Preparing Your Course

Invited Session
How Can I Use Backward Design to Create a Well-Aligned Course?
Erin Malone, professor of large animal surgery and assistant dean of curriculum, University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine
Length: 60 Minutes

Backward design is a very powerful tool for aligning assessments, course content and objectives and for focusing content on what students need to understand, do and apply. With backward design, the tests are created first. This makes it easier to ensure important concepts are covered thoroughly, practiced effectively, and are not crammed into the last session or left for students to cover on their own. Effective backward design is reassuring to instructors, students and administrators as outcomes are clear and directly related to personal or professional goals. This session will use CPR and driver’s license programs to highlight backward design and will include the speaker’s favorite tips. We will practice by using participants’ upcoming classes or courses to ensure everyone is ready to backwards design their future lessons.

Learning Outcomes:
Participants will develop a class or course using backwards design, including:

• Creating an authentic but doable test
• Writing measurable objectives
• Designing the course format to match

Invited Session
Design to Align: How to Craft an Elegant, Intentional, and Powerful Syllabus
Tona Hangen, history professor, Worcester State University
Length: 60 Minutes

A well-designed course incorporates backward design to align all the course elements with what students should know or be able to do. An elegant syllabus translates the instructor’s intentional designs into a format that students find accessible and which engages their motivation to learn. But a well-designed course doesn’t always have an elegant syllabus, and vice versa. This workshop session connects course and syllabus design together, focusing first on how to convert learning outcome statements into strong course components, and then how to align those components to relevant knowledge dimensions, cognitive processes, and assessment expectations. Once the course is “designed to align,” the syllabus becomes much more than a list of policies and course calendars. Participants will practice this iterative process using a planning matrix and syllabus design template, adaptable to any learning environment or level of teaching experience.

Learning Outcomes:

• Translate learning outcome statements into practical elements of course design
• Utilize a planning matrix to align learning outcomes to assessments, knowledge dimensions, and cognitive processes
• Incorporate effective backwards-design principles to improve your course’s syllabus

Invited Session
How Can I Use Analogies to Help Faculty With Backward Design?
Erin Malone, professor of large animal surgery and assistant dean of curriculum, University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine
20-Minute Mentor Session

Backward design is often a foreign concept and typically requires a bold spirit. Most instructors have inherited courses designed in a forward manner. These courses were often given by the same person for years and have been well received by students. Making small tweaks seems much safer than throwing out the entire course design. Similarly, as students, most of our courses seemed to follow a forward design. So, we pull out the textbook, mark out chapters by class session and create our exam after we provide content. Backwards design can be a big scary step. By using analogies to well designed and easily recognizable programs, we may be able to make backwards design more accessible to instructors. This session will focus on how analogies might help your faculty make that step.

Learning Outcomes:

• Identify barriers to backwards design
• Find the components of backwards design in CPR and driving license programs
• Share stories on what has worked
• Create a plan to help faculty move to backwards design lesson planning

Motivate Your Students to Excel Through Competency-Based Grading
Anita Morgan, Indiana University, Bloomington
Audience: Is new to this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Course grades often do not accurately reflect the student’s competency related to the course outcomes. In her book, Specifications Grading, Linda Nilson (2014) states, “…the grading system that higher education in the United States has relied on for many decades has serious problems. It does not work in anyone’s interests, and it genuinely hurts those most directly associated with it: the faculty and the students. In fact, the system is broken.” (p. 2) I will share how I used the suggestions in Nilson’s book to transform my grading system and the impact this has had on my students. This session will help you create a competency-based grading system that upholds high academic standards, reflects student learning outcomes, motivates students to learn and excel, discourages cheating, reduces student (and faculty) stress, and provides feedback that students will use.

Systems Thinking: A Framework for Critical Thinking and Active Learning
Kara Whitman and Jennifer Johnson, Washington State University
Audience: Is new to this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

It is shown that student engagement provides an instructive focus for enhancing learning, teaching and the student experience. In order to boost your student engagement and learning, infuse your curriculum with systems thinking, a framework to develop active learning and enhanced engagement in the classroom. From a young age we are taught to be linear thinkers, i.e. one step leads to the next; or A causes B which causes C. If we continue to think in this manner, finding solutions to the complex or “wicked” problems of today will never be found. Systems thinking strategies will engage students in a deeper level of learning. This session will provide participants with a basic understanding and theory of systems thinking, various methods for implementing it into their course design, as well as tools and activities to utilize in the classroom.

How Can Writing a Transparent and Student-Centered Purpose Statement for Assignments Boost Students’ Outcomes?
Rod McRae, University of West Georgia
20-Minute Mentor Session

We know why we love our discipline, but that’s not always clear to students, especially those in their first few semesters. Sometimes, our assignment instructions don’t convey passion at all, which can lead to lackluster responses from students. This session explores just one element of an evidence-based approach to assignment design by connecting one part of Transparency in Learning & Teaching (TILT) with ideas from Lang’s Small Teaching (2016) and Darby and Lang’s Small Teaching Online (2019). We offer strategies for guiding students to understand the assignment’s purpose to their learning, helping to avoid uninspired responses. Instead of asking you to (re)design a whole assignment, this session will help you to articulate its short- and long-term benefits to students. You will leave with an answer to students’ often-unasked question, “What’s in it for me?”

Assessing Learning

Improving the Quality of Multiple-Choice Questions
Rebecca Orr, Collin College and Peggy Brickman, University of Georgia
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Multiple-choice questions are a popular option for assessing student learning. They are easy to grade, provide opportunities for students to practice problem solving, and are commonly found on high-stakes assessments. If only they weren’t so hard to write! In this session, we will review some common mistakes that faculty make when writing these types of questions, review psychometric guidelines for writing effective multiple-choice questions, and provide attendees with an opportunity to work in small groups to identify and correct mistakes in questions. Participants are encouraged to bring their own test questions to review and correct, but sample questions will be available. Participants will walk away with a peer-reviewed checklist of best practices for writing selected response items prepared by assessment experts that they can put into practice immediately following the session.

