Recommendations and Solutions to Close the DEI Gap for OT and Clinical Faculty’s Educational Resources

featuring guest author Molly Song,
TWU Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Student
as part of her Capstone Project:
Development of Pedagogical Resources on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Occupational Therapy Faculty 
Co-mentored by Dr. Dayton Kinney,
Coordinator of Teaching, Learning, & Academic Excellence

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is an institutional and multi-faceted initiative based on the concepts that comprise its name. DEI’s relevancy will continue in today’s ever-changing social environment as shown by the 133 minority members of the 118th Congress, which has nearly doubled in the two decades since the 108th Congress of 2003-05, which had 67 minority members (Schaeffer, 2023). Yet, despite efforts to advocate and implement DEI initiatives in higher education for the aim to create systemic change, historically marginalized communities still struggle for acceptance and respectful interactions. In fact, as of 2020, 81% of Black adults say being Black hurts a person’s ability to get ahead in the U.S. at least a little, up from 68% in 2019 (Mitchell, 2021). With this continued struggle in mind, it is imperative for healthcare institutions and professionals to do their part by staying informed of current needs concerning areas of DEI.

DEI’s Influence on OT Pedagogy

Occupational Therapy (OT) is a healthcare field in which DEI needs to be embedded into the curriculum, because OT practitioners work with people of diverse backgrounds that extend beyond the preparation provided by the current literature. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2021), 40.7% of the U.S. population identify as racial or ethnic minorities. Therefore, because of the high likelihood of an OT practitioner working with diverse cultural groups, it is crucial for educators to be knowledgeable and comfortable when teaching students how to be culturally responsive practitioners, as well as have the necessary resources. Through a review of literature describing the current presence of DEI in OT curriculum, a common theme was found within the studies: the limited evidence of DEI education. All studies found a gap for a comprehensive analysis of current instructional practices, whether it was the methods or efficacy of multicultural training practices (Brown et al., 2011), anti-racist instructional practices (Sterman et al., 2022), pedagogical practices and paradigms used by OT educators (Grenier et al., 2020), type of LGBTQ+ clinical preparation provided by OT programs (Bolding et al., 2020), or a need for graduate programs to include cultural competency education into curricula (Matteliano & Stone, 2014). These gaps in the literature suggest that current OT instructional practices may not be effectively preparing students. Consequently, they may contribute to health disparities and inequities for marginalized communities. DEI education is essential for preparing OTs to provide culturally responsive care to diverse client populations, which is a key element of quality healthcare.

Survey Results Comparison: How do students and faculty compare at TWU?

Building on the broader need for DEI education in OT, two needs assessments were performed to shed light on the current state of DEI education at TWU. The first assessment was conducted by TWU Dallas’s Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD) co-chairs with TWU OT students to determine their thoughts on the incorporation of DEI in TWU’s OT curriculum. Subsequently, I conducted the second needs assessment with the TWU OT faculty to determine their insights on DEI usage in their teaching. The findings of both show striking similarities that suggest a clear need for increased attention to DEI in OT education. For example, both students and faculty responded that the three most poorly addressed areas in the OT program were gender and sexual diversity (42% and 64% respectively), immigration and refugee experiences (40% and 64%), and racism (38% and 57%). Regarding topics to be addressed more in the program, both students and faculty wanted cultural influences on occupation to be covered in the curriculum (85% for both). The majority of both groups surveyed in the needs assessment wanted bias and privilege also covered. However, a majority of faculty also wanted to address additional areas of advocacy (69%) and anti-racism & privilege (62%). Gender identity and inclusive language were two additional significant areas of interest to be noted.

Figure 1. Comparison of Faculty and Student DEI Curriculum Assessment.

The first needs assessment conducted by COTAD used a pre-established survey with differences in options compared to the second needs assessment I conducted, but the results from both showed overlap with desired resources. When asked about their preferences concerning methods of learning about DEI in OT, most students chose in-class activities centered around conversations and discussions, with an emphasis on cross-cultural communication (learning culturally appropriate techniques of asking and responding to questions). 85% of faculty agreed. Yet, the majority of faculty (92%) preferred DEI resources to be developed in the form of case studies. 69% of faculty chose videos and journaling prompts. One specified method of deliverable was evidence-based articles, specifically regarding the efficacy of including DEI pedagogy at a societal level. One possible explanation of this difference in preference is that both like classroom materials to be interactive and engaging, but faculty must also balance this with licensure preparation, curriculum requirements, evidence-based approaches, and foundational knowledge as experienced educators. Below are my suggestions of pedagogical resources based on the compiled data that may interest TWU OT faculty and other clinical staff.  

Figure 2. Comparison of Student and Faculty DEI Resources.

