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! 

Inclusive Teaching

Uncategorized

Do you have an example of an inclusive teaching practice, assignment, assessment, or other strategy that you would like to share with instructors across the State University of New York system?

The SUNY FACT2 Inclusive Teaching Task Group is interested in learning more about faculty engagement and experience with inclusive teaching and learning practices.

They are looking for faculty who are using inclusive teaching techniques and are willing to share their success across SUNY, so that other faculty might be inspired to engage in new inclusive teaching techniques in their own courses. The Task Group will be creating an online repository of these examples and highlighting a few in the FACT2 Inclusive Teaching Webinar Series coming in Spring 2023: April 6, 13, 20, 27 at 1-2 p.m. ET.

 Some examples of this could be:

  • Inclusive Syllabus – examples of faculty on campus using the syllabus to set the tone for diversity and inclusion to create a welcoming environment for students.

  • Teaching the Controversy – examples of faculty on campus integrating diversity-related controversy in the field/discipline as part of the course content and/or learning activities.

  • Social Justice Assessment – examples of faculty on campus that are using social justice platforms for assessment techniques to determine student learning in the course.

This is by no means a comprehensive list. We are really looking for any innovative ways faculty are incorporating and assessing inclusive teaching practices into their students’ learning.

Please complete the Inclusive Teaching Survey and/or share the names of 1-2 faculty on your campus who are using innovative methods to be inclusive and, where appropriate, forward this information to individuals who are champions of inclusive teaching.

While it is anticipated that this form will remain running, if there is interest in being considered as part of the FACT2 Spring Inclusive Teaching Webinar series, please respond to the survey by Friday, March 3, 2023.

Thank you for your time,

Carlos R.A. Jones and Audeliz (Audi) Matías,

Co-chairs of the FACT2 Inclusive Teaching Task Group

Survey: https://forms.gle/PyxsBCnLQspm3Wgk9 

VR in Your Classroom

Classroom Technology, Educational Technologies, Innovative Technology, Online Learning, Uncategorized, Virtual Reality, VR

By Jenny Zhang, M.S.
Instructional Designer
yi.zhang.13@stonybrook.edu

Why VR?
Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology that allows a user to interact with a computer-simulated environment, which can be either a simulation of the real world or an imaginary world (Mandal, 2013). The particular  features of VR are immersion, interactivity, and presence (Lin, 2020) .

To be more precise, there are four virtual technologies, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Extended Reality (XR). Here are some brief descriptions: 

  • AR adds digital elements to a live view. 
  • VR implies a complete immersion experience that shuts out the physical world. 
  • In the MX experience, which combines elements of both AR and VR, real-world and digital objects interact.
  •  XR is an umbrella term that covers AR, VR, and MR. Often the term XR is used interchangeably with VR to describe the above-mentioned technology. 
Person wearing a virtual reality headset.
CELTT can work with you to design your VR project based on learning objectives and subject matter, provide tutorials, and integrate VR components with your Brightspace course.

In recent years, Meta introduced the more affordable headset, Oculus Quest 2, which makes it feasible for higher education institutions to use VR in their classrooms, online or onsite. VR can improve student engagement, social interaction, community building, immersive learning, group activity, and inclusiveness. Many universities have already used VR for lab simulations, virtual field trips, virtual museums, language learning sessions, creative studios, and online avatar-based activities. Research shows using VR in higher education can be beneficial and when well-implemented, can support student engagement and success (Majchrzak et al., 2022). The immersive VR learning experiences can spark student interest, motivation, and engagement (Flynn & Frost, 2021).

The 2022 Global Market Report on Virtual Reality in Education indicates VR in the education market is projected to increase from $6.37 billion in 2021 to $8.66 billion in 2022. (Virtual Reality In Education Global Market Report 2022, n.d.). The growing demand for immersive learning for students shows an increasing interest in adding VR into college classrooms. 

CELT’s Pick

In the beginning of Fall 2022, the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) held a VR open house titled “Teaching Tips and Treats with CELT: Immersive VR demo,” in which we showcased four VR tools that we handpicked, and provided our audience with the chance to try them out in person. Here is a summary of the four VR tools.

  1. Quick and Easy Solution for Virtual Field Trip – 360° ° photos

The first and easiest one to implement is the 360°  photo. This technology has been around for a while, and the equipment (360°  camera) and hosting platform are readily available and affordable. The 360°  video creates an immersive static learning environment for students, ideal for demo classrooms, museums, labs, art galleries, campuses, or any worldwide location. The instructor can take a 360°  photo and upload it to a web platform, and share the link with students easily. There are also existing 360°  photo resources available, like 360° cities. Students access the web link through a web browser using their computers or tablets/phones or view it with a VR headset. If you are interested in using it for your class, CELT would gladly help you capture your 360°  photos and embed them into your Brightspace course. 

