Session III

3:45 PM to 4:45 PM

Contemplative Practices and Anti-Oppressive Pedagogies

David Voelker Humanities and History, UW-Green Bay, Greta Gaard English and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, UW-River Falls, Teysha Bowser Professional Counseling, UW-Oshkosh, Sam Cocks, UW-La Crosse, and Franklin Chen, UW-Green Bay

Moderator: Amber Handy, UW-Parkside

This panel will explore how mindfulness and other contemplative teaching approaches can serve as strategic tools for building anti-oppressive pedagogies in higher education. Research and teaching experience confirm that simply providing students with evidence and narratives of economic, social, and environmental injustices is insufficient for generating empathy, solidarity, and a desire to act for change. Panelists will describe their research-based development and implementation of contemplative practices and anti-oppressive pedagogies from diverse fields across the university. Additionally, they will guide participants through an experiential mindfulness practice.

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Impact and Practice

View Recording

Elizabeth Grbavcich Writing, Language, & Literature, UW-Superior

Moderators: Verda Blythe, UW-Madison and Erin Speetzen, UW-Stevens Point

This roundtable invites attendees to share their prior learning assessment (PLA) and credit for prior learning (CPL) experiences, whether from the student, instructor, advisor, or administrator perspective. Those unfamiliar with PLA, too, are welcome! The Credit for Prior Learning Coordinator from UW-Superior will share information and examples but will structure this session with prompts to give attendees the opportunity to share their methods and observations. This will allow for comparisons of likenesses and differences in PLA across UW campuses as we discuss topics such as types of assessments; administrative and departmental policies and expectations; effects on time to degree, engagement, and other student and teaching/learning concerns.

Navigating Spaces in Higher Ed: Collaborating for the Inclusion of Underrepresented Voices in Teacher Education

View Recording

Elizabeth Rollins Teaching and Learning, Leti Cortes Teaching and Learning, Tressa Gosz Teaching and Learning, Leanne Evans Teaching and Learning, UW-Milwaukee

Moderator: Abhi Ghosh, UW-Stout

Our research study, Navigating Spaces in Higher Ed, began out of a common recognition from our research team that the transition to college is a difficult one, for any new student. These difficulties can be heightened for new students who are also part of marginalized communities, or those who are commonly underrepresented in higher education (i.e., students of color and first-generation students), and we wanted to create supports for navigating the Early Childhood Education (ECE) program. We started this research study with the goals of promoting and supporting ECE pre-service teachers in higher education spaces. By examining early-program students' experiences within the ECE program and focusing on collaborating with traditionally underrepresented pre-service teachers, we hope to bring new supports that are responsive to and inclusive of all ECE students.

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).

View WTFS Posters/Presentations Here.

Innovative Digital Pedagogies

Moderators: Valerie Barske, UW-Stevens Point and Heather Pelzel, UW-Whitewater

View Recording

Adoption of Online Pedagogies: Influences Measured by the Diffusion of Innovation Theory

Amy Lane Instructional Designer of Information Technology Management, UW-Extended Campus

One of the largest movements to online teaching and learning in higher education was due to a pandemic which shifted thousands of college students and faculty to online learning. This shift created a critical need for faculty resources and the adoption of new pedagogies. Faculty needed to develop online teaching skills in order to create high-quality online instruction. This study was grounded in the Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory with the purpose of determining how the DOI characteristics influence faculty in the adoption of innovative online pedagogies. After faculty participated in three faculty development courses they completed a Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) survey to measure their perception of the characteristics that influenced their level of adoption. In addition, the survey included an innovation score for early, moderate or late adoption of innovation. The results focus on the influences that faculty face in adopting new online pedagogies for online teaching.

Using ePortfolio to Develop Students' Learner Autonomy in Chinese-Language Classes

Hongying Xu Assistant Professor of Global Cultures and Languages, UW-La Crosse

Learner autonomy, the ability to take charge of one’s own learning, is essential. ePortfolio enables students to select and reflect on their work. The present study explored if integrating a culture ePortfolio into an undergraduate Chinese class could help students develop their learner autonomy. Students created five posts throughout the semester on a particular cultural topic out of their own interest, each of which included a summary in Chinese, an analysis, and interpretation in English of the resource they found. They then read each other’s posts and responded to at least two posts. They also had two in-class discussions about their posts. Students took a survey of their learner autonomy before and after the ePortfolio in addition to a reflective essay. Descriptive and qualitative analysis showed that students perceived improved learner autonomy, especially in their use of resources outside of class and their strategies in planning, monitoring, and evaluating learning.

"Live from the Red Square!" Virtual Educational Travel in History Classroom

Andrey Ivanov Assistant Professor of History, UW-Platteville

Fieldwork is a staple of experiential teaching. Existing SoTL literature has largely affirmed the value of learning history through exploration (such as going to a museum or archeological site). The reality of the pandemic, however, disrupted the in-person explorative learning. Could the use of remote-virtual field trips (RVFTs), an emerging pedagogical medium, present a viable option for educational travel? I sought to answer this question by traveling to historical sites, while connecting students in my global and Russian history classes via streaming interactive video platform. Based on student surveys, post-fieldtrip debriefings and analytics of video recordings, this study concluded that short-term RVFTs significantly enhance students’ experiential learning in the history classroom during the pandemic. RVFTs also make such learning more accessible where personal considerations (such as health) or institutional circumstances may inhibit such journeys for students.

The Impact of an AI-Driven Discussion Platform on Students' Outcomes

Ekundayo Akinlade Assistant Professor of Management and Human Resources, UW-Parkside

Asynchronous online discussions are often at the core of most online courses. Instructors use them as important tools for student-to-student engagement to foster different student outcomes. Despite the potential benefits of online discussions, several challenges exist. For example, students do not always engage fully in these online discussions, and when they do, some of their responses are cursory or repetitious comments that hold less value for fellow students. This study used an AI-supported discussion platform, Packback, to develop students’ critical thinking skills and promote engaging and meaningful discussions. As they compose, students receive real-time feedback from Packback on the quality of their posts, encouraging them to ask effective open-ended questions at higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. Furthermore, Packback serves as an equity tool by providing a personalized learning experience to each student, thereby promoting academic success for all students irrespective of their background and unique skill sets.