September 2000

In this issue:

Assessing group projects

Group work in courses helps prepare students for employment where team work is common. It can also assist students in developing research and presentation skills. However, group work frequently causes problems in university courses. Students may be unwilling or unable to act as teams or may complain about members of their group. In the last newsletter we provided information on structuring groups to help combat these problems. 

Assessment of group work is another contentious issue which can affect how well a group functions. In a recent article, Pitt (2000) argues that the marking of group projects can actually be quite unfair. The rules of group working can lead to behaviour different from what is claimed or intended, and in fact such effects are likely if we suppose the students to be playing in a game to get the most marks. The author is likely the first to apply games theory in a published article to examine optimum behaviour in group projects.

Conclusions from Pitt's analysis include:

  • Any method of selecting groups and allocating projects, whether random or systematic, will in general give some groups an advantage and some a disadvantage.
  • Giving all students the same mark means that as a sensible group strategy the weaker students should  contribute less.

If you are using group work or considering group work for your course, you might find this article helpful in increasing your awareness of behaviours that may be produced by the rules of the game. 

During the spring term TRACE ran a workshop and produced a TRACE tips sheet on assessing group work. The tips sheet outlines advantages and disadvantages of various assessment procedures. Assessment procedures examined are: equally shared marks, exam questions on the project, splitting marks, direct evaluation, distribution of a pool of marks, individual weighting factor, direct evaluation of team behaviour using teamwork logs, and process assessment by peer evaluation. Examples of the application of two assessment procedures are also included on the tips sheet. 

Teaching problem solving

By Maria Nelson

Problem solving 101? That's one way to describe Jeremy Steffler's optional lecture series on problem solving for ENV E 101. A master's student in chemical engineering, Jeremy developed the series in response to students having difficulties approaching problems beyond tried-and-true methods. They became very frustrated when they did not know how to tackle a problem, yet they also hesitated looking for help or using all the resources available at the university. 

With this in mind, rather than focusing on how to solve specific questions, Jeremy taught them different ways to tackle a problem. But he first tried to motivate them by explaining that one main goal of engineering is to learn how to apply existing knowledge when solving different problems. Simply learning how to solve individual types of questions would not be beneficial to them in the long run. 

He presented three approaches to problem solving. The first one he calls keyword. The idea is to find keywords in the problem and try to think of possible equations that are related to that keyword before trying to solve the problem. He says that students usually attempted to associate an equation with a problem before having understood the problem properly, which often leads to incorrect results. By taking the time to read the problem and look for alternative ways to solve it, students understand the problem better before starting to work. 

His second technique is called the sentence by sentence approach. Instead of focusing on one word at a time, each sentence is analyzed individually. The same idea is applied, and students try to match the sentences with equations. He also asked the students to identify what parts or variables in the equations were not given in that particular sentence so that they would look for the missing information in the rest of the problem. 

The third approach, called the qualitative approach, comes from an idea he took from a TRACE workshop on question strategies. While trying to solve a problem, students are asked to think about the difficulties they are having. They are asked to identify whether the difficulties involve lack of knowledge about the theory underlying the problem, not being able to identify which equations to use, or difficulty in applying the equations. Students are also asked to explain how they overcame the difficulties and solved the problem. He usually asked them to write down an explanation of how they solved the problem using only words and no numbers. At this point, he was trying to help the students identify their own problem solving techniques.

Jeremy found that the qualitative approach indicated most clearly the students' difficulties, and he was then able to help them more effectively. The process of writing down a problem-solving approach in words enables students to test their understanding of a problem as well as the approach necessary to solve it. 

As a teaching assistant (TA), Jeremy marked assignments and was able to identify that the students were applying the problem solving techniques. Students who seemed to apply one or more of the three approaches were able to get more correct answers. Some students also approached him to acknowledge that his lectures had been a great help. 

However, Jeremy did notice that the students' workload was an obstacle to implementing and practicing the techniques. The students mainly just worked on the techniques during the sessions, not having extra time to practice out of class. Also, since the lectures started after the midterm, students were very impatient and nervous because they needed to improve in order not to fail the course. The process is not instantaneous, though; it takes time and practice. 

His advice to others who want to implement similar sessions is to start as early as possible in the term. He also emphasizes that you have to be patient and get your students to be patient. As well, you need a variety of practice problems, preferably complex ones since the students see many simplified problems during regular course lectures. 

He believes his techniques are not course specific and is willing to share his materials with anyone interested. He also believes that first year students are the ones who benefit the most from such sessions, as they are still learning their way around the university environment. Jeremy can be contacted via email.

