An Action Agenda for Teaching and Learning (PhD course assignment)

An Action Agenda for Teaching and Learning

What specific recommendations do you have for enhancing teaching and learning at your institution? What effect do you think politics would have on the successful implementation of these recommendations?

Huber and Hutchings (2005) elaborate on what they perceive as four core questions for teaching and learning: framing questions, gathering and exploring evidence, trying out new ideas in the classroom, and going public with the results so that other educators can use the findings and build upon them in their own classrooms. Each core question can be utilized to improve teaching and learning at my institution.

Framing questions about student learning is the starting point for scholarship of teaching and learning (Huber and Hutchings, 2005).  Current college students are the most technologically savvy of any previous generation, and many colleges and universities have recognized the use of the internet and computer technology as a necessary learning tool for today’s college students. Although our President has expressed reluctance in growing our distance education course offerings beyond our adult education program, our faculty must find ways to work around this and to integrate technology in the classroom. The use of tools such as Blackboard and Turnitin will certainly help students with coursework, keeping up with their notes and syllabi, and learning the proper way to cite their sources, and understand the importance of using your own words in your writing. Plagiarism is a major concern with our current students’ work, and many of them come to the university with no concept of what plagiarism is. This is an opportunity for our faculty to step in and teach and important lesson on how to properly write and cite research, and both Blackboard and Turnitin are useful tools for this purpose.

Gathering and exploring evidence are also important aspects of teaching and learning, according to Huber and Hutchings (2005). The  faculty members currently utilize class evaluations in order to determine the majority of students’ learning needs, as well as their likes and dislike about their course experiences. While this is a valuable resource, our faculty should also utilize focus groups of students (possibly by major or by class) to determine other ways to improve classroom teaching and learning. As I stated in last week’s discussion, Charleston Southern also has a Center for Excellence in Teaching, which all of our faculty should use as a resource, since their peers can be their most valuable allies and constructive critics.

Hubers and Hutchings (2005) also state that “the scholarship of teaching and learning is often messy rather than neatly linear, engaged rather than disinterested, and highly personal in its impact” (p. 26). Our faculty members should always be encouraged by our Provost and academic deans to try new methods in the classroom in order to find out what is the best method for teaching and learning at the university. They will not always be satisfied with the results, but dissatisfaction is what keeps all of us burning to learn and do more.

Lastly, faculty members at the university should share their results and findings with their peers. Thanks to our Center for Excellence in Teaching, our faculty members have the opportunity to share their scholarship in teaching and learning with their peers, so they can also apply the methods in their classrooms and critique the methods’ effectiveness.  Our faculty must be willing to take constructive criticism from their most respected colleagues in order to improve their own scholarship in teaching and learning, thus preparing their students to be lifelong learners and observers.

Reference

Huber, M. T., & Hutchings, P. (2005). The advancement of learning: Building the teaching commons. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Rituals and Culture

When I asked several of my colleagues about some of the myths and rituals we have at our university, three examples were mentioned by almost everyone. The faculty procession at the first Chapel of the new academic year, the Midnight Breakfast the night before the first day of final exams, and the Homecoming 5k have been long standing traditions at the institution, and are regarded with respect, enjoyment, and humor by our faculty, staff, and students.

At the first Chapel of every academic year, we have a faculty procession at the beginning of the program. The full time faculty enters the Chapel after everyone else has taken a seat. All of the faculty are dressed in their full academic regalia, and enter the Chapel under the leadership of our Vice President of Academic Affairs. All of the Vice Presidents and the President are also dressed in the appropriate manner. This gives our new students the opportunity to see our faculty as the scholars and educators who will guide them through their academic journey for the next four years. Many of our students note they enjoy the procession because they feel like Harry Potter at Hogwarts, and in some ways, that is exactly where they are!

