Article no. 1
Kristen Clanton: Effective Online Course Design Crews, Tena B., Kelly Wilkinson, and Jason K. Neill. “Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education: Effective Online Course Design to Assist Students’ Success.” MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. Vol. 11, No. 1, 2015, pp. 87-103. The focus of Crews, Wilkinson, and Neill’s study is to apply Chickering and Gamson’s Seven Principles of Undergraduate Success to online course design to increase student success (87). A classroom that exercises the Seven Principles “encourages contact between students and faculty, develops reciprocity and cooperation among students, encourages active learning, gives prompt feedback, emphasizes time on task, communicates high expectations, and respects diverse talents and ways of learning” (88-89). Though these strategies have proven advantageous in the standard classroom, Crews, Wilkinson, and Neill worked to apply the principles to online course design. Prior to their study, the major strategies identified to increase online success are: being highly communicative and providing continuous feedback, moving from using the Socratic approach to being more of a coach, being flexible, and developing a sense of community (Crews et al qtd. DeVine 88). Implementing these strategies can combat the noted disadvantages of online education, particularly regarding the conversation between students and the material, students and their instructor, and students and their classmates, but these strategies do not act as principles that lead to exceptional quality. Researchers Wang, Sierra, and Folger noted that adult learners are engaged and independent thinkers; however, motivation needs to be sustained (90). Responding to these numerous principles, strategies, and studies, Crews, Wilkinson, and Neill suggest that an online instructor should identify student strengths and weaknesses, and then design the course to suit the needs of the students. The success of an online classroom is not solely on the grand scale of course design, but the instructor should also communicate individually with a student to build on strengths and work on weaknesses. All in all, outside of a student’s ability to manage his/her own time, the Seven Principles application to the online classroom is based on the instructor’s ability to communicate consistently, clearly, and effectively. This efficiency of communication on the instructor’s part also informs the syllabus and facilitates online conversation among students (101). Student retention in an English classroom is always difficult. I have read numerous article about increasing retention and student success in the traditional classroom; however, I have not given much consideration to how those strategies can be translated to the online classroom. Now that I am teaching solely online, I find myself incredibly focused on building communication with my students. This is something that came easy in the traditional classroom—I showed up early to class and stayed after, my office door was always open— but building conversation and community is a completely different world through the screen. As an instructor, I have always employed Devine’s strategies of active engagement, but this is the first semester that I have built the course schedule as the class progresses. So far, I’ve found that though it is a little more demanding to build the schedule within the timeline of the course, I feel more accountable and connected to the class, as opposed to the years that I constructed the full course before the first day of class. Article no. 2 Kristen Clanton: Classic works of literature still have a place in today's classrooms Law, Sally. “Classic works of literature still have a place in today's classrooms.” The Guardian, 11 Dec. 2012, https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2012/dec/11/teaching-classic-literature-schools In the Guardian article, ““Classic works of literature still have a place in today's classrooms”, Sally Law, principal English professor at Scotland’s Marr College, argues that classic literature is more beneficial than ever to the modern English classroom. Law’s list of advantages is numerous: studying classic literature gives students the opportunity to study the shifts in language and punctuation throughout history, which will help them to better understand language in its current context (par. 4);experiencing a story through a specific character’s history and perspective permits students to better understand others (par.5); “gaining a broad view of society, through the eyes of another, fosters understanding, tolerance and empathy and the value of these capacities cannot be underestimated in today's world” (par. 5); understanding the past—hopefully—prevents us from repeating previous mistakes (par. 6); and quite possibly the greatest benefit that Law noted is that literature “edges learners beyond their comfort zones but in doing so, [teachers] challenge their thinking and bolster their confidence to become even more skilled in the use of their own language. Or as the Confederation of British Industry might say, [teachers are] equipping them with essential skills for the real world” (par. 5). To those who teach outside of the English classroom, Law’s points read as good teaching pedagogy based on centuries of study. I’m sure each of us has memories of an English teacher who brought a piece of literature to life—a classic that indelibly altered who we are and the way we experience the world. But English classrooms—at least those fundamental composition courses found at the public university—have changed dramatically. Literature, particularly the classics, are no longer present in early composition courses, and have instead made their way into more specialized classrooms of study. In the place of novels, short stories, and poetry, the English composition syllabus is chockablock with nonfiction essays and articles. In a lot of ways, the English instructor teaches spin: how to write spin, how to read spin, how to deconstruct every argument (because everything is an argument), and how to decimate another argument with logic, clarity, and structure. Without literature, the modern English classroom is putting the work in to keep up with the age of technology. And I get it. I absolutely do. The path to graduation has more avenues than ever before, and more students are walking that path than anytime in history, so the English classroom needs to meet the needs of all students and all avenues of study. Furthermore, dissecting an argument and developing one anew are vital skill sets in the modern workforce. But along with Professor Sally Law, I believe that teaching literature can not only improve argument by giving students the opportunity to experience other people in other times and/or other worlds, but the study of literature teaches students how to think deeply. Studying literature develops critical thinking skills, and critical thinking has numerous stages before its ultimate point: argument.