Case Studies

The first pedagogical resource to aid TWU faculty’s instruction would be case studies. Faculty can use case studies that incorporate DEI in their classroom to learn and teach how culture influences occupations. These studies could describe clinical scenarios with clients who identify as members of historically marginalized communities (e.g. LGBTQ+, Muslim, Black). Evidence-based articles on cultural influences are provided in this external document as a supplement for context in the case studies. According to Thistlewaithe et al. (2012), using this type of resource allows students to apply background knowledge, identify barriers and integrate clinical knowledge to create interventions and solutions for treatment, and gain knowledge of appropriate means for communicating with clients from the aforementioned communities. Case studies are effective pedagogical resources for students to practice clinical scenarios that may occur in real situations and prepare them to be more culturally responsive practitioners (Thistlewaithe et al. (2012)).

In-class Activities

For a second solution, in-class activities that combine lecture material with interactive DEI elements can be valuable education tools when presented as hands-on cultural activities or via discussions centered around DEI topics with evidence-based clinical application. Hands-on activities can include trying food and participating in arts and crafts from less familiar cultures (Naber et al., 2021). Integrating such activities in an OT lab class will give students a glimpse into specific client factors (values and beliefs) and cultural occupations (personalized and meaningful engagement in daily life events by a specific client) as defined by the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (2020). Client factors and occupations are core tenets of OT practice; becoming familiar with diverse traits and occupations will provide future practitioners more insight into the cultural occupations that are important to their clients. Discussions, another suggested in-class activity, can revolve around actionable ways of being anti-racist practitioners, recognizing and addressing microaggressions in clinical practice, and acknowledging and disrupting our own biases. This activity can be semi-structured with open-ended prompts and moderated by the faculty member. Through discussions, students can self-reflect, process, and learn from their peers. It is critical, however, for faculty to create a safe environment prior to starting these conversations in order for students to be honest and vulnerable when speaking about difficult topics. For more information on creating a safe community in the classroom, please peruse the previous CFE blog posts, including:

• Spring Semester Resolution: Healthy Boundaries In and Out of the Classroom
• Living Group Work Contracts
• Beginning the First Day of the Semester Right
• Humanizing Your Course

Community-based Activities

Finally, community-based activities are events and programs that occur within the local community and aim to improve the quality of life for community members. These are valuable for budding practitioners to discover available resources in the area to which they can refer clients. There are many community organizations and services students may be unfamiliar with (e.g. The Resource Center, Northwest Community Center, Black Trans Advocacy Coalition) that support historically marginalized groups. For example, a potential community-based activity could entail students visiting a community site that has experienced injustices and writing a business plan to identify solutions. Another activity could involve students choosing from a prepared list of community organizations and researching further into ones that offer safe and reliable housing, work, and/or additional services for immigrants, refugees, and LGBTQ+ clients who may run into issues due to discrimination. A final activity could prompt students to attend a religious service they are unfamiliar with to become more informed about the traditions and customs associated with that religion. Faculty should provide alternative options for students who are unable or unwilling to attend a religious service; this may include reading about religious practices or engaging in discussions with individuals from that religious background.

Final Thoughts

The needs assessments’ results show some differences of opinion between TWU’s OT students and faculty on methods of learning about DEI in OT, but both tend to agree on which DEI topics should be covered more in the curriculum. Faculty prefer clinical evidence and resources that are easily digested and dispersed, and students want more experience with cross-cultural communication. The difference in preferences between faculty and students highlights the importance of considering different perspectives and approaches when designing pedagogical resources. Understanding this difference can help educators design resources that are more effective and engaging for students, while also meeting faculty standards and expectations. This may involve incorporating more experiential learning opportunities, providing access to resources in different formats, and emphasizing the importance of evidence-based practice and interpersonal skills in healthcare. Developing and providing pedagogical resources is one step in closing the gap on addressing the lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the OT curricula. These resources alone will not resolve all of OT’s DEI needs, and ongoing efforts and commitment to promoting DEI in OT education and practice are necessary. From there, faculty can implement these resources into their instruction to prepare students to be culturally aware practitioners.

Molly Song, CFE Blogpost Guest Author
TWU Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Student
Co-mentored by Dr. Dayton Kinney,
Coordinator of Teaching, Learning, & Academic Excellence

References

Bolding, D. J., Rodriguez, V., Nguyen, H., & Drabble, L. A. (2020). Survey of occupational therapy students' attitudes, knowledge and preparedness for treating LGBT clients. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2020.040203

Brown, E. V., Muñoz, J. P., & Powell, J. M. (2011). Multicultural training in the United States: A survey of occupational therapy programs. Occupational Therapy In Health Care, 25(2-3), 178-193. https://doi.org/10.3109/07380577.2011.560240

Grenier, M., Zafran, H., & Roy, L. (2020). Current landscape of teaching diversity in occupational therapy education: A scoping review. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(6), 7406205100p1-7406205100p15. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.044214

Matteliano, M. A., & Stone, J. H. (2014). Cultural competence education in university rehabilitation programs. Journal of Cultural Diversity, 21(3), 112–118. https://ezp.twu.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/cultural-competence-education-university/docview/1560769187/se-2

Mitchell, T. (2021, May 25). Amid national reckoning, Americans divided on whether increased focus on race will lead to major policy change. Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/10/06/amid-national-reckoning-americans-divided-on-whether-increased-focus-on-race-will-lead-to-major-policy-change/