Stop Grading! – How Feedback and Self-reflections Changed my Classroom
Melissa Michael, John Brown University
Audience: Is new to this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

“What’s my grade?” This is often the question that students are interested in. Research shows that when students are given a grade, they can do little else besides compare it to others. They do not see the grade as an indicator of their learning. Rather than grades, students need formative feedback that allows them to reflect on and assess their learning. This session highlights my journey with grading and feedback. I eliminated grades from homework and quizzes and allowed time in class for students to reflect on my comments, talk with peers, and develop a plan to further their learning. Without grades, I saw students much more comfortable with sharing results, helping peers, and making mistakes. Students reported a reduction in stress and anxiety. Session participants will have the opportunity to reflect on the research, their own grading practices, and develop ideas for changes.

How Do I Peer Review That? Rubric-Guided Peer Assessments
Amy Pinkerton and Deepthi Werapitiya, Johns Hopkins University
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

By incorporating peer assessment into students’ learning, faculty can prepare students for real-world applications of giving and receiving feedback. However, many students are either reluctant or unsure of how to give valid feedback. Rubrics are a valuable tool to guide students through the peer assessment process by identifying the criteria of the assessment, with detailed descriptions of the levels of performance for each criterion (Stevens & Levi, 2013). With these specific assessment parameters, students can confidently provide valid feedback to their peers. This presentation prepares faculty to facilitate a valid and reliable peer assessment activity using a rubric. Session attendees will identify the importance of peer learning and assessment; identify the essential parts of a rubric; and examine strategies for designing and implementing a peer assessment rubric.

How Can We Get Students to Showcase Their Understanding of Connections Between Different Content Elements?
Christine Monnier, College of DuPage
20-Minute Mentor Session

Most books on pedagogy in higher education mention mind maps as a good teaching and learning tool. From this session, participants will learn the reasons why mind maps are a better alternative to the traditional paper to get students to showcase their understanding of the connections between content elements. Not all content is linear, and we need way for students to show how they see connections in non-linear content. Mind maps allow the visual representation of any kind of content from brainstorming, to analysis, to content creation, they can be used in any teaching format (face-to-face, hybrid, online), individually, or in groups. The session will also introduce different tools that instructors and students can use to complete mind maps, concept maps, and flowcharts. It will also show different applications of actual content.

How Can Faculty Simultaneously Assess Knowledge and Provide a Learning Opportunity that Engages Students?
Brian Rempel, University of Alberta – Augustana Campus
20-Minute Mentor Session

How does an instructor accurately evaluate student learning, and prompt students to reflect on concepts they still don’t understand? Summative written examinations can measure gains in factual knowledge and some types of skill development, but they are an imperfect tool for measuring learning or helping students learn from mistakes. An oral exam lets the instructor tailor questions and provide feedback with which students must engage. Learn how oral exams can be implemented in a simple and effective way, students have the opportunity to learn from the exam, and oral exams can be used to evaluate skills not amenable to evaluation by written exams. The use of oral exams in small 4th-year undergraduate biochemistry or political studies courses will be described, along with the benefits and drawbacks from the perspectives of the course instructor, students, and the research literature.

How can free online assessments help students learn about group dynamics and lead to better group work?
Wren Mills, Western Kentucky University
20-Minute Mentor Session

When students learn there will be group work in a course, this is usually followed by a groan and mumbling around the room. Group work tends to leave a bad taste in students’ mouths due of their lack of understanding of group dynamics. If you need use group activities in your courses, utilizing free online personality assessments can help them to better understand who they are and who their classmates are and how to work better within a group. Those who attend will learn about how to use the Jung Typology and DISC assessments to begin discussions with students about who they are, what this means for them in group settings, and how to interact with others who may have the same typologies as they do. We’ll also cover various ways to group students using the results.

Student Engagement

Advisory Board Session

Coaches, not Cops: Strategies Promoting Better Learning Decisions
Lolita Paff, Penn State Berks
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Despite all we’ve learned about teaching and learning, we haven’t quite figured out how to deal effectively with behaviors that sabotage learning. Students skip class. They show up unprepared. They surf the web and text during class. They procrastinate, miss deadlines and ask for extensions with lame or bogus excuses. Syllabus policies and negative consequences are commonly used to discourage these unproductive behaviors. Policies are necessary. They serve as a warning to students: this is what will happen if you are absent, miss an exam, turn work in late, text, etc. But if policies are supposed to prevent these unproductive behaviors, why do students still engage in them? Are there reasons why policies don’t work? Are policies and penalties the best option? Fortunately, there are teacher practices that help students mature as learners while promoting positive learning behaviors. This interactive session identifies strategies that increase student ownership of learning. To develop students as independent and mature learners, teachers need to go beyond policies and employ practices that allow students to learn from their behaviors, not just suffer the consequences.

Invited Session
Putting Students in the Driver’s Seat: Equip and Empower through Metacognition
Cathy Box, director for the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship, Lubbock Christian University
Length: 60 Minutes

Students often enter college underprepared, lacking the metacognitive skills needed to regulate their own learning as they are faced with the rigors of higher education. There are easy-to-implement, practical strategies that faculty can use to equip and empower students in their own learning, putting them squarely in the driver’s seat. Proficient self-regulation by students results in deeper learning, higher achievement, and increased engagement and motivation, equipping them for success in the classroom and beyond. This session will provide concrete strategies that can be used to develop metacognitive acuity in students based around three fundamental questions: Where am I going? Where am I now?, and How can I close the gap?.

Learning Outcomes:

• Determine what metacognition is and is not
• Discover the purpose and benefits of promoting metacognition
• Investigate practical ways to implement metacognitive strategies in the classroom

Can we Talk? Academic Freedom in Classroom Discussions
Antija Allen, Pellissippi State Community College, Anthony James, Miami University (Ohio), and Jason James, Wilmington University
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Discussion is a staple in a classroom. Topics seen as taboo tend to produce the most lively and valuable discussions. Fear of retribution for engaging in such topics have commonly caused faculty to avoid having such difficult dialogues, even when they are relevant to their field and current events. Fears and uncertainty surrounding job security, hampering a promotion and tenure case, garnering a negative stigma, etc., all serve as viable rationales for not engaging in such discussions. These fears persist even though the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure explains that professors “are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject.” Participants will leave with an understanding of what academic freedom is, why it’s important to student learning, and practical strategies for how to facilitate a discussion on traditionally taboo topics.

