Photo by  Nathan Dumlao  on  Unsplash Arizona State University's charter statement is a powerful reminder that we are here to create an inclusive learning environment for our students. A group of School of Life Sciences (SOLS) faculty recently affirmed that statement by engaging in an all-day, inclusive teaching workshop in San Francisco, hosted by the American Geophysical Union on Sunday, Dec. 8th, 2019. This event, facilitated by Prof. Kimberly Tanner from the Department of Biology at San Francisco State University and Prof. Jeff Schinske from the Department of Biology at Foothill Community College, engaged our faculty in a number of exercises aimed at helping them adopt practices that promote equity and inclusion. The core of the workshop was built upon two excellent and accessible articles: Structure Matters: Twenty-One Teaching Strategies to Promote Student Engagement and Cultivate Classroom Equity Order Matters: Using the 5E Model to Align Teaching with How Peopl

Have you discovered a cool feature that Canvas does well? Or have you found a neat work-around to "hack" your Canvas course page? Photo by  Taskin Ashiq  on  Unsplash We've recently done two Teach Talk webinars titled "Hacking Canvas" where we shared some interesting tips and tricks. Naturally we are progressing in our learning about Canvas, so our "hacks" are unveiling more hidden features each time. We define "hacks" as: making Canvas do something unintended unveiling hidden features workarounds for Canvas limitations In May 2019, we hosted a popular webinar about hacking Canvas (Part I). Being relatively new to Canvas at the time, we wanted to share what we had uncovered after the first semester of using the online learning environment fully.  We covered the following "hacks" during that session: formatting hacks autotext function autoscored attendance the elusive median collaborative pages custom dashbo

Typical approaches to learning center heavily around objectives, which are discrete, measurable, and focused on specific narrow outcomes. But what about when your education shakes up your entire mindset and radically changes your fundamental perspectives of your self-identity, society, or the entire world? Transformative Learning Theory (TLT) addresses how teaching and learning could accomplish such ambitious tasks.  This week's Teach T@lk webinar was presented by Abigail Smith , Instructional Designer for the School of   Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies. She shared with us a brief history of TLT, some of the basic concepts it presents, and practical applications for how we can apply the findings of TLT to our own teaching practices. Background  We began with sharing moments from our own learning experiences that were life changing; moments that gave us pause, and ones that surprised us. Then, we learned how the theory came to be developed by Jack Mezirow

The path to quality information is not straight.  A recent survey from Project Information Literacy  explored how college students engage with news . Most survey respondents encounter some news every day, but more found out about news and current events through conversations with peers, family and instructors than from professional news sources. Researchers found class conversation about world events can provide important context and practice for engaging with credible information sources. Further, students who discussed news and public issues in the classroom were more inclined to investigate the topics on their own.  Research and exploration are important components for any learning endeavor. Students dive deeper into a subject area to gain new knowledge, and instructors often help guide them toward credible, authoritative sources in their subject area. But what is often overlooked in most classrooms is the experience and habits students bring to the table for finding and evalua

The modern research university like Arizona State University has a multifaceted mission including research, education, and service to the community. The pressure on faculty to perform at high levels in the three areas can be daunting. Faculty positions require a diverse skill set to meet expectations in each critical job area. Additionally, given the mixed mission of the university faculty are frequently hired for their research expertise.   Arizona State University is uniquely positioned because the university is dedicated to accessibility for all students qualified to study at the university. The diversity and preparedness of students can create a complex teaching and learning environment which is further complicated by level of faculty preparedness to address the challenges of the diverse classroom. A collaborative relationship between faculty and instructional designers can produce positive outcomes for faculty and students (Richardson et al., 2018). It is imperative the unive

Why undergrads consider leaving research and what research labs can do to help students thrive Participating in research as an undergraduate is well known to benefit students as they develop into confident and skilled researchers. Students can hone their technical skills, critical thinking, and ability to collaborate and communicate their findings. Despite these benefits, some students still decide to leave their undergraduate research labs prior to completing their undergraduate degree. If these experiences are so beneficial, why are students leaving them prematurely? A group of researchers, including 14 undergraduate students participating in ASU’s LEAP Scholars program , set out to answer this question. They surveyed life sciences students from 25 research-intensive public universities nationwide who were currently participating in or had previously participated in undergraduate research. Surprisingly, half of the students surveyed considered leaving their undergraduate resear

While it is important to test your students' knowledge in a course, it is even more important to do formative, or low stakes, assessments. Formative assessments assist you in gauging student comprehension and identifying those areas that need re-teaching. And they don't have to be complicated or time-consuming for you as the instructor, or for your students! This week's TeachTalk webinar was presented by Mark Fogelson and Katrina Fogelson , Instructional Designers from Arizona State University's College of Health Solutions. In addition to discussing best practices for incorporating formative assessments into courses, Mark and Katrina shared a helpful guide that rated the effort needed by the instructor and the potential reward for the students for each type of formative assessment. Specifically they provided ratings that considered: creation time, ease of delivery, turnaround time, level of engagement, and utility. Mark and Katrina also showcased a too