Naber, A., Adamson, A., Berg-Poppe, P., Ikiugu, M., Tao, H., & Zimney, K. (2021). Using embedded encounters to promote cultural humility in occupational therapy and physical therapy education. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2021.050113

Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process—Fourth edition. (2020). The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(Supplement_2), 7412410010p1-7412410010p87. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74s2001

Schaeffer, K. (2023, January 9). U.S. Congress continues to grow in racial, ethnic diversity. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2023/01/09/u-s-congress-continues-to-grow-in-racial-ethnic-diversity/

Sterman, J., Njelesani, J., & Carr, S. (2022). Anti-racism and occupational therapy education: Beyond diversity and inclusion. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2022.060103

Thistlethwaite, J. E., Davies, D., Ekeocha, S., Kidd, J. M., MacDougall, C., Matthews, P., Purkis, J., & Clay, D. (2012). The effectiveness of case-based learning in health professional education. A BEME systematic review: BEME guide No. 23. Medical Teacher, 34(6), e421-e444. https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159x.2012.680939

U.S. Census Bureau. (2021). QuickFacts. U.S. Department of Commerce. Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045221#

Spring Semester Resolution: Healthy Boundaries In and Out of the Classroom

Happy New Year and Start of the Semester, CFE Blog Readers!

As we begin another calendar year, this is a great time to self-reflect in order to start off the spring semester on the right foot. Like our mid-semester student evaluations, this is our time to evaluate what works and does not work for us as educators as we begin a new semester.

With our ongoing transition back to in person and on-campus instruction, many of us are finding the need to establish or reestablish boundaries that may have become blurry. Often, many of these boundaries are understood or listed in our Faculty Handbook, Staff Handbook, and Student Handbook. Other boundaries can be culturally, socially, or generationally understood with many shades of faux pas or misunderstandings. However, instituting clear boundaries can help with miscommunications and provide support for everyone in the classroom and for ourselves beyond the walls of the university. Our overarching goal is to create an equitably inclusive environment through effective communication!

What are Healthy Boundaries?

Considered to be a foundational skill for all relationships and interdisciplinary work, boundaries are the “invisible [lines] that define defines what behaviors are acceptable for an individual,” which can be physical, emotional, time-oriented, and/or spatial. Essentially, they are the standards of how we want to be treated that can be fluid depending on the circumstances and who these boundaries are for. All of our boundaries should be different whether we are interacting with a colleague, a student, a mentor, friend/family-member, or ourselves.  According Jaya Roy at the Berkeley Well-being Institute, boundaries are not just something “that separates ourselves from others,” but rather “a way to connect deeper to ourselves and the people around us.”

Boundaries for Your Students

• How and where to sit in the classroom
• Phone and technology usage
• Trigger warnings and clear expectations

Often, student behaviors come to mind when we think of boundaries in and out of the classroom. Many of these boundaries are established on the layout of our in-person and online classrooms. We and our students are assigned a physical or virtual space to meet for class at designated times. Interacting in this physical or virtual space has its own [hopefully] understood absolutisms, such as dressing in daytime clothes for class instead of pajamas, coming prepared, and providing respect.

Some rules may be clearer than others to your students, but it is a great opportunity for you as the instructor to address and institute these boundaries. During the first weeks of class, you can clearly state and enforce non-negotiables for your class, such as sitting attentively towards the front of class or a clear technology rule. Other expectations may be more fluid and defined by both you and the students, such as how to approach trigger warnings and defining clear expectations. For the steadfast non-negotiables, place them in your syllabus, highlight them on Canvas, and verbalize them during class. For the negotiables, consider discussing through a living group work contract so students can have their voices heard or help define mutual expectations in regards to technology usage, trigger warnings, and expectations.

Boundaries for Interpersonal Interactions with Colleagues and Students

• State your boundary rather than providing a “no statement.”
• Designate your off-hours from email and your commitments.
• Choose how you would like to be addressed and treated.

For everyone you interact with, do not forget to establish boundaries early on, but this does not mean to introduce a series of “no” statements. If a “no” statement is presented, you are then communicating that this boundary has already been crossed in the past or present. Those “no” statements can easily place yourself in a defensive position rather than in control of your classroom and work-life balance because they often present themselves as a reprimand. Why start the semester reprimanding when a boundary has not been crossed? If you are approaching boundary dilemmas as a fresh or veteran instructor, the best course of action is to use self-reflection on areas that you would like to improve or establish that work-life balance. Choose hours that you designate as off-hours from students, committees, and colleagues with exceptions for emergencies. Declare how you would like to be addressed in meetings and presentations.

