Linda Martin-Morris: Flipping lecture content enlivens large classes

Posted on March 1, 2013December 16, 2015

Dr. Martin-Morris, a principal lecturer in the Department of Biology at UW Seattle, has flipped her classroom for her large Biology courses. She uses the Tegrity lecture capture tool to create online materials and uses class time to assist student groups in synthesizing information.

Student reactions: “My students report enormous gains in confidence and understanding, but also that they feel they had to spend way too much time getting there.”

Her learning curve: “Quarter 1: scared and ineffective. Quarter 2: much better but still received a very challenging collegial evaluation. Quarter 3: I’ve got this down. I’m in quarter 4: still learning how to improve, which is fun.”

Assessment: “I am excited to assess more effectively, including longitudinally; how do these students perform in subsequent classes?”

Classroom dynamic: “Every day I walk into a very lively and exciting classroom that challenges me but challenges students at least as much. That’s exciting. Most days I have to remind students when class is over; that never happened when lecturing.”

Advice for others interested in flipping: “Do not over-lecture. Be ready for a little blowback. This type of learning is challenging for students and you have to be ready to sell it every single day.”

Learn More

Read the full Provost report on how UW faculty are enhancing teaching with technology.

Douglas Wills: No nostalgia for chalk and talk

Posted on March 1, 2013December 16, 2015

Dr. Wills, an associate professor in the Milgard School of Business at UW Tacoma, has been flipping his economics classes — both for undergraduate and MBA students — for years. As a UW Tacoma Tech Fellow, he also developed an online “Introduction to Microeconomics” (TECON 200) class during summer 2012.

Benefits of flipping: “Flipping the classroom opened up possibilities that have made teaching much more exciting and rewarding. To go back to the standard chalk and talk (or more accurately now, ‘PowerPoint and talk’) with largely unengaged students is now inconceivable.”

Benefits for the instructor: “I am much more involved in my classes, not only because the interaction with students is so much more useful and enjoyable, but there are so many more possibilities.”

Advice: “If you’re thinking of doing it to improve your teaching, then be prepared for a lot of investment of time and be prepared to innovate and experiment. There is a lot of value in learning from others about the technology (and no, it’s not really about the technology) and basic principles of hybrid/online.”

Why try it? “You only learn how to do this well by doing it.”

Learn More

Read the full Provost report on how UW faculty are enhancing teaching with technology.

To tweet or not to tweet

Posted on March 1, 2013October 1, 2015

Using Twitter to engage students

Dr. Alissa Ackerman, Assistant Professor of Social Work at UW Tacoma—a 2012 UW Tacoma Tech Fellow—has used Twitter in and out of the classroom to engage students in a broad conversation about criminal justice issues.

How she did it

Twitter: “Setting up Twitter was the easy part for all. Operating Twitter was a little more difficult for students. I created a ‘how to’ document for them to follow, which seemed to shorten the learning curve. Within a week or two, most students were using Twitter effectively.”

Student reactions: “Student reactions have been mixed. Some students love the instant interaction.”

Benefits for students: “I believe that Twitter enhances student learning. This is especially true when I have invited ‘guest lecturers’ to class via Twitter. I have done this with authors of books, journalists and other scholars. This allows students to benefit from the reactions of others in the field in real time. Another added benefit occurs when the students ‘tag’ authors of articles and the author responds directly to them.”

Brevity requires focus: “I believe that having to condense one’s thoughts into 140 or so characters provides focus. Some students welcomed this challenge, while others would much prefer the traditional essay.”

Leveraging social media expertise: “Students already know how to use social media, but learning how to do so in a professional and articulate way can only benefit them in the long run.”

Advice to other faculty interested in using Twitter: “Be patient and have a lot of structure regarding what you want from students.”

Learn more

This article was originally published on March 2013 as part of a UW Provost report on trends and issues in public higher education. Read Dr. Ackerman’s How-to document about Twitter guide created for her students.

Keep students on track with “electronic nudges”

Posted on March 1, 2013October 1, 2015

Tracey Haynie, Lecturer in Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at UW Tacoma, is putting students’ mobile devices to work for a good cause.

To help her online pre-calculus and introductory statistics classes stay on track and motivated, she piloted a tool called Persistence Plus, which gives students electronic ‘nudges’ via their mobile device — about due dates, upcoming quizzes and exams, and motivational text messages.

What she has learned

Access: “With a growing number of military personnel and older students returning to earn a degree, we felt it was critical to offer them a variety of options to fit their schedules and lifestyles.”

Advice: “Just try it! It doesn’t have to be permanent, and if you try it and decide your students don’t benefit from it, then you can scratch it.”

Reaction from her students: “I have only heard positive feedback from students. Many students said they found the reminders about due dates to be extremely helpful, and the other thing they specifically mentioned loving were the motivational texts. It gave them a little boost to study harder, or go find a study group to meet with.”

Learn more

This article was originally published on March 2013 as part of a UW Provost report on trends and issues in public higher education. Read the Educause Review online article about the pilot, Analytics, Nudges, and Learner Persistence.