Promoting Equity in Engineering Relationships

Posted on November 18, 2015November 18, 2015

Students learn about diversity in the field of Engineering and gain skills to address equity in college and careers

The College of Engineering prepares students for a workforce in which diversity is increasingly important to teamwork, design and outcomes. Photo: Matt Hagen.

In 2009 a program with the potential to change the way we address diversity challenges in STEM was founded in the College of Engineering on the Seattle campus. The Promoting Equity in Engineering Relationships (PEERs) program embraces diversity in its many forms — race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability and more. It is popular with students for the way it addresses such a broad spectrum within the context of engineering. PEERs anchors discussions with data, teaches communication skills, and focuses on real-world applications of race and equity issues that engineering students will likely face.

Joyce Yen, program/research manager for UW ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change, has led the PEERs program with Sapna Cheryan, associate professor of psychology, since it was originally established with a National Science Foundation grant.

Making topics of diversity and inclusion relevant to the engineering discipline

Rather than bringing in external faculty for a diversity course, Yen and Cheryan found a new model to avoid the disengagement that is common with “outsourcing.” They developed a curriculum grounded in the social sciences but highly relevant to engineering. PEERs was a one-credit seminar until 2015, when they launched a three-credit model to fulfill the diversity requirement and saw enrollment increase. “Students appreciate being able to stay in their own department for the diversity requirement, so it reaches students who wouldn’t have taken a course on diversity on their own,” says Yen. After the class, students can continue as PEERs leaders (see sidebar) and raise awareness in other ways.

Students in PEERs rely on research and gain communication tools to address diversity and inclusion in engineering. Photo courtesy of Joyce Yen.

The program has intentionally evolved to give students the tools to thrive within a flawed system while working to change it. “It creates a community where engineering students can see they’re not the only ones who find things challenging,” says Cheryan. “The research has shown that [this awareness] can protect students from feeling like they don’t belong and dropping out.”

Because engineering students are trained to always look to the data, “The main focus in PEERs is based on research, not intuition or what their parents told them,” explains Cheryan. “We want to replace misconceptions with accurate notions.”

The pragmatism of diversity in the engineering field

Yen and Cheryan’s curriculum also emphasizes the practical implications of learning about diversity, such as the state of the engineering field. “They might enter companies that are extremely homogenous,” says Cheryan. “So it’s possible that students might very rarely have to think about diversity, but PEERs will hopefully force these students to think about it and identify things they can do.”

Yen also points out how the communication and leadership tools which students gain will help them succeed. “Our graduates will go out and have influence in the work force — maybe they’ll start their own company. And we ask them, ‘Wouldn’t you rather be in a place where everyone feels included?’” explains Yen. From managerial challenges to user design and testing, “there are real consequences to not having empathy or understanding the experiences of others.”

Implicit bias, privilege, stereotype threat and intelligence theories are core concepts explored by PEERs:

Being explicit about implicit bias

Implicit biases are attitudes or stereotypes that we carry around with us unconsciously. Implicit biases often come across as structural discrimination, which encompasses the norms and practices of the systems in which we live, as opposed to institutional discrimination, the policies within a system that perpetuate bias.
A former PEERs student, Ahlmahz Negash, Ph.D. candidate in electrical engineering, described, “As a black female engineer, I did not feel out of place being the only female in a class. However, the few times I’ve discussed diversity in engineering with male colleagues, they responded negatively. They felt that programs to promote diversity are not necessary — that if women are interested in engineering, they will study it. Most people only know and recognize institutional barriers. PEERs provided me with [the data] to show that structural barriers can be just as damaging as institutional barriers.” The PEERs unit on implicit bias connects with the unit on privilege by demonstrating that, as Cheryan explains, “you can be well intentioned but still perpetuate bias.”

Recognizing privilege

Learning about privilege helps students understand the ways they may have been a recipient of unearned benefits throughout their lives and to understand and recognize implications of structural inequality in our society. Students are challenged to think about why they are where they are in life, how that has influenced their choices and opportunities, how they’ve been the recipient of advantages, and that success is not solely determined by how hard someone works. “We don’t even realize all the different dimensions of privilege — that’s what privilege is,” says Cheryan.

Giving a name to stereotype threat

Stereotype threat is the concept that a person is afraid of either living up to a negative stereotype or falling short of a positive one. For example, one positive stereotype is “Asians are good at math,” so an Asian student who is experiencing stereotype threat might feel burdened by the expectation to always understand mathematical concepts.
Mayoore Jaiswal, an electrical engineering graduate student, describes a negative stereotype that was once made about her: “A visiting professor asked me if the project that I was working on was hard because of my gender. I was lost for words. The PEERs experience helped me to gather my thoughts quickly and give a constructive reply.”
“A lot of the underrepresented minorities and women in the class have felt a stereotype threat but didn’t know what to call it. Seeing the research helps them label it, which decreases its negative power when it occurs,” Cheryan explains.

Recognizing intelligence is not fixed

“There is a growing body of research showing intelligence is malleable, not fixed. Your brain is a muscle and you have to exercise it by studying and working,” says Cheryan. People who think intelligence is fixed tend to avoid difficult tasks and the associated negative feedback. This can lead students to convince themselves that they don’t belong in that class, lab or workplace, or assume it is easy for everyone else. “In fact, grit, the ability to stick with something, is more predictive of success than IQ,” she says. These tools provide underrepresented students
and others who might begin to doubt their ability the tools to reframe a poor exam grade as a sign to work harder or seek support, rather than believing they don’t belong.

Faculty Diversity Scholars Support Inclusive Teaching

Posted on November 18, 2015November 18, 2015

Faculty Diversity Scholars from the three UW campuses help colleagues tackle issues of race and equity in the classroom

Faculty Diversity Scholars (from left to right): Ralina Joseph, associate professor of communication; Sapna Cheryan, associate professor of psychology; Joyce Yen, program/research manager for UW ADVANCE; Robin Evans-Agnew, assistant professor in Nursing and Healthcare Leadership programs, UW Tacoma. Not pictured: Anu Taranath, senior lecturer in English and Comparative History of Ideas (CHID); and Wadiya Udell, associate professor of community psychology, UW Bothell. Photo: Ignacio Lobos.

