Category Archives: Assessment

Exploring Teaching and Leaning Technology at CIT 2024

Artificial Intelligence, Assessment, Classroom Technology, Creativity, Educational Technologies, Innovative Technology, Instructional Design, Learning Outcomes, Online Learning, Research, Student Experience, Uncategorized, Virtual Reality, VR

By Luis Colon
Instructional Designer
luis.colon@stonybrook.edu

Last month, members of CELT traveled to Buffalo, New York to attend the SUNY Conference on Instructional Technology (CIT) hosted by the University at Buffalo to participate in the event as well as present some of the work that we have been doing. The CIT conference started in 1992 and since has provided faculty and instructional support professionals a space to share their experiences, delve into common issues, work towards finding solutions, and explore the many innovative avenues that allow instructors to enhance the learning environment through the use of technology. 

The theme of this year’s conference was: Creating Inclusive Innovation in Higher Education, and showcased engaging sessions from faculty and instructional support professionals focusing on topics such as course design, assessment strategies, artificial intelligence (AI), immersive technologies, and more. In addition to these sessions, there were also exhibits from sponsors including D2L, Lumen Learning, and Respondus, as well as other exhibitors showcasing products and other technologies that could be used in the classroom to enhance the learning experience as well as increase engagement.

The University at Buffalo sign and some trees.
The University at Buffalo was a great location for this year’s CIT 2024 conference.

During the conference, we presented at two different sessions. Our first session, Critical Conversation on Generative AI, focused on our response to the boom of AI tools to support teaching and learning in college classes at Stony Brook University. The session opened with the CELT AI Timeline, illustrating how CELT started with collaborations with the academic integrity office. CELT proactively communicated to the SBU faculty about the best practices on generative AI in their classrooms and provided ongoing support and training sessions. We stay abreast on the latest AI tools and explore the benefits, challenges, and potential use cases with interested faculty members at Stony Brook University. During the past one-and-a-half-year period, CELT hosted 22 AI events with 1,110 Attendees. The AI panel discussion series covers topics like academic integrity, AI best practices, AI ethics, student perspectives, creative AI in art education, AI, and research. Monthly AI talk sessions allow faculty to ask questions and share their experience. Generative AI in Higher Education workshop series focuses on AI tools training, AI guidelines, assessment redesign, and ethical and practical AI usage for teaching and learning. 

Ultimately, as AI tools continued to develop and become more capable it became clear that we would need to expand our offerings to meet the needs and demands of interested stakeholders which we have done over the past year.

During the second half of the session, we opened up the floor to respond to questions for the audience to join the discussion and share their thoughts. The audience shared both valuable insights and ideas regarding AI usage as well as valid concerns regarding the capabilities and rapid growth of the technology. We shared resources at the end of the session and were able to speak to some of the audience members who had additional questions or were interested in continuing the conversation.

Our second session, Exploring VR Applications in College Classes – An SBU Showcase, focused on the applications of virtual reality (VR) of faculty members at Stony Brook University.  They explored the capabilities of these types of tools and how they can fit into their course goals and enhance their overall instruction. We began by discussing how the effective utilization of VR can positively impact teaching and learning and discussed specific tools that provide diverse experiences in VR that can be incorporated into any course. This included 360° photo and video, WebXR tools such as FrameVR, and immersive VR tools used in simulation-based learning. We then discussed our collaborations with faculty and staff members at the university and how they are currently using or planning to utilize VR in their courses. This included the work of Mark Lang from the School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (SoMAS), Dr. Guleed Ali from the Department of Geosciences, Dr. Carol Carter from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Dr. Gary Marr from the Department of Philosophy in collaboration with Paul St. Dennis from the Department of Information Technology (DoIT). Then Dr. Guleed Ali presented via Zoom on VR virtual field trips as an inclusive pedagogy strategy  in his Geoscience class. 

The second part of our session was a hands-on immersive showcase, audience members could try on some of the VR applications we discussed. We set up three stations with Meta Quest headsets where audience members could see firsthand the diverse use cases of VR technology in the higher ed learning environment and familiarize themselves with working in VR. This also allowed us the opportunity to speak with audience members about their experiences with VR in the classroom, how they may be using VR in innovative and exciting new ways, and how they would like to be using VR in the classroom in the future. 

Members of CELT at the CIT 2024 conference.
CIT2024 was a great opportunity to gather insights and explore technology in teaching and learning!

