Teaching Tips

Teaching Tips from the TLC is the Teaching and Learning Center's blog. Regular posts include brief, practical, research-based strategies for improving students’ learning, as well as tips for managing workload and stress. Drexel faculty and staff can read Teaching Tips from the TLC [requires Sharepoint Login] on Drexel University's SharePoint site. Check back often —new tips are added every few weeks!

“Small Teaching” for Large Impact: Easy-to-Use Strategies for Busy Instructors

Maczynska,Magdalena

12/17/2024 4:12:37 PM

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University educators working in a time of austerity rarely have the time for introducing wholesale revisions to their courses—but any educator can implement what James Lang famously calls “small teaching” strategies: low- to no-preparation interventions designed to help students process information, actively engage with course content, and learn more deeply. Lang’s instant classic, Small Teaching. Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning (2016 and 2021) distils key insights from the science of human learning to help educators design and deliver better learning experiences for their students. [Sign up for TLC’s Small Teaching and Small Teaching Online Winter ’25 book groups!]

The first part of Lang’s book focuses on supporting students in building disciplinary knowledge: an important goal in content-heavy introductory courses, where success or failure may determine a student’s entire academic trajectory. Since many students do not know how to achieve deep, long-lasting learning (hint: not by cramming the night before the test), modelling effective learning strategies in class can help dispel myths and increase metacognitive self-awareness (along with test scores). Here are some key insights from Lang’s overview:

Prediction

Engaging in prediction activities primes the brain to receive new information—and can be a fun and energizing way to open a class module or session. Before introducing a new theory or concept, pause and invite students to make predictions. What might be the meaning of this unfamiliar term? What’s going on in this image or diagram? What can we assume about the content of this article/book/chapter based on its title? What might scholar X be likely to argue about this phenomenon? How do you think scholar Y might react to scholar X’s theory? Is model A or model B more likely to account for the effect we are observing? And so on. Asking students to commit to a response (via an electronic polling system, show-of-hands, or simply writing down their predictions) can help ensure that all class members participate in and benefit from the boost in attention and cognitive engagement.

Retrieval practice

In spite of abundant evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of retrieval, many students still believe that re-reading their textbook or notes is the most effective way to study. While some students might be familiar with at-home retrieval strategies (from digital quizzing applications or old-school index card sets), not every student will take the time to put them into practice, no matter the professor’s exhortations. By adding in-class retrieval practice opportunities, we can help all students experience the power of this evidence-supported approach. Frequent low-stakes assessments, whether graded or ungraded, individual or group-based, can help students strengthen their knowledge base in our disciplines—and learn to learn better in all of their courses.

Interleaving

Novice learners often experience new content as isolated segments (chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, etc.), easily forgotten once an assessment is completed and a new segment introduced. We can help students consolidate and integrate knowledge through interleaving old and new material throughout the course (or an entire course of study). Interleaving activates cognitive powers by requiring students to retrieve recently acquired knowledge and to transfer it into new contexts. We can incorporate interleaving into our courses by regularly referring to already learned material, asking students to draw connections between old and new content, and offering cumulative assessments. Keeping an archive (digital or physical) of previously "covered" course concepts, problems, or quiz questions, and drawing from it regularly in subsequent classes, can be an easy way to make sure interleaving becomes a structural component of the class.

By adding evidence-informed “small teaching” strategies to our teaching toolkit, we can not only help students learn better in our own classes but also model effective learning techniques they can take with them into other learning contexts. By making predicting, retrieving, and interleaving routine elements of our courses—and overtly signaling their use—we can help build positive cognitive habits and support the broader goal of metacognitive equity for every student.

Why Make Students Attend Class? The Absence Policy Dilemma

Maczynska,Magdalena

12/3/2024 11:11:54 AM

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As the fall term winds down, many of us are thinking ahead to the winter and spring, planning courses and refreshing syllabi in anticipation of the coming year. One part of the syllabus design that educators have been grappling with in the post-pandemic era is the attendance policy. COVID-19 disruptions prompted a significant loosening of requirements, shifting student expectations and faculty beliefs about attendance mandates. Many of us are still recalibrating our approach to student absences—and struggling to find a balance between exercising flexibility and ensuring that learners receive the proven benefits of regular class attendance. Each instructor needs to find the appropriate balance for their own course, teaching modality, and pedagogical approach: Drexel University’s absence policy statement honors instructor autonomy in this regard. Below are a few considerations for developing a post-pandemic attendance policy that best supports student learning.