Engaging Strategies for Student Success in F2F and Online Classes
Susan Eason and John Mayes, Jr., San Jacinto College
Audience: Is new to this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Research shows that a connection exists between student engagement, persistence, retention, and attainment of goals in college. Students actively engaged with other students, faculty, and course curriculum can improve their communication skills and their academic success. This session offers instructional strategies and tools for promoting student engagement by addressing the behavioral, emotional, and cognitive dimensions of engagement in face-to-face and online classes. Active learning strategies as well as tips for overcoming social, administrative, and motivational obstacles will also be presented.

“That’s Not What Grandma Believed!”—Creating Safety for New Ideas
Brad Bull, Tennessee Tech University
Audience: Is new to this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

How do we help students overcome resistance to new ideas? The developmental psychology models of James Fowler and Scott Peck identify traditional college students as being in a transition from polarized black-and-white thinking to a more inclusive style. Polarized thinking and various culture-of-origin factors can lead to resistance to accommodating new information that may be perceived as a threat to students’ identity. This session presents three exercises to help students feel safe to contemplate new ideas. This occurs through affirming the best of past traditions and emotional connections to family and culture; creating cognitive dissonance over accepted inaccuracies in outdated beliefs (e.g., “the earth is flat”); and providing a plausible resolution to the cognitive dissonance by illustrating the ability to hold emotional connection and new ideas in concert.

How Can I Devise Discussion Questions That Will Increase Student Engagement in Classroom Conversations?
Claire C. Lamonica, Illinois State University
Length: 20 Minutes

Research tells us that, in any given university class, “5-8 students will account for 75-95 percent of verbal contributions to discussion” (Howard). While the reasons for this are numerous and varied, one way to increase student engagement with classroom discussion is to re-think the discussion questions we’re posing. This session will (1) offer guidelines for developing effective discussion questions, (2) engage participants in a conversation about discussion questions, and (3) provide an annotated list of resources for continued learning.

Technology Tools for Teaching

Advisory Board Session

Roll for Initiative: What Dungeons & Dragons Can Teach Us about Course Design
Kristin Ziska Strange, University of Arizona
Audience: Is new to this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Those of us who have played Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop roleplaying games know how engaging the games can be. But does this game offer anything we can bring to an online or blended class? Is there a tool out there that can handle creating that kind of individual experience for our students? Maybe…but you’re going to have to roll for initiative to find out. By being an active participant in this session, you gain: the ability to recognize various elements of games that can foster engagement; experience with a technology-supported game with other participants; and exposure to a free tool that can easily be used in any LMS with HTML support.

Advisory Board Session

Riding the Wakelet Wave: Curation Made Easy
Madeline Craig, Molloy College, New York
Audience: Is new to this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

As educators, we are sometimes caught in information overload from a wide variety of online sources. We don’t always have the time to read it when we see it or we may want to save it for a future project. Curation is becoming an essential skill for all of us. Wakelet is a free curation tool that allows you to store and organize all the content you find on the web, and that includes links, images, tweets, videos, articles or even your own text. After this session, you’ll be able to identify opportunities for curation in and out of the classroom, set up a free Wakelet account and create your first Wakelet, and create a plan for use of Wakelet in the near future for a classroom assignment, a personal project or a professional conference.

Invited Session
Flip into Flipgrid: Engaging the Snapchat Generation of Learners
Robb Beane, instructor of education and student teaching supervisor, William Penn University
Length: 60 Minutes

Flipgrid is the leading video discussion platform for millions of Pre-K to PhD educators, students, and families in 180+ countries. Students record short, authentic videos and can reply to each other’s videos. Educators are 100% in control with video moderation, access controls, and much more. Students can capture widescreen videos, pause while recording, add more after reviewing, and trim to perfect. From 15 seconds to five minutes, your students can perfect the elevator pitch or give a short presentation.

We all know how drab online discussion formats can be for both student and teacher. Flipgrid is a free application that gives the ability to create simple online video discussion boards. Imagine the ability to interact with one another’s discussions in video format instead of text. Students and instructors record short, authentic videos on any topic. Instructors can provide feedback via text or video and Flipgrid also allows for peer to peer responses. Using video discussion boards is about engaging learning. Learning that is social, personal, without boundaries, about networking, and about promoting that we are all teachers and learners.

Within the session, participants will learn how to use Flipgrid the application, how to integrate Flipgrid into their teaching, and how students participate.

Learning Outcomes:

• Leave with a knowledge of how to use the Flipgrid application
• Learn the use of Flipgrid pedagogically in the classroom, both face to face and online, including real-world examples from several content areas
• Participate in completing a Flipgrid just as a student would

Using a Data-driven Approach to Write Better Exams
Alym Amlani, Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Audience: Is new to this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Did you know you can scan multiple choice bubble sheets with your cell phone? You can even perform statistical analysis of your exam questions in most learning management systems. By looking at the data generated by these tools, you’ll get a much better idea about which questions on your exams are good, and which ones aren’t – and it’s super easy to do. In this session, we’ll learn how to use Zipgrade to scan multiple choice exams with your smartphone. We’ll also look at how to interpret many of the common statistics and reports generated by these tools to improve your exam quality.

Enhancing Learning While Leveraging Technology
Morris Thomas and Angela Bullock, University of the District of Columbia
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Participants will be introduced to several technology tools for teaching that are appropriate for any instructional modality (i.e. face-to-face, hybrid-blended and/or online). This session will also include the ENHANCE Learning Model which provides a conceptual framework for incorporating the technology tools for teaching into the learning experience. The participants will be introduced to the instructional dynamics involved in the EHANCE Learning Model. The participants will also have an opportunity to practice utilizing a few of the technology tools presented during the session. Participants will leave this interactive session with the information needed to immediately incorporate the technology tools and instructional best practices into their courses.

