By Flower Darby

How long has it been since you were a student? When, if ever, have you taken a rigorous, online, graduate-level course? How well do you remember what it’s like to juggle school and work, to balance family demands and downtime, to process new concepts and complete challenging assignments?

Being a ‘student’ again in ACUE’s course allowed me and my faculty peers to gain fresh new insights. We learned a great deal from the concepts and techniques presented in the content-rich modules. However, many of us were transformed by the opportunity to walk a mile in our students’ shoes. Here are a few lessons, lessons that will shape who we are as teachers, that we learned from this unwritten curriculum.

Promote agency—and success—through choice

It is well known that offering assignment choice can increase motivation and learning. When we give our students a degree of control over the work we ask them to do, they see more relevance and engage more fully in their learning. This sounds good, but sometimes it is challenging to give up control, to allow students to have agency in their work. Often, designing assessments in this way requires more creativity and effort, more flexibility on our part. It can seem hardly worth the trouble.

But we were reminded of the importance and value of having a range of options to select from in order to meet expectations. Reviewing a number of techniques, implementing the one that best fit our content and class activities that week, even modifying or adjusting the technique to fit most effectively with our teaching and learning goals—for many of us, this made it eminently more possible to complete each module in meaningful ways.

Can you imagine if you offered 8, 10, 12 different options for your students to demonstrate their achievement of class learning objectives? How motivated would your students be as a result of all that choice? How confident would they be? How much more successful?

Flexibility is key

One of the biggest lessons we learned is that life happens. Despite our best intentions, sometimes unexpected circumstances get in the way of forward progress. To what degree can we build flexibility into our course requirements in order to help our students learn and succeed?

Many of our faculty experienced unanticipated challenges during the course. Aging parents fell ill. Homes were damaged by severe weather. Committee work took an unexpected toll on available time. Babies were hospitalized for unusual illnesses.

When our faculty missed a submission deadline because of a greater or lesser crisis, it reminded all of us of the importance of a little wiggle room. Our students are increasingly burdened by family obligations and pressures. Student anxiety is a major concern on college campuses today. Missing a deadline, or not meeting assignment expectations on the first submission, does not have to mean all is lost. We can build in options to allow students to catch up or to resubmit work until they achieve success. The learning that results—that initial ‘failure’ can lead to improved performance in the long run—is important in all realms of life, not just in college.

Encourage students through timely and supportive communication

I was a participant in the ACUE course, but I was also the lead campus facilitator. Part of my role was to help other participants stay on track. We found that two approaches in particular had significant impact: I publicly praised and recognized faculty for exemplary contributions, and I reached out privately with offers of help and support.

Shouldn’t we do the same thing for our students? Offer public encouragement and recognition, while conveying empathy and support as needed on an individual basis? My faculty peers responded well to this dual approach; indeed, many told me that my public comments and my individual assistance were primary motivating factors in the course. If we, as learners, benefit from personal communication, how much more will our students?

Above all, empathy

Teaching excellence requires empathy. As students in the ACUE course, we were reminded anew of the competing demands we all face. Coursework was not the only thing on our plates—and neither is our classwork the only thing our students are dealing with. Keeping that firmly in view, reminding ourselves that our students are people with lives outside of our classroom, with joys and troubles and successes and pressures, will help us meet them where they are.

When we relate to our students as people, when we put ourselves in their shoes and think creatively about what they need to succeed, we are better teachers. Period.

Flower Darby is adjunct faculty member and a senior instructional designer at Northern Arizona University. She is the author, with James M. Lang, of Small Teaching Online, forthcoming from Jossey-Bass in 2019. She completed ACUE’s program in December 2017.

This week, instructors offer suggestions for giving students agency in their courses and connecting material to the outside world.

“Why Is This Course Required?”
Since students must take required courses, which can impact their motivation, David Gooblar suggests giving them more choices within classes themselves. Gooblar, for example, assigns a paper in which students research a question of their choice. He has found they appreciate having agency in the course and often write high-quality papers. (Vitae)

Interview with Margaret Rubega
In this podcast, Derek Bruff interviews Margaret Rubega, an ornithology instructor, about her assignment to have students to share observations about birds they encounter in their daily lives on Twitter. Her aim is to encourage students to appreciate the relevance of the material they discuss in class. From hearing bird calls to discovering hidden nests, students find new ways of observing their world. (Leading Lines)

Trauma Can Interfere With Students’ Learning. Here’s Something Professors Can Do to Help.
Ricia Anne Chansky, a University of Puerto Rico professor, used Hurricane Maria as a teaching moment for her students. As part of “disaster pedagogy,” stemming from Chansky and her colleagues’ belief that students’ stories matter, she asked students to write about their survival experiences to encourage them to re-establish agency. The assignment was voluntary, but every student participated. (The Chronicle of Higher Education Teaching Newsletter)

