critical thinking and sharpest insights from students who might otherwise not excel in writing a more traditional critical essay on the work of one or more writers. I wonder if the "interview" or "dialogue" approach might work in other disciplines such as history, social science, and perhaps even business or physical science.

For Writing Assignments - Deirdre Mahoney

When students critique each other's early drafts in a workshop, I use class time for students to read their work aloud and to discuss it. I then require them to take the draft home and write a one-page typed single-spaced critique of the draft. I ask them generally to describe what they like and what seems to work well first. (This way they lead with praise.) Next, I ask that the students make suggestions for improvement. (I suggest that they ask questions if they are fearful of sounding insensitive; i.e., "have you considered....?"

The following class period, we swap drafts and I get a copy of each critique. The benefits of this assignment seem to be that students get detailed feedback from 2-3 people and in the process, they themselves generate a lot of writing and careful thinking.

Bingo - Sonja Olshove

We practice for the test in a fun, non-threatening way by playing bingo with review questions. It helps me show how self-quizzing is a crucial study technique, and it's a good way to get everyone involved.

Are the Answers Correct? - Gordon Niemi

Call on students to give homework answers and let the students determine if the answers are correct. If there are multiple answers, they determine which (if any) are right.

Name Quiz and Icebreakers - Gilda Povolo

Because I feel it is so important to collaborative learning, I make sure my students get to know each other. The first few minutes of each class for the first couple of weeks or so are devoted to icebreakers, such as "something about your name that will help us remember you," "where you are from & where you are going," "a public secret," "something you are proud of." We share these, getting to know each other and developing the practice of speaking in front of the group. At the end of this 2-3 week period, we have a quiz--naming everyone in the class.

The result is that students get to know each other and work together more effectively and pleasantly. (I don't think anything I do is particularly "innovative" -- just whether it is effective or not.)

End of Semester Portfolio - Marty Trapp

I require an end of semester portfolio in my ENG 111/11 class. Part of that portfolio consists of a revised copy of one informal piece written earlier in the semester. On four separate occasions, students visit the computer lab and write a DRAFT. They submit the draft electronically in DIWE (software writing program). I read the drafts and respond to them electronically in DIWE mail. At the end of the semester, students will have four drafts and my commentary on each. They choose one, revise it, print it, and include it in their final portfolio. In the portfolio cover letter, they explain why they chose the piece they did. In short, the students decide which piece they want me to grade.

Time Constraints

Circumstances of a teaching situation forced me to decide, due to time constraints, between another instructors course design and the students limitations. I went forward into the course work, established the core techniques, and re-consolidated those methods into less course work to provide the students prerequisite methods without overwhelming them.

Research Paper - Stephen Siciliano

While not innovative for others, what I developed was to break down an assignment found daunting into small segments. I asked students to first pick a topic and then write an outline of the paper. Once the scope of the paper was approved, the class worked on developing a preliminary thesis. A handout on thesis development was provided with examples of previous thesis and a model paper. Orientation to the library and research in history was provided to assist in resource finding. The students met with me periodically to review the outline as it developed and the thesis. A timeline provided for a developed draft to be sent to the Writing Center one week before it was submitted to me. The papers were graded based on thesis, evidence, and language usage. The students had the opportunity to rewrite or expand the paper for a higher grade before the end of the semester.

Makeup Points - Colleen Moose

To make up some points missed from problems on a test, the student must:

1. Redo the entire problem correctly on a new sheet of paper
2. Provide a written analysis of what they did wrong on the original problem.
3. Bring both 1. & 2. to me to discuss with them.
4. Do an additional problem of a similar nature correctly. This allows students to reflect on what they are doing and eventually be correct.

Content & Thinking - David Terrell

Students learn content and thinking about the content simultaneously and demonstrate their mastery of both by writing a paper each week (1-2 pages). It is important that they be able to self-assess their own thinking as it is expressed in their own writing. I use a self-assessment form that asks the student to write about the BEST features of the paper, what was most difficult about the paper, what was easiest, and what they could do to improve their paper. The assessment is on a 1-5 scale and addresses critical thinking issues which all students are familiar with. These issues are assessed according to known standards (like clarity, accuracy, precision, and five others). Over time the use of this form of assessment will result in improved self-awareness of the quality of thinking and improve the quality of thinking itself.

Empathy - Tamella Livengood

Having graduated from the same program I now teach in, I can sincerely empathize with the difficulties the students face while striving for success. While this is not truly innovative, it does allow me to personalize my approach and add a level of sincerity. This approach lends validity to student concerns and provides encouragement for a "light at the end of the tunnel.

Class Preparation - Mary VanderKolk

To improve students' preparation for class, we use 1) learning activities (short written assignments) that require a beginning knowledge of the course topic. Students need to read chapter(s) or at least to look up answers to learning activity, 2) weekly quizzes (3-5 questions) taken on-line.

After the first few weeks, students are better prepared to come to class with in-depth and/or complex questions based on reading assignments. These questions stimulate more interesting class discussions.

Diagnostic Competency Matrix for Mastery Learning - Dianne Keelan

The course is designed with learning objectives that apply to every unit (or chapter) in the course. (Example: quality control, safety) Each unit exam question is assigned to one of the course objectives. So that a running total of percentage correct for each of the objectives is reported to the student with each exam. (Example: quality control (course objective) is part of the unit exams for Hematology, Chemistry, Microbiology.) The unit exam grade is used for the final grade but all course objective percentages must be at passing level to get a final grade.

Exams As A Learning Activity - Ann Ivers

1. Exam review - instead of "bonus difference of opinion points," give students opportunity to change prescribed # of answers based on group discussion.
A. Change 1 point per 25 questions (MC)
B. Put students in random groups of 3-5 (by numbering exams)
C. Turn in scantron at end of exam, then set into groups
D. Review test together. Make desired changes by writing new answer on front of test.

Result: students share rationale for answers. Improves test taking skills as well as knowledge of specific question.

Use of........ - Anne Patrick

• muddiest point
• pop quizzes after showing video or doing a demo of a procedure or skill
• site information form for health promotion project
• require objectives and eval tool and outline prior to health promotion teaching project
• require paperwork to indicate student preparedness for clinical
• small group discussion using journal article allows students to use prior knowledge and article information to solve problems in a case study scenario or to plan patient education for this patient and family. The individual groups all report back to the clinical group. Each student participates in a part of the presentation.

Affective Domain (Professional Communications) - Karen Howie

I pass out 3x5 cards during the second session of the beginning of a new semester and ask students to write their name on the card and tell me something that they want me to know about them. This assessment lets me know immediately what a student is thinking or possibly concerned about. This technique is especially useful if the student is a foreign student who is concerned about English speaking or writing skills, a returning adult who is apprehensive about the postsecondary learning environment, or someone who has a learning concern that I might not otherwise know until much later in the course.

Student Audit Sheet

Each element of course to be evaluated is listed on the audit sheet.

• Students track their own grades.
• Attendance, if valued, is also tracked with points.
• Important exercises are given significant weight to assure that the task is completed.
• Written projects are graded against a rubric. If turned in early enough, they are returned with corrections. They can be resubmitted for a final grade.

The result was students working harder as we neared the end of the semester because they knew where they stood against whatever grade they were trying to achieve.

Other Practices

• Chemical Jeopardy
• Returned Test Papers
  When an exam arc is less than 70%, have students correct test for parts they miss for 25% of original value.
• Computer Projection
  When using computer projection, rather than using the screen, shine directly on the white board and then you can write over the slide.
• New/Old Demos
  to cover critical concepts