How Can Social Accountability Support Academic Performance?
Amanda Felkey, Lake Forest College
20-Minute Mentor Session

This session shares how a SMS-based tool providing small daily commitment devices to students with a social element to make the commitment devices effective can help students mitigate their tendency to procrastinate, stay on task, potentially study smarter, and consequently perform better in their course. The tool uses behavioral economic ideas to instigate behavior change. Use of the platform is transferable to any course and to any field or university.

How Can I Use Hypothesis Digital Annotation Software to Enhance Student Engagement with Content and Discussions in My Classes?
Ann Diker, Metropolitan State University of Denver
20-Minute Mentor Session

Hypothesis is open source digital annotation software that can be used to annotate online materials in several Learning Management System platforms. The focus of this 20-minute session is to learn how to use this tool to enhance student engagement through collaborative annotation of the same document. We’ll discuss how Hypothesis can be used to advance critical reading skills and empower a wide variety of learners by looking at an example assignment in a traditional face-to-face class. In addition, we’ll brainstorm ways to use the tool in your classes. The session will conclude with resources to help you get started with Hypothesis for your next class.

Online Teaching and Learning

Invited Session
Small Online Teaching Strategies that Engage Students and Improve Learning
Flower Darby, director, teaching for student success, Northern Arizona University
Length: 60 Minutes

Do you want practical recommendations to dramatically improve online student engagement and learning, recommendations that don’t require too much of your teaching time? If so, join me to explore practical, evidence-based changes you can make in your online teaching practice, small but impactful adjustments that result in significant gains in student engagement and learning. Whether you are new or experienced online faculty, you’ll leave with brief learning activities, small course design modifications, and simple changes to your communication with online students, based on the approach outlined in Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes.

Invited Session
Creating Community Online: Teaching Strategies to Help All Students Succeed
Courtney Plotts, national chair, CASEPS
Length: 60 Minutes

After you’ve developed a great online course, have you ever questioned why students aren’t participating? Have you wondered about how students are navigating online classrooms or how they perceive your instruction? Or maybe you thought: How can I build a better sense of community or increase student engagement in a way that makes sense? This interactive session will assist you in understanding what might be keeping nontraditional students from fully participating in your online class, and what you can do to create a learning environment that works for all students.

Learning Objectives:
After this session, participants will be able to:

• Discuss general challenges associated with teaching in online spaces
• Identify various attributes of social presence that support specific motivators for course completion
• Learn strategies that help students perceive a strong sense of community
• Explore the ecology of virtual classroom environments
• Learn best teaching practices for online spaces that increase student motivation and trust in online spaces and ease your grading load
• Explore cultural considerations for best teaching and learning practices in online spaces

Assessing Online Discussions: Feedback and Grading Strategies that Work
Deepthi Werapitiya and Amy Pinkerton, Johns Hopkins University: School of Public Health: Center for Teaching and Learning
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Discussion forums in online learning are a critical component of peer-to-peer and student-to-instructor interaction and engagement. Well-designed discussion forum activities support the achievement of instructional goals while allowing students to build community, promote reflection and critical thinking, and peer-to-peer learning. However, discussion activities need to be well-designed to ensure the desired teaching and learning outcomes are achieved. Research indicates that instructors need to follow key strategies and best practices in online discussions to create a rich teaching and learning environment by providing timely and constructive feedback and including grading strategies that motivate and engage students. This presentation will discuss effective feedback and grading strategies and discuss methods of implementation for successful teaching and learning outcomes.

Contemporary Issues in Online Instruction: Enhancing Online Education through Research
Jennifer Hilton, Mary Jane Weiss, and Thomas Zane, Endicott College
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Teaching in an online environment presents many unique challenges which must be addressed, including behavior in the online classroom, ability to access material appropriately, and assuring that adequate learning is taking place. This session will address the importance of research to guide effective instruction in both synchronous and asynchronous online teaching environments. The importance of research to guide teaching will be stressed, along with the addressing important research issues for online teaching. A series of studies that have informed our instructional pedagogy will be presented, as examples of the type of research that will have validity, as well as instructional relevance. We will discuss behavioral expectations for online students and different instructional methodologies, including fluency, reading response methods, and classroom behavior.

Implementing Online Asynchronous Discussion Boards as a High-Impact Practice
Katherine Perrotta, Mercer University
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Asynchronous discussion boards are common pedagogical tools used by faculty to promote engaged learning, content comprehension, critical thinking, and writing and research skills in online courses. Although many higher education institutions are increasing their online course offerings, there is a gap in the literature about whether the implementation of asynchronous discussion boards can serve as a high-impact practice (HIPs) on student learning. Therefore, the purpose of this session is to highlight practical applications of high-impact practices when designing and facilitating asynchronous discussion boards that promote engaged learning in online environments.

Integrate Learning Science and Online Tools to Make Learning Durable
Jane Sutterlin and Emily Baxter, Penn State University
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Students often rely upon last-minute cramming and rereading, with the occasional highlighting, to prepare for quizzes and exams. However, cognitive science research overwhelmingly demonstrates that this type of studying does not lead to learning that endures. The information students crammed for last semester’s final forgotten when the time comes to apply it to next semester’s courses. In this session, we will provide a concise overview of best practices for teaching and learning, as framed by the field of cognitive science. Participants will participate in practical teaching strategies that can be implemented in the online classroom immediately. In particular, we will focus on the ways that online-tools can be used in innovative ways to make teaching more effective and student learning more durable. Participants will leave with a toolbox of resources that can be implemented immediately.

It’s all About You! First Step in Creating Online Courses
Janet McCollum, Catherine Barber, and Wendy Maboudian, University of St. Thomas-Houston
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

As you begin to create your online course, we maintain that you must first explicitly understand your views of learning and how those views might impact your online course creation. Using guided reflection questions, you will explore your views of learning and consider how those views impact how you create your course. You will then dialogue with others about their views, looking at the similarities and differences. The presenters will share their view of learning and the learning process for your consideration, and you will be given an opportunity to apply what you have learned to an online course of your choice. We will conclude with a final dialogue on what you have learned and ideas that you might use in creating your online courses.