“How can a quantitative class, such as a course with chemicals and test tubes, actually change inside a pro-race-and-equity framework?” Dr. Robin Evans-Agnew, assistant professor in Nursing and Healthcare Leadership programs at UW Tacoma, poses this question as part of his role as a Faculty Diversity Scholar.

Such questions and more are central to the role of the Faculty Diversity Scholars, selected from across the three campuses for their expertise in race and equity pedagogy for a pilot program developed by the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) for the 2014-15 academic year. With the advent of the new diversity requirement, Faculty Diversity Scholars acted as resources for other faculty members who were adapting, developing or reframing courses to align with the new diversity course requirement.

The Faculty Diversity Scholars supported curriculum transformation and inclusive teaching across all three campuses in multiple ways. From serving as panel participants and advisors for department events to working one-on-one with a department’s staff, faculty and graduate students, Faculty Diversity Scholars helped different departments learn to assess climate issues and find ways forward toward an inclusive learning environment.

The scholars have responded to questions and requests for assistance such as:

Am I ready to facilitate a tricky classroom discussion myself?

Take a little time to prepare yourself and become comfortable with feeling uncomfortable, recommend the scholars. “Know your own touchy spots,” suggests Dr. Wadiya Udell, associate professor of community psychology at UW Bothell. “Faculty members who successfully engage in these discussions are those who anticipate conflict, are comfortable managing conflict within the classroom and can work with extreme opinions on the topic without shutting down discussion.”

What do I do if I think a microaggression happens in my classroom?

“Faculty need to interrupt any iterations of racism, sexism, classism and homophobia in the classroom. Such interruptions should happen firmly, but with kindness and compassion for all in the room,” says Dr. Ralina Joseph, associate professor of communication and director of the Center for Communication, Difference and Equity.

I’m still confused about why inclusive pedagogy is necessary in my class.

“Inclusive pedagogy should not be thought of as pandering or lowering standards. Inclusive pedagogy acknowledges human diversity,” says Udell. “People are different. Not everyone in a classroom learns the same way or engages in the same manner. It is important that faculty attempt to teach to the broad range of students in a course, not only those who fit their preferred learning and teaching style.”

How do I know if my department needs a climate assessment?

“If you’re even asking the question, you probably do,” says Dr. Anu Taranath, senior lecturer in English and CHID. “Ask around, ask as many people as you can. Listen between the lines, between the silences, read the frustrations, the hopes for what might be possible. And if some people say ‘no,’ ask yourself why they might say that, what’s at stake.”

The pilot program has been renewed for another year to build on this work and meet demand. The CTL is receiving a record number of requests for consultations on equity and diversity pedagogies. All CTL consultants also respond to requests with the support of the Faculty Diversity Scholars, as well as offering various CTL resources, consultations and workshops on inclusive teaching.

With a focus on action to bring equity to a diverse classroom, Evans-Agnew acknowledges the many complexities. “This is a work in progress. I certainly feel like my challenge is that my privilege blinds me from what I can see and have a perspective on,” he says. “We have to live in that challenge, be OK being uncomfortable and figure out a way to provide some actions that may be incomplete, partial solutions for things.”

Equity and Difference Speaker Series and Conversations on Activism and Expression

Posted on November 18, 2015November 18, 2015

Discussions around race and equity bring the UW community together before public lectures in the Equity & Difference Speaker Series

Harry Belafonte (front row, center) with UW President Ana Mari Cauce (front row, right) and UW students, faculty and staff after the lecture on Oct. 6, 2015. Photo: Elizabeth Lowry.

The desire to increase the amount — and quality — of dialogue about race and equity has inspired the Graduate School and the UW Alumni Association to pair “Facilitated Conversations” with selected lectures from the yearly series they traditionally present. Titled “Equity and Difference: Keeping the Conversation Going,” the series exposes and explains transgressions and struggles, both systemic and personal, experienced by so many in our communities today. The series features thought leaders from UW and around the world who are working to confront prejudice and create change.

In the “Facilitated Conversations” hosted just before each lecture, audience members meet and talk in small roundtable groups. They can share their personal experiences, discuss new ideas and brainstorm actions and solutions related to the lecturer’s theme.

“Gaining the skills to dialogue with people from diverse backgrounds and across multiple disciplines is fundamental to how our society builds communities that are equitable and inclusive,” says David Eaton, vice provost and dean of the Graduate School. “The objective of this unique series of discussions is to support student involvement and skill-building in these important conversations, and to encourage participation in discussions of difference.”

Leigh Friedman, a senior who participated in the conversation before Harry Belafonte’s lecture, stated, “I loved having students, faculty and administrators at one table. I didn’t realize how helpful that could be in ‘connecting the dots’ of the problem.”

Facilitated Conversations are paired with the following lectures:

October 6, 2015: “Stars for Freedom,” Harry Belafonte and the Civil Rights movement

Civil Rights leader, actor, singer and activist Harry Belafonte kicked off the series with an interview by Valerie Curtis Newton of the UW School of Drama. His discussion of the link between artists and activism connects to the recent publication of the University of Washington Press: “Stars for Freedom,” which examines the history of actors who supported the Civil Rights Movement.

January 14, 2016: What’s the Difference With ‘Difference’?

Ralina L. Joseph, associate professor of communication, explores how and why the language we use matters both on an individual and a broader level. She looks at the language associated with minority-identity classifications and how changes can speak to shifting principles of naming. Joseph is an adjunct associate professor in the departments of American Ethnic Studies and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies, and is the founding director of the new UW Center for Communication, Difference and Equity. Read more and find registration information.

April 5, 2016: Microaggression: Power, Privilege and Everyday Life

American journalist, culture critic and television personality Touré will visit campus to discuss microaggressions, manifestations of power and privilege in everyday life and the impact on the human experience. Touré is a co-host of The Cycle on MSNBC and was also a contributor to MSNBC’s The Dylan Ratigan Show, and the host of Fuse’s Hiphop Shop and On the Record. Read more and find registration information.

Resources for facilitators of conversation about race and equity

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) offers resources for faculty and other discussion leaders with tips on leading tough discussions and creating safe spaces for discussing equity and difference.