The experience of attending and presenting sessions at CIT in Buffalo this year was an exciting and informative experience for our team. It was great to network and collaborate with other colleagues in teaching and learning more about the future of technology in our discipline. Our team returned with many great ideas and approaches that we are excited to implement in our own work.

2024 CELT Teaching and Learning Symposium – Focusing on Innovative Pedagogy

Artificial Intelligence, Assessment, Classroom Technology, Creativity, Educational Technologies, Equity and Inclusion, Innovative Technology, Instructional Design, Learning Outcomes, Online Learning, Student Experience, Uncategorized, Virtual Reality, VR,

By Luis Colon
Instructional Designer
luis.colon@stonybrook.edu

On April 12th, the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching held their annual Teaching and Learning Symposium. Over the years, the event has allowed educators, researchers, administrators, and more to come together to discuss various aspects of teaching and learning as well as celebrate teaching and learning practices and initiatives at Stony Brook University. The central theme of the day was Innovative Pedagogy which was at the center of conversations and various learning experiences held throughout the day. The theme illustrates the importance of finding new and exciting ways to engage with and include students in the academic environment as well as empowering students to pursue lifelong learning. Close to 100 faculty members, graduate students, staff, and administrators attended the day-long event held in Ballroom A of the Student Activities Center.

The event opened with words from Dr. Carl Lejuez, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and then led into the keynote event of the day. Dr. Marsha Lovett presented an interactive workshop on innovative teaching and how practice and feedback can be an impactful practice in the classroom. Dr. Lovett is the Vice Provost for Teaching & Learning Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University as well as a Teaching Professor of Psychology and former director of the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation. Her passion for combining teaching and research is illustrated in the book How Learning Works, which has been translated into multiple languages and is now in its second edition with the new subtitle: How Learning Works: Eight Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching. 

Attendees at the 2024 CELT Symposium during the keynote workshop.
Dr. Marsha Lovett delivered an informative and engaging keynote workshop.

The workshop focused on the importance of incorporating opportunities for students to engage in “deliberate practice” where they are challenged appropriately and focus on clear and specific goals. These opportunities allow for observed performance where students would be able to receive targeted feedback that they would be able to use to improve their skills and apply in further practice. To provide targeted feedback, Dr. Lovett recommended incorporating rubrics into assignments as a grading tool where criteria for success is outlined and to remind students to utilize the rubric before, during, and after working on the assignment. 

To address the concern of allowing students to practice often without having a huge amount of grading, Dr. Lovett suggested incorporating opportunities for students to engage in active learning. She touched on many different examples of active learning strategies from shorter tasks to whole-class activities which provide students the opportunity to not only practice applying important skills but also allows students to receive feedback through the explanations of concepts and discussions that spark from active learning in the classroom.

Dr. Lovett closed with a discussion on how to provide effective SPACE (Specific, Prioritized, Actionable, Constructive, Expedient) feedback in a manner that is not only easy but also efficient and applicable to courses of all types and sizes. Her suggestions included framing your feedback in relation to your overall learning goals, highlighting priorities in the work, providing class-wide feedback on common pitfalls and errors, and developing a “key” or collection of frequently used comments to use during grading.

Following the keynote session were breakout sessions where Stony Brook University faculty and staff delivered sessions focusing on four different tracks highlighting major topics in teaching and learning today including Course Design, Student Engagement, Virtual Experiences, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). There were three breakout sessions where attendants had the opportunity to either stick to one particular track or attend sessions on different topics of interest. Faculty presenters from across both campuses discussed practical approaches and strategies to implement in classes and recounted their own observations with these innovative teaching practices.

Attendees at the CELT Learning Symposium 2024.
Faculty and staff participated in learning sessions and activities throughout the all-day event.

The 2024 Teaching and Learning Symposium was an exciting event that provided an open forum for faculty, TAs, and staff to engage in discourse related to teaching and learning with their colleagues. From using generative AI as a “junk generator” and having students critique its outputs to effective practices to foster inclusivity in the classroom environment, this event addressed many facets of teaching and learning to help students feel welcomed, engaged, and appropriately challenged in their coursework and overall experience at Stony Brook University. 

If you would like to learn more about how to make your courses effective, engaging, relevant, and inclusive, you can purchase a copy of How Learning Works: Eight Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching by Dr. Marsha Lovett at this Amazon link. Linked below is the Google Collaborative Note-Taking Document from the day’s events to catch up with session materials and notes from the various sessions offered.