Methodology Madness: How to Engage AND Teach Rigorous Content Online
Denise Harshbarger and Brian Sanders, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
Audience: Is new to this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Online learning of rigorous content requires new instructional strategies to bridge gaps in knowledge, engagement, and understanding for students. The purpose of our work is to meet students where they are in content knowledge and support them as they learn to think critically and apply higher level science and mathematics to solve authentic problems. While our work is focused on engineering, the principles of instruction and course design we are using apply to any course that contains rigorous content. Topics include: scaffolding students to success, thinking beyond the math problems (authentic learning opportunities), implementing alternate means of assessment, building fluency through simulations, virtual reality and gaming, and implementing student learning communities.

Reimaging Office Hours: Maximizing Time for You and Your Students
Heather Maness, University of Florida
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Our instructional design unit recommended a “By appointment only” office-hour policy for many years however, we changed our approach after reviewing course feedback data from 1,841 students in 99 online and hybrid courses. A primary finding was that communication of the policy was a pervasive problem since 26% of students, on average, responded that appointments were not available (despite the policy on the syllabus, in the Start Here module, and often in the instructor’s Welcome video). In addition, we thought most instructors used the video conferencing tool within the Learning Management System (Canvas) but students reported a variety of technology. Lack of familiarity with these tools sometimes prevented participation, as did uncertainty about session structure. We now recommend regularly scheduled video conferencing sessions with implementation design tips such as an agenda.

What Active Learning Strategies Could Be Used in an Online Qualitative Research Course to Engage Students?
Cynthia Brown, University of West Georgia
20-Minute Mentor Session

This session considers strategies for teaching an online qualitative research course using active learning teaching methods (Nilson & Goodson, 2018). It explores how principles of adult learning theory, experiential learning, transformative learning, and critical reflection inform the activities in a course (Hansman, 2015). The active learning skills used in this doctoral-level qualitative research course included listening to others, interviewing using open-ended questions, doing a group project to learn content analysis, and conducting a field exercise to appreciate the emic and etic perspective (Swaminathan & Mulvihill, 2018). Participants in this session will have an opportunity to learn ways to engage students in an online qualitative research course and to participate in, and reflect on, a “listening exercise.”

Teaching Specific Student Populations

Invited Session
Learning from Men of Color: Constructing Culturally Responsive Academic and Student Service Systems
Newton Miller, associate dean, Ashford University
Length: 60 Minutes

This professional development session is based on experimental and experiential data that considers cognitive and non-cognitive factors which contribute to low retention and high failure rates of at-potential students. Using findings from this study we will offer an explanation to why, and suggestions of how, to combat these negative trends.
This information is impactful to how teaching and learning in higher education occurs as it focuses on two major objectives that are valuable to many institutions:

• Evaluating factors that contribute to constructing culturally responsive academic and student-serving systems that enhance the support of success of at-potential populations
• Generating insight on data to provide a unique approach to academic factors such as course design, assignments and assessment, based on strategies and methodologies specific to at-potential populations, particularly men of color successfully navigating their academic programs

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion

Advisory Board Session

Moving Beyond Diversity and Inclusion: Creating an Equity-Minded Syllabus
Amy Mulnix, Franklin and Marshall College
Audience: Is new to this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Have you integrated inclusive pedagogies into your teaching and wonder what’s next? Are you ready to be more intentional about making your assignments and course content more equity-minded? This session will identify evidence-based approaches to improve the success of minoritized students in your disciplinary and institutional context. In addition to providing resources and examples, the session will challenge participants to: adapt their evaluative components to recognize a greater diversity of students’ assets and skills; and identify topics and readings that address equity whether you teach in the humanities, social sciences, arts, or STEM fields. Case studies, individual reflection, and guided exploration will be used. Phones, tablets and laptops are encouraged. Participants in this session will be able to list three features of an equity-minded syllabus; generate ideas for improved equity-minded assignments; and identify disciplinary content for their course that promotes inclusion and equity.

Advisory Board Session

Building Agile Faculty: Incorporating Inclusive Teaching Practices to Create an Equitable Learning Environment
LaQue Thornton Perkins and Nicole D. Hawkins, Saint Leo University
Audience: Is new to this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Pope-Ruark (2017) stated agile practices should be included “into all aspects of their academic careers, be it research, service, or teaching.” This session will incorporate education on tools and techniques to bridge the gap of knowledge. The presentation will shed light on the factors of age, racial and socioeconomic diversity of the student body, and it will examine inclusive and equitable instructional practice to address wholistic learning needs of first-generation and non-traditional students including those with challenging life circumstances. We introduce agile faculty as a means to effectively provide an equitable and inclusive classroom. Agility is the ability to adapt and respond skillfully to a challenge or obstacle. As the demographics of student learners consistently expand and become even more varied, this leaves an opportunity to address the challenging matters of educator bias and provide a remedy (Abongdia, Mafumo, & Foncha, 2016). An agile faculty practitioner has to be adept in his/her discipline, of course, but also teaching methodology/pedagogy, assessment application including emotional intelligence, cultural awareness, and diversity practices.

Stop Blaming Students! Why We Must Teach Students, Not Content
Liz Norell, Chattanooga State Community College
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Walk into any room where higher education faculty are talking about creating student-centered classrooms, and the most dangerous word in higher education will inevitably come up: “cover.” Faculty have become convinced that the value of our courses is that they cover some agreed-upon set of content that means students have mastered that material. When students fail to do so, it’s because they were deficient in some way; as faculty, we shrug and commiserate with our colleagues in meetings about how under-prepared our students are. In this session, we will challenge these assumptions, shifting our focus onto the students themselves—what they’re experiencing, what they bring into the classroom, and what faculty must do if we want them to leave our classes with something meaningful to their lives and indeed to their futures.