Creating a safe space is crucial to engaging in meaningful conversations. It means acknowledging the topics can be uncomfortable for everyone, that mistakes may be made, and reserving the right to have “do-overs” for difficult moments that need more processing. Find more CTL resources, tips and guides for creating safe spaces.
Inclusive teaching means teaching in ways that do not exclude students, accidentally or intentionally, from opportunities to learn. Find more strategies for inclusive teaching.

UW Bothell’s Diversity Workshops: From Dialogue to Action

Posted on November 18, 2015November 18, 2015

Terryl Ross prompts meaningful conversations on race and equity and moves them from talk to action

Terryl Ross, Ph.D., Director of Diversity, University of Washington Bothell

“I hear people say they wish they’d done these workshops earlier. People think I’m going to lecture them or tell them they have to like black people or be ‘politically correct.’ Instead, we explore what the changes in their community mean, and it becomes real.” —Terryl Ross, Ph.D.

At the University of Washington Bothell, Terryl Ross, director of diversity, helps people move from having conversations about race, equity and diversity to taking action. He builds opportunities for dialogue, bringing people from diverse backgrounds together to learn from each other and from experts about race and equity. “People are ready to have a higher-level conversation that leads to real action,” says Ross, “and they want to have it in a safe place and with people who are different from them.”

As part of this work, Ross has designed several workshops that offer students, faculty, staff and community members the opportunity to learn more about themselves, their fellow participants and the future of their communities. Most importantly, workshop participants work together to choose a course of action based on their shared experience, and leave empowered to do more. This year, ideas generated in previous workshops are being implemented campus-wide at UW Bothell.

“As our society continues on a path toward a more ‘color-blind’ attitude, more people need to be aware of the subtle ways in which institutional racism is further embedded in our every action,” says Karin Clayton (UW Bothell ’07), a database coordinator at Wellspring Family Services who attended the UW Bothell diversity conference Ross organized in spring 2015. “The unconscious ways in which people treat others is, to me, almost more damaging than outright abuse because that person is unaware of their impact on others. Attending events like this will hopefully plant the seed of awareness.”

Ross employs several techniques to help participants talk about race and equity. He focuses on both data and identity as tools to start conversations about differences rather than political correctness, and provides people with a common language and examples to talk about the issues. “This stuff is here whether we are in this workshop or not,” says Ross. “So, how do we deal with this?”

Telling the story of our changing community through data

Relying on census data, Ross introduces some workshops by telling the story of “two Americas” — two demographic groups roughly equal in size. One tends to be older, whiter, more conservative and interested in health care; the other is younger, ethnically diverse, more liberal and interested in education. By sharing data on these groups’ growth trends, political leanings and more, workshop participants begin with a mutual starting place. They aren’t asked for their opinions. Instead, they talk about what the demographic trends around increasing diversity can reveal about the future of a community and what they might be seeing in their own neighborhoods. Ross says, “If everyone had a thought bubble over their head about how they see the country, each one would be different. Working with data takes the opinion out and helps people see the patterns and systems. It’s powerful because it gives them a common starting point to talk.”

Identity as middle ground since everyone has one…or many

Identity is another powerful conversation starter, notes Ross, since everyone has multiple identities — some stronger than others. He finds identity a helpful concept to introduce the topic of race in context. “The more diverse the audience, the better the workshop,” says Ross.

Participants in Ross’ diversity workshop learn about different dimensions of identity. People have more control over some dimensions than others, and some may change over time, such as education level, family status, religion, military experience or where they live. Others we are born to, such as race, ethnicity, age, mental and physical abilities, or sex at birth.

**Sample Identity Wheel:** As a starting place for deeper conversation, workshop participants map and discuss the intersectionality of their own identities. Dimensions with more relative importance to an individual are marked closer to the edges.

Ross asks participants to plot aspects of their identities on a wheel-shaped chart, from race to family status and everything in between, assigning relative importance to each. Ross says, “It becomes very personal to them. No two people have the same wheel yet they can find interesting commonalities. Both may rate race as very important but they are from different ethnic groups, for example, or maybe they are the same race but one says it matters a lot to them and for the other it doesn’t.” Considering the dimensions of identity prompts genuine questions and real listening about what race and other identities mean to each person.

Developing a common language for talking about race

Ross defines terms and shares examples when he moderates conversations about microaggressions in the workplace and in the classroom. Participants learn that microaggressions are “brief, often unintentional and without intended malice, everyday exchanges that belittle and alienate a member of a marginalized group.” They include actions like confusing a person’s ethnicity with that of a different group; consistently mispronouncing a person’s name; interrupting; only making eye contact or taking questions from people of one group; making jokes aimed at minorities; or dismissing the validity of slights described by minorities.

Ross shares examples from media clips. “After sharing a clip with participants, they get it. Groups find it very powerful to discuss a real example. It’s not theoretical,” explains Ross.

Workshop participants develop the language to describe things they may have seen but not understood before. Clayton, the UW Bothell alumna who invited Ross to give a workshop at her office’s “Lunch and Learn” program, had an immediate revelation from that discussion. “I had multiple experiences with a coworker that were uncomfortable. I couldn’t pinpoint what the issue was, but I knew it didn’t feel quite right,” she says. “Afterwards, I realized I was experiencing a microaggression, which enabled me to process the encounters in a different manner.”

Moving from talk to action

All workshops end with a call to action. Groups craft a plan for how they can start making changes, get involved or develop a community service project that would address the issues they discussed. According to Ross, “The workshop explains a lot and participants feel that they are more grounded — with language to describe things they’ve seen but didn’t understand. I ask, ‘If you could do something, what would it be?’” says Ross. “Last year, a group at UW Bothell decided they wanted to host a dialogue on race so we’re pursuing that this year.”

Increasing opportunities for dialogues on difference

Heading into his second year as UW Bothell’s director of diversity, Ross has received even more requests to hold workshops for groups both on and off the UW Bothell campus. Ross is planning what he calls “Bothell 2.0,” new programming that includes both the second annual Diversity Week in spring 2016 and an expanded Diversity Conference open to the community. New this year is a dialogue on race, an idea that developed from workshop participants. All of it is designed to increase opportunities for students to find commonalities and see the humanity in people different from themselves.

Bothell images — Given the growing diversity of Bothell — both the city and the University — these workshops are leveraging a unique opportunity, and serve as amodel for creating conversations throughout the entire community. Photos courtesy of Terryl Ross.