Dr. Harriet L. Schwartz of Carlow University recommends to communicate those boundaries clearly with an understanding of flexibility because boundaries can be fluid and dependent on the circumstances. Because, in essence, what we really are communicating are preferences. For example, I may not respond to an 11:00 PM email until hours later in the morning; however, if I have a student or colleague in a legitimate crisis and I choose to check my email outside of working hours, I will more often than not respond. That is not breaking a “no” statement rule of “no email responses after the workday,” but rather a flexible boundary of “I do not diligently check my email as frequently as I would during my normal working hours. You may not hear from me until 8am the next day.” The former statement is succinct but can easily create anxiety for the student or be a point where the instructor falls into the habit of not truly meaning what they say. The latter statement indicates a preference and a reasonable approach to exceptions without over-promising.

Boundaries for Yourself

• Organize your schedule
• Create a supportive network
• Register for professional development

Finally, boundaries extend beyond interpersonal interactions. They can delineate how you prioritize yourself and your well-being, while navigating the intersectional hurdles of identity, privilege, and power. If you do not create boundaries for yourself on how you treat yourself and your time, creating those boundaries with others can become much more daunting. This semester, I challenge everyone to attempt to organize a schedule that will carve-out time for research, teaching, family time, and self-care. Nurture your brilliant minds and emotional intelligence by seeking out a supportive network. Try to seek out professional development opportunities to create new opportunities or skills. And finally, give yourself grace and the space to try new things.

Have a great start to your semester and be on the lookout for the Center for Faculty Excellence’s Spring Workshop Offerings!

Dayton L. Kinney, Ph.D.

Coordinator of Teaching, Learning, & Academic Excellence
Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE)
Texas Woman’s University
Stoddard Hall – Room 305A
940.898.3427
dkinney@twu.edu

Living Group Work Contracts

 

Living Group Work Contracts

Group work is an essential tool for students to reinforce new knowledge and to develop an array of skills—particularly soft skills—that can best prepare them across industries. Soft skills are essential for everyone because they are needed when collaborating with others, they are essential when creating an inclusive & equitable community, and it strengthens other more technical skill sets. As educators, we use our soft skills all the time. These skills include problem-solving, emotional intelligence, communication, adaptability, mindfulness, leadership, self-motivation, time management, etc. These skills are even more valuable when considering the number of future careers turning to automation, which has not been successful in automating most soft skills. Teaching these soft skills is not an easy task. For some courses, teachers build activities that can develop soft-skills into the curriculum with group work, group projects, and open discussions among peers about contemporary hot topics. Yet, there is a simple activity that every course or department can use. Living group contracts can help develop these soft-skills, while creating a classroom environment rooted in equity, inclusion, and responsibility.

What is a Living Group Work Contract?

You might be wondering, “What is a living group contract?” You might know it by a different name, such as, a community agreement, academic/classroom social contract, right and responsibilities document, and a participation agreement. It is an agreement between all parties involved on acceptable behavior, social etiquette, expectations, participatory roles, and on determining consequences when deliverables are not met. The National Equity Project defines it as “as a consensus on what every person in [a] group needs from each other and commits to each other in order to feel safe, supported, open, productive and trusting… so that we can do our best work, achieve our common vision, and serve our [students/families/constituents] well.” A living group work contract can be used for classroom etiquette, group projects, and verbalizing boundaries. The “living” portion means that additional rules or changes to the rules can be discussed as the semester progresses and as needs change. The scope of these contracts depends on the intended use. Below are a few different scenarios that may interest you.

For Creating Classroom Community and Equity in Discussions

A syllabus and student handbook should cover many of the hard and fast rules that your academic program requires. However, there are items beyond what a syllabus or handbook cover that should be discussed among all classroom participants. These missing items can include defining the intrinsic value of a course to a student, creating a sense of belonging in class, and best interpersonal practices during triggering or difficult topics. A living group contract can help students and instructors determine their academic and interpersonal interactions. This also gives a chance for students to advocate their essentials to help create a positive and inclusive learning environment. Their requests can range from emotional support to logistics. Students will appreciate feeling heard as it creates an equitable environment for all of them to engage.

From my own experience of using living group work contracts, I have had students express the following needs:

• A 5-minute grace period for attendance during inclement weather.

• Patience and empathy with discussions on triggering or sensitive subject material.

• Respectfully not speaking over others and patiently waiting to contribute during class.

• Requesting for lectures to be recorded.

• Flexible rules on using technology in the classroom.

For Establishing Aspirations and Roles with Group Work

For group work, this is an opportunity to empower both individuals and the collective by creating awareness of expectations and responsibilities. This is a feasible way to reframe the idea of a group being defined by rules into a group that aspires to an idealized deliverable and working arrangement. Each student is responsible to participate, while the entire group is culpable to motivate that participation. Students should find themselves to be more empowered to speak-up and advocate for their needs because they had spent the time developing this group agreement. In this scenario, the aspirations dictate the rules rather than the rules dictating the aspiration.  For example, a group may aspire to avoid a time crunch right before the deadline or for all of them to contribute equally. This would then lead to the question, “How can we achieve that?” Students would then create the agreements to support this aspiration. This change in thinking means that students are buying-in to participate as a group based on their wants instead of being dictated rules that they never had the opportunity to develop.