2023 CELT Symposium, ‘Transitions’ in Teaching

Assessment, Equity and Inclusion, Instructional Design, TA/Postdocs, Virtual Reality,

By Luis Colon and Jenny Zhang
CELT Instructional Designers
luis.colon@stonybrook.edu and yi.zhang.13@stonybrook.edu

Participants at the CELT Symposium.
CELT Symposium on Teaching and Learning: Faculty, graduate students, staff and administrators attended the day-long event in the Student Activities Center.

The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) held a Teaching and Learning Symposium on March 24. The theme for this year’s conference was Transitions. The theme reflects how we navigate across multiple changes, such as those with technologies, learning modalities, and in our teaching practices as we strive to provide a more inclusive environment for students. Close to 100 faculty, graduate students, staff and administrators attended the day-long event in the Student Activities Center. Participants from across the university attended sessions that explored transitions and discussed how to best navigate transitions as we are going through them while also anticipating and preparing for future transitions in higher education.

The event opened with a statement from Dr. Carl Lejuez, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and promptly launched into the keynote event. Dr. Kelly Hogan and Dr.Viji Sathy presented a highly interactive workshop on Inclusive Teaching that modeled concepts, strategies, and activities that instructors can adopt in their own teaching practice. Both Hogan and Sathy are award-winning instructors from the University of North Carolina who are deeply passionate about student success, equity, and inclusive teaching. They have been featured in national publications such as The Chronicle of Higher Education, The New York Times, and others. Their recently published book, Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom, analyzes ways that instructors can design their courses and their teaching practice to help students feel that they are welcome and that they can succeed in the academic space. 

The workshop started by bringing attention to how inequities can manifest within the learning environment. To address these inequities, Hogan and Sathy provided practical skills and strategies, saying, “It’s our job to ensure that all students have the ability to succeed.” Concrete examples included: “Provide [lecture] notes with blanks, so students can be prompted to recall and fill in the blanks. Use subtitles, visual prompts, and microphones. Pause in time to give people a chance to construct their ideas.”

Throughout the session, participants were encouraged to reflect on their own teaching experiences and to consider how they could use what they took from this session to reduce inequities in their own courses. Hogan and Sathy kept the workshop interactive by utilizing polling, think-pair-share, and other learning strategies to model the value to engaging learners and to keep the audience focused on the learning objectives of the session. The audience responded positively and many continued discussions later on as the event progressed.

Session One, titled Supporting Students Through Transitions, was led by Dr. Kristin Hall of CELT as well as Brandon Bjertnes, Jennifer Poma, and Jennifer Rodriguez of U-RISE. This session focused on the deluge of changes that higher education has experienced over the years and specifically addressed how to best support the next generation of students as they re-learn how to navigate the in-person learning environment in post-pandemic times. The presenters discussed how the definition of the “traditional college student” has changed as the next generation of college students bring more diversity to higher education institutions nationwide. This session provided strategies to address the different learning needs of these students by understanding how they learn best and prioritizing their success. The presentation combined local university data and research-backed practices to ensure that attendees would be equipped with new strategies that could make a difference in their teaching as soon as they would be implemented. 

Following the first session were the Food for Thought concurrent table sessions where attendees would have lunch and the opportunity to seek out a table in the ballroom that would be focusing on a research topic of interest related to teaching and learning. The topics ranged from active learning, the utilization of virtual reality and/or augmented reality, TA training and assessment, and more to provide a space for attendees to delve deeper into topics that were of interest to them and would help them to develop their own practice further. Attendees that I spoke with expressed excitement at the opportunity to have time for discussions with others interested in similar topics and said it was a great experience to either learn new skills or reframe and refine old ones.

Virtual Reality

The CELT virtual reality team showcased the potential of virtual reality (VR) for enhancing education and collaboration through a captivating VR demo session. Held in the Student Activity Center (SAC) 302, the event drew faculty members who were eager to explore various VR applications for teaching and learning. Three interactive stations were set up, offering immersive experiences using 360 videos, WebXR Framevr, and Horizon Workrooms.

Station 1: 360-Degree Video

Mark Lang, a 360-degree video and photo expert at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS), has been revolutionizing education through immersive experiences that enhance student engagement, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mark’s collaboration with Dr. Darcy Lonsdale led to a virtual field trip to the Rocky Intertidal Zone at Crane Neck Point on Long Island Sound, allowing students to explore marine ecosystems remotely, and learn from Dr. Lonsdale’s narrative at the same time. Mark’s ingenuity in customizing equipment for challenging marine environments has improved the quality of the videos. His station attracted many interested faculty. In that demo, they were transported to a realistic sense of presence, observing the ecosystem through the Oculus headset. Faculty were thrilled to learn how this technology could be utilized to take their students on virtual excursions, making remote and inaccessible locations easily reachable for educational purposes.