Alignment with learning goals: whether or not physical presence in class (or synchronous presence in a Zoom meeting) is essential to achieving a course’s learning goals differs widely from program to program, subject to subject, and class to class. Crafting an appropriate attendance policy begins with considering how it aligns with our learning goals. Why is attendance in my class important? What exactly happens during class time that cannot be replicated outside of class? Might some students be able to successfully meet course learning goals through out-of-class engagement with course material? Is the course based on a relationship-forward pedagogy that cannot succeed without student presence? What balance of flexibility and structure would be optimal for this particular class? For this particular student cohort? Answering these questions for ourselves, ideally with input from the students, is a necessary step in developing a learning-centered attendance policy.

Metacognition: while the reasoning behind our policies may be obvious to us, it is often not at all obvious to our students. Whether we opt for a more flexible or more structured model, we need to explain the rationale to our students. Students are used to viewing absence policies as mechanisms for punishing non-compliance rather than structures for supporting learning, especially if none of their previous instructors emphasized metacognitive development. For example, many students believe that watching a recorded lecture or reviewing a slide deck will result in the same amount of learning as coming to class. Students unfamiliar with the science of learning tend to underestimate the importance of in-class activities (prediction, retrieval, problem-solving, peer-instruction, question-generation, reflection). Learners might also underestimate the significant influence of social belonging on academic success. We can boost both engagement and metacognitive awareness by clearly communicating the why behind our policies, by sharing examples of research on course attendance, and by engaging students in the policy-crafting process.

Logistics: if we do choose to use a policy to mandate (or incentivize) attendance, what might be the best mechanism for achieving our goals? Factoring an attendance score into the final grade calculation? Folding attendance into the class participation score? Offering attendance bonus points in addition to the regular assessment structure? Creating a tiered system where some class sessions are required while others (e.g. sessions focused exclusively on content delivery) might be replaced with alternatives like watching a recording, engaging with a slide show, or completing an online textbook chapter? Or perhaps we prefer to reward attendance indirectly, by offering point-bearing in-class practice opportunities that cannot be replicated outside of class? Some courses might benefit from a flexible menu of in- and out-of-class learning options; others might require regular in-person practice. Sometimes honing on the most appropriate policy might take several tries, so it’s always a good idea to talk to colleagues about their approaches and brainstorm models together.

Tone: even the strictest attendance policy can be communicated in a respectful, learner-centered manner. Simple tweaks like replacing deficit-based statements (“students will lose 10 points for each missed class”) with asset-based ones (“you can earn 10 points for each class you attend”) can make a difference. A more ambitious revision might take time to explain the course’s pedagogical underpinnings, articulate the benefits of active and collaborative learning, and express commitment to building a diverse community of knowledge-makers. A policy that says, “we are here to learn together; your presence is an asset; your voice matters” is more likely to inspire and motivate than a cut-and-dry recitation of prohibitions.

While course absence policies might provide a mechanism for encouraging (or enforcing) class attendance, students are more likely to show up if they perceive class time as intellectually and socially valuable. Fostering a relationship-rich learning environment and providing regular opportunities for in-class practice, collaboration, feedback, and reflection can go a long way towards improving student attendance (and engagement!) regardless of the official policy printed in the syllabus.

The Big Picture: Helping Students Build Knowledge Organization Systems

Maczynska,Magdalena

10/29/2024 9:14:02 AM

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When we reach a high level of expertise in our fields, it becomes very easy to forget that students, unlike disciplinary experts, have yet to build comprehensive conceptual structures into which they can add the new information encountered in our courses. Because their disciplinary knowledge organization models are still under construction, students might not be sure how discrete pieces of knowledge learned from lectures, videos, or readings fit together into a larger whole. When students are exposed to new information, it is very difficult for them to prioritize and organize what they are learning, or to make the kinds of meaningful connections required for lasting knowledge acquisition. As instructors, we can significantly boost student learning by providing (or inviting students to construct) knowledge organization systems that allow learners to sort, group, and structure new information. Here is how:

Meta-cues

The simplest way to indicate conceptual hierarchies and relationships, especially during a longer lecture, is to overtly communicate the lecture’s conceptual structure to the students. Simple meta-cues like, “We will now look at the three main factors determining X,” or “This is the most important concept for understanding Y,” or “Let’s recap the five sub-categories of Z” can help students sift through information, identify seminal points, and focus on what matters most. Asking students to point to key ideas and draw connections (through quick surveys, retrieval exercises, minute papers, or note-processing pauses) is another way to ensure learners begin constructing knowledge organization systems in our fields.