Establishing Professional Boundaries with Colleagues

Living group contracts are not just for your students! Many of the valuable outcomes from creating a living group work contract or a community agreement can be used towards faculty meetings and committees. Together, you and your colleagues can recognize that collectively you have a vast amount of expertise and want to best support your institution’s mission. This can be particularly important by ensuring that junior faculty, visiting lecturers, and adjunct faculty have the space to voice their unique insights, while respecting the experience of more senior faculty. They are also a great way to make meetings more equitable for faculty of underrepresented groups.

How to Implement a Living Group Work Contract

Before implementing a living group work contract, decide whether you are using one for the classroom environment, a specific project, or a committee. Once you know with whom you intend to develop a living group contract, remember to keep an open mind and be conscientious with your communication. Now, you can begin the process through these suggested steps:

• Frame the conversation for collective needs and commitments.

• Categorize the brainstorming into 3 categories:  agreements for aspirations, norms for behavior, and rules for enforceable boundaries. 

• Engage with everyone either verbally or through individual written lists.

• Mindfully listen with an open-mind, while respecting diversity.

• Provide a space of confidentiality that refrains from giving unsolicited advice.

• Create a living document that can be checked and reevaluated by the group incrementally over the semester or academic year.

In Conclusion

Living group contracts are a necessary step towards practicing equity in our classrooms and departments. They are the means to create a collective vision for students and faculty to strive in creating an inclusive classroom where everyone has the ability to contribute. If you are interested in implementing a living group work contract, let us know and reach-out to schedule a one-on-one consultation here at the Center for Faculty Excellence!

 

Dayton L. Kinney, Ph.D.

Coordinator of Teaching, Learning, & Academic Excellence
Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE)
Texas Woman’s University
Stoddard Hall – Room 305A
940.898.3427
dkinney@twu.edu

Reference List

“Developing Class Participation Agreements.” UMASS Amherst Center for Teaching & Learning. https://www.umass.edu/ctl/sites/default/files/Handout-Developing%20Class%20Participation%20Agreements.pdf .

“Developing Community Agreements.” National Equity Project. https://www.nationalequityproject.org/tools/developing-community-agreements.

Huang, Li-Shih. “Students Riding on Coattails during Group Work? Five Simple Ideas to Try.” Faculty Focus. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/students-riding-coattails-group-work-five-simple-ideas-try/

“Making Group Contracts.” University of Waterloo Centre For Teaching Excellence. https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/developing-assignments/group-work/making-group-contracts.

Studio Be. “Community Agreements: Making Meetings Less Stressful.” Studio Be Mindfulness. https://www.studiobemindfulness.com/blog/community-agreements/.

 

 

 

Assessing Your Students’ Prior Knowledge

Student assessment is an essential component to teaching and understanding how students are processing their learning, so you may evaluate your learning designs. It allows you to track your class’s performance, while also providing evidence of that progress. Finally, it is presented as a task that challenges students to apply or demonstrate their new knowledge.

However, in order to appropriately track your students’ progress there must be an understanding of where your students are beginning from in regards to previous knowledge, experience, and skill readiness. This is considered a diagnostic assessment. This type of assessment measures a student’s baseline about the subject material and is essential for targeting gaps, uncovering misconceptions, understanding the diversity in the classroom, and creating interdisciplinary connections. Below we will be discussing the benefits, and how to implement prior knowledge checks through diagnostic assessments.

Starting Points and Early Intervention

Our students are as diverse as our society, and they come from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds, school systems, and opportunities. The benefit of a diagnostic assessment is that it allows the instructor to have insight into each student’s starting point for the course. You might find that your entire class is new to the subject material, or they may already have some level of familiarity with the course material. A diagnostic assessment can deliver essential information from the first week of class that can include identifying students who might need additional help in skill sets, studying, or covering knowledge gaps. This valuable information gives you a chance to adapt your teaching plans. It can also provide you with a chance to strategize opportunities for students to catch-up. Helpful strategies can include recommending review sessions, tutoring, remedial work, or skill mentoring support. The goal is for your students to have the chance to meet future learning objectives.
Here at TWU, students have additional support for study skills and skill mentoring, including: academic advising (TWU Academic Advising), academic coaching (TWU Get Coaching), writing (Write Site), studying science (Science Learning Resource Center), and mathematics & technology tutoring (Dr. Don Edwards Mathematics & technology Success Center).

