Scholarship of Scholarship of Teaching: Teaching: An Introduction An Introduction

Margaret Waterman

New Fellows Orientation April 21, 2009

SoTL Fellows 2008-2009

Teaching in a Scholarly Teaching in a Scholarly FashionFashion

vs.vs.Scholarship of TeachingScholarship of Teaching

Teaching Scholarly: thoughtful deliberation about the teaching / learning process

Scholarly Teaching: using research findings to made pedagogical decisions

The Action Research Cycle?The Action Research Cycle? Identify Innovation

Gather Data

Analyze DataInterpret Data

Develop Action Plan

Design the Study

Develop or locate instruments

Be thinking about the following Be thinking about the following questions questions DESIGNFrom whom are you gathering

data?◦ Remember, we are looking at evidence of student

learning for at least one source of dataWhen will you gather data?

METHODSHow will you gather data?Where will you gather data?

Linking Study Design and Linking Study Design and MethodsMethods

Suppose the DESIGN is on one class (the who),pre and post test (the when)

How and where the data will be gathered are METHODS questions.

Pretest Do new thing Post test

Action Research Often Uses Action Research Often Uses These Kinds of MethodsThese Kinds of Methods to to Gather DataGather Data

Surveys

Observations

Interviews

Artifact Analysis

Three Ways to Gather Three Ways to Gather DataDataMake observations

◦ Unstructured or structured observationsAsk questions

◦ Surveys◦ Interviews

Examine and Score Artifacts◦ Tests, portfolios, treatment plans, student

comments◦ Must design scoring guide

Structured ObservationsStructured Observations◦Examples:

Use a class map to keep track of who asks questions, answers questions, makes comments.

Have a list of behaviors. Make simple hash marks for each type of behavior when it occurs.

Make a list, from a recorded class discussion, of the kinds of questions you asked.

Methods: Unstructured Methods: Unstructured ObservationsObservationsExamples

◦A journal that an instructor keeps to record personal impressions of how a class is going.

◦A written remembrance of interactions with one or a few students that are being tracked over time.

◦A written set of impressions made while watching a videotape of a class.

Methods: Questioning with Methods: Questioning with SurveysSurveys

Examples:◦A survey of attitudes toward science◦Rankings of importance◦Student ratings of instruction◦May include open-ended questions, e.g., what

element of this course most helped you to learn?

◦May include some content, but if only content, it’s a test and is an artifact of the course.

Methods: Questioning with Methods: Questioning with InterviewsInterviewsAdvantage over surveys: can ask

follow-ups, more personal contact.Examples:

◦Sort readings by usefulness, telling why◦Solve a genetics problem aloud,

explaining thinking◦A focus group◦Interview of team members in small

groups

Method: Examine and Score Method: Examine and Score ArtifactsArtifacts

Examples of artifacts:◦Diagrams of cells before and after instruction◦Wear on computer keys to see which are hit

most◦Answers to a test question◦Portfolios◦Term papers◦Case analyses◦Management plans◦Treatment plans

Methods: Artifact AnalysisMethods: Artifact AnalysisDecide what you kinds of materials

you want to collectJustify why the artifact you are

choosing is a good choice given your research question

Create a scoring rubric (guide) to assign points

Good for pre-post designs

A KEY TO SUCCESS: A KEY TO SUCCESS: Pilot Test Your InstrumentsPilot Test Your Instruments

Give a small group of people (not in your class if you can) your survey or interview

Collect sample artifacts to see if your grading scheme works

Try out your observation scheme to see if it needs to be tweaked.

Other Keys to SuccessOther Keys to SuccessTalk about your design and instruments

with Teaching Associates, SoTL Fellows, other colleagues.

Keep your data collection focused.

Try to keep the project reasonable in scope for the time you have available.

To create your own plans answer To create your own plans answer the the questions below: questions below: From whom are you gathering data?

More than one class, subgroups? When will you gather data?

First week of classes? After the new thing has been introduced? Fall? Spring?

How will you gather data?Questions, artifacts, observations?

Where will you gather data?Classroom, online forum, dropbox survey?

Human SubjectsHuman SubjectsBecause you are working with

humans, you must submit a Human Subjects form to your college. Read policy in Faculty Handbook

Our projects are Category I - what one might do in the normal course of teaching

You need to tell how you will collect data, how you will protect privacy.

It is not necessary to get student permission in most cases.

Human SubjectsHuman SubjectsHealth and Human Serviceshttp://www.semo.edu/hhs/images/

humansub_2007.doc Science and Mathematics www.semo.edu/cosm/images/COSM_hs_form_2006.doc Education http://www.semo.edu/education/images/

hscpro1.doc

Business? Polytech? Liberal Arts?

More Resources on More Resources on MethodsMethodsGo to

http://cstl.semo.edu/sotl/agenda_and_resources.htm

Click on the links for overviews of each of the three main categories of data collection methods.

Questions??Questions??