Check out the embedded 360°  photos: CELT and Faculty Commons VR Tour

  1. Cross-platform 3D social learning space – Framevr.io

Framevr.io is like a 3D version of SecondLife; it is a cross-platform 3D space for VR headset users, computer users, and smartphone users. The frame is the easiest way to create an interactive virtual reality classroom. Instructors can demo their 3D models, upload files (videos, pdfs, slides, images, and audio), share their screens, stream their live lectures, use a collaborative whiteboard, add a poll, and chat via text or voice. It even has a live closed caption feature. Students can control their avatars to walk around, chat with other students, write on the whiteboard, and play basketball games with peers. 

Capacity: 30 people per frame
Cost: free

Please visit CELT at FrameVR and have some fun!

  1. Mixed Reality 3D virtual design powerhouse  – Gravity Sketch

Gravity Sketch is an intuitive 3D design platform for cross-disciplinary teams to create, collaborate, and review in an entirely new way. It integrates images & 3D assets with textures and materials. The app works cross-platform with iPad and computer. Students can collaborate with 3 other people synchronously. 

Capacity: individual mode or 4 people collaborate mode
Cost: free

  1. Virtual Reality Meeting Room – Meta Horizon Workrooms

Horizon Workrooms is a collaboration platform that allows teams to gather in a virtual space, using VR or the web, and engage in productive activities through whiteboards, VR workstations, calendar apps, file sharing, chat, and other virtual replicas of office tools. The function and user interface of  Workrooms are quite sophisticated, and it can integrate seamlessly with computers and keyboards. 

Capacity: 16 people in VR, or up to 50 using a combination of VR and video chat
Cost: free

There is a plethora of VR technologies available, so how do you pick and choose the VR tech tools that suit your needs? We would recommend the following rules of thumb: 

  • Does the technology serve your learning objectives?
  • Does the technology allow group activities and collaboration? 
  • Is it user-friendly, accessible, and inclusive? 
  • Is it cost-effective? 

Based on that, we picked up four VR-related technologies for demonstration. 

How to get involved?

If you are interested in exploring the use of VR in your classroom or simply want to experience VR, CELT is here to help. We can work with you to design your VR project based on learning objectives and subject matter, provide tutorials, and integrate VR components with your Brightspace course. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to us if you are interested in initiating and/ or collaborating on research projects in VR. If you have any questions, we can be reached at celt@stonybrook.edu.

Moreover, join our Yammer CELT VR community for more conversation on VR!

References:

Flynn, C., & Frost, P. (2021, April 16). Making VR a Reality in the Classroom. EDUCAUSE Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2021/4/making-vr-a-reality-in-the-classroom

Lin, Q. (2020). Application and development of virtual reality technology in artificial intelligence deep learning. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 740(1), 012151. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/740/1/012151

Mandal, S. (2013, April). Brief introduction of virtual reality & its challenges. International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, 4(4). https://docslib.org/doc/7170081/brief-introduction-of-virtual-reality-its-challenges

Majchrzak, T. A., Radianti, J., Fromm, J., & Gau, M. (2022). Towards routinely using virtual reality in higher education. ScholarSpace, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/79341

Virtual reality in education global market report 2022. (n.d.). The Business Research Company- Global Market Report. https://www.reportlinker.com/p06244974/Virtual-Reality-In-Education-Global-Market-Report.html?utm_source=GNW

 

 

 

Writing to Learn in STEM

Equity and Inclusion, Instructional Design, Learning Outcomes, Measurable learning, Panel Discussion, Research, Uncategorized, , , ,

By Kimberly Bell, Ph.D.
Teaching Assistant Development Specialist
kimberly.bell@stonybrook.edu

Writing to Learn (WRL) is a pedagogy approach that incorporates short low-stakes written assignments, peer-review, and feedback to help students gain conceptual understanding. A literature review of more than 200 studies that reported using WTL strategies in STEM courses summarizes that this approach has been shown to help students meet learning objectives related to content knowledge, conceptual understanding, scientific method, critical thinking, effective communication, metacognition, and professionalization (Reynolds et. al., 2002). Despite the evidence, WTL is still not as widely used as it could be.
Join us this Wednesday for a panel discussion with faculty that have used WTL in their STEM courses. 

Writing to Learn in STEM Panel Discussion
Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022 at 1 p.m. ET.
In person: CELT Faculty Commons E1332 Melville Library and Zoom

Register today!

(Coffee and cookies provided in the Commons.)
You can also join us on Zoom.

Panelists:

  • Mona Monfared, Associate Professor of Teaching, Molecular & Cellular Biology, UC Davis
  • Ginger Shultz, Associate Professor, Chemistry, University of Michigan
  • Joi Walker, Associate Professor, Chemistry, East Carolina University

Research from Ginger Schultz’s group provides advice for implementing WTL widely in high enrollment introductory STEM courses (Finkenstaedt-Quinn SA, 2021). 