What I Learned From Teaching
Recalling how inspiring many of his own instructors were over the years, Moamen Elmassry sought to improve his instruction after a disappointing first semester as a teaching assistant. He began attending online and in-person workshops and training programs, and after incorporating creative strategies into his classes, he found teaching to be a rewarding experience. (Science)

Aristotle’s Wrongful Death
As some higher ed professionals question the importance of college majors, Frank Bruni argues that nonvocational tracks, such as the humanities, have meaning and purpose: cultivating young minds, preparing civic-minded individuals, and helping students find their place in the world. (The New York Times)

Partner News

Rutgers University-Newark: An Honors College That Honors Grit (The New York Times)

By Gina Curcio

Of all the useful and informative modules in the ACUE course, the body of techniques discussed in “Planning Effective Class Discussions” and “Facilitating Engaging Class Discussions,” without a doubt, had the most powerful impact on my “Introduction to Corrections” class this past semester.

My objectives

Like many faculty, I sought to facilitate class discussions where students were well prepared, engaged, and would develop a deep understanding of the course topics while simultaneously honing critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and communication skills. I wanted to motivate and encourage the quieter students to start speaking up and get the dominant talkers to become better listeners. Despite having a class size of 30+ students, I also hoped that the class discussions would create a sense of community and would help students develop their opinions on controversial topics while also considering other perspectives.

Preparing for the discussions

Drawing on everything I learned in these two ACUE modules, I had students watch a documentary at home on a controversial issue in corrections (e.g., solitary confinement or the treatment of the mentally ill in prison). To ensure that students were prepared, I asked them to take notes as they watched and then write a two-page reflection on the documentary, due before class, that included a summary of the controversial issue(s) discussed, their opinion on the controversial issue(s), and ideas for solutions and reforms.

Ensuring all voices are heard

On the day of the discussion, I provided students with a list of warm-up questions and a set of critical thinking questions to guide and frame the discussions. We had larger class discussions for some questions and small-group discussions for others. For the small-group discussions, I used an online random letter generator to select the “reporter” for the group so all students had to be equally prepared and couldn’t just rely on the dominant talker in the group to report back to the class. While I never took sides or offered my own opinion unless asked, I did offer information about what the available research suggests regarding the issues as well as my own experiences with these issues as a former correctional officer.

Establishing clear expectations

I used a self-grading discussion rubric to communicate clear expectations. After each class discussion, students completed the rubric and I provided detailed, timely feedback highlighting what they did well in the discussion and where they could improve. As another opportunity to demonstrate that they know the material, I gave students the choice to take an optional final exam that could replace their discussion participation grade.

Student impact

For each discussion, I was never disappointed! Students were well prepared, enthusiastically answered the discussion questions, and brought up interesting and thoughtful considerations of their own. In fact, many students shared perspectives that I had never considered! There were many students who had not said one word the previous semester who began regularly chiming in on the discussions, sometimes even getting into friendly debates with other classmates. I also found that the discussions created a sense of community in the classroom. Students learned one another’s names, became comfortable with each other, and learned from each other. Students also developed a much deeper understanding of the issues facing our correctional system and possible solutions/reforms to address these issues than they would have been able to develop by lecture alone.

The anonymous student feedback I obtained both a few weeks into the semester and at the end of the semester was largely positive and reflected many of the outcomes I intended. Nearly all students said that they really enjoyed the discussions because they gave students the opportunity to get to know their classmates, become more comfortable speaking in groups, be more open-minded, and develop a deep understanding of the issues covered.

Reflection for continued growth

While the five structured class discussions were successful overall, based on the anonymous student feedback, I plan on making the following changes to future discussions:

• Include more small-group discussions to allow the quieter students more opportunities to show that they are engaged and contributing.
• Provide the discussion questions to students ahead of time so they have more time to gather their thoughts.
• Incorporate short writing activities during the discussions as an added way to ensure all students are engaged. I could have students submit written answers to some of the questions using the Socrative app and put some of their answers on the projector anonymously so that quieter students have more of an opportunity to feel engaged and included.
• Include more punctuated lectures and the whiteboard to summarize, emphasize, and organize key takeaways from the discussions.

Structured class discussions have done so much more than increase student learning and engagement; they have also provided my students with the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of controversial issues facing our contemporary correctional system, refine critical thinking and communication skills, and create a sense of community.

Gina Curcio is an assistant professor in the Criminal Justice Department at Salem State University. Her research interests include offender reentry, criminal records and employment, women and criminal justice, and gangs. She has published in Feminist Criminology and Women and Criminal Justice. She completed ACUE’s program in April 2018.