A person wearing a virtual reality headset.
The CELT virtual reality team showcased the potential of virtual reality (VR) for enhancing education and collaboration through a captivating VR demo session.

Station 2: WebXR Framevr

The second VR station introduced WebXR Framevr, an innovative platform for creating and sharing immersive content. Here, participants took a guided tour of a virtual CELT classroom, complete with interactive whiteboards, 3D objects, and multimedia resources. The experience was not only engaging but also demonstrated how virtual learning environments could help break down geographical barriers and foster collaboration between students and educators from all around the world. The WebXR virtual classroom can be accessed through VR headsets, computers, or tablets, making it a most sustainable VR solution. 

Station 3: Horizon Workrooms

The third station allowed faculty to experience Horizon Workrooms, a virtual collaboration tool designed for remote meetings and team building. Participants who donned the Oculus headset or computers can join a virtual business meeting. The immersive environment enabled seamless communication and collaboration, showcasing the potential of VR to revolutionize how we work and learn together.

After testing the different VR experiences, faculty members engaged in discussions about the various features of each technology, as well as the hardware and software setup required. They also brainstormed practical applications for their own classes and considered how to integrate VR into their curriculums best to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes.

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Anne Moyer, Sohl Lee, Daniel Amarante, Anthony Gomez III, and Kevin Reed served on a faculty panel discussion, ‘The Rebound After Remote: How Teaching Online has Transformed Current Instruction.’

Following the break for lunch, participants continued to Session Two, The Rebound After Remote: How Teaching Online has Transformed Current Instruction. This part of the program featured a panel discussion facilitated by Dr. Carol Hernandez and Jenny Zhang of CELT, where faculty discussed what they learned and how they grew professionally as a result of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. The panel featured Dr. Anne Moyer from the Department of Psychology, Dr. Daniel Amarante from the Department of Chemistry, Dr. Sohl Lee from the Department of Art, Dr. Kevin Reed from SoMAS, and Anthony Gomez III, who is a PhD candidate in English Literature. The session not only provided a wealth of experiential knowledge but included inspiring anecdotes and stories as the panel shared what kept them motivated during the early days of the pandemic and how the experience allowed them to reflect and adjust their instructional approaches to meet their student’s needs. For the panelists, the time spent learning and growing during the era of remote learning would continue to be valuable to them to this day as many still use these strategies in their current teaching practice.

Session Three, Brightspace: Lessons Learned, was led by Diana Voss and Jennifer Adams of the Division of Information Technology and focused on some of the most impactful teachable moments that they have experienced as the university has shifted to using D2L Brightspace as the learning management system for Spring 2023 and beyond. The session was informative and useful as faculty, TAs, and staff were provided with some of the most useful and popular features in D2L Brightspace to help enhance the learning experience, create an inclusive classroom environment, collect student data, and more. The Q&A section of the presentation allowed the attendees to engage with the presenters and discuss some of the challenges that they have encountered throughout their transition to D2L Brightspace. Attendees either had their questions answered or were able to set up a time where they could consult with someone from the Division of Information Technology to find solutions to these challenges as soon as possible. 

Overall, the 2023 Teaching and Learning Symposium delivered on its promise to address transitions in teaching and learning at the higher education level in an environment that celebrated growth and professional development for all. The event provided an open space for faculty, TAs, and staff to engage in discourse related to teaching and learning with their colleagues in a constructive manner. On the topic of education, theologian John Cotton once said that, “Those who teach, must never cease to learn.” That sentiment is as true today as when it was first written. Events such as the CELT symposium ensure that professional learning never ceases and that today’s educators become better each day.

If you’d like to learn more about the CELT Symposium, here is the Google Collaborative Note-Taking Document from the day’s events. If you have notes to share, please feel free to edit and add your notes. Also, here is a reference sheet from the keynote speakers Dr. Kelly Hogan and Dr. Viji Sathy that they shared after their session. 

 

ChatGPT: Friend or Foe?

Artificial Intelligence, Assessment, Classroom Technology, Educational Technologies, Equity and Inclusion, Virtual Reality

By Yiren Kong, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Associate
yiren.kong@stonybrook.edu

A robot hand reaches out to a human hand.
How will human beings ultimately choose to harness the power of ChatGPT and AI?

