Session III
3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Shared Session
Moderator: Kris Vespia, UW-Green Bay
Alternative Grading Practices: Ungrading, Specifications Grading, and More
Dana Wanzer Psychology, UW-Stout
Grades and grading are inherently problematic: they stifle risk-taking and creativity, encourage students to focus more on the grade and less on the learning, and are subject to teacher biases. Alternative grading systems like ungrading, specifications grading, and contract grading all aim for more authentic, equitable, and empowering approaches to grading. This presentation will discuss the fraught history and challenges associated with grading before providing an overview of various alternative grading systems. Personal experiences and student feedback will be woven throughout the presentation to illustrate what these alternative grading systems can look like in practice.
How To Evaluate Overall Student Engagement
Tony Palmeri Communication Studies, UW-Oshksoh
A class participation grade inherently favors extroverted students comfortable with what often becomes animated classroom discourse. Introverted students, along with students for whom English is a second language, frequently feel marginalized in such an environment. As educators interested in equity and fairness to ALL students, we need to recognize that class participation is merely ONE way of demonstrating engagement with a course. This presentation will describe a method of evaluating overall course engagement that can be adapted for instructors in all disciplines.
Wisconsin Teaching Fellows & Scholars 2021-22
The following presentations are from participants in OPID's signature program, Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars. These presentations are the culmination of a year-long engagement in a community of practitioners focused on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).
Mindfulness and Persistence
Moderators: Valerie Barske, UW-Stevens Point and Heather Pelzel, UW-Whitewater
Identifying Characteristics of Adaptive Learners Using a Novel Activity with Doctor of Physical Therapy Applicants
Steve Johnson Clinical Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy, UW-Stevens Point
Adaptive learning has been identified as a preferred characteristic for
health profession education and important in the development of clinical
decision-making skill. Adaptability of health care professionals is seen as a
valuable attribute in a modern rapidly changing and fast paced health care
environment. The ability to identify characteristics of adaptive learners would
be a valuable tool in a competitive graduate admissions process like physical
therapy. Could a novel group activity as part of the admissions process help
faculty identify applicants with characteristics of adaptive learners? The UW-
Stevens Point Physical Therapy program incorporated a novel adaptive learning activity into the campus visit day. Prospective applicants completed the novel task in small randomly assigned peer groups and completed an open response survey about their experiences. Qualitative analysis of applicant responses was conducted to investigate themes of adaptive learning, inform future novel activities, and explore applicant's adaptive learning attributes.
Using Contemplation to Deepen Reading in the Literature Classroom
Rebekah Fowler Associate Professor of Literature, UW-La Crosse
In
her book Reader Come Home: The Reading Brain in the Digital World, Maryanne
Wolf argues the key to deep reading is contemplation. This project asks the
question “does contemplation deepen reading?” Using a pre-text/post-test
assessment and student reflections from four literature-focused courses, I
analyze student responses to determine whether, and to what extent, students
referenced in-class and homework-based contemplative pedagogies used in the
course to deepen their reading practice and to identify examples of deeper
reading as the result of these pedagogies. For the pre- and post-tests,
participants were asked to read a short passage and respond to seven questions asking them to summarize, predict, analogize, interpret, and analyze the work, and to reflect on their reading experience and strategies and on insights gained from the readings to determine if there was significant change from the pre- to the post-test responses in depth of reading and in named strategies.
Student Stuckness: Communication Practices That Assist Students in Overcoming Challenges
Sarah Riforgiate Associate Professor of Communication, UW-Milwaukee
Undergraduate college students face an array of challenges including working through difficult assignments/classes, navigating time constraints and more. Challenges can decrease students’ ability to focus on classes and academic persistence. This study focuses on identifying communication factors that helps students overcome these challenges including: 1) the content of the messages, 2) who messages are from, and 3) how the messages are communicated (i.e., in person, via email, etc.) to determine which of these factors is important for overcoming challenges. Undergraduate college students (n=134) completed an online survey with open-ended questions to share a time when they were stuck and information about the messages they received. Results were coded using iterative qualitative coding cycles. By analyzing communication patterns, this study provides practical communication strategies to increase student problem-solving and persistence in college.
Ali Gattoni Adjunct Assistant Professor of Communication, UW-Milwaukee
Research on cooperative learning and using groups in the classroom highlights the benefits group work has for students, including academic learning, building relationships, and developing communication skills (Johnson & Johnson, 2005). Despite the acknowledged benefits, some students hold negative perceptions and often find group work challenging. Challenges may create times where students feel “stuck” in completing projects or communicating with group members, possibly impacting academic learning and the development of collaboration skills. For this project, undergraduate students completed surveys with open-ended questions about their experiences working in groups. Survey responses were qualitatively analyzed for key themes about students’ experiences of getting stuck in groups, including the impact that being stuck has on student learning. Results provide an understanding of student experiences in their own words, highlighting some of the pedagogical practices and strategies that instructors can use that may have a positive impact on student success.