Higher ed leaders discuss innovating learning for students, and a new report suggests that many college dropouts have most of the credits they need to graduate.

When the Stars Align: A New Constellation of Innovation
Thirteen institutions and organizations gathered at Arizona State University for an “unconference” around the theme, “Shaping the Future of Learning in the Digital Age.” Participants discussed how to innovate student learning through measures such as including students and employers in conversations and fostering authentic interpersonal interactions. (EdSurge)

Report: Many College Dropouts Are More Than Halfway to a Degree
A new report from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators suggests that one in five students who don’t graduate have at least 75 percent of credits needed for their degrees and recommends that colleges focus on this at-risk population. Del Mar College, for instance, sends these students personalized emails and offers them workshops, tutoring, and career coaching. (NASFAA)

Making the Learning Experience Student Centered to Combat the Skills Gap from College to Career
Many students cite the prospect of a job as a main factor in attending college but are unable to make potential employers aware of the skills they have, Troy Markowitz writes. He urges institutions to prioritize showing students the relevance of the skills they attain by leveraging technology, customizing student engagement, and identifying gaps. (Forbes)

How Your Office Could Inspire Student Collaboration
Some students may be too intimidated to visit their instructors’ offices, so faculty look for ways to make their spaces more approachable. Jim Friedman, for example, replaced his desk with a round table, allowing students to work together. Other institutions are reimagining spaces and creating new ones to encourage faculty-student collaboration. (The Chronicle of Higher Education Teaching Newsletter)

Small Liberal Arts Colleges as Learning Innovation Base Camps
Relationships are at the heart of liberal arts colleges, Joshua Kim writes, which is why they are “base camps” for learning innovation. Using this metaphor to convey how liberal arts schools build a culture of trust and cultivate a willingness to take risks in both faculty and students, Kim explores how these schools can lead change across higher education. (Technology and Learning)

Partner News

Broward College / Miami Dade College: The Aspen Institute Names 10 Finalists for 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence (The Aspen Institute)

This week, find out why students benefit from experiential learning and when their instructors tell stories in the classroom.

Your Students Learn by Doing, Not by Listening
“The best learning occurs when students teach themselves,” David Gooblar writes. He suggests designing courses that enable students to change their behavior, which often involves learning by doing instead of listening—essentially employing plenty of active learning strategies. (Pedagogy Unbound)

Are You Telling Stories in the Classroom?
Using stories as a teaching tool can make the material relatable, pique interest, offer students new perspectives, and help them recall information later. Melanie Green encourages instructors to weave stories into their lectures to foster learning and help students draw connections. (Berkeley Center for Teaching and Learning)

What Adult Learners Really Need (Hint: It’s Not Just Job Skills)
David Scobey argues that adult learners want the same opportunities most traditional college students do: small seminars, capstone projects, internships, and a broad liberal arts curriculum. He is helping convene the “Great Colleges for the New Majority,” a network of innovative colleges that help adult students succeed. (nprEd)

The 5 Tips for Student Success That a Longtime Instructor Swears By
Tony Holland has an approach for student success he calls I-CAN (improvement, constant, and never ending). I-CAN strategies include passing out course evaluations early in the semester, emphasizing that the instructor cares about students; setting learning objectives for each unit, so students know what to study; creating 10-minute videos for objectives to prompt discussions; giving frequent quizzes, so students know where they stand; and providing early interventions, like meeting with struggling students. (The Chronicle of Higher Education Teaching Newsletter)

How Do We Prepare Students for the Future? Focus on Experiential Competencies
Companies are looking to hire innovative thinkers to tackle complex problems, Monique Fuchs writes, and higher education must prepare students to meet these demands. She suggests that educators from different disciplines work together to foster experiential competencies, such as innovative thinking and entrepreneurial confidence, in their students. (Education Dive)

The Edges of Pedagogy: Defining (and Promoting) Actual Safe Spaces for Student Engagement
In the National Survey of Student Engagement, students report that their classes emphasize sharing their own ideas and professors help students link course topics to their experiences. This type of problem-based learning makes courses more student centric, Randall Stauffer writes, because students contribute to their own learning and instructors serve more as resources than authority figures. (The Evolllution)

Partner News

Sam Houston State University: ACUE Awards Ceremony (Today@Sam)

Texas Woman’s University, University of Southern Mississippi, and Sam Houston State University: Visit our Facebook page to see photos from some of our partner institutions’ recent teaching celebrations and pinning ceremonies. Are you a course-taker who was recently awarded an ACUE credential? We want to hear from you! Post your photos and tag us on Facebook and Twitter.