Midnight Breakfast is a true favorite among our students. At midnight on the eve of the first day of final exams, the cafeteria serves a full breakfast of eggs, pancakes, Belgian waffles, sausage, bacon, fruit, danishes, and yogurt to our students. The best part of this breakfast is the servers. Serving the food buffet style are the faculty and staff, including our President, Senior Officers, Dean of Students, Athletic Director, head coaches, and many more. Why do we do this? As I have stated in previous posts, our vision at the university is Learning, Leading, and Serving. This provides the faculty and staff with an opportunity to be of service to our students, and help them realize we are there for them in every way.

The Homecoming 5k, which is open to all faculty, staff, students, and the public and takes place the Thursday night before our Homecoming football game, is a hit because of a long standing rivalry. Our President is an avid runner, and each year, challenges one of our Economics professors, also an avid runner, to a friendly competition. The President and professor lead off the race, and truthfully, we never know who will finish first, as they are equally matched. The students also enjoy watching these two gentlemen, both in their sixties, racing each other around campus, and usually crossing the finish line almost neck and neck. There is also food and music at this even, as well as prizes.

These sacred rituals have provided our university with an opportunity for our faculty, staff, and students to bond with each other, and get to know each other a little better. Connections are an important part of retention, and these rituals help us make those important connections.

 

   Reference

Bolman L. G, & Deal, T. E. (2008). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Philosophical Framework

According to Lodico, Spaulding, and Voegtle (2010), “… the goal of advocacy or liberatory researchers is liberation through knowledge gathering” ( p. 15). The advocacy – liberatory philosophical framework is a collaborative effort between researchers and subjects, leaders and followers, a concept that is embraced by transformational leaders.  Transformational leadership “consists of guiding, encouraging, and facilitating others in the pursuit of ends by the use of means, both of which they have either selected or approved” (Ackoff, 1999, p. 20). Educators and researchers who utilize this framework in their research and studies will engage their research participants and followers by empowering them to actively participate in the data collection. The advocacy-liberatory approach is seeking solutions as a team.

Lodico et al. (2010) also note that “research should provide freedom from oppression and debilitating living environments” (p. 15).  One of the benefits of researchers accumulating data within the advocacy-liberatory approach, especially when the participants are socially disadvantaged, is that the participants will be active learners, equipped with the knowledge necessary to improve their current situations. Secondly, there is the issue of trust. When participants are part of the problem solving efforts, they are more likely to trust the results of the research findings. Additionally, researchers in the advocacy-liberatory framework will have an invested interest in not only the research, but also the participants.

One of the disadvantages to the advocacy-liberatory framework is a lack of objectivity from researchers and participants. Since both parties have an invested interest in the outcome of the research, their emotional involvement could potentially overshadow the research and data collection process. Secondly, Lodico et al. (2010) also state that researchers must “understand reality from the perspectives of the community” (p. 15). What if the researchers are from drastically different socio economic backgrounds than the research participants? If a researcher is too far removed from the community, they may experience difficulty in working with participants to form an action plan for improvement. This also leads into a third possible disadvantage; participants may have difficulty trusting a researcher who cannot relate to their community due to the researcher’s lack of firsthand experience with their community’s plight.

The main strength of the advocacy-liberatory framework, especially for a transformational leader, is empowering participants to improve their lives. By empowering participants and implementing action plans based on a collaborative research effort, transformational leaders can play an important role in improving the lives of the community involved in the research study.

 

REFERENCES

Ackoff, R. L. (1999, January/February).  Transformational Leadership. Strategy & Leadership, 27 ( 1)20-25.

Lodico, M. G., Spaulding, D. T., & Voegtle, K. H. (2010). Methods in Educational Research: From Theory to Practice (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Assessment Plan Development (Writing Sample from PhD course)

Why? Why should assessment be done? What is the purpose of assessment?