Diversity Requirement

Posted on November 17, 2015November 18, 2015

On May 24, 2013, a long-time student-led effort to pass a diversity course requirement for all UW undergraduates came to fruition. Students entering in fall 2014 and later must meet this graduation requirement, which includes three credits of coursework that focus on the sociocultural, political and economic diversity of human experience at local, regional or global scales.

The faculty legislation states, “The requirement is meant to help the student develop an understanding of the complexities of living in increasingly diverse and interconnected societies.” Courses that fulfill the diversity requirement focus on cross-cultural analysis and communication, and historical and contemporary inequities such as those associated with race, ethnicity, class, sex and gender, sexual orientation, nationality, ability, religion, age, veteran status and socioeconomic status. Course activities encourage critical thinking about topics such as power, inequality, marginality and social movements, and support effective cross-cultural communication skills.

The passage of the diversity requirement is the culmination of 25 years of work. UW students initiated three previous proposals that encountered resistance at various stages of the approval process. The proposal that ultimately passed originated in 2010 and was led by the UW Students for Diversity Coalition. The coalition’s membership featured students from several campus organizations, including the Black Student Union, First Nations, Filipino American Student Association and Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/a de Aztlán. Their proposal was initially approved by the Associated Students of the UW in the fall of 2012. The proposal was also discussed and worked on by the Faculty Council on Multicultural Affairs, Faculty Council on Women in Academia, Faculty Council on Academic Standards, Senate Executive Committee and Faculty Senate. Read more about the diversity requirement at the UW.

Five tips: Getting the most out of Active Learning Classrooms

Posted on November 12, 2015November 20, 2015

Group work in an Active Learning Classroom in UW Seattle Odegaard Undergraduate library.

The Active Learning Classrooms (ALCs) at Odegaard Undergraduate Library make for a great teaching and learning environment—but may be a little intimidating for some lecturers and students who have never used them before. ALCs are designed to foster cooperative and problem-based learning experiences. While ALCs are relatively new, more than two years of research and feedback from faculty and students who have used them are helping maximize their educational benefits.

Based on that research and feedback, here are some of the top tips to using the ALCs—courtesy of Janice Fournier, Research Scientist, UW Information Technology; Amanda Hornby, Teaching and Learning Program Librarian; and Louise Richards, Assistant Director, Odegaard Undergraduate Library.

1. Seek advice and guidance in adopting active learning strategies

Successful ALC instructors spend time thinking carefully about what active learning strategies they will incorporate in their classes and how they want to design student group work, with some starting course planning months in advance. ALC instructors cite research on active learning, fellow instructors, and campus teaching resources (Center for Teaching and Learning, Faculty Fellows) as helpful in their curriculum design process. One ALC instructor advises instructors to “revamp your curriculum in baby steps.”

2. Design activities that support course learning goals

Effective ALC instructors design course activities that engage students in the thinking and problem-solving practices of their discipline. One ALC instructor describes her design process: “I was trying to be intentional. What are my learning objectives? What are the three things I want them to come away with? How can I design an activity that will get this to play out?”

3. Orient students to the ALC and to active learning

ALC instructors communicate to students how and why to engage in active learning, explain that their course will be structured differently in the ALC and coach students on how to engage with ALC features.

One instructor says, “Help students understand why [active learning] is important; show them data about the benefits of active learning.”

4. Be intentional in use of group work

Effective ALC instructors design structured group learning activities that require student cooperation and ensure both group and individual student accountability. Ensure equitable student participation by creating defined group roles (note taker, time keeper, technology expert, etc.) or activities that require a variety of skills (drawing, written communication, oral communication).

An ALC instructor says all students benefit from this type of group work: “By the end of the quarter I had students from all over the world … who were normally hesitant be much more comfortable than in a cramped lecture hall. They stayed much more active as learners for much longer in the quarter.”

5. Minimize lectures

Truly embracing active learning teaching means minimizing formal lectures. Successful ALC instructors favor group learning activities that increase student participation and generate more opportunities for student-instructor interaction.

“In a lecture-based classroom, I am less engaged in class discussion. Having groups makes it easier for me to discuss in smaller groups about our views, which made it easier to speak up to the rest of the class,” one ALC student says. “We also got the opportunity to speak with the professor because she was able to check in to see what kind of ideas we were coming up with.”

Learn More

Get details about UW Seattle’s Active learning Classrooms, including how to schedule an event or course.

Read the complete research report: Active Learning in Odegaard Library: Report on Year 1 of UW’s First Active Learning Classrooms.

Bringing the ‘real world’ of language to the classroom

Posted on November 12, 2015November 12, 2015

Linguistics Professor Betsy Evans strategically deploys classroom technologies to help students grasp complex language theories

Photo of Betsy Evans — Betsy Evans, associate professor in the Department of Linguistics, uses Canvas with clickers to offer students multiple ways to help them see and share the real world of language.

Betsy Evans, associate professor in the Department of Linguistics, uses a number of technologies in her classroom to help students see and share the real world of language—deepening their understanding of complex linguistic theory.

These technologies include Canvas, UW’s learning management system, and clickers, an audience response system that allows an entire class to respond to questions displayed on a screen—with students clicking their replies with remote devices. Multimedia presentations, including video and audio recordings, help her explain subtle concepts to her students, such as listening for slight variations in language use across different cultural or societal groups, or how speakers shift when speaking to different audiences.

This strategic approach to using technology has paid off in big ways, allowing her students to get more out of her courses, inside and outside the classroom. Canvas also has allowed Evans to collaborate more effectively with her teaching assistants (TAs).

“The best effect is that [the technology] helps students relate the course content to the ‘real world’…

“It’s enabled me to not use classroom time for testing and to engage students with course content outside of the classroom,” Evans says. “But I think the best effect is that it helps students relate the course content to the ‘real world’ by seeing and sharing real occurrences of linguistic phenomena.”

Canvas supports online homework to save time and deepen student learning

Because a key element of her course content concerns regional patterns and dialects of the United States, the maps, videos and recordings Evans uploads to Canvas are all key learning aids. She and her TAs use Canvas to manage homework assignments, peer reviews, discussion boards, testing and grading, as well as an online evaluation system. Evans also shifted homework assignments online with multiple choice, pull-down menus, or open-ended questions. Students saw the connections between online material and in-class lectures and discussions, and they reported in course evaluations that the multi-pronged approach improved their comprehension of the subject.

