tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.comments2022-11-04T05:29:40.949-04:00Learning ReflectionsRobert Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07240643165321525400noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-51081101662374738892013-10-15T21:41:35.363-04:002013-10-15T21:41:35.363-04:00This is fascinating reading, and not just because ...This is fascinating reading, and not just because I have also gone through many of the same experiences in changing my pedagogy. I am looking forward to reading more about what you're doing!Lisa M Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04276932877292681802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-48194492053564371932012-09-17T12:11:05.618-04:002012-09-17T12:11:05.618-04:00Robert, I appreciate your call to think about effe...Robert, I appreciate your call to think about effectiveness in our teaching practice at the outset of a journey into course redesign/online teaching. Your question fits in well with my call for an inquiry mindset (see http://jjulius.org/2012/09/14/where-is-a-new-online-instructor-to-start/). The challenge, though, is how is one to gauge "effectiveness"? And how is one to know when one's comfort level has created blinders?<br /><br />I do think that it is worth considering one's practice in the light of (a) work that distills the large body of research on learning (e.g. How People Learn); (b) sets of teaching principles that have proven helpful to many, (e.g. Chickering & Gamson, or Universal Design for Learning); and/or (c) more elaborated rubrics/checklists for indicators of quality, especially for online teaching (e.g. Quality Matters, Chico Rubric). For many faculty, hearing from experienced instructors who have already engaged in this journey and have stories of success and failed experiments to share can be equally or more effective in prompting a reconsideration of their "effectiveness."<br /><br />But I would never advise someone to completely abandon what they are comfortable with. Picking one or two different methods to try at one or two points in a course redesign is almost always more advisable than an attempt to completely reinvent one's pedagogy in a semester or year.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-21998716584453423542012-09-13T10:46:28.671-04:002012-09-13T10:46:28.671-04:00Thanks Lisa! One thing I have been doing this sem...Thanks Lisa! One thing I have been doing this semester is creating "Variable Point Pools". All of the assignments in this pool have similar goals, but different routes. The idea is that students can do different things to earn these points, so hopefully they will work to their strengths.<br /><br />As for content retention, the only thing I can say from my experience is that the lecture model does not work for the majority of students. But anecdotally, I'm seeing better retention in students who write things out. Next semester, I'm hoping to have everything in place so I can start doing a study on it.Robert Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07240643165321525400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-50721046021187239032012-09-13T10:38:17.802-04:002012-09-13T10:38:17.802-04:00This is a serious issue for me, since I've cha...This is a serious issue for me, since I've changed pedagogies many times over the years. I am beginning to suspect that what students remember, content-wise, doesn't vary much in relation to which method we use (someday I'll do a study on this). But do we continue doing that which is not effective? At some point, I think we get disturbed by the evidence that it is not effective, as you have, and find solutions. I am hoping that the exercise is not so much about what we like to do, but about our strengths and how to leverage them. I have seen too many people abandon a method that they were comfortable with and force themselves into a mode that wasn't appropriate for them. That comfort zone could just be a jumping-off point, but like you say it's important to think about. <br /><br />And I've never seen anything, in my research or my own work, that is always effective with every student. :-)Lisa M Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04276932877292681802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-61248047230130594212012-09-08T05:48:37.946-04:002012-09-08T05:48:37.946-04:00Hello Robert,
Nice post. I am also agree with you...Hello Robert,<br /><br />Nice post. I am also agree with you between the difference with FB and twitter. I am just using both but for my MA mainly twitter, you can follow hashtag for your interest and follow inflluencers, or skilled people.<br /><br />See you online.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-12311159534695796692012-08-18T18:55:14.502-04:002012-08-18T18:55:14.502-04:00I have to agree with the challenge of filtering th...I have to agree with the challenge of filtering through all of the content being produced. I don't have any other experience with MOOC's to compare this week to, but cramming everything into a week made it difficult for everyone, including the organizers, to keep up.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836738426379109563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-91814268201622219142012-08-17T18:56:10.634-04:002012-08-17T18:56:10.634-04:00@andrew Yep. I wrote all of the newsletters. T...