Assessments should be done for the purpose of making improvements throughout the institution, as well as measuring student satisfaction with their overall educational experience.  Since Charleston Southern University is a numbers driven institution, feedback from students is crucial to improving retention and increasing initial enrollment. According to Maki (2002), “When institutions are internally motivated to learn about student learning, assessment moves beyond a periodic activity to an organic and systematic cycle of inquiry involving a shared commitment among faculty, staff, and administrators” (p. 8). This type of commitment and invested interest in student learning and their overall college experience can help Charleston Southern improve not only retention but overall student satisfaction and future alumni relationships.

•What? What are the intended outcomes of assessment?

What is the intended target [unit/level] of assessment?
According to Cuseo (n.d.), assessments can be divided into two categories: institution-centered outcomes and student-centered outcomes.  The majority of Charleston Southern’s assessments have been institution-centered; however, the university has slowly begin utilizing student-centered outcome assessments, which have focused on their use of student support services or their satisfaction with student activities. However, assessments that were institution-centered outcomes, namely retention methods, lead to the implementation of an improve freshmen seminar program as well as the creation of a new staff position, First Year Program Coordinator. While institution-centered outcomes are important for the overall function of the university, Charleston Southern must continue to work with student-centered outcome assessments. Some of the units/levels that the assessments should focus on include Academic Advising, Financial Aid, and Christian Environment. Since Charelston Southern is a faith based, private institution, assessing the financial aid available to students as well as their satisfacation with the Christian environment on campus are important for the institution to continue fulfilling its mission and vision.

•When? When in the college experience should assessment be conducted? At what times will it be most valuable?

Currently, Charleston Southern’s assessments have focused on the end of the first year experience, upperclassmen experience, as well as senior exit interviews.  However, the institution has not focused on the sophomore year, which is a crucial year for retention, since many students choose to transfer after two years.  Cuseo (n.d.) emphasized the importance of end of sophomore / beginning of junior year assessments to determine satisfaction with lower level core courses and readiness for the upperclass / major courses.

•Who? Who will be the assessor[s]? From whom will assessment data be collected?

Charleston Southern’s Director of Institutional Research, who has no ties or reporting lines to academics or student life, is the data collector for all of our assessments. Traditionally, data has been collected only from students; however, Cuseo (n.d.) recommends collecting data from faculty, staff, and alumni as well. Comparing the data from the different groups can reveal any discrepancies or common views regarding the institution.

•Where? Where will assessment data be found? In what locales will data be collected?

Data can be collected through course room usage as well as student services usage. The Student Success Center and Career Services currently keep logs of students who come into the offices. They sign in, and also write down the name of the staff member they are seeing. This will help determine the number of students seeking help in certain areas. The only classroom based assessment data is through end of the semester, student evaluations. While these evaluations are important, they should not be the only tool used to measure student learning. Developing a student portfolio in My CSU (our online program for students that allows online registration, changes to majors, transcript views, etc.) can provide additional data for assessments.

•How? How will assessment data be analyzed and summarized? What research designs and methodologies will be employed?

Charleston Southern relies heavily on quantitative methods, but should also include qualitative methods that involve narrative inquires. This will provide a holistic approach to student learning and the student experience at Charleston Southern, which cannot be fully captured through numbers and statistics.

References

Cueso, J. (n.d.). Assessment of the First Year Experience: Six Significant Questions. University of South Carolina. Retrieved from http://www.sc.edu/fye/resources/assessment/pdf/Cuseos6Qs-web.pdf

Maki, P. L. (2002). Developing an Assessment Plan to Learn about Student Learning. Journal Of Academic Librarianship, 28(1/2), 8.

Philosophical Beliefs (Writing Sample from Ph.D course: Assessment in Higher Education)

What are your definitions of assessment, research, and evaluation? Discuss how these functions are connected.

Assessment can be defined as the gathering and reviewing of information to determine if certain educational methods are effective. This is closely related to evaluation, more specifically program evaluation, which Lodico, Spaulding, and Voegtle (2010) define as an attempt to determine the success or failure of a program, and the results are used in ongoing or short termed decision making regarding the program in question. (p. 41). Research is the in depth gathering of information regarding a certain topic in order to make long term decisions.