For low-stakes homework assignments or quizzes on Canvas, Evans allows students to work together over the course of a week. She finds the ability to easily upload and share multimedia files and links particularly useful for creating and updating online homework quizzes.

“For example, one assignment presents students with voice samples of different pronunciations that they play and then answer questions about what they’ve heard,” says Evans. She is able to set a time limit for completing the assignment and then Canvas grades it automatically once the closing date arrives.

In another assignment, her students watch two videos of President Obama and are asked to think about his use of language in the different situations.

“So instead of only reading and writing about sociolinguistic phenomena, they can see or listen to speakers and use their knowledge to arrive at a better understanding of how it works,” she says.

Self-paced online practice benefits all students—especially English language learners

When students work at their own pace to complete a homework assignment, they are able to play recordings as many times as needed.

“We get a significant number of people for whom English is not their first language, so allowing them to do those activities on their own time is really helpful for them, partly because they haven’t been exposed to a lot of American English accents,” Evans says. “I think they feel like they really learn a lot even if it takes them longer.”

Flexible online assignments help TAs learn best-practice evaluations

Canvas helps Evans and her TAs automatically grade assignments and quickly evaluate which questions work better than others, making it easy to throw out a question that didn’t work and return points to all students. Collaborating through Canvas also helps Evans guide her TAs as they learn more about teaching while sharing the workload.

“Last quarter, I said to my TAs, ‘The Chapter 10 assignment didn’t work very well, so can you brainstorm some ideas about how we might make that better?’” says Evans.

The TAs analyzed why the questions weren’t effective, developed a new assignment, and then Evans worked with them to review and revise it before it was implemented.

Creating online tests with the Canvas quiz tool

Screen capture of Canvas — Evans uploads maps, videos and recordings to Canvas to use in homework assignments, quizzes and tests.

“What’s really changed for me in using Canvas with this class is the testing,” Evans says about how she now balances class time.

Using the Canvas quiz tool enables Evans to spend less of her class time on testing and more on lectures and discussions. With the tool, she can develop online timed tests with questions that randomly mix to make collaboration difficult among students.

Evans learned how to use the tool while participating in the Teaching with Technology Fellows program, a 2013-2015 pilot project led by the Center for Teaching and Learning and UW-IT to help faculty redesign courses to incorporate technology in ways that put learning first.

“I take advantage of multimedia and videos with homework assignments, but with online tests I don’t want to have to worry about some failure with a video or other problems. So since some of our content is about regional dialects and patterns of linguistics, I use maps and other static images to ask questions for tests,” says Evans.

Using clickers to reward in-class participation

While Evans manages an active discussion board through Canvas, sharing news items and recent media clips, she chose not to assign participation points for online discussions, instead rewarding in-class participation with clickers.

“I get class discussions going through using clickers with the audience response system,” she says. “I’ll ask three to six questions per class period, and students get points for responding to a question with clickers. It’s low stakes—they don’t have to have a correct answer—but it allows me to see if a big percentage of people aren’t getting something right, and we need to go over it again.”

Evans always begins class with a clicker question on a topic from the day before to refresh material. She also sometimes starts discussions by asking opinion questions and having students talk with their neighbors before answering with a clicker.

“It gives them practice for the test because the questions that I use in class for the clickers are the same type they can expect to see on the test,” she says. “It also breaks up the lecture. I really enjoy doing them.”

Evans also received positive feedback from class evaluations that the clickers were working. Students said the clickers “incentivized me to show up and pay attention,” with one student commenting, “I also liked the clickers because the questions helped to test us on our knowledge of what we had just gone over in the lecture.”

Through creative use of Canvas and clickers, Evans is able to get her students to think about course material—from current events to real Washington state accents—in multiple ways and apply that knowledge to the real world.

Evans’ top tips for integrating Canvas in a class and getting the most out of clickers:

1. Post videos online, providing examples that can be played multiple times

Students can replay examples as many times as they want, which lets students go at their own pace and evens the playing field for English language learners.

2. Spark discussion by asking a question students answer with clickers—and award participation points at the same time

Clickers allow class participation to be about more than simply showing up or posting a sentence in an online discussion. This technique also allows instructors to check for general understanding of a concept while accomplishing multiple teaching objectives.

3. Create and give online tests in Canvas, freeing up time for in-class discussion

This approach allows more effective use of class time while also providing an opportunity for instructors to evaluate how well test questions are working and make improvements.

4. Provide opportunities for TAs to easily practice their teaching style with guidance using Canvas

The flexibility of the Canvas platform allows TAs to develop lesson plans and try new quiz questions. Then they review data from Canvas with Evans to see how effective it was for students.

Classrooms without borders

Posted on October 1, 2015May 3, 2016

UW Bothell lecturer Ursula Valdez uses Facebook, Skype and other social media tools to bring together students in Bothell and Peru

UW Bothell lecturer Ursula Valdez learned social media can be adapted to the classroom for effective teaching and learning.

In spring 2015, Ursula Valdez, a UW Bothell lecturer in Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, used readily available technology and social media tools to bring Peru and its people right into her Bothell classroom.

She teamed up with a colleague in Peru to teach the same class in two countries at the same time, creating a dynamic virtual learning community that encouraged students from vastly different backgrounds to work and learn together.

“Working with students who are thousands of miles away is not impossible anymore,” says Valdez, who is encouraging colleagues to consider launching similar classes. “We can be in China, in Egypt, in Peru or in a classroom in Seattle. It doesn’t matter. We can use all the offerings of the modern world to help us make global connections.”

“We can be in China, in Egypt, in Peru or in a classroom in Seattle…

Valdez’s class—From the Andes to the Cascades along the Pacific Coast: Environmental issues in Peru and the Pacific Northwest—was taught as an advanced seminar for 10 Bothell students. Valdez designed the class as a collaborative international learning experience, partnering with Dr. Armando Valdes-Velasquez, who taught a parallel class for his 20 students at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in the capital city of Lima. Both classes were taught in English.