You have probably heard the word ChatGPT thrown around recently. It is the new trending artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can do a lot of things. One of the most well known features of ChatGPT is to produce content based on the prompt you give to it. As an example, I asked ChatGPT to write a poem about Stony Brook University and here is what it composed:

Beneath the sun and sky so blue,
Stands Stony Brook, a sight to see.
Where knowledge grows, and dreams take flight,
A place where students shine so bright.

With halls of learning, and fields of green,
A place where one’s true self is seen.
Where diversity and inclusivity thrive,
And the future is shaped by those who arrive.

From science to arts, and engineering too,
Stony Brook has something for me and you.
With professors who inspire and guide,
And opportunities that cannot be denied.

A place of growth, and a place of pride,
Stony Brook is where we reside.
With memories made and friendships true,
Stony Brook, we’ll always carry you.

Pretty impressive, right? So what is ChatGPT exactly? ChatGPT is an AI Chatbot developed by the company OpenAI. It was released in November 2022. GPT stands for Generative Pre-training Transformer. Essentially, ChatGPT is a large language model (LLM) which relies on the probability distribution of word sequences. Simply put, ChatGPT is trained with a large amount of text inputs, as explained in this video. It summarizes, predicts, and generates new information based on the information that was given. It is smart enough to not use nonsensical or grammatically incorrect word sequences (due to low probability) and instead to produce content that is more human-like. 

ChatGPT is indeed a critical step forward for AI and technology. However, what does it mean for higher education? Is it easier for students to cheat on assignments and exams now? I believe a lot of us are worried about the impact of ChatGPT and AI on education. 

A recent study published by professor Christian Terwiesch at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School documented how well GPT-3, an earlier version of ChatGPT, could do in the final exam for one of the courses in the school’s MBA program. It turned out that GPT-3 performed pretty well on certain questions and not so well on others. Surprisingly, GPT-3 made mistakes on simple calculations while perfectly answering more complex questions such as those on process analysis. In the meantime, GPT-3 showed the ability to learn and adapt. Once GPT-3 was given more hints by the instructors, it was able to rectify the once incorrect answers. In the end, GPT-3 was able to receive a B to B- grade on this exam.

Surely, there is a sense of uncertainty and fear when we face something that seems so shiny and powerful. But do educators need to panic yet? In my honest opinion, probably not. As we have learned so far, ChatGPT relies heavily on learned information. It can produce “original” content but that does not equal “original” thoughts. If we grow more mindful towards the assignments and exams that we design, asking questions that elicit more meaningful and sophisticated answers, it will be very difficult for ChatGPT or AI in general (in its current form) to follow. Meanwhile, the anti-cheating AI technology to detect what is created by AI is also developing and that will greatly help combat the misuse of technology like ChatGPT. In addition, having more learning activities that require personal communication (i.e., presentations, group work) will also offset the potential negative effects on learning that may be brought by AI technology. 

On the other hand, the power of ChatGPT can also be used by instructors in various ways to enhance their teaching strategies. For example, ChatGPT can answer straightforward questions about basic course requirements for the instructors so they have more time to answer content questions. In other instances, instructors can use ChatGPT to generate prompts for classroom activities or use it with students to brainstorm. 

So-called new technologies can push us to reassess what we are doing and why. For example, there is an interesting quote by Socrates in the Phaedrus (274b-277a). Plato mentioned that his teacher once said, “[writing] will implant forgetfulness in their souls. They will cease to exercise memory because they rely on that which is written, calling things to remembrance no longer from within themselves, but by means of external marks.” But today, writing has become a routine and indispensable part of our life and helps us in numerous different ways. Similarly, let’s take a deep breath and take some time to truly understand what ChatGPT and AI means to us. After all, the most important thing is how we, the human beings, ultimately choose to harness the power of ChatGPT and AI. 

Do you want to find out more? Do you have ideas for how to embrace or deter the use of ChatGPT as part of your teaching practice? Sign up for the CELT panel discussion: Trends and Tips: Assessment in the Classroom. Email CELT@StonyBrook.edu to sign up for our listserv and get the latest updates about this and more! 

Learning Goals, Objectives, or Outcomes?

Assessment, Instructional Design, Learning Outcomes, Measurable learning

By Kristin Hall, Ph. D.
Instructional Designer
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT)
kristin.hall@stonybrook.edu

Ever wonder what the difference is between learning goals, learning outcomes and learning objectives? These terms are often used interchangeably but at other times they are referencing different concepts. This can cause a bit of confusion. So what exactly are these terms and how do you tell the difference? More importantly, what do you need to know as an instructor when you are planning your course design?