@andrew Yep. I wrote all of the newsletters. They are archived at http://biomoocnews.blogspot.com/2012/01/daily-newsletter-january-12-2012.html<br /><br />@Andrea One reason that I like MOOCs is that they can provide inspiration. Just a few phrases from people during MOOCs in 2011 helped gel this idea. Inspiration... a breath of fresh mental air :)Robert Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07240643165321525400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-21802794087326613342012-08-17T18:38:58.447-04:002012-08-17T18:38:58.447-04:00I'm glad you didn't give up after that bur...I'm glad you didn't give up after that burnout because education needs people like you. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-499376110002131432012-08-17T17:58:17.601-04:002012-08-17T17:58:17.601-04:00Interesting model. I love seeing someone succeed i...Interesting model. I love seeing someone succeed in teaching science this way. Did you write all of the newsletters yourself?<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836738426379109563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-2898387044372419692012-08-14T02:50:20.085-04:002012-08-14T02:50:20.085-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.anonymousaddicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09289493261674125710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-62958523236852862742012-08-13T10:09:35.340-04:002012-08-13T10:09:35.340-04:00Verenanz, is there something specific that you'...Verenanz, is there something specific that you're looking for? I'll work up a list of different tasks and such, but if there is something specific, I can put more info down about that.Robert Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07240643165321525400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-15697685788312731402012-08-12T23:39:05.277-04:002012-08-12T23:39:05.277-04:00Hi Robert! Thank you for this link....I really lik...Hi Robert! Thank you for this link....I really like the way you have integrated writing and content (biology) together. I think the MOOC concept promotes Rennaissance Thinking - in that we have to blend all ideas together to really get to more meaningful learning....<br /><br />Will go over this again and write a "list" of the way you did things....Have to try and figure out assessment/badges myself this term, so would be great if we could chat about it....<br />verenanz at gmail dot comverenanzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05861163804785218031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-22526921088298318772012-07-24T21:05:52.231-04:002012-07-24T21:05:52.231-04:00Good points. I have been using the revision conce...Good points. I have been using the revision concept for exams and papers for about five years. It really does bear fruit.Robert Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07240643165321525400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-50921510112568157782012-07-24T12:01:57.958-04:002012-07-24T12:01:57.958-04:00Learning happens in the redo, in the correcting. ...Learning happens in the redo, in the correcting. <br />Drafts are essential both for learning and for making sure the student who submits the work is the one who did it.<br />Even tests should have a redo. I saw a video somewhere where they gave a test. Then they let the student discuss in it groups. And then they took the test again! I think the grades were 75% for the 1st attempt and 25% for the 2nd. Whatever. The instructor is conveying the message "Let's do whatever is needed to LEARN." @sumwareAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07331956755318918670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-27323691587025250742012-05-16T10:13:51.128-04:002012-05-16T10:13:51.128-04:00Thanks for the response Apostolos K. I should rev...Thanks for the response Apostolos K. I should revise the question. <br /><br />When looking at your syllabus and class style, is it grade focused or learning focused? I have colleagues who would say that they are learning focused, but when you look at their class, it is all about a grade. <br /><br />Also, I like your approach to help students move from a grade to learning focus. I also really like the Draft-Revise system.Robert Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07240643165321525400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-77244374213724505872012-05-13T15:43:38.108-04:002012-05-13T15:43:38.108-04:00Is it a trick question? :-) Of course we want our...Is it a trick question? :-) Of course we want our students to be learning focused, but they've been raised in an environment that is Grade focused. There is nothing wrong with grades of course, they are a way of assessing learning. The problems come in when you misaling how you get the grade, with what the grade means. In my course everyone can get an "A," however that doesn't mean that everyone does get an "A". I do have rubrics available for each assignment, I am avaiable for consultation, and for the Major Paper, I do tell students "give me drafts, if you want, and I will give you feedback before the thing is actually due!" Having the opportunity to do drafts and improve your work is learning focused...even if a student is grade focused (i.e. "must get an A!!!!"), having such a "Draft and revise" procedure in place makes it possible to start with a grade focus, and graduate to a learning focus.Apostolos K. ("AK")https://www.blogger.com/profile/02198465120131968928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-8689735819018037962012-04-12T15:52:34.515-04:002012-04-12T15:52:34.515-04:00Hi Robert;