“Collaborating with the Peruvian students online was an amazing opportunity that challenged my communication skills and significantly helped to prepare me for working with colleagues internationally,” says Kramer Canup, a UW Bothell student.

“This was an experience that made me realize how small I am in this world,” says fellow student Kanwal Yousuf, “yet there is so much one person can do to make a difference.”

Creating a study abroad experience without leaving home

To make the class a success, Valdez knew she needed students in her classroom and in Peru to engage in deep discussions on environmental issues that affect both their countries. And they had to interact and collaborate with one another to find potential solutions.

Valdez, who received her PhD in biology from UW, and her Peruvian colleague relied on social media tools that are ubiquitous around the globe to bring their classes together. They used Skype to create a single virtual classroom, allowing the students in both countries to make voice calls, chat and message, and also to conduct live video conferences over the internet. These sessions brought the parallel classes together as one, even as they were being held concurrently 5,000 miles apart.

To encourage and enrich further interactions among students outside the classroom, Valdez asked students to use social media tools such as Facebook and WhatsApp, a free instant messaging app for smartphones, which allowed students to talk to one another inside and outside the classroom.

There were communication challenges, for sure, but the efforts paid off in huge ways, says Peruvian co-lecturer Valdes-Velasquez.

“Designing and developing a course that took into account two distinct realities and two languages was a huge challenge,” he says. “And one of the most rewarding initiatives I have been involved in.”

Globally networked learning is possible

The seeds for Valdez’s class were planted a year ago, when she attended a UW Bothell Global Initiatives seminar and heard about the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Fellows program.

The fellowship supports UW faculty and staff from all campuses in developing multicultural learning environments that link UW classes to those at other universities across the globe. Instructors use various communication technologies to engage students from different countries, with lecturers from each country co-teaching and managing course work.

“…to create an international and intercultural learning community that broke boundaries.

With COIL, Valdez saw an opportunity. “I kept thinking about how I could bring some of these experiences from my native Peru to my students in Bothell. But I was also thinking about how I could bring the rich history and biodiversity of the Northwest to Peruvian students,” she says. “I wanted to create an international and intercultural learning community that broke boundaries.”

Valdez received a COIL fellowship to develop a collaborative international teaching and learning experience that focused on biodiversity, climate change and other important issues that face the Northwest and Peru. With assistance from Valdes-Velasquez, she spent several months designing her course.

“It was not difficult to find parallels between the two countries,” Valdez says. “Armando and I wanted students from each country to relate to each other’s problems.”

Valdez’s six suggestions for creating parallel classes

1. Find a committed teaching partner and connect with UW resources for support

Support is available for UW faculty and staff who want to pursue teaching globally. The Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Fellows program can guide you on how to successfully carry out globally networked learning, from finding a faculty partner to gathering institutional support and negotiating course content with your teaching partner. Demonstrating her commitment to co-teaching, Valdez used her fellowship funds to bring Valdes-Velasquez to Bothell to help lead classroom discussions for a week, and she traveled to Peru to teach in his class as well. While having global connections was certainly helpful to Valdez—who grew up and studied in Peru and continues to teach there—they are not required.

2. Apply to be a UW COIL Fellow

UW faculty from all three campuses are encouraged to apply for the 2015-16 cohort of UW Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Fellows. Successful applicants will receive $2,000 in funding and individualized support to implement an international collaboration course.

3. Focus tightly on engaging topics that cut across borders

Finding areas of common interest to students in both countries is one of the most important components of any co-taught international class, Valdez says. Working together, Valdez and her teaching partner settled on four major topics for discussion that had parallels in both countries: biodiversity and iconic species of the Pacific Northwest and Peru; use of forest resources and the impact of human activities on habitat loss, conservation and the economy; mountain ecology and climate change; and fisheries and conservation.

4. Collaboration leads to higher engagement

Interaction and collaboration with Peruvian students was highly motivating for her class, Valdez says. It led to higher engagement with class materials and better learning outcomes.

“You begin to see things you didn’t see through the eyes of someone who may live in a very different society compared to yours,” says Yousuf, of UW Bothell. “You get to compare issues that happen around your area to issues that are happening around the world. I learned a lot about why our ecosystem is so important, but most importantly I learned why collaborating and researching with other people from other parts of the world is so important.”

Canup, a fellow student, agreed. “It was a truly unique interdisciplinary experience, with a diverse class structure that always kept me engaged and excited, as the class combined group discussions with students abroad, and outdoor workshops and field trips with professional conservation biologists.”

5. Social media is your friend

There are many ways to communicate across the globe but Valdez settled on Skype, both for its large number of communication features and because it is readily accessible to Peruvians.

So is Facebook, and Valdez decided to create a private group to allow students to share information outside the classroom.

Facebook post — Valdez posted often in a private group in Facebook for both classes to encourage discussions across borders—and got lively responses.

“I never imagined that Facebook would have been such a powerful tool for learning,” says Valdez, who posted often to encourage students to discuss issues.

COIL facilitator Greg Tuke was impressed by the use of Facebook. “It was so clear to me when I read the student Facebook exchanges that they were connecting with each other both from the head and the heart.”

“Anyone can research, then compare and contrast bioregions of the world,” Tuke says. “The information is easy to access. But as these students learned about their local bioregions and how it impacted people they now were getting to know, students started gathering and posting additional information to benefit each other, not just to get a better grade. That is motivated learning at its best.”

Valdez also created a blog for students to share their ideas, and during field trips to Mount Rainier and other Cascade Mountains destinations, she encouraged them to make short videos that could be shared with their Peruvian counterparts.

This diverse array of communication tools made it easier for students to exchange ideas inside and outside the classroom.

“Yes, there were language barriers, technical barriers, but students felt empowered,” says Valdez. “They could talk to one another, exchange ideas and have lively discussions. We used everything we had at our disposal to help them learn together.”

6. Move students to action

Valdez wanted her students to understand that research for research’s sake is not enough. She wanted students to take action that would encourage real change. So, students were asked to write articles and letters to editors and politicians to bring attention to environmental issues. At Bothell, students assembled a display table at the center of campus with information on protecting water quality in Puget Sound, and asked fellow students to sign a petition.