Methods to Assess Prior Knowledge

When assessing prior knowledge, it is important to ensure that students are assessed uniformly and are not assigned a grade based on their diagnostic assessment. Your options can include an assessment quiz, a student survey, concept maps, portfolios, and concept inventories.
Some of these examples may be more familiar to you than others. Out of this list, assessment quizzes are likely to be the most familiar to you. Timed assessment quizzes are great at recreating a formative or summative assessment that you will likely implement during a semester, but without the pressure of a grade.  You may even consider using a review or practice quiz for the final. In my own courses, I have had students retake and compare their two results at the end of the semester to reflect on their own progress. You can poll or survey students on their prior experience separately or in conjunction with an assessment quiz. You could have older students who have had experience in your subject material, but could be rusty with problem sets or putting that knowledge into practice.
If you would rather stay away from a diagnostic assessment designed around a comprehensive quiz or student survey, you may consider concept inventories or concept maps. Concept inventories are multiple choice or short answer tests that target only the fundamentals within a subject. Their main purpose is to uncover systemic misconceptions or overlooked nuances by focusing on specific fundamentals.  
For a final example, portfolio reviews are great to track students’ academic growth, especially for papers, creative work, research, or projects. By keeping a student portfolio from the first-year through senior year, instructors are able note gaps and fine-tune individual feedback based on what they can see and where they hope students are by the end of a course. This can be standard for courses in the performing arts, but can also be applied to scientific research, journalism, computer programming, English, education, and more.

Closing Thoughts

Using diagnostic assessments is a first step into ensuring that we support students and making sure that you have the necessary information to teach the course well. Just be sure to communicate that no grade will be assigned regardless of the method that you choose. Finally, if you are not certain of how to proceed after a diagnostic assessment, make sure to reach out to us at the Center for Faculty Excellence, where we can help you with resources and strategies.

Dayton L. Kinney, Ph.D.

Coordinator of Teaching, Learning, & Academic Excellence
Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE)
Texas Woman’s University
Stoddard Hall – Room 305A
940.898.3427
dkinney@twu.edu

 

Reference List

Burdman, P. (2022). To Keep Students in STEM fields, Let’s Weed Out the Weed-Out Math Classes. Scientific American.

Carnegie Mellon University. (2022). Assessing Prior Knowledge. Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation.

Cohen, A. (2021). Don’t let a college weed-out class ruin your career plans. Boston Herald.

Cornell University. (2022). Assessing Prior Knowledge. Center for Teaching Innovation.

Morrison, N. (2015). The Surprising Truths About How Students Choose Their Majors. Forbes.

Novak, J. & Cañas, A. The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How to Construct and Use Them. Institute for Human and Machine Cognition.

Singh Chawla, D. (2020). Weed-out Classes in Sciences May be a State of Mind. New York Times.

Thompson, M. E. (2021). Who’s getting pulled in weed-out courses for STEM majors?. Brookings: Brown Center Chalkboard.

Yale University. (2021). Building Upon Students’ Prior Knowledge and Skills. Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning.

Icebreakers for the 21st Century Classroom: Part 2, Online and Hybrid Learning

In last week’s Icebreakers for the 21^st Century Classroom: Part 1, we explored some viable icebreakers for in-person courses. These ranged from name tags to fun games, which allowed students to interact face-to-face and learn about their peers. But, what happens when everything is online or some students are remoting into a class with in-person classmates? Many of us who were new to teaching online or hybrid courses had to grapple with this new scenario of creating an active community virtually.

Thankfully, this is not as alien to us as it might first appear. We are all aware of social media applications, fan pages, and online groups and thus know that creating successful online communities is possible. For quite some time now, many people even have friends who they have only known from online interactions. This suggests that our online courses can still achieve creating a sense of community, especially when we are teaching a younger demographic.

As you would begin fostering a sense of community for an in-person classroom, it is advisable to start developing your course’s online community-building through icebreakers. Icebreakers for the 21^st Century Classroom: Part 2, Online and Hybrid Learning will be exploring different activities below for synchronous, asynchronous, and hybrid courses.

Icebreakers for Synchronous Online Courses

• Breakout Rooms
• Polling
• Green screen background changes
• Interactive white boards

Icebreakers can be adapted to online environments quite well, and, out of all of the online learning environments, synchronous courses are the most similar to in-person teaching. During the COVID pandemic, some students reported that they felt isolated from each other, but icebreakers can help overcome that sense of isolation by establishing an online community. Your goal in any learning environment is to help foster a sense of kinship to facilitate student engagement. Breakout rooms are accessible and readily available over Zoom and instructors are able to set the number of groups and participants per group. You can turn these breakout rooms into musical chairs by ending a breakout session and then creating new randomized breakout rooms with different individuals every 5 or 10 minutes. Students will enjoy the chance to greet and socialize as if they were in-person.

Another type of online engagement can be polling students. Ask a question to the group and have them respond. Their responses can be answered in the chat, through a pre-designed poll, or by emoji reactions. A third option can be a fun video background change. Prompt students by asking them to share a photo of where they would like to travel to, share the cover of their favorite book, or a picture of their hometown. This can be a fun way to start-off multiple classes for students to warm-up. Finally, through interactive virtual whiteboards students can interact with each other in a “hands-on” manner by drawing an answer prompted by you. These questions can range from their current mood to a short review question such as recreating a diagram or drawing a representation of a literary phrase. Students will laugh and enjoy interacting with an in-class interpretive game of Telestrations. 