In social science problem space I alrea...Hi Robert;<br />In social science problem space I already see interdisciplinarity. Say your investigating embodied cognition. You often see authors coming from psychology, social psychology, philosophy, feminism and even biology (i.e. Maturana) and the citations to which they refer are from many disciplines. What I would love to see is the curriculum embrace the problem space. Less than a problem based approach, I'm thinking embodied learning. Many disciplines are research based, but you can't become a researcher without experience researching problem needing solutions.Howard Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09426998835138855839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-66436066305058102792012-04-11T14:22:09.498-04:002012-04-11T14:22:09.498-04:00Thanks Laurissa. Unfortunately, I have to miss th...Thanks Laurissa. Unfortunately, I have to miss the next meeting, but will be at the last one this semester :). I agree that those who want to switch gears in an FLC will be a challenge, and the goal would be to work with them to see what areas would fit them better. <br /><br />You bring up an excellent point about going on and experimenting. As I said at the meeting last Friday, there comes a time when you have to rip off the band-aide, and just do it.Robert Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07240643165321525400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-57028296846034728272012-04-10T19:44:07.684-04:002012-04-10T19:44:07.684-04:00I stumbled across your blog while I was looking fo...I stumbled across your blog while I was looking for the podcast from the Future of Learning talk. You and I met (indirectly) at the hybrid learning think tank a couple of weeks ago. <br /><br />I really like all the things you are doing with your biology classes--and I wish more people would take that leap. Everything we do in our classes is essentially experiment, and nothing is assured to work the first time around! <br />So why not try something new? <br /><br />I particularly like your ideas to really utilize the FLCs to their full potential. I think we could be SOOOO much more productive if all of the clases were linked more closely together. Clustering the classes would certainly help students contextualize their learning experience and make connections between their course objectives/outcomes. This is what they're SUPPOSED to be doing anyway, but it's difficult to do when classes are separated by such clear disciplinary and departmental lines. That was the case for me when I was an undergrad, anyway. <br /><br />You run into a problem, though, when students *think* they want to pursue a certain academic track--and realize in the middle of the first semester that it's not a good fit for them. Then what happens? Do they try to stick out the entire year? Or do they get lost in the shuffle? Those students are probably the ones who need the FLC community the most. <br /><br />Lots of really great ideas, though. Hope to see you at the next think tank. <br /><br />-Laurissa (Rhetoric and Composition PhD Student)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-12924515951063275302012-03-24T08:21:01.155-04:002012-03-24T08:21:01.155-04:00yes, it's true.yes, it's true.Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03537361492801980153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-58593157909711793462012-03-19T11:39:44.601-04:002012-03-19T11:39:44.601-04:00@gbl55: We had a discussion on our campus about h...@gbl55: We had a discussion on our campus about having coordinated classes that would appear linked in the semester course listing. The idea would be to have various content connected between the courses. So for instance, when biology discussed DNA or Biotechnology, a history or sociology course would discuss the impact of biotechnology on human culture or history. This would be done just a few times every semester, but the idea was to help students gain different perspectives on a few content specific issues.Robert Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07240643165321525400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-13149905167715328472012-03-19T11:36:37.889-04:002012-03-19T11:36:37.889-04:00Scott J: Thanks for your comments. Your comment ...Scott J: Thanks for your comments. Your comment about the trade certification that has instant hiring opportunities, and how people feel short-changed when they go full tilt toward a given objective, is very powerful. It shows the disconnect I'm seeing. I'll get to my impression of trade schools and our cultural devaluation of trades education in a later post, but it is interesting that even there people feel short-changed.