UW Bothell Students Petition to protect water quality in the Puget Sound — UW Bothell students set up an information table to discuss water quality issues in Puget Sound and asked fellow students to sign a petition to protect it.

The Peruvians took similar actions back in Lima. “We were able to do concrete things to solve problems such as writing letters to various authorities, whether the head of state, ministry of environment or fishery, and letters to the editor in magazines,” Peruvian student Romina Najarro says. “It was rewarding to have new ideas for problem solving, as well as cultural exchange among students.”

Beyond moving students to action, the joint classes showed the incredible potential of connecting students around the world.

“Watching my students explore the similarities between the past and current issues in Washington and Peru, engage in heated discussions with their US counterparts, and work jointly to come up with great presentations and great work has led me to believe that the skills to work internationally should be an intrinsic part of our career programs,” Valdes-Velasquez says. “It creates new and enriching opportunities for students and, most importantly, helps create a new kind of professional capable of generating global initiatives and answers to today’s problems.”

Capstone projects as opportunities for real-life applications

Posted on May 12, 2015September 30, 2015

The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies and the Environmental Studies Program at the Program on the Environment are interdisciplinary programs with capstones experiences that require students to work with active practitioners as they pull knowledge from a wide variety of fields to produce multidimensional research projects. In both undergraduate programs, faculty collaborate with practitioners so that students gain direct insight into the professional world through on- or off-campus experiences. Ultimately, students learn about finding a personally fulfilling career and discussing their skills and real-world experience during interviews and networking.

The Jackson School Task Force Capstone

The Task Force capstone (JSIS 495) in the Jackson School gives students a taste of global affairs work with the guidance of policy professionals as a complement to academic knowledge. Students work in teams, or task forces, of 15 to 17 people to study a global policy question, develop a substantial research brief, and arrive at a set of policy recommendations that would be timely and relevant to a variety of organizations, similar to presidential commissions. Topics have ranged from climate change policies to redressing human rights violations in El Salvador, and more. “When I started directing the Task Force program eight years ago, we noticed that while students were academically prepared, they were missing some methodological skills,” says Professor Sara Curran, chair of International Studies. In response, the program developed a new prerequisite, the Policy Memo Workshop led by Philip Wall, affiliate professor and a retired senior Foreign Service officer, to teach students the skill of condensing 25-page studies into one-page summaries. Because Task Forces operate on a very tight deadline at a different pace than a one-quarter class, Wolfram Latsch, director of the Jackson School Academic Services, developed a student handbook that lays out roles, responsibilities and timelines so that team members understand what is expected and why their work matters. With these explicit tools provided by the School, “We didn’t have any surprises we weren’t prepared for,” observed Jwanah Qudsi, who participated in the 2014 “Drone Wars” Task Force her senior year.

Introducing students to professional expectations for careers in international affairs in two critical ways

When students learn directly from practitioners — instructors range from elected officials to retired Foreign Service officers — they experience a new perspective and are often treated more as colleagues working towards a shared goal. “We deeply appreciated getting that insider point-of-view of what it’s really like,” says Qudsi about working directly with her instructor, U.S. Congressman Adam Smith.
Students learn to manage both time and people while balancing different roles and deadlines for the group and as individuals. “Students are used to controlling their own space, so they have to adjust to this lack of control,” says Latsch. “It can be disorienting.”

Task Force Evaluation Day is designed to add additional layers of real-life experiences

The culmination of the Task Force experience is an in-person briefing to an external, expert evaluator. “This intense engagement requires professional preparation and quick thinking, as the students combine a polished presentation with on-the-spot answers to critical questions from the expert evaluator,” says Curran. Latsch points out how the evaluation “again mirrors the professional world, as one’s work will often be more visible and persuasive if an articulate argument is matched with evidence.” At the formal closing dinner, evaluators and instructors often continue discussing the reports with Task Force members, exposing students to a new dimension of professional conversation and social networking. “It’s given me an appreciation for how hard it can be to get policy passed,” Qudsi observes. Wall believes the combination of thorough academic preparation with a real-life simulation is essential to preparing students for a wide variety of careers. “I have yet to meet a fellow Foreign Service officer, active or retired, whose response to my description of the Task Force capstone was anything other than ‘I wish I could have taken that course,’” says Wall.

Task Force 2015 students after their presentation on reforming U.S. foreign aid policy. U.S. Congressman Adam Smith (back row, far left), flew to Seattle from Washington, D.C. each week to serve as their instructor, and Rajiv Shah, former USAID Administrator (center), was the final evaluator. Photo courtesy of the Jackson School of International Studies.

Environmental Studies Capstone Experience

Through a three-quarter Capstone Experience course series (ENVIR 490, 491, 492), Environmental Studies students gain valuable hands-on experience, explore meaningful career possibilities and develop professional skills. The Capstone Experience is built around a quarter-long internship in which students produce a research project and a portfolio of professional writings supported by faculty and on-site mentors. Capstone partners range from community-based nonprofits, private sector organizations, state and federal government agencies, and faculty research projects on topics ranging from e-waste to food security to environmental education in the digital age.

The Pre-Capstone Seminar prepares students for the Capstone Experience through targeted academic study and professional development

Because many students have not held internships before, the seminar introduces them to the job search process with sessions on résumés, cover letters and ways to adapt their “pitch” for an informal job fair or formal interview to land their top choice project. “Once they’ve secured that internship, that’s when we think about how that hands-on professional experience is going to relate to their scholarly work, and apply it in an academic setting,” says Capstone Instructor Sean McDonald.

During the Capstone Experience students adjust to two roles — scholars and professionals: As scholars, the students develop insightful research questions based on their hands-on experience and assemble a thorough bibliography under the guidance of a faculty adviser. As professionals, they acquire project management skills and report to their site supervisor with specific project deliverables and deadlines while learning to navigate a professional work environment.
Throughout the internship, site partners and faculty mentors provide support and encouragement to students. “They remind students to communicate regularly about their progress and any challenges, and to not be afraid to ask for help,” says Clare Ryan, director of the Program on the Environment.

