James Liszka, R. Card, Patricia Clark, Kimberly J. Coleman, E. Leibensperger, Bruce Mattingly, Mary McGuire, J. Nollenberg, Kjersti Vanslyke-Briggs, Leigh Wilson
{"title":"Common Problems Project","authors":"James Liszka, R. Card, Patricia Clark, Kimberly J. Coleman, E. Leibensperger, Bruce Mattingly, Mary McGuire, J. Nollenberg, Kjersti Vanslyke-Briggs, Leigh Wilson","doi":"10.14434/josotl.v22i2.31645","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v22i2.31645","url":null,"abstract":"The Common Problems Project (CP2) is an interdisciplinary, problem-based pedagogy that was launched in 2015 by four partner colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system (Cortland, Oneonta, Oswego, and Plattsburgh). Since its inception, 100 faculty have participated in CP2 and integrated the pedagogy into 134 courses to implement 47 collaborative projects. CP2 is based on a simple but innovative approach in which instructors from different disciplines identify a real-world problem they have in common. They pair their relevant existing classes so that students can work in interdisciplinary teams to propose solutions to the problem. This paper describes CP2 and its theoretical underpinnings, provides the results of a three-pronged approach to assessment, and outlines recommendations for faculty and institutions who may be interested in replicating CP2 on their campuses. CP2 model holds promise for a future of collaborative problem solving as a pedagogical approach, and, as such, this article will be of interest to a wide range of scholars, practitioners, educators, and administrators.","PeriodicalId":93822,"journal":{"name":"The journal of scholarship of teaching and learning : JoSoTL","volume":"88 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75216898","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christopher J. Felege, Cheryl J Hunter, Susan N. Ellis‐Felege
{"title":"Personal Impacts of the Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Experience","authors":"Christopher J. Felege, Cheryl J Hunter, Susan N. Ellis‐Felege","doi":"10.14434/josotl.v22i2.31306","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v22i2.31306","url":null,"abstract":"The use of undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs) has increased in recent years at a number of institutions, especially in active-learning and high-enrollment introductory courses. Currently, there is research demonstrating their benefit to the departments they work in, the students, and the short-term impacts of the experience on the UTAs. However, no study to date has investigated the long-term impacts of the UTA experience on the participants themselves, and a number of studies call for such an investigation. This research sought to fill that gap in understanding by utilizing a Grounded Theory approach to investigate the perceptions of participants who had served as an UTA in the biology department at a large research institution in the upper Midwest. This research found strong consensus among participants that the UTA experience offers overwhelmingly positive personal benefits including improved self-confidence, a sense of personal reward, and a sense of community that resulted from working with faculty members, and the ability to balance and self-regulate a variety of time commitments.","PeriodicalId":93822,"journal":{"name":"The journal of scholarship of teaching and learning : JoSoTL","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83691096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Keep it Light","authors":"T. Maddison, M. Kumaran","doi":"10.14434/josotl.v22i2.31668","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v22i2.31668","url":null,"abstract":"For the most part, information landscapes such as libraries are structured, organized, created, and used by the dominant groups. These spaces may be unfamiliar territory for many students. Humour used in library orientation elicits enjoyment and helps to connect librarians and students. Low and high inference humour used during orientation can help connect students new to those landscapes with information and to librarians. Appropriate use of instructional humour in orientations can reduce students’ anxiety about using the library, especially when they need help from library staff. This reflective write up on using humour in library orientations, is to demonstrate how we used humour to create a comfortable learning environment, to encourage students to visit the library, to improve (hopefully!) recall and retention of course content, and enable positive associations with library resources or the librarian. There are challenges with humour when the classroom is diverse or if humour is used negatively. Care should be given to use humour to support course content.","PeriodicalId":93822,"journal":{"name":"The journal of scholarship of teaching and learning : JoSoTL","volume":"62 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81177626","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jeffrey W. Murray, Bonnie Boaz, Leslie Cohen-Gee, J. Galligan, Christian Horlick
{"title":"Assessing Learning Outcomes for Undergraduate Teaching Assistants and Peer Mentors","authors":"Jeffrey W. Murray, Bonnie Boaz, Leslie Cohen-Gee, J. Galligan, Christian Horlick","doi":"10.14434/josotl.v22i2.31276","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v22i2.31276","url":null,"abstract":"This essay offers assessment rubrics for three of the most common modalities of engagement of undergraduate teaching assistants and peer mentors serving in the undergraduate classroom: leading/facilitating a whole-class activity or discussion, facilitating a small-group activity or discussion, and working with students one-on-one. In developing these assessment tools, we began with a sketch of our program’s learning objectives, and conducted an analysis of former UTAs’ start-of-semester “work plans” and end-of-semester “final reflections,” which allowed us to better match the rubrics with students’ own goals / motivations for serving as UTAs and perceptions of their own experiences as UTAs. We hope that these three assessment rubrics can be productively adopted or adapted by other faculty mentors working with undergraduate teaching assistants or peer mentors in similar programs, as well as stimulate further discussion about appropriate learning objectives and assessment resources for such programs.","PeriodicalId":93822,"journal":{"name":"The journal of scholarship of teaching and learning : JoSoTL","volume":"6 3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78389705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring the Feasibility of Using Knowledge Surveys to Increase Student Knowledge, Clinical Skills and Assess Student Perceptions","authors":"M. Goering","doi":"10.14434/josotl.v22i2.29489","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v22i2.29489","url":null,"abstract":"This study explored the feasibility of using knowledge surveys (KSs) in a pre-licensure professional nursing program using cognitive and behavioral outcomes and illustrates how profession-specific competencies can be imbedded into a KS. This study introduces the KS as a potentially useful tool for formative and summative application in nursing