Elizabeth Barkley and Claire Howell Major decipher these three concepts in Learning Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty (2016).  According to Barkley and Major: 

  • Learning Goals– include what you intend for students to learn. This can be seen as a macro view of what you want students to achieve after instruction. For example: the student will learn to drive a car.
  • Learning Objectives– include identifying the steps students need to reach the learning goal. These are specific steps we expect students will achieve as they work toward  the learning goal. For example: the driving student will be able to identify common traffic signs.
  • Learning Outcomes– includes the action taken to determine if and how students achieved the learning goal. In other words, outcomes are what students actually achieved after instruction and can be determined based on evidence (assessment) of their learning. An example might be: during a road test, the driving student will demonstrate that they can safely and accurately perform parallel parking. 

If you search for these terms, you will come across different definitions. Some educational accrediting agencies will use very specific terms. It can be perplexing but our best advice is don’t get caught up in semantics. Until there is a better consensus among educators, you can loosely call of these statements learning outcomes or learning objectives. They generally point to the same thing, which is a measurable learning activity. In other words, what do you plan to teach and how will you and your student know if the learning took place?

Perhaps if you want to put a finer point on this, the best learning outcomes should be student-focused and contain a concrete learning verb. That is a critical difference when planning instruction. So instead of only focusing on what you will teach, it is perhaps more important to plan for what students will learn and how you (and they) will show that it has been learned and to what degree. This is key no matter if you are planning an in-person, online, or hybrid course. The SUNY Online Course Quality Review Rubric (OSCQR) Standard #9 addresses this explicitly: “Course objectives/outcomes are clearly defined, measurable, and aligned to learning activities and assessments.”

Again, for the purposes of effective instruction, you want to make sure these statements are specific and measurable. Why? For both the learner and the instructor, there must be some concrete guidelines that steer the teaching/learning experience and show in a transparent way whether learning has been achieved–or not. Here are a few best practices when writing learning outcomes/objectives for your courses.

Best Practices in Writing Learning Outcomes/Objectives

  1. Use one specific and measurable verb. Avoid using more than one verb as students may be able to achieve one part of the outcome/objective but not the other.  
  2. Avoid using the following word/phrases as these are often open to interpretation and not measurable: “understand, know, demonstrate an understanding, learn, be familiar with, be aware of, appreciate, have knowledge of . . .” Instead ask yourself these questions: How will I be able to determine if students know or understand?  What will they need to do?  These questions will often help you identify the specific and measurable verb.
  3. Well-written learning outcomes/objectives use student-centered specific, clear and concise language. Avoid using ambiguous words or phrases. Instead put the focus of the action the student can show or perform, not what the instructor can show or perform.
  4. Learning outcomes/objectives should be designed to be achieved within the specific time frame of the semester or (time frame of instruction). In this way, there is a deadline or endpoint both you and the student must work toward. This aspect can help you determine what content must be included in your curriculum so that students can reach that goal. Ask yourself: is it nice to know or need to know?
  5. Avoid references to course activities and specific assessments. For example, it would not be appropriate to state, “Students will be able to achieve a passing grade on the midterm exam.”  This is not a learning outcome/objective for the course.

Additional Resources:

CELT: Articulating Student Learning Outcomes and Bloom’s Taxonomy
SUNY Online Course Quality Review Rubric (OSCQR) Standard #9: Course objectives/outcomes are clearly defined, measurable, and aligned to learning activities and assessments.

If you would like assistance in writing or revising your learning outcomes/objectives for your courses, contact CELT at celt@stonybrook.edu to schedule a consultation with an instructional designer. Do you have questions or comments? Please post them below or on our Twitter handle: @CELT_SBU.

Reference:
Barkley, E. F., & Major, C. H. (2016). Learning assessment techniques: A handbook for college faculty. John Wiley & Sons.

 

CELT Inclusive Teaching Panel Discussion: Using Authentic Assessment to Broaden your Inclusive Teaching Practice

Assessment, Equity and Inclusion, Updates, ,

Join CELT on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021 at 1 p.m. ET

Description: In this discussion, faculty members from philosophy, journalism, and physical therapy will talk about how they use authentic assessment in their teaching practice and how that can be an equity approach that helps students to challenge their assumptions. Authentic assessment requires students to apply knowledge to real world situations in innovative and concrete ways.

Panelists:

  • Jennifer Carter: Lecturer, Department of Philosophy and College of Business
  • James Pierre-Glaude: Clinical Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy Program, School of Health Technology and Management
  • Zachary R. Dowdy: Assistant Professor of Practice, School of Communication and Journalism

Facilitators:

  • Carol Hernandez: Senior Instructional Designer, CELT
  • Catherine Scott, Assistant Director for Faculty Development – Testing, Assessment & Evaluation, CELT

Please register prior to the event.