What are your basic assumptions regarding assessment?

Some of the basic assumptions regarding assessments surround their purposes. Whether an assessment takes place at the administrative, faculty, or course level, the main purpose of all assessments should be toward improving teaching and learning methods for students. Huba and Freed (2000) state that faculty should develop intended learning outcomes for each academic program and each course within the program (p. 10). Ideally, assessments should be student focused, including assessments from the administrative level. An evaluation of budget, learning methods, course offerings, etc. should focus on improvements for the student experience.

What do you consider the basic aims (goals) of assessment?

Huba and Freed (2000) describe what I believe to be the basic goals of assessment when they state that assessments provide the opportunity “to use data about student learning to strengthen the way decisions are made, leading to improvement in the curriculum and in instruction.” Anyone who has worked in higher education for several years will attest to how students’ learning styles and capabilities are continually changing. Teaching methods that were successful five years ago will not necessarily work with current students. As students change and evolve, so should our teaching methods.

References

Huba, M. E., & Freed, J. E. (2000). Learner-centered assessment on college campuses: Shifting the focus from teaching to learning. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Lodico, M. G., Spaulding, D. T., & Voegtle, K. H. (2010). Methods in educational research: From theory to practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Purpose Mastery and Change Mastery in Distance Education (Writing sample for PhD course: Administration and Leadership of Distance Education Programs)

What are important ways of demonstrating purpose mastery and change mastery in the context of leading a distance education program?

Many people are familiar with the expression, “Find a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life.” Educators are drawn to their profession based on their passion for the subjects they teach, or their desire to help others reach their potential, discover their strengths, and have the lives and careers they desire. According to Cashman (2008), Intepersonal Mastery is about “balancing our courageous influence, our voice, with human connection” (p. 81). Finding that balance is not easy in the traditional setting; therefore, establishing that human connection with distance programs is not only more of a challenge, but extremely necessary for distance educators to be the best mentors, advisors, and instructors for their students.

In order to thrive in the constantly changing environment of distance education, educators must be able to adapt quickly and embrace challenges as they come. According to Cashman (2008), the five leadership skills necessary for this complex challenges are:

1. Collaboration rather than heroics;
2. Building and mending relationships;
3. Participative management;
4. Change management and adaptability;
5. Risk taking.
(p. 106-107)

These skills are necessary for distance educators to master in order for their programs to be part of a learner-centered paradigm. Including the distance learners in the changes and decisions of their program (as well as establishing relationships with them) will create the necessary human connection that can sometimes be lost in an entirely online environment, and help the learners feel that they are vital members of their university.

Reference

Cashman, K. (2008). Leadership From the Inside Out: Becoming a Leader For Life (2nd ed.). Provo, UT: Executive Excellence Publishing.

Ethical Challenge

While the internet has provided many amazing changes to higher education, including the rapid and continued growth of online education, issues that professors often face with students have become exacerbated in the online course room. Plagiarism continues to be a major area of concern for all professors; however, many students come to college with no true knowledge what plagiarism really involves. The ethical challenge that professors encounter in a plagiarism case is to maintain the balance between appropriate discipline and a teachable moment with a student, while following the university’s required steps for a plagiarism situation.

Step 1: Review the different Web sites from which the alleged copying occurred to gather evidence of the alleged violation.

               

All humans, including highly educated humans who have devoted their lives to educating others and are considered experts in their fields of study, can make mistakes and errors in judgment. Before accusing students of plagiarism, professors must ensure they have substantial evidence to prove that plagiarism occurred. Additionally, professors should utilize programs such as Turnitin.com and include a print out of the plagiarism report on students’ papers to reveal how the plagiarism was detected and researched. What would happen if a professor reported a student for an academic violation of plagiarism and did not provide any documentation to support the allegation?

