As the coordinator of the Departmental Consulting Service, I hope to use this blog to provide information about both the services we provide and about how evaluations of departments might be done in a productive manner. If you've never heard of DCS before, you have now! Briefly, DCS is a service provided jointly by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology and APA's Board of Educational Affairs. We help match departments who would like to hire consultants with qualified individuals. For more information, see the DCS page.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Project Syllabus: Child Development, Ruth Ault, Davidson College
When reviewing syllabi, one of the things we look for are innovative assignments or other pedagogical techniques. We all can create a course with a multiple-choice midterm and final, but what instructors are looking for is something new that gives the students a new way to learn, or a new way to show that they've learned, the course content.
In Ruth Ault's Child Development syllabus, the child observation assignments stand out. In introducing the assignments, she writes, "You will observe children in order to learn various techniques of observation and to give more focus to specific aspects of development." As a student, I know that that in this class I will not only learn about child development, but I will see it, and I will be using the same techniques researchers use to do so. How cool is that?
Davidson College has a strong working relationship with their local daycare center and permission is granted to the students to observe the children by both the daycare center and the children's parents or guardians. Ault notes, "The observations are done either from hidden observation booths (e.g., behind a one-way mirror) so that the children are completely unaware of being observed or from the playground, where their behavior is visible to the public." Students also learn about the ethics of conducting observations and get practice observing children on video before 'going live.'
The first observation assignment begins with an ethics reminder about confidentiality followed by why students are doing the assignment. The purposes are "to learn how to use running narrative, individual tally, group tally, and time sampling observation methods and to familiarize you with preschool-age children." This is an easy change instructors can make to their syllabi that will yield a high return in syllabus-usefulness. Tell students why they are doing the assignment.
When I was at New Mexico State University-Alamogordo, located near Holloman Air Force Base, I had a number of active and retired Air Force personnel in my classes. I remember one Chief Master Sergeant (the highest NCO rank one can attain) tell me and his classmates that he used the authoritative approach with his crew. When he got his orders, he would explain to his crew what they needed to do, why they needed to do it, and why they needed to do it that way. He would then listen to his crew's ideas about other ways to do it. He said when he started doing that many years ago, he noticed that the work got done faster and better. He added that sometimes he didn't have the time to explain the reasons why something had to be done a certain way, but because his crew knew that he had a reason and that he would tell them as soon as there was time, they would trust him and do it the way he asked.
Consider our own work-lives. How is assessment of student learning viewed in your department or on your campus? Is it just a report you do because someone's asked you to do it? Or is it viewed as a learning activity that you will get something out of? Like our students, when we're given assignments and we can't find the value in them, they feel like busy work. It may be clear to the instructor what the value is in doing a particular assignment, but we can't assume that students will find the value on their own.
Take a look at Ruth Ault's Child Development syllabus for examples of engaging assignments where students are told the goal of the assignment.
In Ruth Ault's Child Development syllabus, the child observation assignments stand out. In introducing the assignments, she writes, "You will observe children in order to learn various techniques of observation and to give more focus to specific aspects of development." As a student, I know that that in this class I will not only learn about child development, but I will see it, and I will be using the same techniques researchers use to do so. How cool is that?
Davidson College has a strong working relationship with their local daycare center and permission is granted to the students to observe the children by both the daycare center and the children's parents or guardians. Ault notes, "The observations are done either from hidden observation booths (e.g., behind a one-way mirror) so that the children are completely unaware of being observed or from the playground, where their behavior is visible to the public." Students also learn about the ethics of conducting observations and get practice observing children on video before 'going live.'
The first observation assignment begins with an ethics reminder about confidentiality followed by why students are doing the assignment. The purposes are "to learn how to use running narrative, individual tally, group tally, and time sampling observation methods and to familiarize you with preschool-age children." This is an easy change instructors can make to their syllabi that will yield a high return in syllabus-usefulness. Tell students why they are doing the assignment.
When I was at New Mexico State University-Alamogordo, located near Holloman Air Force Base, I had a number of active and retired Air Force personnel in my classes. I remember one Chief Master Sergeant (the highest NCO rank one can attain) tell me and his classmates that he used the authoritative approach with his crew. When he got his orders, he would explain to his crew what they needed to do, why they needed to do it, and why they needed to do it that way. He would then listen to his crew's ideas about other ways to do it. He said when he started doing that many years ago, he noticed that the work got done faster and better. He added that sometimes he didn't have the time to explain the reasons why something had to be done a certain way, but because his crew knew that he had a reason and that he would tell them as soon as there was time, they would trust him and do it the way he asked.
Consider our own work-lives. How is assessment of student learning viewed in your department or on your campus? Is it just a report you do because someone's asked you to do it? Or is it viewed as a learning activity that you will get something out of? Like our students, when we're given assignments and we can't find the value in them, they feel like busy work. It may be clear to the instructor what the value is in doing a particular assignment, but we can't assume that students will find the value on their own.