Online textbooks and simulations have become commonplace in online courses. However, there is an increased need to review online content from an "inclusive lens". More research has helped instructors understand the value of embedding case studies and role models into their traditional courses that depict different genders and diverse ethnicities. Too often, computer-generated simulations use stereotypes and implicit bias to create narratives and visuals, and professionals that design the simulations are rarely educated in inclusion and diversity issues. However, students using virtual-reality headsets found themselves completely immersed in the storyline, and often empathetic to the avatars. Under-represented communities need to be able to see themselves as scientists, researchers, leaders in science, and our simulations needed to reflect the diversity of our school. At the School of Life Sciences, we created a team that would review all new simulation content with

ASU’s fully online B.S. in Biological Sciences: What it is and how it is inclusive? ASU is known for its mission to be inclusive; as ASU’s charter states “ASU is measured not by whom it excludes, but whom it includes, and how they succeed.” To further this mission, ASU launched the first fully online Bachelor of Science degree program in Biological Sciences in Fall 2017- one of the first online Biology degree programs in the nation. Similar to ASU’s in-person biology degree, students complete a general biology curriculum, except that coursework is completed solely online, including biology lab instruction which is offered through Labster's virtual reality platform. ASU’s online biology degree program is gaining national attention because it is accessible to students who may face difficulty in accessing an in-person program; it provides students with the flexibility and the convenience to complete their coursework anytime and anywhere. This program is setting the groundw

Our webinar today was facilitated by Joshua Caulkins from the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University. The agenda included: Defining metacognition;   Identifying components of the process for metacognition;   Exploring strategies that promote metacognition Josh showed participants the Cycle of Self-Directed Learning, and had them discuss how they learned to learn. He shared multiple activities from "Promoting student metacognition" by Kimberly Tanner, PhD, that would help students learn to think about their learning. He also showed examples of how to do an "exam wrapper", that could start with a Pre-survey asking students to assess their studying and preparation for the exam. Then afterwards, a Post-survey would ask them if they received the grade they expected, and ask how they might to change the way they study for the next exam. For more information, browse the resources below: Slide Deck   Recording link Key Articles: (othe

Are you finding that you're repeatedly asking your students to attend office hours, but still see low attendance? You are not alone. Office hours are often conducted in-person, on a scheduled day and time that the instructor is available. Typically these hours are posted online and in the syllabus. Yet, most students do not attend. Below are some options to try, that may encourage more students to attend your office hours! Have you tried virtual office hours?  This option does not have to be for online courses only. To do this you can use Zoom, and link it to your Canvas course. Instructors who have tried virtual office hours have been impressed with more students attending. This could simply be because students were unable to make it to campus on the scheduled day/time for office hours, but instead could join virtually. Here are some instructions to get you started (requires ASURITE log-in). Share a funny video with students about office hours. Another option to con

Do you ever wish you had more time to change your teaching? Do you plan to make changes each semester but eventually fall back into the same routine? What if you could make small changes now, and have a big effect on students' learning? This semester we are hosting our 2nd reading group for faculty and teaching assistants! We've chosen to read, Small Teaching , by James M. Lang. The reading group's first meeting will be held on Monday September 9th, from Noon - 1pm in LSE 232. If you're interested in joining us and would like a copy of the book, it's not too late, so please RSVP here . In preparation for this dive into Lang's topic of small teaching, check out these resources: Get started on reading the book by accessing the e-book from the ASU Library . The Chronicle of Higher Education gathered a series of articles by the author of the book. Topics include ideas on making small changes to teaching, such as the first or last 5 minutes of class, and hel

Palm Walk, Arizona State University, Tempe Campus. While Fall is not in the weather for Arizona, the Fall semester has arrived on campus! As we get back into the swing of things, we've read some interesting articles that are relevant to you as the semester begins. How to Prepare for Class Without Overpreparing This article by James M. Lang (author of our forthcoming reading group book pick!), gives us permission to take it easy when preparing for our classes. He provides four quick ways he has adjusted his courses to engage students. You may find that you're already doing some of them! How to Make Smart Choices About Tech for Your Course This article by Michelle D. Miller, has extensive and excellent advice on considering the technology you choose to include in your course. She poses THE great question that Amy and I often have, "Is it necessary? Will it improve the learning?" The author also includes several resources that are worth checking out. How to

Our webinar this week focused on a topic that we haven't covered before, but is really critical for faculty to manage large size courses. Dr. Lynda Mae shared her model for "recruiting, training and retaining Undergraduate TAs". Dr. Mae uses the UTAs to directly work with students, and allow grad students to work at a higher focused level. They hold office hours throughout the week, and answer the "24/7" question board to support evenings and weekends. She solicits feedback from them for improving the courses because they have a great perspective. She uses the group of UTAs to test instructions and rubrics for clarity.  Recruiting: Send personal emails to congratulate students with outstanding grades Work with the Advising staff to post an ad in newsletter, and put flyers in a hall Contact honors clubs, and specialty clubs Ask current TAs to recruit others Tip: Emphasize the benefits to them, including a letter for grad school, possibly volunteer h