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International Faculty Social Hour
Professional Development Circles
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Track: Format: Fell B Thriving in a Climate of Assessment Individual Presentation |
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One Teacher, Many Discussions: Fostering Independent Engagement Among Students Inside and Outside the Classroom
Ryan Edel, English
While teaching Introduction to Fiction and Poetry at Johns Hopkins and English 101 here at Illinois State University, I have used a combination of small groups, online forums, and writing workshops to foster environments where multiple conversations occur simultaneously. By having students post written work the day before class and then requiring typed feedback from their peers, I’ve found that students arrive at class better prepared both in terms of the content and the modes of discussion. This leads them to be more independent in their small groups, allowing more time for personalized instructional attention with each student. By working with smaller groups of students, I am better able to illustrate productive habits of critical thinking and constructive criticism while providing them the opportunity to continue these habits without supervision. In this session, we’ll use Moodle to demonstrate how to initiate effective online forums, and then move into the dynamics of enabling small group discussions without sacrificing the instructor’s role in modeling the modes of academic discourse.
Two Sides of the Same Coin: Student and Faculty Perceptions of Student Engagement at ISU
Derek Herrmann, University Assessment Services; Ryan Smith, University Assessment Services
In Spring 2010, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) was administered to all first-year and senior students at Illinois State University. This questionnaire contains items related to students’ academic and co-curricular engagement activities, as well as questions about institutional emphasis and contribution. Then, in Spring 2011, the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) was administered to all full-time faculty members who taught undergraduate courses. This questionnaire contains items similar to those on the NSSE, thus providing a faculty member’s view of student engagement and institutional emphasis and contribution. Having both of these views allows for an examination of any similarities (and differences) between them. For example, 71 percent of students and 72 percent of faculty believe that the coursework at ISU emphasizes making judgments about the value of information, arguments, or methods. But although 60 percent of students reported that they often included diverse perspectives in class discussions/assignments, only 38 percent of faculty reported that students in their courses often used diverse perspectives in class discussions/assignments. This session will examine a few of the similarities and differences between student and faculty perceptions of student engagement and discuss the implications for teaching and learning at ISU.