Take a look at Ruth Ault's Child Development syllabus for examples of engaging assignments where students are told the goal of the assignment.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Project Syllabus: Social Psychology, Heather Hussey, University of New Hampshire
In some circles, syllabi have come to be seen as legal contracts and many are written that way. In some cases, the language is so strong that it sounds like the instructor is viewing the students as the enemy and the syllabus presents the terms of surrender. The Project Syllabus reviewers read through syllabi with a students' perspective, and the last question I ask myself at the end of a review is, "Would I like to take this course?" When the answer is no, I most often trace it back to the tone of the syllabus.
This new Social Psychology syllabus from Heather Hussey does a great job of using the tone of the syllabus to convey excitement and enthusiasm around the course. On the first page, the first line of the course description reads, "I would like to start by welcoming you to PSYCH 552!" With that one simple sentence, I get the sense that the instructor likes teaching, likes students, and wants everyone to be a part of the class.
Later while setting out expectations, Hussey writes, "I encourage class members to explore the material presented in this class (and even related topics of personal interest), risk making mistakes in discussing the material, and ask for help in understanding course material (this can include others' points of view as well)." As a student, I'm not expected to be perfect! And Hussey puts an exclamation point on this by adding this quote:
When discussing the requirements for the course, Hussey writes, "Attendance/Participation: Because you are students who want to learn, I expect you to attend class regularly." She assumes that students want to learn, and because they want to learn, of course they would come to class. In a student-as-enemy syllabus, the instructor might write something like, "You must attend all classes. Missing more than 3 classes, regardless of reason, will result in a substantial lowering of your grade." In the end, both convey the importance of attending class, but Hussey's way is more likely to make me, as a student, feel like it's my choice.
But don't think this means the instructor is a pushover. "Please do not bring cell-phones to class (or be sure that they are turned off). If one goes off in class, I reserve the right to answer it." And then she adds, "To be fair, you can answer mine if it rings." Hussey isn't simply imposing rules on students, instead she's laying out the ground rules for the classroom environment as a whole.
Also notice that this syllabus is written in the first person. When the instructor puts themselves in the syllabus, the implied dialog makes the instructor appear more human and more approachable.
I recently read Groopman's book, How Doctors Think, and he notes research that shows that the doctors that get sued, regardless of their degree of competence, are the doctors that patients don't like. A personable doctor who listens to patients and treats patients as people is unlikely to get sued, almost regardless of the mistake he or she makes. It's reasonable to think the same is true for instructors. Listen to your students and treat them with respect, and they are more likely to forgive you your missteps.
This new Social Psychology syllabus from Heather Hussey does a great job of using the tone of the syllabus to convey excitement and enthusiasm around the course. On the first page, the first line of the course description reads, "I would like to start by welcoming you to PSYCH 552!" With that one simple sentence, I get the sense that the instructor likes teaching, likes students, and wants everyone to be a part of the class.
Later while setting out expectations, Hussey writes, "I encourage class members to explore the material presented in this class (and even related topics of personal interest), risk making mistakes in discussing the material, and ask for help in understanding course material (this can include others' points of view as well)." As a student, I'm not expected to be perfect! And Hussey puts an exclamation point on this by adding this quote:
There is no such thing as an unreasonable question, or a silly question, or a frivolous question, or a waste-of-time question. It's your life, and you've got to get these answers" -Marcia Wallace
When discussing the requirements for the course, Hussey writes, "Attendance/Participation: Because you are students who want to learn, I expect you to attend class regularly." She assumes that students want to learn, and because they want to learn, of course they would come to class. In a student-as-enemy syllabus, the instructor might write something like, "You must attend all classes. Missing more than 3 classes, regardless of reason, will result in a substantial lowering of your grade." In the end, both convey the importance of attending class, but Hussey's way is more likely to make me, as a student, feel like it's my choice.
But don't think this means the instructor is a pushover. "Please do not bring cell-phones to class (or be sure that they are turned off). If one goes off in class, I reserve the right to answer it." And then she adds, "To be fair, you can answer mine if it rings." Hussey isn't simply imposing rules on students, instead she's laying out the ground rules for the classroom environment as a whole.
Also notice that this syllabus is written in the first person. When the instructor puts themselves in the syllabus, the implied dialog makes the instructor appear more human and more approachable.
I recently read Groopman's book, How Doctors Think, and he notes research that shows that the doctors that get sued, regardless of their degree of competence, are the doctors that patients don't like. A personable doctor who listens to patients and treats patients as people is unlikely to get sued, almost regardless of the mistake he or she makes. It's reasonable to think the same is true for instructors. Listen to your students and treat them with respect, and they are more likely to forgive you your missteps.
New Syllabus: Social Psychology, Heather Hussey, University of New Hampshire
Social Psychology, Heather Hussey, University of New Hampshire
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