Focusing on Learning Instead of Teaching David L Tauck Biology All of the ideas expressed in these slides were adapted from publications and web sites of teachers who are more clever than me.

Topics Course organization Course organization Collaborative learning Collaborative learning Open book quizzes and exams Open book quizzes and exams Case studies Case studies Online writing assignments Online writing assignments Implications for students and faculty Implications for students and faculty

Course organization Daily assigned reading Daily assigned reading Frequent group quizzes Frequent group quizzes Short lectures Short lectures –Covering the most difficult concepts –Critical thinking questions interspersed Case studies Case studies Writing assignments Writing assignments Examinations Examinations

Collaborative learning Groups Groups –assigned by professor –diverse (gender, age, ethnicity, background) –permanent –4-5 students Grading Policy Grading Policy –group work accounts for one quarter of grade –peer evaluation determines percentage of group points individuals earn

Quizzes – open book learning exercises Oral (done in pairs, <5 minutes) Oral (done in pairs, <5 minutes) –One or two critical thinking questions per half hour of lecture –Pairs of students solve problems –Class discussion of answers –Not graded Written (done in groups, ~ 20 minutes) Written (done in groups, ~ 20 minutes) –Critical thinking questions from assigned reading –Groups submit one answer for grading by professor –Class discussion of answers

Exams – open book Purpose Purpose –Used both for learning and assessment –Open book policy emphasizes importance of understanding concepts over memorizing trivia Individual work Individual work –Take-home essay questions (20%) –Short answer questions done in class (60-70%) Group work Group work –Most difficult essay question done in class (10-20%)

Case Studies Stories based on science that students encounter in the news or in their lives Stories based on science that students encounter in the news or in their lives Put science in context for students Put science in context for students Promote communication skills and critical thinking Promote communication skills and critical thinking Often require students to interpret ambiguous data Often require students to interpret ambiguous data Model science as a social enterprise Model science as a social enterprise National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science

Working through a case First day – minutes First day – minutes –Groups decide what they need to learn in order to understand the case –Class discussion of proposed learning objectives –Group members select topics to learn Second day – half hour Second day – half hour –Individuals teach group members what they learned about their topic –Groups discuss case and decide what else they need to know to understand it –Group members select topics to learn

Working through a case Third day – half hour Third day – half hour –Groups discuss case –Start project – one per group Fourth day – minutes Fourth day – minutes –Project due Paper or presentation describing what they learned –Class discussion of case –Professor clarifies remaining issues and identifies topics that may appear on examination

Online writing assignments Calibrated Peer Review Free web-based program written by a biochemist Free web-based program written by a biochemist Allows frequent writing assignments even in large classes Allows frequent writing assignments even in large classes Students submit essays on assigned topic Students submit essays on assigned topic Learn to grade essays Learn to grade essays –Answer questions about three “calibration” essays: one excellent, one mediocre, one poor Anonymously evaluate essays of three peers using same grading criteria Anonymously evaluate essays of three peers using same grading criteria Evaluate their own essays Evaluate their own essays

Implications for students Initially suspicious of group work having such a major impact on grade (20-25%) Initially suspicious of group work having such a major impact on grade (20-25%) Have greater control over their learning Have greater control over their learning Develop skills that are transferable to other classes Develop skills that are transferable to other classes Class time devoted to issues causing most problems to students Class time devoted to issues causing most problems to students Passive students become active Passive students become active Course focuses on student learning – not on professor’s performance Course focuses on student learning – not on professor’s performance

Implications for faculty Labor intensive Labor intensive –Writing quizzes, case studies, assignments & exams –Grading –Bookkeeping Unusual environment Unusual environment –Classroom seems chaotic at times –Students cluster in noisy groups Different relationship with students Different relationship with students –Professor is not just the expert - also the coach –Students get some individual attention everyday