Skeletal notes

A quick glance at the notes our students take during a lecture, video viewing, or reading can offer insight into the state of their knowledge organization systems. Are our students able to identify main ideas? Make connections between concepts? Separate the seminal from the incidental? Discern categories and subcategories? Or do their notes reflect a conceptual schema that is fragmented, incomplete, or otherwise in the process of emergence?

One effective method of helping students organize new information is providing skeletal notes. Also known as skeleton notes, partial notes, or guided notes, skeletal notes are partially completed outlines that help students process new content (e.g. lecture, video, or help reading) and direct students’ focus to the details that require attention. While skeletal notes are typically text-based, some instructors use mixed media notes that combine text with graphs or other visuals (see example of hybrid skeletal notes created by Professor Susan Reynolds).

In addition to their effectiveness in improving student outcomes, skeletal notes offer an example of high-structure pedagogical practice: an equitable approach to teaching that aims at rectifying educational inequities by providing the scaffolding students need to succeed.

Visualizations

In addition to providing cues and structured notes, instructors can help students visualize the conceptual schema of a course, course module, or individual lesson with the help of visualizations like diagrams, flowcharts, or concept maps. Visualizations can be instructor-generated, student-generated, or skeletal (to be completed by students in the course of a lesson, module, or class). Beyond static one-time visualizations, iterative concept maps can help students track their growing understanding of a concept or subject throughout a term and make visible the process of constructing disciplinary schemas.

More specialized modes of visualization can help students organize information on spatial and temporal planes. In his 2019 book Intentional Tech: Principles to Guide the Use of Educational Technology in College Teaching, Derek Bruff shares several examples of advanced visualization assignments using geographical maps (aided by Google maps) and timelines (built with software applications like TikiToki) to analyze literary fiction or track the diachronic development of religious traditions.

In addition to providing valuable conceptual scaffolding for individual students, skeletal notes and visualizations lend themselves very well to collaborative learning. By comparing and collaborating on their notes and visualizations (from advanced digital modelling to hand-drawn sketches or sticky notes posted on the classroom whiteboard) students benefit from their classmates' diverse perspectives—and from the opportunity to articulate their own. Fueled by the power of peer instruction, the result is a more comprehensive understanding of individual course concepts and of their place within broader (academic and non-academic) knowledge systems.

Teaching in an Election Year

Maczynska,Magdalena

10/1/2024 4:22:56 PM

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As we begin a new academic term in a highly contentious and consequential election year, many of us are thinking about how to best support our students, as learners and as humans, throughout the fall. The sociopolitical tensions outside the classroom are inevitably present inside it as well, often in ways not immediately visible to the instructor. How we choose to engage with these tensions can determine the quality of the learning environment we cultivate—and the quality of the learning that takes place within that environment.

Given Drexel’s commitment to civic engagement, many of our colleagues are planning to incorporate election-related content into courses across academic disciplines and/or to encourage eligible students to vote. But even in courses that don’t engage directly with the election as subject matter, the impact of the election cycle is likely to be felt: students and instructors may experience anxiety, fear, identity threat, a diminished sense of safety, belonging uncertainty, and other forms of psychological distress that can interfere significantly with the learning process.

How do we navigate such powerful emotions in our learning spaces? How do we acknowledge the potential for election-related harms and risks (and their uneven distribution)? How can we continue fostering respectful and inclusive dialogue while also acknowledging the reality of genuine, sometimes unresolvable, conflict? There is no single authoritative answer to these questions, but context-dependent answers will begin to emerge as we initiate honest conversations with colleagues and students. To get the conversation started, here are some considerations for helping our students, and ourselves, navigate the coming election term:

Acknowledge:

Against our best intentions, adopting a “business as usual” attitude in a time of crisis can do more harm than good. Students strongly prefer an honest acknowledgement of disruptive events to a lack of response. As we enter Fall 2024, we are experiencing multiple interlocking crises (political, social, psychological, environmental) that are transforming higher education before our eyes. It’s important to continue checking in with our students and making sure the design of our courses reflects the reality of this moment.

