1. www.cirtl.net Welcome to the CIRTL Network’s Virtual Coffee Hour T EACHING AND U SING W RITING S KILLS IN THE STEM C LASSROOM Michelle Sulikowski Kathryn Miller Session Begins at 1PM Central Time When you join the room please run the Audio Setup Wizard: Tools Menu->Audio->Audio Setup Wizard While we wait for the session to begin, we encourage you to test your mic and webcam If you are experiencing problems and/or have questions, please type into the chat window Brian Chabot

2. www.cirtl.net Ways to Interact during the Coffee Hour Discussion Turn on/off your microphone: Raise your hand if you have a question or comment Turn on/off your video: Use the chat window to add comments, ask questions, or request help

3. Writing in the STEM Classroom One approach to fostering deeper student engagement and understanding Kathryn G. Miller, Professor and Chair of Biology CIRTL Coffee Hour, March 20, 2013

4. The course Biology 3191: Molecular Mechanisms in Development – Read primary literature (no textbook) – Discussion, not lecture – Writing-Intensive Analytical essays Long Literature Research paper Foster understanding, organization, synthesis of ideas and information

5. Why Writing Intensive? Bean ‘Engaging Ideas’ (2001), p. 29-31 – “What…..students need to understand is that for expert writers, the actual act of writing causes further discovery, development, and modification of ideas.” Active rather than passive Understanding instead of facts Ask questions and engage in dialog, not acquire information

6. The writing process: ‘think, then write’ model Choose a topic Narrow it Write a thesis Make an outline Write a draft Revise Edit Bean ‘Engaging Ideas’ (2001), p. 29-31

7. Expert writer’s process: unanswered questions and a dialog with the ‘material’ 1.Starting point: perception of a problem 2.Exploration 3.Incubation 4.First draft 5.Reformulation and revision 6.Editing Recursive Reformulate ideas

8. Bean, Engaging Ideas This description of the writing process emphasizes the fact that expert academic writers are driven by their engagement with questions or problems and by their need to see their writing as a contribution to an ongoing conversation. ………..[T]his problem- driven model of the writing process has a distinct advantage… It allows …[the]… link[ing of] the teaching of writing to … teaching the modes of inquiry and discovery in the…. discipline. ….[S]tudents [get] personally engaged with the kinds of questions that propel writers through the writing process. Thus, the writing process itself becomes a powerful means of active learning.

9. My goals for the course Developmental biology concepts and molecular mechanisms Interesting area of Biology; many different aspects of biology encompassed within Science discovery process Knowledge construction in field, how is new knowledge created? Relationship between evidence and ideas Understanding not facts Express ideas clearly, use empirical support Understanding not facts; transferable skills Goal: Why:

10. Essays Question or thesis Question designed to require synthesis of material from several sources Support answer with empirical data and arguments Organize around ideas

11. Example

12. Grading

13. Writing examples: 3 ways to write about the same thing

14. Analysis of writing examples

15. Development of student writing skills Cornell students are required to take 2 writing courses Most courses assume students have sufficient writing skills and don’t educate about writing Writing skills students need for STEM disciplines (or other career/professional writing) usually are not evaluated

16. Courses taught with writing skills emphasis Environmental Issues (BioEE 1100) Principles of Ecology and Environment (BioEE 2610) Current Topics in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (BioEE 7670)

17. Things to do Educate yourself about how to help students improve their writing Get books or other resources that deal with writing techniques Design approaches to assist students to improve writing skills (grading rubrics, special assignments, course sections)

18. Grading Rubric-Content Desired outcome: Quality of the response to the assignment 4 points3 points2 points1 point Takes a position in response to the question A position on the question is clearly stated and arguments are developed with evidence the provide support of the position taken that goes beyond the basics in substance and interpretation An appropriate position is taken and some arguments are developed to support the position A position is taken, but the essay does not contain or develop arguments to support the position taken or takes an inappropriate position in response to the question Does not take a position in response to the question

19. Grading Rubric- Writing Desired outcome: Quality of the writing 1.5 points1.0 points0.5 points0 points Uses appropriate writing techniques Uses the correct structure and style for the assignment, including introduction with roadmap and conclusion; uses good sentence and paragraph structure, appropriate word choice, few errors in spelling or grammar; overall all result is one of persuasive writing Uses the correct structure and style for the assignment; uses good sentence and paragraph structure, appropriate word choice, few errors in spelling or grammar Uses adequate structure; errors in style for the assignment or sentence or paragraph development; numerous errors in grammar, spelling Serious writing problems (e.g. not an essay, paragraphs without topic sentences, sentences that don’t make sense or are out of place, etc.)

20. Michelle Sulikowski Vanderbilt University CITRL, March 2013

21.  The activity must be authentic and related to course objectives  Let them know that this is how scientists communicate  The teacher shows writing is valuable by spending class time discussing writing  Short 5 minute talk with expectations, rubrics or examples is key  Allow students to do peer review prior to submission (peer review is an authentic exercise)  Allow resubmission for any work that is unacceptable (how peer review works)

22.  Give a grade to students for the actual peer review  Get at least two reviews per piece of work  Give guidelines for reviewing including deadlines  Require students to show changes in yellow highlight or discuss the changes at the end of the work  Good peer review lightens the instructors load and gives students ownership of their scholarship  Can do it all on OAK in groups that you control  Briefly discuss the peer review process  Remind them that good peer review can be painful

23.  Lower Level Labs ◦ Replace a regular undergraduate lab report with a journal quality experimental ◦ Give examples for students to follow  Higher Level Labs ◦ Produce several forms of an abstract :differing lengths (50 – 200 words) and for different audiences (lay / scientific) ◦ For sequential experiments, write a journal article instead of a lab report

24.  Organic Chemistry ◦ Choose a project that matches curriculum requirements but has some meaning to the student ◦ Choose a drug with an alkene and a carbonyl group ◦ Each week they apply what we learn in lecture to that drug (has an explicit format in my class) ◦ They conclude the project with a description of how the drugs works and why it is used based on Discover or Scientific American format ◦ Audience: First part is me, second is their peers ◦ Instruction in writing: 5 minutes of class time with a handout every few classes; give examples of acceptable products

25.  We learn to write by actually writing  Write in or out of class  Give guidance on the prompt sheet, no need to discuss if the assignment is short  Value the assignment by giving it a grade  Grade loosely to save your mind  In class assignment: Write a few sentences on something you understood from lecture or explain something that you did not understand using proper terminology whenever possible  Take-home assignments if you don’t have class time or want a more in-depth response:  Write 5 sentences on 1/3 assigned topics  Ask them to write about something from lecture  Ask them to write on a topic of choice that relates to actual or related course content

26. www.cirtl.net U PCOMING C OFFEE H OURS B UILDING AN A CADEMIC C AREER S ERIES Teaching at a Primarily Minority Institution March 28 th, 2013, 12-1pm CT Facilitated by: Tabitha Hardy, Post Doc, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA) Fellow Keri Mans, Post Doc, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA) Fellow Imani Goffney, Assistant Professor, Curriculum and Instruction, University of Houston T EACHING AND L EARNING IN THE STEM C LASSROOM S ERIES Fostering Critical Thinking April 17th, 2013, 1-2pm CT Facilitated by: Nancy Ruggeri, Associate Director of Graduate Programs, Searle Center for Teaching Excellence, Northwestern University To sign up to hear about these and other CIRTL events, email info@cirtl.net.