<br /><br />Your final thought on the focus of specialists is also critical. Teaching pre-med students, it is rare to see one who wants to go into general practice. We are loosing a great deal to this drive for specialization, and the overall affect is weakening us. Now, to find evidence for this.Robert Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07240643165321525400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-9557040075785577182012-03-16T23:12:03.433-04:002012-03-16T23:12:03.433-04:00As much as we'd like to think that a grounding...As much as we'd like to think that a grounding in liberal arts should be the ultimate goal of all education, I think we're assuming too much. When I started college the transition was fairly easy. The difference between my lived outlook and my schooled outlook was minimal. That said, my goal was to build houses and become a master carpenter so I did the required seat time until an opportunity to drop out came along and then was out of there to become a liberal arts tradesman. <br /><br />In the trades I worked with all sorts of people. Some would have made exemplary Greek citizens while others fell on the Barbarian side of the divide--rough but not dangerous. Every one of us could have benefited from a full lib arts degree. All of us could as well have benefited from a period of self-reflection and a bit more polish but... <br /><br />Oddly, people with degrees never seemed concerned with the time they presumably "wasted" in school when they could have been advancing in the trades. Instead, the biggest mystery was how the abstractness of their studies seemed to melt right into the concreteness of their current jobs. <br /><br />There may be many faults in education but I think it's fair to turn on those who feel cheated or rant on about how "irrelevant" liberal arts are and ask what exactly it is they want. If it's direct access to high paying jobs, what makes them think that this is an automatic process? What are the other characteristics of a sought after employee besides an attitude of entitlement? Look at the people around you who can think their way through a work related problem and ask where that soft skill is taught. <br /><br />Where I work there's a trade taught the does guarantee instant hiring. Because the instructors go out into the community where this specific skill is in short supply, sign practicum agreement, with the employer and then enroll only as many students as they have practicums for, to pass the course is to be hired. And yet, because the world has decided that to do the job you must have a certificate, the teaching falls mostly to passing the certification exam. And since the students want the work quickly there is limited time for reviewing the wholeness of the trade. So in spite of the perfect "relevance" to the actual job, the students and the employer now complain the program short-changes them. <br /><br />One last thing and I'll shut up. If you had 2 to 4 years to train someone but had no idea what exactly to train them for wouldn't it be best to for a generalist approach? We used this idea for years in an economy where the same jobs lasted a lifetime. Now that whole industries come and go in under a decade and we need generalists we are asked to prepare specialists.Scott Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16557119002863457695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-51442561701814963572012-03-16T12:24:02.972-04:002012-03-16T12:24:02.972-04:00I was someone who "didn't get it" at...I was someone who "didn't get it" at school or university. With a passion for science, engineering and maths, I couldn't wait to drop everything else. Now, for example, I regret missing out on an interesting but non-examinable course at university on the 'History of Science' because I thought I couldn't afford the time or risk degrading my performance on the 'important' subjects. I don't think any amount of direct advice would have changed my mind at the time but a less rigidly compartmentalised approach by the university might have helped to broaden horizons. No matter how relevant and mixed up X, Y and Z are in real life, given a University Department of X, it's not so easy to come up with good programmes of study that incorporate relevant material from Departments Y and Z without alienating Dept X students who can't help absorbing the attitudes and prejudices of their own Departmental group - eg Y is a 'soft' subject, Z is for math cop-outs etc. etc. It also doesn't help when Department Y's education of students other than 'their own' is regarded as a chore best left to their less experienced or enthusiastic staff. The answer must be somehow to exploit whatever academic passions students already have so that Dept X's student comes to perceive Y and Z as a proper and relevant part of X. Easier said than done but maybe technology can play its part in slanting courseware in the different directions that this would entail.<br />Gordon LockhartAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161135244635363391.post-52175107305350845172012-03-16T12:18:14.164-04:002012-03-16T12:18:14.164-04:00Thanks Deb. I agree that it is sad when I see stu...Thanks Deb. I agree that it is sad when I see students wasting the opportunity they have as undergraduates to really get an interesting perspective on the world. I've been working with my microbiology students with an assignment to transform their digital micrographs of bacteria in lab into something creative. Most groan, but a few do amazing jobs. Student creativity always floors me when it is expressed.Robert Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07240643165321525400noreply@blogger.com