How Can Faculty and Students in Different Countries Collaborate Online Using Virtual International Exchanges (VIEs)?
Carina Gallo, San Francisco State University, Department of Criminal Justice Studies and Julaine Fowlin, Auburn University, Harrison School of Pharmacy
20-Minute Mentor Session

Global learning has become essential to prepare students for an increasingly interconnected world. The Association of American Colleges & Universities has indicated that global learning is a high impact educational practice that can increase student success. Gaining a global perspective in higher education can, however, be challenging as study abroad programs are costly and competitive. Of particular concern is that students do not have equal access to different types of global learning. VIEs can make global learning more inclusive and support the development of other key competencies for both students and faculty, such as critical thinking, communication, teamwork, and global/intercultural fluency. We will show that a framework that combines best practices from computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) and culturally responsive teaching can optimize the outcomes of VIEs.

Teaching in the Health Sciences

Comfort with Ambiguity: Developing Students’ Clinical Decision-making Skills
Kristi Kelley and Julaine Fowlin, Auburn University: Harrison School of Pharmacy
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

In the health professions, problem solving is key to clinical decision making. Case-based reasoning is an effective approach for problem solving. This session will share experiences of how to scaffold the development of problem-solving skills through case-based reasoning at the individual and team levels using strategic sequencing, prompts and reflection. Participants will learn strategies for implementing case-based reasoning. Presenters will share faculty and student perspectives on case-based reasoning activities that develop critical thinking skills and foster professional growth. Key takeaways: 1. Case-based reasoning and expert scaffolding can improve problem-solving in novices. 2. Ill-structured case-based problems with multiple correct answers fosters students’ comfort with the ambiguity they will encounter in practice.

e-Orientation: Less Paperwork Stress, More Student Success
Ashley Marshall and Dina Peterson, Indiana University
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Students in higher education healthcare programs must follow numerous guidelines of not only the university, but also the department, program, and clinical placement sites. Every year healthcare students are inundated with critical pre-program paperwork. Traditionally, this paper-generated process placed stress not only on the students, but also on the faculty. This was an incredibly time-consuming endeavor, especially as we continued to increase enrollment. Our solution is to leverage our learning management system to create an entirely e-onboarding system that streamlines both the student experience and the faculty burden. This single-platform approach reduced redundancy and allowed content consistency among our multiple imaging programs. Now, we want to help you build a more efficient e-onboarding process that will revolutionize how your iGen students experience orientation.

Teaching Thinking in Health Care: Using Simulation to Foster Mental Modeling
Karin Page-Cutrara, Andria Phillips, and Sandra Peniston, York University School of Nursing
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

An innovative, theory-based approach to teaching thinking is presented in an overview of an undergraduate course. Teaching nursing students about models for decision-making and facilitating model application using simulation provides an immediate connection of theory to practice. Presenters will outline the rationale for the course development and ways for minimizing resources when planning delivery. The value of simulation and active learning as pedagogical approaches will be discussed. Various ways for applying course concepts, including the use of case studies and art activities, will be reviewed and practiced by session participants. Participants will take away a unique perspective on: how thinking can be taught in any course; experiential strategies for facilitating students’ meaningful application of learned concepts and cognitive models; and reflections on lessons learned.

Using Screen-Based Simulation to Promote Clinical Judgment
Christine Heid and Charlene Romer, ATI Nursing Education
Audience: Is new to this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

As learners prepare for diverse and ever-changing practice environments, educators are charged with preparing them for the ‘bigger picture’ and becoming thinkers, not just doers. The availability of screen-based simulation resources offers the educator new technologies to engage learners, practice clinical judgment and create realism within classroom environments. Simulation lays a foundation of safe, quality patient care principles based upon skills, competencies, and clinical judgment to make clinical connections and develop clinical reasoning and interprofessional communication (Benner, Sutphen, Leonard, & Day, 2010; Gaba, 2004; IOM, 2004a, 2004b, 2011; Lasater, 2007). The availability of new technologies and screen-based simulation offer faculty and students an opportunity to bring realistic client care encounters into the classroom. Benner’s clinical competence model in concert with active engagement using a deliberate, facilitated process guided the use of screen-based simulation to facilitate learner movement through Kolb’s experiential learning cycle with NLN/Jeffries simulation theory and INACSL Standards of Best Practice: Simulation.

An Integrated Curricula Course Development Process: From Conceptualization to Classroom
Julaine Fowlin, Lea Eiland, Brad Wright, Lori Hornsby, Emily McCoy, Nathan Pinner, and Jessica Starr, Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy
Audience: Is new to this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

The health professions require the integration of knowledge from several foundational sciences to solve health problems and make clinical decisions. Several professional educations, such as pharmacy and medicine, are moving away from discipline-specific curricular to meet accreditation standards and utilize more evidence-based learning approaches. However, such an endeavor can be complex and pragmatic guidelines are sparse. This session will present a backward design course development process geared toward achieving the highest levels of curricular integration. We will share templates and give participants the opportunity to work through the process. Key takeaways: 1. Successful curricular integration requires a systematic course development process. 2. Backward design provides a framework for moving from a discipline-specific mindset to an integrated mindset.

Flipped Feedback: Can Medical Students Elicit Quality Feedback?
Cecilia Gambala, Sarah Oliver, and Elizabeth Kelly,Tulane University Medical School
Audience: Is experienced in this topic and wants to learn more
Length: 60 Minutes

The pedagogical method of the “flipped classroom” in medical education has actively engaged the student learner. Similarly, the novel concept of “flipped feedback” changes the dynamic between the educator and student, requiring the latter to actively participate so both parties may see change. We explored medical students’ knowledge and perception of feedback in order to provide training on how they may elicit quality feedback. The majority of research and instruction regarding feedback in medical education relies upon the perspective of the individual who provides feedback rather than the learner. This flipped feedback session provides a framework for teaching students several aspects of feedback and specific techniques to effectively elicit feedback in the busy clinical setting. This session introduces several aspects of feedback in medical education: a general background; criteria for effective feedback; and techniques for medical students to effectively elicit feedback utilizing a mnemonic device, SNIPER, which organizes the feedback process from the learner’s perspective. The session implements short scenarios in which roleplaying illustrates strategies learned to be used in future real time clinical scenarios.