Student in a lab coat with a microscope and taking noets.
Research shows that using Writing to Learn strategies in STEM courses helps students gain communication and critical thinking skills.

References

Finkenstaedt-Quinn SA, Petterson M, Gere A, Shultz G. Praxis of Writing-to-Learn: A Model for the Design and Propagation of Writing-to-Learn in STEM. Journal of chemical education. 2021;98(5):1548-1555. doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c01482

Reynolds JA, Thaiss C, Katkin W, Thompson RJ Jr. Writing-to-learn in undergraduate science education: a community-based, conceptually driven approach. CBE Life Sci Educ. 2012 Spring;11(1):17-25. doi: 10.1187/cbe.11-08-0064. PMID: 22383613; PMCID: PMC3292059.

Let’s Talk About Impostor Phenomenon

Equity and Inclusion, Instructional Design

By Carol Hernandez, Ed.D.
Senior Instructional Designer
carol.hernandez@stonybrook.edu

Is it impostor phenomenon or is it something else? The term imposter phenomenon was coined in 1978 by researchers who studied high-achieving women. It is used to describe feeling like a fraud that is experienced by some accomplished individuals, especially when undertaking high profile roles or assignments. However, critics point out that the 1978 study did not include women of color, poor women, or women from a variety of professions. These are limitations that we now recognize as pertinent to the lived experience of people who are marginalized in society. Now that we are more aware of larger systemic issues such as racism, classism, and other discriminatory practices that cause individuals to doubt themselves, Tulshyan and Burey (2021) write, it’s time to change the focus from trying to fix “women at work instead of fixing the places where women work.”  

We will have a chance to discuss impostor phenomenon and strategies that instructors can apply to their teaching so that students do not have to suffer through self-doubt. Join us on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 11 a.m. ET for a CELT Inclusive Teaching Panel discussion, Addressing Impostor Phenomenon Through Your Teaching Practice.

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://stonybrook.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0qde-qrjkpHtIo6AeSNPE9MTphBKccxzvA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Woman teaching at a smart board.
What are some ways to mitigate feelings of impostor phenomenon that your students may experience?

References

Clance, P. R., & Imes, S. A. (1978). The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 15(3), 241–247. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0086006

Tulshyan, R. & Burey, J. (2021). Stop telling women they have imposter syndrome. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/02/stop-telling-women-they-have-imposter-syndrome

60 Seconds With CELT

Uncategorized

By Carol Hernandez, Ed.D.
Senior Instructional Designer
carol.hernandez@stonybrook.edu

The CELT team has expanded and relocated. Come see us in our new office suite located in Melville Library, W-3519.

We have some new team members, new areas of research and new ways to apply teaching and learning excellence to your instruction. Watch the video and get to know us. Reach out  by email: CELT@stonybrook.edu.

60 Seconds With CELT

How can we collaborate with you? Here are a few ways:

  • Syllabus review: Are your learning outcomes measurable? Do they align with your assignments and assessments?
  • Active learning: Are you getting students engaged with the course content and each other?
  • Inclusive teaching: Are you creating opportunities for learners to feel that they belong and can succeed in an academic space?
  • Online teaching: Are you building a community where students feel that learning is a team effort?
  • Teaching with technology: Do you know how to pick the right tools for your teaching goals?
  • Virtual learning: How can you harness the virtual space to take your students to places and experiences that go beyond the physical limitations of space and time?
  • Research of teaching and learning? Got an idea that you want to work on for publication? We can work with you!

The ‘Hidden Curriculum’ of Office Hours

Equity and Inclusion, , , ,

By Devon Coutts
Ph.D. Candidate, Philosophy
CELT Graduate Student Assistant
devon.coutts@stonybrook.edu

In my previous post, I outlined the problem that many undergraduate students do not take full advantage of faculty office hours, and gave a few suggestions for how instructors can encourage more students to attend. In this post, I want to take a look at another aspect of the problem: many instructors do not believe that it is their responsibility to encourage students to attend. The question guiding this post is: Why not? What assumptions underlie how instructors view their responsibilities around office hours?

To try to answer this question, I visited three instructors during their office hours and asked each of them what they were doing to encourage students to attend. Two said they included on the syllabus when and where office hours would be held. The third not only included when and where they would be, but invited students to drop by if they have specific questions, need extra help with the assignments, or if they simply want to talk. Of the three, he was the only one who had any students attend office hours within the first six weeks of the semester. 

Two men sit at a desk facing each other and talking.
Do you explain to your students why they should come to office hours? Why or why not?