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Final ReflectionMy enrollment in the University of Nebraska Omaha’s Department of Continuing Studies Transformative Teaching and Learning Initiative aligned with my first semester of teaching online. Prior to the Winter of 2018, I spent every term, for the last seven years, in the traditional classroom. Each term of my career, as my knowledge and experience increased, my confidence in the classroom increased as well. My thoughts and beliefs on teaching and learning focused on two main points: open communication and meeting each student where he/she is at. If I could achieve both of those goals, a sense of community would develop among the students and myself, and we would all feel comfortable exploring our ideas and arguments. Furthermore, what may be more important, is that a classroom that has a keen sense of community will also regard and respond to the ideas and beliefs of others. A strong community not only respects the diversity of the group, but also takes that diversity into account when engaging in communication. This point is vital to English Composition courses, where it can be difficult for students to feel confident and/or comfortable expressing their ideas and experiences. As a student and instructor, I cannot count how many silent classrooms I’ve sat in. This is punishing for everyone, and if the spell is not broken early, it can spoil an entire term. This is where point two—meeting students where they are at—becomes significant. My classroom works in drafts. We use brainstorms, outlines, workshop groups, and in-class writing assignments. These assignments are geared to focus on the forest (argument, construction of argument) and the trees (details, description, counterarguments, framing sources). And I respond to everything. The more I read, the more I learn a student’s strengths and weaknesses as a writer; the more I learn who they are as people. With this knowledge—along with the subjects of their writing projects—I put them in workshop groups. In Composition I, these groups change per paper. But in Composition II, these groups are significant when it comes to the major research paper. Composition II research paper groups meet at least ten times throughout the term. They work on the forest and the trees, together, sharing ideas and research, and supporting one another in a class that a considerable number of students quit. These groups are sub-communities within the classroom, and they are invaluable. Beyond understanding the students as writers and attempting to know them as people, I also give my students freedom. I let them write about whatever they want. I communicate my expectations; I communicate the dynamics of writing and the techniques that need to be applied (which the guidelines, brainstorm, and outline reinforce); I show them the box they must work within. Once they know what I’m looking for, they can do whatever they want. Probably the most controversial thing I do, maybe even more so in the English department, is award 100 percent scores to hard worked, significantly drafted, well written papers. As I said before, I collect drafts, and lots of them. On the first day of class, I not only tell my students that I judge their work against their own work and development, but I also tell them that I am an instructor who awards 100 percent scores. I am not one of those English teachers who believe a 100 means perfection. That does not make sense to me. Writing is never perfect. The Iliad isn’t perfect. Neither is The Brothers Karamazov. Writing is human. Good writing is connective. Good writing pulls at the reader. It makes a person read the same passage over and over, then put the book down to think about the passage further. To be encompassed by it. It makes a person think about the writer, how he/she came to touch on an idea or a sentence or a description that is so beautiful or clever. So well thought out and patient. Even the word essay means “to try.” So why would perfection ever come into the conversation? And why would a student ever feel motivated to take risks— to really try— if he/she knew from the start that trying was mostly futile? And how significant can that futile pursuit be to a student who is taking my class because it is required for their major? These things are easy to communicate in the traditional classroom. It’s conversation. I can say it all in five minutes or less and move on. It’s a spark in the brain, a touchstone. But things are different in the online classroom. The conversation isn’t the same. The openness, the eye contact and gestures, the laughs and conversations about our days and weekends just aren’t there. And right at this transition is when I began the Department of Continuing Studies Transformative Teaching and