Daniel J. Robertson

Group Exams: How to Effectively Incorporate Active Learning into Assessment

Many courses assess student competency through individual examinations, in which the student completes an exam without the help of any external resources. This is in sharp contrast to the “real world” in which most professionals are required to solve problems collaboratively. To bridge this divide and improve student outcomes two-stage examinations are becoming increasingly popular in Academia. In two-stage examinations, students independently complete a test and then immediately complete the same test in small groups of three or four. Student grades are calculated based on a combination of individual and group exam scores. In this interactive workshop, we discuss how to effectively implement two-stage exams and provide evidence supporting their use in courses that implement active learning strategies. Participants will work on developing a two-stage exam for one of their courses during the workshop and are therefore requested to bring an exam with them if possible.

RESOURCE MATERIALS

• Video (32 min)
• Group Exams (pdf)
  Framing the Active Learning Classroom
• Two-Stage Exam Learning (pdf)
  Collaborative Testing: Evidence of Learning in a Controlled In-Class Study of Undergraduate Students | by Brett Hollis Gilley and Bridgette Clarkston

Juhee Kim

Kirsten Pomerantz

Elizabeth Wargo

Utilizing Jigsaw for Group Collaboration and Active Learning

Jigsaw (Aronson et al., 1978) is a strategy that emphasizes cooperative learning by providing students an opportunity to actively help each other build comprehension. Each group member is responsible for becoming an “expert” on one section of the assigned reading material and then “sharing” it to the other members of the team. In this workshop participants will learn about how to use this method in different contexts as we share our examples of using the technique in online graduate and in-person undergraduate courses. In a graduate-level course, we applied the Jigsaw tool to effective group reading, reviewing, reflecting, and responding. It demonstrated that the participation at Jigsaw affected productive zoom meeting results and increased the student's satisfaction with the course. We will present how to design the course and engage students with Jigsaw through this workshop session as well as exhibit how to connect Jigsaw with zoom discussion for students' active learning experience. Utilizing the jigsaw technique in undergraduate teaching methods courses engages students in close reading, peer instruction, and an embodied experience of collaborative learning. We will present a structure for integrating jigsaw in live classes, including planning protocols, initiating and growing the routines, assessing student work (rubric and feedback) and their contributions to the class, and their immediate learning community.

RESOURCE MATERIALS

• Video (35 min)

Jamaica Ritcher

The Write Response: Written Feedback Strategies to Inspire Revision and Transfer

Teachers often express feeling uncertain, discouraged, or overwhelmed when it comes to responding to student writing. This ambivalence can be exacerbated by the sense that, despite a teacher's considerable time and best intentions, students do not apply feedback to revision. Drawing on writing center and active learning praxis, this workshop will lead participants through activities that demonstrate how higher-order thinking practices like prioritizing, dialogic questioning, and reflecting motivate students to actively engage in their writing, resulting in more substantive draft revisions and transfer of new skills to future assignments.

RESOURCE MATERIALS

• Video (41 min)

Gregory Turner-Rahman

The Art of Exploration

RESOURCE MATERIALS

• Video (40 min)

Dan Cordon

Sean Quallen

Developing a Program-Wide Longitudinal Assessment Rubric

Over the past several years the ME department has used a longitudinal rubric to assess students' progress from freshman to senior year. Come sit in with Dan Cordon and Sean Quallen to see briefly what went into this rubric and discuss with colleagues how to start creating your own.

RESOURCE MATERIALS

• Video (23 min)

Hanwen Dong

Terry Soule

Create Engaging Videos Using eGlass for Flipped Classroom

RESOURCE MATERIALS

• Video (40 min)

Ashley Kerr

Azusa Tojo

Active Learning with Stories in the Second Language Classroom

In this workshop, we’ll discuss our experiences using stories in the Japanese and Spanish classrooms. Azusa Tojo will present a storytelling activity she uses in JAPN 102: Elementary Japanese II, which starts with students sharing stories with their partners and is followed by listening to their own recording, writing, revising, and re-recording. Ashley Kerr will discuss using creative writing in SPAN 302: Advanced Composition. In this activity, students have “story time” with children’s books in Spanish, examine and practice the use of storytelling devices and their particularities in Spanish, and then write, revise, and share their own short stories. These experiences have shown us that stories in the foreign language classroom serve to 1) engage students, 2) further language-learning and communicative goals, and 3) reduce stress and anxiety levels. This last point is particularly important as fear of “sounding stupid” or “saying something wrong” is often a major obstacle to second language learning. The workshop will conclude with discussion of how these storytelling activities and their benefits could also be applied to the non-second language classroom.

RESOURCE MATERIALS

• Video (44 min)

Ann Abbott

Active Learning for Life

Heather Ebba Maib

Laura Holyoke

Trauma-Informed Teaching: Creating Communities of Care

Over the last twenty years, there is an increasing body of research bringing attention to the impact early childhood trauma and adversity have on the ways people approach daily challenges and interpersonal relationships. While trauma-informed practices have been successfully implemented in the K-12 setting, we argue that institutions of higher education are well-positioned to address needs of adults who have experienced adversity as well as anxiety and toxic stress, much in the same way the K-12 system supports children. Even though trauma-informed practice was designed for children, we believe it is necessary for adults who bring maladaptive coping mechanisms into higher education organizations. This growing need is particularly timely as we navigate our future workplaces and learning communities. A trauma-informed approach shifts questioning from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” Such an approach removes blame from the person to the situation and helps those who have experienced trauma become open to their own self-awareness. In this session, we will explore ways to adopt a trauma-informed approach to our work and relational spaces in support of building communities of care.

RESOURCE MATERIALS

• Video (50 min)

Jaap Vos

Creating an interactive online and virtual learning environment with e-Glass and Zoom: quick, fun, effective and students don't mind when you mess up.

RESOURCE MATERIALS

• Video (32 min)

Dan Ewart

How Leadership Can Help with Active Learning: Priorities and Funding

Stephen Miller

Active Learning, the Socratic Method, and the Evolution of the Law School Classroom

RESOURCE MATERIALS

• Video (36 min)

Robert Perret

Hands-On History: Active Learning in the Archives

The University of Idaho houses and preserves 36,000 square feet of unique historical artifacts in our Special Collections and Archives. History impacts and connects most academic disciplines. More important, local history allows students to see themselves as important to Idaho's past and future. This workshop will explore possibilities for incorporating archival materials into your coursework. You'll gain awareness of the materials available through Special Collections and the instructional support our department can provide. You'll also walk away with ideas for getting your students hands-on with history.

RESOURCE MATERIALS

• Video (23 min)

Lauren McCleary

Centering the Student in a General Education Introduction to Art Course

During this workshop, I will share some of the ways I have been working to evolve ART 100 into an accessible, sustainable, and student-centered course using the Virtual Meeting Platform, Flipgrid, Open Education Resources, and Choice-Based assignments. I will also engage participants in Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) exercises to demonstrate the value of close looking for deeper understanding. Attendees will gain insight into resources and strategies to center the student in a large "lecture" course.

RESOURCE MATERIALS

• Video (30 min)