education.","PeriodicalId":93822,"journal":{"name":"The journal of scholarship of teaching and learning : JoSoTL","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82089040","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pedagogical Interrelationships","authors":"A. Chadha","doi":"10.14434/josotl.v22i2.31626","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v22i2.31626","url":null,"abstract":"Research indicates that peer interaction in the online classroom engages students in academic reflective deliberations. This study assesses student peer interactions on a purposefully designed collaborative website in an American politics course offered across two courses. Significant evidence reveals that students are open, candid, and inquisitive of varied positions while interacting with academic reflectivity across each question asked of them. They argue their perspectives with each other, teach and add information to their deliberations while being academically reflective. This study concludes that a peer interactive design is an invaluable method to engage students in academic deliberation while providing educators, researchers, and administrators an innovative means to enhance active learning and participation online.","PeriodicalId":93822,"journal":{"name":"The journal of scholarship of teaching and learning : JoSoTL","volume":"201 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75542955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Impacts of Standards-Based Grading on Students’ Mindset and Test Anxiety","authors":"D. Lewis","doi":"10.14434/josotl.v22i2.31308","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v22i2.31308","url":null,"abstract":"Standards-based grading is an alternative grading method with many claimed benefits. This paper reports on quantitative studies investigating several of these oft-made anecdotal claims, such as reducing students’ test anxiety and fostering a growth mindset. We found that standards-based grading did reduce students’ test anxiety; moreover, the typically found difference in test anxiety between male and female students was eliminated in standards-based grading courses. We found no change in students’ growth mindset, but that students’ mastery avoidance goals were reduced.","PeriodicalId":93822,"journal":{"name":"The journal of scholarship of teaching and learning : JoSoTL","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90236228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Mixed Methods Evaluation of Teaching Evaluation: Innovative Course-Based Service-Learning Model on Program Evaluation Competencies","authors":"S. Hou","doi":"10.14434/josotl.v22i1.31705","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v22i1.31705","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract: There is limited empirical study examines effective evaluation pedagogy on evaluation competency outcomes. The purposes of this article are to: (1) identify key course design features critical to integrating real-world projects in a course-based service-learning model; and (2) provide empirical data using mixed methods evaluation to assess the impact on evaluation competencies. Data from 5 cohort doctoral students (2015-2019; n=51) showed such course design resulted in significantly increased before-after course scores on the 6-item course learning objectives (scale item means of 3.34 vs 4.65; p<.001), and the 17-item program evaluation competency scale (PECS-17) (scale item means of 3.25 vs 4.76; p<.001). Qualitative reflections on the 5 essential evaluation competency domains convergently were correlated with strong positive competency outcomes. The convergent findings from both quantitative and qualitative data provide strong empirical evidence of evaluation competencies gained. These findings have implications on teaching evaluation of graduate students for evaluator educators who strive to provide competency-based experiential learning.","PeriodicalId":93822,"journal":{"name":"The journal of scholarship of teaching and learning : JoSoTL","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80816375","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Redesigning a Research Methods Course with Personalized, Interactive OER: A Case Study of Student Perceptions and Performance","authors":"Shelli A. Wynants","doi":"10.14434/josotl.v22i1.31706","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v22i1.31706","url":null,"abstract":"This case study examines student learning outcomes derived from the redesign of an undergraduate child development research methods course, replacing a commercial textbook with Open Educational Resources (OER), which were remixed into interactive lessons. Using survey and exam performance data, two areas were evaluated: 1) students' experiences with the OER lessons; and (2) students' exam results from two OER sections compared to two previous commercial textbook sections taught by the same instructor. No significant differences in exam performance between the two groups were observed; however, student perceptions of the OER lessons indicated strong satisfaction. Implications of these findings, such as OER benefits for teaching and learning, are discussed.","PeriodicalId":93822,"journal":{"name":"The journal of scholarship of teaching and learning : JoSoTL","volume":"53 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79905105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Investigation of Comparative Hispanic Student Success in Calculus I at Four State of Florida Universities","authors":"Renee Y. Becker, T. Cox","doi":"10.14434/josotl.v22i1.30563","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v22i1.30563","url":null,"abstract":"National employment data forecasts a significant need for graduates in the STEM disciplines for middle-income American jobs. If the American labor force is to keep pace with the global economy, it is critically important that American higher education increase STEM degree production. Currently, minority populations lack access and thus opportunity for success in higher education, but, among them, Hispanic groups account for about 59 million Americans, are the youngest demographic, and have the highest growth rate of any ethnic group. Hispanic students are inadequately represented in higher education enrollment numbers, graduation rates, graduate degree attainment, and STEM degree attainment. While only 14% of American institutions of higher education are designated as Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), 64% of Hispanic American college students attend an HSI. As a result, HSIs are in a unique position to improve student success in STEM disciplines. A statistical analysis of the grades of Hispanic and White students in an introductory STEM course, Calculus I, at two Florida HSI universities and two non-HSI universities, revealed 1) white students significantly outperformed Hispanic students in Calculus I at State of Florida non-HSIs and 2) white students did not outperform Hispanic students in Calculus I at State of Florida HSIs.","PeriodicalId":93822,"journal":{"name":"The journal of scholarship of teaching and learning : JoSoTL","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73244097","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}