Learning students' names

Many of us make an effort to promote participation in our classrooms and create comfortable learning environments, but one way to do this can be difficult: learn our students' names. For those of us who have troubles remembering names, here are some tips from the Tomorrow's Professor listserv which stem from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln's Teaching and Learning web site:

  • Have students give their names each time before they speak. This helps everyone in the room learn one another's names, which can be integral in creating a supportive classroom environment.
  • Use students' names as often as possible and don't worry about getting a few wrong. Just ask your students to correct you.
  • If you have a class list, consider taking roll call for the first few classes. Look at each student carefully as he or she says "here" and note a distinguishing characteristic such as hair colour or stature right on your attendance list.
  • Have students make name cards and bring them to each class. Strive to memorize one row of students per class. One variation here, if you really want to test yourself, is to collect the name cards at the end of a class and then try to redistribute them at the next class.
  • Ask students to sit in the same seats for the first few weeks.
  • Have students submit an index card with their name, relevant information such as program and year, and some memorable piece of information. Whenever students come by your office hours, pull out their card and jot down any further information that may help you remember them.
  • Have students include a photocopied picture at the top of all assignments and hand them back personally whenever you can.
  • In very large classes, consider dividing students into smaller working groups that can do small in-class projects throughout the term. Use the group work time to learn the names of a few groups' members each time.

Learning names will remain challenging for many of us, but if you commit to doing it, your students will respond positively. If your class is simply too large for you to consider such a task, think about finding other ways to personalize the class by adding your own personal anecdotes to your lectures or using examples from the news or a work environment that you feel your students can relate to. Every small step can make a large difference.

Tomorrow's Professor, a listserv maintained by Stanford University's Learning Lab, sends out weekly messages that include tips and issue-based articles on higher education. 

Promoting guest lectures

Each term about 60-70 graduate students participate in TRACE's Certificate in University Teaching (CUT) program. As part of this program, they have their classroom teaching observed at least three times. However, not all students have the opportunity to run a class, tutorial, or lab, and can find it very challenging to complete this component of the program. 

As a result, we are asking faculty to let graduate students in their department know about possible guest lecturing opportunities. Perhaps you are heading off to a conference and need to cancel a class. Or maybe you feel that a lecture could benefit from including examples from current research being done by a graduate student in your department. Why not open up the opportunity for a graduate student to provide a guest lecture? When an observation is done for the CUT, TRACE staff meet with the student before the class to discuss goal and time planning as well as afterwards to review the lecture's strengths and areas for improvement which are fully explained in a confidential written report for the student. 

Writing exercises get ink and ideas flowing

Just how mighty is the pen? How can instructors from various disciplines across campus effectively incorporate writing exercises in their classrooms? These were some of the questions explored in "Using Writing as a Learning Tool," a TRACE workshop held on June 13, 2000. In particular, the session offered ideas about moving beyond the term paper, the most common writing assignment in many disciplines, though not necessarily the most useful or efficient. For those of you unable to attend, here are some highlights.

As learning tools, writing exercises are valuable because they help students think critically about course material while encouraging them to grasp, organize and integrate prior knowledge with new concepts. Furthermore, good written communication skills are valuable assets both in and out of the classroom, an especially relevant point here at the University of Waterloo, where co-op students alternate between academic and professional settings. 

During this workshop, three different types of writing activities were discussed: writing to encourage critical thinking, writing to explore, and writing to explain. Participants worked through sample exercises and reflected on the particular challenges of each activity, how such an activity could be incorporated into their classes and any foreseeable problems with implementation. 

One area of concern was the increased paper load that often comes with increased writing assignments; however, various marking options, like random paper collection or using a pass/fail system to let students know their work is on the right track, can help lessen this load. In addition, length guidelines vary with each exercise; for some, a paragraph might suffice, while others could require a few pages of writing. 

With planning and forethought, writing exercises which provide short, interesting ways to jump-start learning and engage students with material can be incorporated into almost any university course. 

Classroom problems?

Do you have problems in your classroom such as burned out lights, no chalk, etc.? If so, call ext. 3793 and report the problem. Extension 3793 is a 24-hour Plant Operations service and maintenance line. When you report a problem, they will ask for your name and extension. 

University classrooms are repainted according to a schedule established by Plant Operations. Please let Gary Griffin know if you have concerns about the current condition of paint or the current colour scheme in a classroom. Suggestions will be compiled and passed on to Plant Operations for consideration when the rooms are scheduled for repainting. 