Make a plan:

Decide on a game plan for the days preceding and following election day. Will you be holding in-person classes? Setting up alternatives (e.g. asynchronous work or group consultations)? Adjusting deadlines? Making space for student-led conversations? Making provisions for election-related work/activism students might be involved in? Do you have a list of campus resources on hand to help connect students to mental health support and bias reporting tools? Do you have a psychological support plan for yourself?

Build a community of respect:

More than ever, our students need models of civil discourse and meaningful communication across ideological lines. Tools like community engagement guidelines, regular check-ins, and reflection opportunities can help create an inclusive learning environment in which students see one another as fellow humans and are willing to exchange ideas with curiosity and respect.

Be prepared for hot moments:

Investing in building a community of respect can go a long way toward preventing in-class hot moments, but it’s always a good idea to have a repertoire of responses at the ready in case of unexpected disruptions. Helpful in-the-moment reactions include acknowledging the emotions in the room; allowing processing time (e.g. a pause, a written reflection, or an agreement to table the matter until a subsequent class session); asking for clarification; and mitigating harm to students who might have been targets of aggression.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the TLC published a series of teaching tips on charged class discussions, trauma-informed teaching, intentional inclusion, and faculty self-care. While the circumstances have changed, many of these recommendations remain relevant today. We invite you to browse them and begin crafting your own response strategy for the weeks to come.

Help Your Students Launch Their Professional Future with Career Decision-Making Skills

Crossan,Maria

9/3/2024 3:35:39 PM

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Educators play a crucial role in students’ career decisions and professional development. While some students see a clear pathway between their academic work and a fulfilling career, many struggle with deciding which path to follow. In his book, Bound-for-Career Guidebook: A Student Guide to Career Exploration, Decision Making, and the Job Search, counselor and educator Frank Burtnett shares practical tips for supporting students who are struggling to envision their professional futures.

Encourage self-discovery

According to a 2017 LinkedIn survey, 75% of 25-33-year-old respondents reported experiencing a quarter-life crisis. The top concern among survey respondents: finding a job they are passionate about. As Burtnett reminds us, the current generation of students and young professionals prioritizes following passions and interests. Educators can play a critical role in helping students find balance between realism (including honest self-appraisal!) and expansive dreaming. We can also encourage students to discover their unique characteristics through self-reflection, journalling, experiential learning, and discussions with friends, family, mentors, and career counselors.

Share career information

Educators can facilitate student career decision-making by sharing industry knowledge (for example, recommending professional associations students might benefit from joining) and leveraging professional connections (for example, inviting colleagues to come into the classroom and share their unique career perspectives). Burtnett also suggests using career informational interviews and shadowing opportunities to help inform student career choices. Finally, instructors can take advantage of professional support and resources offered by campus career centers like Drexel’s Steinbright Career Development Center. Among Steinbright’s offerings is FOCUS 2, a career assessment tool available free of charge to all Drexel students. FOCUS 2, which can be self-administered, allows students to explore career pathways in their major armed with information from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, including average wages and occupation growth.

Relate education to career success

Burtnett identifies five key factors in educational and career success: knowledge, skill, competence, experience, and satisfaction. Educators can support the development and integration of these interlocking factors. For example, by designing authentic assignments and team projects that integrate knowledge with practical application, we can help move students from theory to practice. We can also support future career satisfaction by helping students understand their values, needs, and interests, so that they can seek out compatible work environments and working styles. Finally, we can share our own professional histories, including how different organizations provided different work experiences even if the field or role were the same.

The guidance, mentorship, and expertise offered by educators can help students successfully navigate their career decision-making process. By offering personalized advice, facilitating networking opportunities, and fostering a supportive learning environment, faculty help students build confidence and make informed choices about their professional futures.

For further information on how Steinbright Career Development Center can help support you in supporting your students, please email scdc@drexel.edu.