Teaching Tuesdays

Assessment, Equity and Inclusion, Instructional Design, Online Learning, TA/Postdocs, Updates, , , , ,

The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) has always been dedicated to the belief that excellent teaching in all its forms is vital to student success. Recently, to better align with our mission, we have been moved to the Office of the Provost under Elizabeth Newman, PhD, Vice Provost for Curriculum and Undergraduate Education. 

Teaching Tuesdays This semester, we are excited to begin a new initiative: Teaching Tuesdays. During these sessions, CELT experts will discuss evidence-based practical strategies and reflective questions aligned with the research expertise of staff in our department. Please join us at 11:15am in the Faculty Commons (Melville Library E1332) for any of the following topics:

  • Using Critical Self-Reflection to Catalyze Inclusive Pedagogy with Carol Hernandez on October 5th 
    • The pandemic has made clear that social identities, both those of our students as well as our own, shape not only how we are experiencing the fallout of the crisis, but also how we experience teaching and learning. Our session will address how reflecting on the intersection of our identities is a crucial catalyst to improving an educator’s inclusive teaching practice.
  • Grading for Teaching Assistants (TAs): Reducing Bias and Time-Saving Tips with Kimberly Bell, PhD on October 19th 
    • Grading and assessment are an integral part of any teaching experience. In addition to the technical details of entering and submitting grades, time management and biases also play an important role in grading and assessment, and these are often more challenging to overcome. Join this workshop to hear more about time saving tips and strategies for reducing bias in your grading and assessment.
  • Supporting Students’ Self-Regulation Skills in Your Course with Kristin Hall on October 26th 
    • In this workshop, we will go over the importance of self-regulation skills and how they are linked to academic achievement and academic success.  We will also discuss how to model and help students develop these skills in your course. 
  • Designing Courses for all Students with Jennifer Jaiswal on November 2nd
    • Not all students learn in the same way. Creating courses that allow for diversity in how we interact with the content helps students to find different ways to engage and to connect with the course material. In this course we will discuss Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and redesign a course activity to be more inclusive.
  • National Distance Learning Week: Regular and Substantive Interaction: Reflections Based on the Updated Distance Education and Innovation Federal Regulations with Rose Tirotta, EdD on November 9th 
    • In July of 2021, the US Department of Education updated the Distance Education and Innovation Federal Regulations to align with updated pedagogical research and technological capabilities. This session will review these changes in parallel with evidence-based practices to reflect on future and current course development and organization. 
  • Ideation as a Teaching Strategy with Jennifer Jaiswal on November 16th 
    • How can you help your students craft new ideas in their area of study, create new products, or design new models for problem solving? Ideation is the process of creating many new ideas using generative thinking strategies. Ideation takes advantage of creativity to create new ways of thinking about problems and creating solutions. In this session we will cover generative thinking,  project models that can be applied and take on a design challenge.
  • Designing a Logic Model for Your Grant Evaluation with Catherine Scott on November 23rd 
    • Logic models are often required when submitting grant proposals. So what are they? Why do you need one? And how can you create your own? Join this workshop to have these questions answered and leave with a template to help you create your own.
  • Jump Start Engagement with Active Learning with Kimberly Bell, PhD and Rose Tirotta, EdD on November 30th 
    • Active learning can improve student outcomes and keep students engaged during and in-between your class meetings. Getting started incorporating active learning, implementing it, and assessing its effectiveness can seem challenging. Join this workshop to hear more about why active learning works and strategies you can implement and assess easily in your courses right away.

Please register prior to the session using the links above and email us if you have any questions.

Congratulations to Sue Ryan! Our 2021 Excellence in Assessment Awardee!

Assessment,

Sue RyanSue Ryan, an Assistant Professor in the School of Professional Development and a distinguished soccer coach who led the SBU women’s soccer program from a Division III program to a perennial contender in Division I in the America East Conference,   leading the team to 229 victories, is a familiar face at many of our sessions. Her background as a professional soccer coach informs her teaching in her graduate courses in leadership. She sees her role as meeting students where they are and that it is “her responsibility to take them someplace new; a new place of thinking, collaboration, and self-discovery.” 

In her course on Effective Professional Action & Leadership, Sue has several innovative assessments that help students make connections to course concepts. She uses the discussion boards to have students post lyrics to a song that reflect their values and thinking. Sue also has students select someone from history that exemplifies leadership for a case study analysis. Sue has found that connecting the curriculum to students’ own lives leads to real engagement and transformation for students. 