Icebreakers for Asynchronous Online Courses

• Fun Online Forum Prompts
• Word Clouds
• Living Group Work Contract

Icebreakers for asynchronous online courses may at first seem impossible to create a community that is engaged; however, there are many potential activities that can meet the need of introductions and having your students interact with one another. Outside of the classroom, we often participate asynchronously with each other online, whether it is on Facebook, Twitter, Tik-Tok, or the comment section of a news article. It is no longer as unfamiliar as it would have been for some of us ten to fifteen years ago. Your learning management system can function similarly for students. For example, in Canvas you may utilize discussion forums, where students can answer fun question prompts and interact with one another. Ensure that questions are open-ended with the requirement for students to respond and discuss with classmates.  If you are interested in something beyond an online forum, word clouds are a great approach to learn about each other collectively. After providing a prompt, ask students to engage with it by inputting a single word that they feel can be associated with that prompt into a word cloud generator. By the end, that word cloud should be diverse, and students can later reflect on the words in the cloud through online discussion or a homework assignment. Finally, if you decide to have group work during your asynchronous course, it would be a good idea to incorporate a living group work contract that your students help develop. Google documents allows students the ability to write, edit, and comment collaboratively in real-time, so it can be a great tool to facilitate this icebreaker. Students will be able to engage with one another and place their mark on developing rules in the course.

Icebreakers for a Hybrid Class (Both In-person and Online Students)

• This or That?
• What’s in Common Challenge?
• Where were you?

Finally, some of us have students joining the classroom physically and virtually. Any of the previous icebreakers will work, but will need to be pared down and made accessible for those virtually joining the classroom. In these situations, structure the icebreaker to use technology for both in-person and virtual students. Polling, word clouds, and share-out questions focusing on introductions and quick answers are a great way to bridge the interaction gap between both sets of students. Some easy games include This or That?, What’s in Common?, and Where were you?. These open-ended questions have students state a preference between two choices, find a commonality, or share stories of where they were during different years and dates. These are easy conversation starters, which both virtual and in-person students will enjoy.

Closing Thoughts

Icebreakers can be used in any teaching environment with a few adjustments, depending on your goal for the icebreaker and the size of your course. Some activities may fit better with in-person classrooms than with online environments and vice versa.  Choosing the appropriate activity requires to be aware of student needs, your desired outcomes for the activity, and its classroom feasibility.

If you are interested in further exploring icebreaker activities and tools, reach out to the Center for Faculty Excellence for additional resources and one-on-one consultations. We are happy to help!

Please feel free to share in the comments below an icebreaker that you have enjoyed using in your classroom.

Dayton L. Kinney, Ph.D.

Coordinator of Teaching, Learning, & Academic Excellence
Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE)
Texas Woman’s University
Stoddard Hall – Room 305A
940.898.3427
dkinney@twu.edu

 

Reference List

(2022). Icebreakers. Cornell University Center for Teaching Innovation.

(2022). The Best Ice-breakers Games for Large Groups. SurfOffice.

Bagley, D. (2020). 65 Icebreaker questions for online meetings. Michigan State University Extension.

Barber, K. (2021). 9 Virtual Icebreaker Games for Remote Teams & Meetings. Conceptboard.

Dr. KB. (2022). Connecting Before We Can Physically Connect: Online Icebreakers to Use for the First Dayof Class. Faculty Focus.

Fraser, K. Bosanquet, A., & Harvey, M. Contemporary Approaches to University Teaching [MOOC]. Canvas. 

Jaggars, S.S., & Xu, D. (2016). How do online course design features influence student performance?. Computers & Education, 95, 270-284.

Mrvova, K. (2021). 35 Best Icebreakers for Your Virtual and Hybrid Meetings. Slido.

Waltje, J. & Evans, A. (2019). The First Days of Class: Building Authenticity and Community. Faculty Focus.

Weimer, M. (2017). First Day of Class Activities that Create a Climate for Learning. Faculty Focus.

Whenham, T. 11 Icebreakers for College Students in HyFlex Classrooms. Fierce Education.

Beginning the First Day of the Semester Right

 

We all anticipate that first day, which can bring a range of emotions from excitement to nervousness. But, regardless whether you have been teaching for years or are a newly minted instructor, that first impression on Day 1 with your students can set the tone for your course, while needing to serve multiple functions. It must be a combination of an introduction to the course, a review of institutional policies, a meet-and-greet, and a fully realized lesson in the subject matter for a group of students who are experiencing a similar range of emotion as yourself. Thus, first days are a tall order for educators and students alike, but they can be planned in a manner that meets all of their functions, while still creating an atmosphere where learning and classroom community can take center stage. Below is a First Day Teaching Checklist to help you succeed on the first day of the semester.

Introduce Yourself and the Course

The first day is the first impression of you as an instructor, of your course, and of your academic department. Dress professionally, but your first impression should focus more on your actions within your course, which includes interpersonal connections, your contribution to the subject, fostering an authentic classroom community, and making those interdisciplinary real-world connections. 