Hopefully, the university will have policy for the faculty to follow in this situation. However, if a professor turns in a student without proof, gives the student a failing grade in the course, and the student appeals based on the lack of evidence, several scenarios could take place. The student or the student’s parents could file a lawsuit against the university; the professor could face reprimand by the President or the Provost ; the student may withdraw from school, which will affect retention rates, and in some cases, students have even contacted the media, thus damaging the university’s reputation with the community.

Step 2: Contact the learner, review the violation, and determine appropriate action.

                In the case of online education, contacting the learner will involve email as well as a follow up phone call. The professor should contact the student via email, attach a copy of the report from the plagiarism detection program (e.g. MyDropBox.com orTurnitin.com), as well as the articles from the various websites the professor believes thestudent used. However, accusing of student of wrongdoing is a very delicate situation. In the email, the professor should request to speak to the student over the phone, Skype, etc. and not simply rely on email. Before contacting the student, the professor should speak with the Registrar to determine if the student has ever been cited for an academic violation before. Whether or not the student has other violations on record should also help a professor determine appropriate action. For example, if the Registrar states that the student has never been reported for an academic violation before, the professor should ask the student about their knowledge regarding research papers, APA format, MLA format, etc., especially if the course is a freshman level course. Many students now enter college with no knowledge of what plagiarism is.

Step 3: If you deem it appropriate, decide on what sanction to impose, such as:

•authorizing a re-write of the assignment,

 •giving a failing grade on the assignment in question, or

 •giving a failing grade for the entire course.

                If the student admits to using the materials found on websites, but is emphatic that they did not realize this was plagiarism, and was never taught what plagiarism involved, the professor should consider this as a teachable moment, and provide the student with the benefit of the doubt, especially if the student has no record of previous academic violations. The student should be allowed to do a re-write of the assignment with other stipulations, including submitting their paper to a plagiarism site such as MyDropBox.com or Turnitin.com, submit a copy of the plagiarism site’s report with the revised paper, as well as signing a document that they understand what plagiarism now involved and would not make the same mistake in the future. A copy of the signed document should be added to the student’s file in the Registrar’s Office.

Step 4: Notify the learner in writing of the decision and its rationale.

                The information provided in step 3 should be shared with the student via phone call, Skype, or in another more personal way than an email. Notifying the student in writing is a follow up to the personal conversation. This is so both the student and professor will have the requirements agreed to in step 3 in writing, so they can both refer to the document for future reference. This will ensure that neither the professor nor the student can make any future claims arguing against the agreement. The written document protects both student and professor.

Step 5: Forward a copy of the notification and the evidence to the appropriate designee in the learner’s school.

                Once again, this is for the protection of the student and the professor. However, the student will realize the serious nature of the academic violation that the matter is now on record, and will hopefully, be reluctant to follow the same steps in another class with another professor. For example, if the professor does not provide documentation to the appropriate departments, including the Registrar’s Office, the student could continue committing plagiarism and feigning ignorance to the nature of plagiarism when confronted by a professor. Students should be allowed a certain level of grace for a first offense; however, all offenses should be documented in order to ensure the student knows the issue and will learn the benefit of integrity when conducting research.

Step 6: Provide the learner with the right to appeal any faculty-imposed sanction.

                Students should always be informed of their rights in plagiarism cases, and professors should not simply believe that it is the students’ responsibility to educated themselves on the academic policies and procedures of the university. In all cases, even those that involve complete student / professor agreement on the imposed sanctions, the professor should provide the student with a copy of the university’s appeal process, and also remind them that the policy is on the website, in the student handbook, etc.

Professors face many ethical challenges when a student commits plagiarism. However, tempering punishment with teachable moments is essential for educating students. Professors should not fall into the function of plagiarism police, which does not teach students what plagiarism is and how to avoid it on future assignments.

 

 

 

Reference

Steps for Addressing Alleged Plagiarism. (n.d.). Online Accredited College Degree Programs – Capella University. Retrieved January 19, 2013, from http://www.capella.edu/CourseMedia/ed7212/dragdrop/ed7212_unit2_dd_transcript.html