Thinking critically is a skill gained through practice. Critical thinking has been listed as a top competency needed by college graduates for career readiness, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) . They define critical thinking as a competency that enables students to  " exercise sound reasoning to analyze issues, make decisions, and overcome problems. The individual is able to obtain, interpret, and use knowledge, facts, and data in this process, and may demonstrate originality and inventiveness. "  Therefore the more opportunities we can provide students to practice their critical thinking skills, the better they will succeed in their future courses and career.  In February, the School of Life Sciences Teaching Innovation Center hosted a lunch and learn workshop focused on developing critical thinkers. During the hour faculty colleagues shared their experiences and knowledge on the topic. We followed each lightning talk with small ...

Feedback takes many forms.  This week's Teach Talk webinar focused on the gathering of feedback from your students as well as colleagues, to enhance the overall learning experience.  Sarah Prosory , Instructional Designer in the School of Life Sciences, shared  different techniques that can be used to gather feedback, and why you should ask a colleague for feedback about your course.  Enhance Learning There are many reasons to gather feedback from students, with a few being: checking for their understanding of a topic, generating ideas, and discovering concerns or issues so you can find a solution. Student engagement occurs as well, when students are asked about their learning.  Adult learners especially like to feel they are a part of their learning. By asking them about teaching or classroom activities, students will feel more included in how the course continues. This leads to better engagement, and can create a feedback loop in which students can comfort...

We’ve all been there. We pose a question to the class and we hope that someone will volunteer an answer or an opinion, but more often than we’d like, our attempts to get students to participate in class are met with students avoiding eye contact and awkward silences. So how can we, as instructors, motivate undergraduate STEM students to participate in class? Here are some methods that could prove successful in increasing student participation in your classrooms. Providing a grade incentive At the beginning of the semester tell your students that their participation in class is going to be graded and provide them with the class participation rubric. This will set the participation expectations for your class early on and the rubric can serve as a guide that your student can follow to achieve the level of participation that is being required of them. Have students evaluate their participation After the first few weeks of class, have your students grade their own levels of parti...

Have you ever questioned whether the simulations you use in your classroom reflect the diversity of your students?  This is a relevant topic at Arizona State University, and in the School of Life Sciences, we implemented a review team to specifically look at the avatars and environments shown in our simulations used for online lab classes. Our review team developed a cultural values guide that helped staff and instructors review specific cases where avatars could appear to be stereotypes, and make suggestions for changes that would show more diversity and be more inclusive.  Simulations were reviewed for: Using language that describes observable facts versus judgement in an assessment of an avatar.  Showing diversity with non-binary avatars, and non-traditional roles for genders Modeling interactions between avatars as respectful to various communities Showing a diversity of religious beliefs within the scientific community Promoting avatars with disabilities f...