How Can a Poverty Simulation Improve Empathy in Health Professional Students Towards Individuals Living in Poverty?
Sarah Watts and Jeanna Sewell, Auburn University
20 Minute Mentor Session

Upon graduation, students from health professional programs must be prepared to provide patient-centered care and many of the patients these professionals will encounter live in poverty. This presentation highlights the utilization of Missouri Community Action Network’s poverty simulation within an interprofessional education program, which aims to prepare future healthcare professionals for interprofessional practice. Participating students completed a survey pre and post experience. In almost all categories within the survey, students demonstrated improved empathy towards those living in poverty after completing the simulation. Thus, this experience provided an innovative approach to reduce myths regarding poverty, improve understanding as to why people make certain decisions, and hopefully inspire students to provide more effective, patient-centered care in the future.

How Can Reflective Writing Practices Promote Self-Directed Learning?
Valencia McShan, Meharry Medical College, School of Dentistry
20-Minute Mentor Session

Reflective writing practice bridges the gap between classroom instruction and clinical practice while incorporating the emotional aspect of learning. It has proven to be a meaningful exercise in cultivating emotional intelligence, self-directed, and life-long learning. This presentation demonstrates how dental students perceive reflective writing in their learning of Operative Dentistry. Reflective writing also has the potential to facilitate self-reflection and integration of theory into clinical practice. The use of reflective writing can help students discover more about themselves, leading to introspection and self-awareness. This pedagogical approach not only improves students’ clinical reasoning skills but contributes to improving themselves as health care professionals. As dental education embrace the paradigm shift from a teacher-centered environment to a student-centered environment, it is paramount that students become self-directed in their learning.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)

Invited Session
Advancing Your Scholarly Teaching into Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Cynthia Haynes, associate professor, Sara Marcketti, professor, and Ann Marie VanDerZanden, associate provost, Iowa State University
Length: 60 Minutes

SoTL involves framing a research question related to student learning and systematically investigating it. The research methodology may include qualitative and quantitative data collection as well as direct and indirect measures. Data analysis may take multiple forms as well. Similar to disciplinary focused research, an important end goal of SoTL is to communicate research findings with members of the professional community so they in turn can build on the work and advance the practice of teaching beyond an individual classroom.

The learning goal for this session is to outline a framework and provide a stepwise process to guide faculty in developing a SoTL project. Specific goals for participants include: identify a researchable question; develop a framework and protocol for data collection; and create a SoTL project timeline including completion milestones.

Getting It Right: Exploring Student Success Strategies Through Web-enhanced Instruction
Sarah Bryans-Bongey, University of Northern Iowa
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

College students come to class with laptops, mobile devices, and the expectation of being oriented, engaged, and supported throughout the learning process. This exploration in instructional improvement centers on one faculty member’s creation and use of interactive agendas that are made available to students prior to class, actively used during class, and available as an ongoing resource after the class session has concluded.
Attendees of this Teaching Professor Conference session will view data from students who have experienced this intervention and see examples of interactive agendas prepared by the presenter. They will walk away from the session with a clear idea as to why and how they might implement this approach in their own teaching.

ER to the Rescue! An Examination of Elaborative Rehearsal as a Metacognitive Learning Strategy
Tori Norris, Calhoun Community College
Audience: Is new to this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Many college students are either unaware of their cognitive processes, are overconfident about their learning outcomes, or continue to use ineffective learning strategies. Elaborative rehearsal is a metacognitive learning strategy that has not been examined as comprehensively as others. An action research study was conducted to understand the differences elaborative rehearsal had on metacognition and/or test performance, as well as how students used and perceived the utility of elaborative rehearsal as a learning strategy. A mixed-methods approach was used to collect pre and post quantitative data, as well as qualitative data from the intervention and interviews. Major takeaways from this presentation include an in-depth look at elaborative rehearsal, different ways it can be used by students and various methods for incorporating it into our teaching practices.

Instructional Vitality: Ways to Keep Teaching Fresh and Invigorated

Advisory Board Session

Burnout and Resiliency—Making Choices in Our Work as Faculty to Avoid One and Maximize The Other
Scott Gabriel, Viterbo University
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

As resources at colleges and universities are stretched thin, it is a common refrain that our institutions need to do more with less. The underlying driving force is tightening fiscal resources resulting in employees being asked to be more creative or productive in the face of declining resources. Inevitably, this increase in demand of one’s time often leads to feelings of burnout. While increasing workload is one factor that exacerbates the prevalence of burnout, there are several others which contribute. This session aims to explore the patterns and factors which lead to faculty burnout and address what choices we can make at a personal level to become resilient in the face of these inevitable challenges. In addition to personal change, we will also explore how institutions can structurally modify their approach to encourage greater resilience and health in their faculty. This session will leverage and synthesize data from the primary literature which addresses burnout and resiliency in the academy. I will also share the work that I have done to foster and develop this type of resilient academic community as a director of faculty development and now as the chair of the faculty at a small liberal arts institution. Participants will leave this session with a basic understanding of forces which create burnout as well as the ones which nurture resiliency. Additionally, through our conversation and work in this session, participants will gain tools and approaches to address issues of faculty morale, and how to foster an engaged academic community.

For New Faculty

Advisory Board Session

Confidence, Clarity, and Concern: Developing an Effective Teaching Persona
Jennifer Waldeck, Chapman University
Length: 60 Minutes

Less experienced teachers face a difficult balancing act that involves working hard to be rigorous, understood, and effective in teaching their content—and at the same time, being liked and building critical positive relationships with students. And, too often, the scales tip one direction or the other.
This session will focus on key instructional communication behaviors new faculty members can use to display confidence, clarity and decisiveness, and caring and concern for students. Discussion will focus on the common communication mistakes that new teachers make leading to lowered student perceptions of their credibility. Session activities will prompt participants to identify practices they may unknowingly engage in that can lead to conflicts with students, as well as demotivation and disengagement. As a result of this session, new instructors will develop an expanded understanding of how students interpret and assign meaning to what we say and do (that often doesn’t align with what we intend). And, importantly, participants will leave with a more complete communication toolkit for working effectively with students.