Reflection — on the process and the results — is built in to multiple assignments

Students synthesize and reflect on their experience with a variety of writing projects. Assignments include:

Writing memos, which pushes students to succinctly summarize their progress and research while honing their professional writing techniques
Reporting research findings in an academic analysis paper, akin to a senior thesis
Summarizing their experience in public-facing integrative essays
Documenting and contemplating the process in personal journals
Sharing updates with peers through informal discussion on a Tumblr class blog while strengthening their network of future colleagues

Students learn to communicate to multiple audiences

Students present their research to site partners, potential employers and a general audience at the culminating Capstone Symposium. At this point, students understand how their experience relates to the broader context of their Environmental Studies education and their own future goals, and are able to market their capstone experience for their job search or graduate school applications. “They start to see a connection between what’s going on in the classroom and what’s going on outside of it,” says McDonald.

Learn More

Read the full Provost report on how to link academic passion to life and careers.

A multi-faceted approach to helping students build networks before graduation

Posted on May 12, 2015September 30, 2015

Faculty in the Department of Communication are connecting students with alumni and opportunity to experience real-life work spaces

“It’s not just deciding what your career’s going to be, it’s who do you want to be? What are the attributes you want to develop in yourself? What, then, in your professional toolbox do you develop to contribute to that?”

**Nancy Rivenburgh**
Professor, Communication

When the Communication faculty asked themselves if they were meeting the new needs of students, they realized they often saw students failing to connect their education with professional development.

“Students who are graduating now are entering such a different work place than we grew up in,” says Professor Nancy Rivenburgh. “There are whole new ways of thinking about career opportunities, and it’s important to stay up to date with that.”

Many students weren’t understanding how the creative and critical thinking skills developed in the classroom would actually apply in a work environment. Many also seemed unaware of the incredible variety of careers beyond traditional paths for which a communication degree prepares graduates.

“We were seeing a gap,” says Chair David Domke. “So we asked, ‘What is a 21st century approach to student development?’”

Based upon this self-assessment, the department inaugurated programming changes in 2013 and 2014 that seek to integrate academic learning with career strategy and leadership development. The new approach included remodeling a new collaboration space and adding a new director of student leadership to launch a Career Kickstart program and revamp their internship program.

Communication faculty also saw this as an opportunity to improve student engagement inside the classroom. “I have pure academic goals, of course, but students are motivated if they also see the relevance of what they do to post-University life,” says Rivenburgh. The faculty found that student motivation benefits most when programming is guided by two themes: connecting students with professionals and providing opportunities to experience real work environments.

Linking alumni to students facilitates meaningful, often lasting, connections

*“Students a lot of times will only think there’s a small range of jobs they can have, but then they go on our trips and see there are so many different roles at these companies.”*

**Arianna Aldebot**
Director of Student Leadership, Communication

Interactions with department alumni offer current students an approachable, accessible introduction to the job market in their field. The department involves alumni in several ways, including:

Communication Alumni Board: Members offer real-world feedback and programming suggestions based on the latest market needs in their fields. “They’re constantly thinking about what kinds of opportunities we can give to students. They know what’s trending,” says Arianna Aldebot, the new director of student leadership who serves as staff liaison to the Board.

Professional Development Workshops: Alumni volunteers focus on specific skills, such as pitching a story or tailoring a résumé for a specific job. “The workshops are so beneficial,” says junior Thomas Nguyen. “I think it’s something a lot more students should take advantage of.”

Alumni Database: When students have a career goal in a specific city, they can turn to Victoria Sprang, the alumni outreach manager, who recommends appropriate contacts for informational interviews and possible professional mentors.

Mentor Chats: Small group sessions offered nearly every week host alumni discussing how their studies and activities at UW helped launched their careers. “I want the students to feel like it’s more intimate, so they get comfortable asking questions,” says Aldebot. “The mentors like it as well because they feel like they get to really connect with the students.”

Beyond inspiration, alumni can also offer the kind of one-on-one mentoring that is invaluable to nervous or curious students. “We’re meeting people who had experiences we can relate to — they took the same classes, worked at The Daily. Hearing their stories fueled me to want to do better, knowing these people did it, and so can I,” says Nguyen. “I know I can go to them for advice.”

Career Exploration trips are high-impact experiences

Career Exploration trips started in 2013 with visits to Los Angeles and New York City, and day trips to businesses and media outlets around Seattle. Aldebot and Sprang pack the agendas with a variety of meetings, from a general alumni mixer to structured roundtables with professionals who speak about their companies and the range of communication jobs. From the senior editor of a fashion magazine to chief digital officer of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the exposure to active professionals and settings helps students make informed choices about their futures.

*“It’s so valuable getting experience while still in college because you really get to put into practice what you learn in the classroom.”*

**Ashley Walls**
Junior, Journalism major

“Initially, I was hoping to be a features writer for a large newspaper outlet,” says Ashley Walls, a junior who went on the first trip to New York in 2013. After touring ESPN and meeting a range of people in communications there, she shifted her focus. “Now, I want to be a community relations director for a professional sports franchise, helping to establish partnerships between teams and nonprofit organizations, and encourage community engagement,” she says.

Experiencing the environment of a job market first-hand also helps students narrow the field for their job search. Nguyen explains, “I know students who started the trip thinking they would like to work in New York City. It saved them so much time when they realized how that market, and such a drastic change, wasn’t right for them.”

Career planning through a course offers more structure to students who need it

The department has also been updating COM 494: Careers in Communication. “We wanted something in the curriculum that gives students a chance to think concretely about applying their University learning to a career environment,” says Domke. “Sometimes students want to dive deep over several weeks in a group setting to process what it means to even think about a career.”
Today’s robust programming now delivers several explicit options to students. Many students make the most of a few workshops or mentor connections, while others find that visiting work spaces or having the guidance of an entire course has the most impact for planning their future.

Thomas Nguyen’s Career Exploration trip: “It kickstarted my momentum”

“Going to Deutsch Advertising, in New York City, was my aha moment where I connected everything I was learning in the classroom with my interests. Hearing from their planning director, I realized it was all the things I really wanted to do in one position. Before the trip, I was everywhere — interested in marketing, event coordinating, television. After the trip I found out I was really interested in advertising.

“Learning about different industries and work cultures and thinking about what kind of life we want helped me make a mental action plan. I know what internships to look into now, and I’m tailoring my class schedule to really build myself up for the career I know I want.”

Learn More

Read the full Provost report on how to link academic passion to life and careers.