CELT would like to thank Sue for being engaged with us and would like to congratulate her on being awarded the 2021 Award for Excellence in Assessment at CELT’s Celebration of Teaching this past spring. 

 

Supporting Students’ Return to Campus

Assessment, Educational Technologies, Equity and Inclusion, Instructional Design, Uncategorized

Jennifer Jaiswal  Jennifer Jaiswal, Instructional Designer & Sr Instructional Technologist 

The pandemic and move to remote online learning over the last year and a half or so has exposed the realities of our students’ lives and highlighted some of the inequities that exist. It is important to be mindful that our students may have been affected by these social changes. Maintaining the empathy and compassion from the past year will be important as we transition and move forward and ask: What have we learned from our remote teaching experiences that we can continue to incorporate into our courses?

Communication: 

Communicating regularly with our students and being very explicit about course information, course expectations, office hours, policies, etc., should be detailed in the syllabus. One strategy to ensure students read the syllabus is to give them a low stakes quiz about the important information or record a syllabus overview video and make it available in Blackboard.

It is considered good practice to send an announcement via Blackboard at least 24 hours before the start of class. This might include explicit directions to your classroom if you are teaching face-to-face as well as the schedule and other important information for the first day of class.

Resources:

During the pandemic, many faculty incorporated more technology into their course to help with the transition to remote learning. Many of these resources can be helpful and useful for students even when returning to face-to-face instruction.

Blackboard is a great repository for course materials and resources and many other technologies like Zoom, VoiceThread, Echo 360, etc., are integrated into Blackboard. Using Blackboard as a resource repository helps you and the students manage course documents, media, grades, and communication in one place. Using the discussion boards, VoiceThread, and Zoom recordings can help extend the learning environment beyond the classroom and class time. The Zoom integration allows you the opportunity to to record short demonstrations or clarifying remarks and posting them for students to watch or rewatch as many times as they need to.

Assessment and Grading:

Having a couple of small, low stakes assessments in the first couple of weeks can help students build confidence and ease anxiety about the course. Providing flexibility in assignments and exam design such as using more open assessments and less closed assessments (i.e., multiple choice tests) follow good assessment practices. We recommend that rather than having a few large, high stakes assessments that you break those assessments into smaller ones with each having less overall weight on the students’ grade. 

Group Activities:

Getting students working together became more important but also more challenging during the pandemic. Consider how you might group students and possibly keep them working together for a large part of the semester. Returning to the classroom after the pandemic, students are likely to be eager to connect with their classmates. What technologies (VoiceThread, discussion boards, etc.) might be used to facilitate those groups in and out of the classroom?

Group Contracts – for project-based groups, they can be useful as they lay out expectations of the group members including communication policy so the groups have a guideline on how to interact. 

As we return to campus and into the classroom, it will be important to continue to extend the empathy and understanding to our students as they return. With the situation ever changing, it will be important to be flexible as institutional protocol may change throughout the semester.

Dickinson, A. (2017). Communicating with the Online Student: The Impact of E-Mail Tone on Student Performance and Teacher Evaluations. Journal of Educators Online, 14(2), n2. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1150571

 

CIT 2021: Working Together to Prepare all Students for a Lifetime of Learning

Assessment, Educational Technologies, Online Learning, Updates, , ,

ipad with cupFrom May 25th-27th, the SUNY Center for Professional Development hosted the annual Conference on Instruction and Technology (CIT), which took place virtually this year. The theme for CIT 2021 was “Working Together to Prepare all Students for a Lifetime of Learning” and included the following tracks:

  • Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion
  • Emerging Technologies and Digital Strategies
  • Measuring Effectiveness
  • Open Education
  • Pedagogically Speaking

The Keynote speaker was Jesse Stommel, Ph.D, executive director of the Division of Teaching and Learning Technologies at University of Mary Washington, co-author of An Urgency of Teachers: The Work of Critical Digital Pedagogy and co-editor of Disrupting the Digital Humanities. In addition, there were concurrent short talks, poster sessions, exhibitions sessions, and FACT2 Excellence awards. With the shift to remote learning during the pandemic, many presentations focused on innovations in online learning and teaching including strategies for large enrollment online classes, gamification, Open Educational Resources (OERs), equitable assessments, tools for engagement online, and effectively teaching music/art virtually. 

There were many great tips and resources presented, so we hope you explore the recordings here!