WSU faculty find new ways of engaging students

By Richard H. Miller, Global Campus

engagement-80PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University faculty members turned the tables on colleagues last week, having them form small groups, do an assignment, take a quiz – even giving them a gentle chiding for avoiding the front-row seats.

The workshop on new ways to engage students brought about 30 faculty members together in Pullman, with more participating online, to hear three faculty presenters describe their approaches. The event was organized by WSU Global Campus and co-sponsored by the provost’s office and WSU Teaching Academy, which are teaming up to improve instruction and student success.

Electronic engagement

First up was John McNamara, animal sciences emeritus professor.

“For those of you who may be thinking there’s a push to use technology for technology’s sake, that’s not what this is about,” he said. “This is about engaging our modern learners who want to learn, who think very fast and are used to getting information.”

One simple idea, he said, is to reach students where they live: On their electronic devices.

He suggested the Socrative program, which lets students respond to quizzes on their smartphones and laptops.

“It’s a really easy, handy way to get them involved,” he said, “and for you to make sure that they are involved.”

He said he regularly divides students into problem-solving teams. That makes many of them uncomfortable, he said, but his response is blunt and pragmatic: “You’re going to have to do things this way the rest of your life.”

The power of POGIL

Faculty next got a crash course in POGIL (process oriented guided inquiry learning), in which faculty divide students into groups of four and assign each member a role: manager, speaker, recorder or observer.

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Brian Dulin and Linda Bradley work on a problem in a POGIL group. (Photos by Richard H. Miller, WSU Global Campus)

Entomology professor Laura Lavine told faculty members to form four-member groups – “no illegal groups,” she told a scofflaw group of five – and gave each group eight minutes to solve an economics problem involving credit-default swaps.

As WSU professors with profound expertise in unrelated fields tried to puzzle out answers, they experienced first-hand the power of collaboration – and the peer pressure – that Lavine uses to motivate her students. Group discussions, she said, help lodge information in students’ long-term memories while the designated roles encourage them to speak out.

As a side benefit, she said, discussions develop the teamwork skills students will need in their careers. According to a recent study, she said, one in five college students acts unprofessionally the first year of a job.

“Where are you going to practice learning your professional skills?” she asks her students. They’re surprised to hear they’ll be learning them in her entomology course: “What?” they ask. “What does that have to do with bugs?”

Team-based learning

Pharmacy professor Jennifer Robinson had faculty members move again, this time into teams of five to seven – “I’ll give you two minutes to get this done,” she said – and gave them a pharmacy problem, which drew laughs and a few groans.

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Trying to solve an economics problem are Olusola Adesope, left, Chelsea Leachman and Kate Geiger.

She first looked into team-based learning when she grew frustrated with students who were distracted or on the verge of sleep. She went to her dean: “I feel like I’m wasting my breath,” she told him.

He handed her what looked like a large scratch-off lottery ticket. He wasn’t suggesting she gamble on early retirement. The scratch sheet was an immediate feedback assessment technique or IF-AT.

Students are given sheets with multiple scratch-off rows that correlate with exam questions. They discuss questions as a team, then scratch off the box they think covers the answer. If they’re right, they find a star.

If they’re wrong, they can try again, but for fewer points. If they think the question is unfair, they can file a written appeal during class.

To write a good appeal they have to review the readings, Robinson said.

“They think they’re fighting for points,” she said. “I think they’re expanding their learning.”

At the end of the quiz, she shares the teams’ scores with the entire class.

“Pharmacy students can be competitive,” she said. “They want to make sure they are keeping up with their peers academically, and team-based learning creates an environment where students are motivated to truly learn the material.”

After the workshop, molecular biosciences professor Bill Davis said he’ll explore new techniques over the summer.

“My students are not performing at the level that I’d like,” he said. “I’m interested in these teaching techniques, changing my classroom and seeing what resources are available on campus. It’s time for a change.”

 

Resource list

Watch the workshop. Go to YouTube to see an edited video.

WSU tutorials. WSU Global Campus offers tutorials on a variety of new tools and approaches at http://teach.wsu.edu.

Socrative. Go to http://www.Socrative.com, a free student response system that uses smartphones and laptops. (McNamara: “I learned this in about five minutes and I’m a slow learner.”)

POGIL workshops. Laura Lavine (lavine@wsu.edu) is the Northwest region POGIL facilitator and will offer workshops to interested WSU faculty. The POGIL website is also a valuable resource, and there’s a three-day POGIL workshop beginning June 30 at the University of Puget Sound.

IF-AT sheets. You can read more and get samples at http://www.epsteineducation.com.

Team-based learning. The Team-based Learning Collaborative offers resources as well as video interviews with faculty and students.