Learning Initiative. At this stage in my career, every aspect of the DCS Teaching and Learning Initiative was important to me because the assignments approached both practical and philosophical knowledge, and then created immediate opportunities for reflection. Furthermore, these reflective opportunities allowed me to meditate on how to transition my work from the traditional classroom into the online classroom. Of the practical components, I found “Module Two: The Student in Higher Education” and “Module Three: Technology Resources” of the greatest benefit. The demographics of a student body are important foundational knowledge for any instructor. Just on the discussion of planning and delivery in the English classroom, having this information aids an instructor in choosing course readings and developing different strategies for learning. I think more modules of this type, especially regarding the population of international students—their backgrounds and the histories of their counties—would be of significant importance. I believe this to be true of the technology component as well. In my few years at UNO, I have received extensive information about the library and the abundance of research outlets it offers. I have even taken numerous courses—including the full-day summer camp— discussing the Canvas platform. However, I have yet to see instructor courses offered that discuss different delivery platforms. The technology module is the first time I have taken a course about adding audio to my lectures. It would be to my betterment as an instructor if I could take more courses like this. I would love to learn about how best to record lecture sessions and post them online and how to deliver lectures live, so students can ask questions and be involved in an open discussion; moreover, it would be great if I could save these lectures on an online platform, making them available for future use. These are aspects of the teaching environment I know work in, and I will be working to expand my knowledge of the different technologies available to me. Of the philosophical components, I enjoyed reading Ken Bain’s What the Best College Teachers Do. Unlike other books on teaching theory, I found Bain’s book to be practical, conversation, and approachable. Even though the book discusses the upper echelon of educators, he is really focusing on best practices. It isn’t really a book about being the greatest genius in an Ivy League’s English department, but as an instructor, it’s about how to translate knowledge while also be inspired by and engaged with students. Every time I read a chapter, even just a few pages of the text, I felt encouraged and, in a way, understood. Bain’s text, combined with the practical knowledge of the modules, pressed me to really consider the scope of my teaching and communication. In the last few chapters of Bain’s book, I thought a lot about the students I’ve had throughout the years that I was not able to reach. In some ways, particularly on the topic of student evaluations, it’s easy to give attention to the majority, especially the majority who speaks out positively. As an instructor, the best students are always memorable, but so are the ones who sit in the back, alone, not saying a word all semester. Since reading Bain’s book, I have been reaching out even more to these students, really trying to create an open dialogue of understanding, and evaluating what I can do to help them succeed in my class. I find this notable important in the online classroom. Of the other activities associated to the certificate program, I found them valuable, and I am really proud of the work I’ve achieved in this course. I think my teaching philosophy is one of the first essays I have written that doesn’t shy away from saying exactly how I feel. If anything, taking this DCS course and engaging whole-heartedly in all of the projects has taught me to really stand up for my beliefs as an educator. Teaching is an active career. Being a teacher is challenging both personally and socially. One must be aware of the past, the present, and the future, in regard to both singular and world events. Building this portfolio is the first time in my career that I worked on a project that wasn’t to attain a new position, but instead to have a better understanding of who I am, who I’ve become, and who I want to be, as an educator. That’s invaluable. As I continue on in my career, I plan to keep listening to my students. I plan to keep working on engaging them as much as I can and attempting to meet them where they are. Furthermore, on the conversat ion of my own development, I plan to learn more technology that I can implement in my classroom. DCS Transformative Teaching and Learning Initiative |
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