Advisory Board Session

The Best Teaching Advice I Have Received
Ken Alford, Brigham Young University
Length: 60 Minutes

Wouldn’t it be fun if you could gather a group of highly successful, knowledgeable, motivating, and enthusiastic teachers together and ask them to share with you their best advice about how you can become a truly outstanding teacher? Well, this presentation is the next best thing. Ken has been collecting “Best Teaching Advice” from outstanding teachers for many years, and we’ll have an opportunity to discuss their counsel and suggestions together. See you there! (This presentation is back by popular demand from last year’s conference.)

Advisory Board Session

Teaching and Learning: Context Matters
Neil Haave, University of Alberta, Augustana Campus
Length: 60 Minutes

Teaching (and learning) is highly context-dependent–the teaching strategies we use need to consider our students’ prior experiences and the learning culture in which they are embedded. This session will consider how context matters to teaching and how that results in teaching and learning being different for every instance we teach. We will use Perry’s scheme of intellectual development and Grow’s staged approach to developing self-directed learners to help us consider our students’ learning needs and context.

I Can’t Get No (Job) Satisfaction: Advice for New Faculty
Katherine Jones, Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus
Audience: Is new to this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Job satisfaction is something every employee desires but only a lucky few are able to obtain and maintain during the course of their careers. Too often, being happy and fulfilled with one’s work is seen as a passive state of being instead of a mindful action. This presentation seeks to get to the heart of what makes work worth doing (hint: it’s all about perception!) and how to train one’s brain to get the most out of one’s career at every stage. Happiness requires tenacity and variety; this presentation will explain how to acquire the mindset required to keep oneself engaged, no matter the obstacles that may exist in your current or future work environment. This presentation will delve into research about the nature of happiness, cognitive reframing, and what academics specifically want out of their work life experience.

Faculty Support

Advisory Board Session

How Can We Create a Creative, Safe, and Supportive Learning Community for New Faculty?
Patricia Kohler, University of Central Arkansas
Audience: Is new to this topic
Length: 20 Minutes

This session will focus on looking at creative ways to provide new faculty members support within a learning community that creates a safe place to reflect, explore, laugh, and share experiences. Within this community, new faculty members are encouraged to share victories and challenges through a variety of lenses. One such lens is a story about a monk who finds himself caught between two tigers while gazing at the perfect strawberry. Participants will be given several ideas for helping new faculty develop a sense of belonging. Some ideas presented in the session include using a dessert theme (example-banana pudding representing those moments when we step on the peel and find ourselves on the ground, not knowing what happened), question starters, life maps, circles of support, and other activities to build a safe supportive community.

Bridging Technology and Pedagogy with an Online Teaching Faculty Toolkit
Myrna Gantner and Mandi Campbell, University of West Georgia
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

The presenters will explain their work to scale up online teaching support at their institution, shifting away from random acts of improvement to a systematic, purposeful model called the Online Teaching Faculty Toolkit. The toolkit transformed well-intentioned, scattered actions into a focused, clearly articulated, and accessible vehicle to improve enthusiasm for—and the quality of—online teaching and learning. Participants will: recognize the value in building a faculty-developed Online Teaching Faculty Toolkit that supports the design and delivery of online courses that stimulate deep and reflective learning; identify ways to shift from a technical, process-driven focus to a pedagogical focus that addresses common problems of instructional practice; and appraise their institution’s needs and readiness to support the creation of a faculty-developed Online Teaching Faculty Toolkit.

Friendly and Efficient Peer Review of Online Teaching
Alexandra Bitton-Bailey, University of Florida
Audience: Has some experience with this topic
Length: 60 Minutes

Do your online instructors and designers receive useful formative feedback in a timely fashion? Is your peer review process efficient and user-friendly for faculty reviewers? Do you have ongoing recognition for excellent online teaching and course development? If you answered “no” to any of these questions, then the University of Florida’s “Pathway to Excellence” model of course review may be a good fit for your department or institution. This hands-on “Bring Your Own Device” session shares the University of Florida additions to the QM rubric along with a “Pay it Forward” peer review model and supporting technology. This quality assurance process integrates training, web tool, rubric and recognition. When combined, these elements create a scalable and sustainable course review process designed to be time-efficient for faculty reviewers, while offering course instructors helpful feedback.

Namaste Y’all: Preventing Faculty Burnout Through Self-Care Practices
Caitlin Bergendahl and Tiffany Freitas, Virginia Commonwealth University
Audience: Is new to this topic
20 Minute Mentor Session

As academia becomes increasingly more complex and faculty feel greater pressure and stress from managing competing priorities, self-care becomes a necessity. Research suggests that practices like mindfulness meditation can help reduce feelings of stress and anxiety for both faculty and students (Abenavoli et al., 2013; Bamber & Schneider, 2015). The CTLE at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) developed an all-day Faculty Self Care and Wellness Spa Day event to share mindful practices. This session will include strategies and sessions we incorporated, research and theories, and mindfulness and self-care activities for participants to model and practice at their own institutions. Takeaways: Self-care is essential to both faculty and student success; Mindful behaviors can help faculty and students; Contemplative pedagogies can enhance both student and instructor experience within and outside of the classroom.

What Are Small, Actionable Items That Institutions and Departments Can Implement to Better Support and Develop Adjunct Faculty Members?
Stephanie Shayne, Husson University
20-Minute Mentor Session

Supporting adjunct faculty is critical to both adjunct faculty satisfaction and the successful achievement of student learning outcomes. Yet, institutions often struggle when it comes to knowing how to best support this growing and diverse component of the academic workforce. Based upon a series of interviews with current adjunct faculty members, this presentation will offer several easily implemented strategies for improving the experience of, and better supporting, an institution’s adjunct faculty workforce. Strategies emphasize the importance of cultivating “small” relationships and how those relationships can positively impact adjunct faculty development, satisfaction, and effectiveness.