Learning and Teaching Through Technology workshops

The Centre for Learning and Teaching Through Technology (LT3) will be offering the following workshops for Fall 2000:

  • Finding learning technology
    September 26
    7 - 9 p.m.
    FLEX Lab (LIB 329)
  • Review of learnware
    October 3
    7 - 9 p.m.
    FLEX Lab (LIB 329)
    (Pre-requisite: Workshop 1)
  • Learnware evaluation
    November 7
    7 - 9 p.m.
    FLEX Lab (LIB 329)

Please note that these workshops could count towards the CUT.

For more information contact: Liwana Bringelson

Evaluating your teaching goals

It is always good to rethink or evaluate what you are doing in your courses. And there are numerous devices that will assist you in thinking about your goals and procedures. One of these devices is the teaching goals inventory. Angelo and Cross (1993) provide this Inventory to assist you in becoming more aware of what you want to accomplish in a course. Making goals explicit can help sharpen course content, assist in choosing assessment devices to evaluate students, and make it easier to communicate the value of the course to students. Courses that are seen as useful by students are generally rated more highly on course evaluation instruments (Young and Shaw, 1999; reviewed in Teaching Matters, January 2000). 

The Angelo and Cross instrument is a self-scorable worksheet to help you evaluate your goals for a course. There are 52 goals listed on the worksheet. You rate each goal on a 5-point scale, with 5 indicating a goal that is essential (a goal you always/nearly always try to achieve) and 1 being not applicable (a goal you never try to achieve). 

The goals include "Develop analytic skills," "Improve writing skills," "Learn terms and facts of this subject," "Develop an openness to new ideas," "Develop ability to work productively with others," and "Develop respect for others." The results are then clustered into various categories such as "Higher-order thinking skills" and "Discipline-specific knowledge and skills." 

The worksheet also asks you to indicate what you see as your primary role as a teacher. These include: "Teaching students facts and principles of the subject matter," "Helping students develop higher-order thinking skills," and "Fostering student development and personal growth." The inventory takes about 10 minutes to complete and a separate inventory should be completed for each course you teach. 

If the inventory indicates that you have very clear goals for your course, you should consider indicating these to your students on your course outline and/or on the first day of class. This should help students understand what you do in your course and why. This also provides an opportunity to indicate the value of the course to students. 

Technology use in the classroom

What are student expectations for the use of technology in the classroom? Little research is available on this subject at this time. However a recent article by Rickman and Grudzinski (2000) provides some information. They surveyed 1682 students and 60 faculty members at Northwest Missouri State University. 

Northwest claims to be the first "electronic campus" at a public university in the United States. "By the end of 1997 every faculty member had been issued a notebook computer and every student residence hall room included a university-provided PC with a full complement of networked services." The survey was carried out on all classes held in a building containing 22 electronic classrooms. The university had a total of about 50 electronic classrooms in the spring of 1999. 

Every class that met in one of the 22 electronic classrooms on a given morning was surveyed. Classes surveyed included accounting, economics, finance, computer science, information systems, English, marketing, management, political science, psychology, sociology, counseling and mass communications. Surveys were administered at the beginning of each class. Students were asked: "What percentage of class time is devoted to technology usage in this class?" and "What percentage should be devoted to technology usage in this class?" The students were also asked to list which classroom applications of technology they found most and least useful. Course instructors were asked: "What percentage of class time do you devote to technology usage in this course?" and which classroom applications of technology they used. 

The authors came to a number of conclusions after looking at the data. These include:

  • "Students do not want IT (instructional technology) used 100 percent of the time but do expect usage in all subject areas." 
    "The percent of time students thought IT should be used in individual courses coincided with the actual percent of time faculty were using IT."
  • "For classes in which they perceived that actual IT use was less than 40 percent, students desired more. In classes in which they perceived actual IT use was more than 40 percent, they desired less."

Students rated PowerPoint and the document camera as the most useful technology applications. Although PowerPoint was rated as very effective, students disliked poorly designed presentations and faculty speeding through their presentations. 

The authors also provide other suggestions based on open-ended comments on the surveys and logistic considerations. These suggestions include installing IT enhancements in every classroom to avoid the difficulty of scheduling and mobilizing IT equipment for particular faculty on particular days. 


 

Announcing fall 2000 TRACE events

Workshops for the fall 2000 term:

Polishing Your presentation skills September 26 12 - 1:30 p.m.
Teaching dossiers, part 1 October 12 3:30 - 5 p.m.
Teaching dossiers, part 1 October 16 3:30 - 5 p.m.
Designing multiple-choice questions October 26 12 - 1:30 p.m.
Time management November 15 12 - 1:30 p.m.

Half-Day Workshop:

Understanding the learner December 5 TBA

For more specific details, watch for notices in your department and via the Certificate listserv. If you would like to join the listserv, please email.