Your introduction to students should begin before class time commences. Arrive early to welcome your students to class. Focus on treating students with a warm welcome like you would with a professional colleague: ask questions, share stories, or have them begin filling out notecards about themselves. Welcoming your students gives a chance to ease any first day tension that you or your students might be experiencing. This is also a good time to choose how you would like to be referred to when speaking. You might choose to use your standard salutation, your first name, or your job title. There is no right answer, but your choice can reflect the level of formality that you expect in your classroom.

Once class begins, introduce your course. Your goal is to ensure as many students stay enrolled in your course. Students typically register for their courses for a multitude of reasons that can include: degree requirements, intriguing subject matter, scheduling needs, balances a demanding workload, holding the place in their schedule for another course, etc. That first day is how students are going to sample your course and make the decision about staying for the semester. Therefore, your introduction should be a two sentence elevator pitch summary of what students can expect to learn for the semester. It should then be followed by noting your course topic’s contemporary and interdisciplinary significance because students may not be aware of the pedagogical value of your course. Finally, explaining what you can prepare them for in regards to a career, new skills, and major/minor degree preparation grants students a chance to see the extrinsic motivations to register for your course before they experience the intrinsic value of learning the subject for its own sake. You may even pique the interest of a student who becomes interested in your field.

Ice-breakers and Learning Names

Ideally, prior to class you will have prepared three items. First, you should have reviewed your student roster. Second, you would also have noted preferred names, pronunciation, and pronouns, if that information is made available to you. Finally, you should have also developed some form of an activity, called an icebreaker, for your students to participate in that will allow for everyone to learn about each other.

Icebreakers are an essential community building process because it allows students to create peer-to-peer connections, while you learn more about them. These low-stakes activities are great for students to meet other students with similar interests or new perspectives, especially when most of your students do not know one another. It also allows everyone’s preferred names and pronouns to be introduced equitably in a safe space. By ensuring that your classroom becomes a safe and authentic environment for everyone, you will be fostering a support system. This will aid in your course’s student retention and matriculation. Students will look forward to attending a class with friends and will support each other with studying or peer-editing assignments.

Syllabus and its Details

Make sure you share a finished syllabus with your students as a hard copy, which will help establish professionalism and assurance that their education will be taken seriously. For your classroom, your syllabus is your contract between you and your students for the course’s obligations and expectations.  Therefore, it needs to be shared with students on the first day of class. Otherwise, your students do not know what to expect and your course preparation may appear to be unfinished. The syllabus should follow your institution’s template and cover items that include attendance, grading, weekly assignments, assessment, and illness. TWU’s syllabus template can be located here.

During class, only highlight the major sections and anything unique that students should be alerted to. Instead of losing valuable class time from reading the entire document to them, ensure that each student reads and signs a copy of the syllabus to be submitted to you next class. Also, you should consider assigning an announced syllabus quiz at the next class meeting. This will help ensure that there are immediate stakes for students to prioritize reviewing the syllabus and your course’s policy. Finally, make sure to post a copy of your syllabus to your learning management system because loose sheets of paper tend to be misplaced and your students will want a copy of your syllabus to refer to as the semester progresses.

Teaching the Course Content

Jumping into the subject matter on Day 1 is a great opportunity for students to experience how your course will operate, especially for those students who are new. There are many ways to teach during the shortened lesson time. One approach for the remaining allotted time would be to use the lesson as an introductory sampling of what is to come. Perhaps you can provide some examples of where the course will be in a few weeks and frame the first day’s content as the foundation for those more complex topics.

Another approach would be to engage in using learning activities that can assess your students’ prior knowledge on the subject matter. You may start with an assessment quiz or a hands-on group activity. In fact, creating small groups for larger topic discussions is a great way to continue developing that supportive peer network, while also diving into the course materials. No matter how you choose to proceed, it is essential that you start teaching on the first day as it ties together your introduction, the syllabus, and your icebreaker by actively allowing your students the chance to experience your teaching, the course’s expectations, and their collective roles in your class.

Closing Thoughts

Successful first days are important to begin the semester well because they set the foundation for students on how their class functions. Through preparing your introduction, an ice breaker, a syllabus assessment, and a lesson plan, you will be well along your way to having a successful semester of teaching.

If you are interested in discussing more classroom strategies, please feel free to reach out to the Center for Faculty Excellence, where we may assist you. Have a wonderful start to your year!

 

Dayton L. Kinney, Ph.D.

Coordinator of Teaching, Learning, & Academic Excellence
Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE)
Texas Woman’s University
Stoddard Hall – Room 305A
940.898.3427
dkinney@twu.edu

Reference List

Fraser, K. Bosanquet, A., & Harvey, M. Contemporary Approaches to University Teaching [MOOC]. Canvas. 

Vick, J., Furlong, J., & Lurie, R. (2016). The Academic Job Search Handbook. (Fifth Edition). University of Pennsylvania Press. 

Waltje, J. & Evans, A. (2019). The First Days of Class: Building Authenticity and Community. Faculty Focus.

Weimer, M. (2018). The First Day of Class: A Once-a-Semester Opportunity. Faculty Focus.

Whitaker, M. (2019). How to Start off Right in Your New Job. The Chronicle of Higher Education.