The first two instructors gave revealing answers about why they do not explicitly encourage students to attend. One explained that she expected students would attend if they had specific questions or wanted to discuss their grades on significant assignments. The other expected students to be able to monitor their own progress and assess for themselves whether to seek extra help in office hours. In other words, both assumed that students already know what office hours are for, and thought that there was no need to explain that asking specific questions, discussing assignments, or seeking extra help are reasons to attend. 

However, recent research brings to light how these assumptions put certain students at a disadvantage. Assumptions around the proper use of office hours are part of the “hidden curriculum” of a university: those unspoken rules and expectations about how to interact socially with instructors and how to take advantage of institutional resources. As Anthony Abraham Jack notes, students rely on “cultural competencies developed before college” to navigate the hidden curriculum, but not all high schools have the resources to support students in developing such competencies (Jack, 2016). For instance, the “doubly disadvantaged” – students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who enter college without any kind of prep or private school experience – tend to “lack the skill set or desire to engage faculty, even as they perceive their peers reaping the benefits of forging relationships” (Jack, 2016). These so-called “doubly disadvantaged” students experience higher degrees of disengagement, to the extent that some feel unable to reach out to professors even when they are at risk of failing a class. One student reports that she did not realize that she needed to contact her professor until he reached out to her first: “Even though he said if you don’t turn in this paper you’ll fail, it wasn’t until I received that email that I realized I needed to email him” (Jack, 2016). While many students eventually learn the skills to engage with faculty and to advocate for themselves academically over time, they may also miss out on access to institutional resources and opportunities to build relationships until sophomore or for some, even the junior year. That could mean missed opportunities to apply for summer jobs, internships, grants, and other experiences that enrich the curriculum and lead to careers after graduation.

Jack’s research highlights the importance of meeting students where they are, rather than where we expect them to be. It is not fair to assume that all of our students know how to seek support when they are struggling. Since very simple things like explaining what office hours are for or emailing students who are falling behind can contribute significantly to creating an accessible and inclusive learning environment, we as instructors ought to do more to normalize this practice in our institutions.  

Reference

Jack, A. A. (2016). (No) harm in asking: Class, acquired cultural capital, and academic engagement at an elite university. Sociology of Education, 89(1), 1-19.

Creating Community in the Online Classroom

Uncategorized, , , , , ,

By Carol Hernandez, Ed.D.
Senior Instructional Designer
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT)
carol.hernandez@stonybrook.edu

Teaching online requires a reconceptualization of how you will design and deliver your course.

CELT can walk you through all the steps to get your course ready for the online platform. And we can show you ways to create a sense of community where students interact with you, the course content, and (perhaps most importantly) with each other. In a well-designed and well-delivered course, both you and your students will walk away feeling seen, heard, and engaged.

A man drinks coffee and works with a woman who is typing on a computer.
Building a great online course takes some time, but CELT can help.

Join us for the Online Teaching Certificate Course, which starts October 11. You can take it in the 5-week format or the accelerated 2.5-week format. Both are live facilitated by the CELT team members. These multi-week online courses will provide you with basic pedagogical, research-based practices specific to the online space and will assist you in planning instructional activities for your course.  We will not focus on how to use Blackboard or Brightspace, but rather how to best use technology to meet your pedagogical goals. These courses will be delivered asynchronously online with one optional synchronous session.

  • OTC: This is a 5-week asynchronous course. Plan on spending 3-4 hours per week with assignments due weekly. We suggest logging on 4 times/week during this course.
  • OTC Accelerated: This is a condensed, 2 1/2-week version of the OTC. Plan on spending 6-7 hours weekly with assignments due every 2-3 days. We suggest logging in daily during the course.

Review the OTC Syllabus (subject to change)   |   Sign up for an upcoming workshop!

Have you taken the OTC? Have any questions? Leave a comment below.

Rethinking Office Hours

Equity and Inclusion, Instructional Design, Research, STEM, TA/Postdocs, Uncategorized, ,

By Devon Coutts, Ph. D. Candidate
Student Instructional Assistant
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT)
devon.coutts@stonybrook.edu

When I was a teaching assistant, students often came to meet with me. Sometimes, especially before exams, there were so many that I had to offer additional sessions and bring in extra chairs to accommodate them all. But when I became an instructor, that changed. Suddenly, students rarely came in. And when they did, the meetings would be brief, lasting only the time it took for me to answer a question or two. I began to wonder: what happened? Why did my students stop coming? It could have been because they felt intimidated by my new role as an instructor, or because my office hours conflicted with their other classes. Or, perhaps my students did not believe that attending office hours would benefit them? 

Two women sit and face each other in an office.
Are students coming to your office hours?

Mine is not an isolated experience. Overall, faculty report that students don’t come to office hours. However, research shows that both students and instructors benefit greatly from interactions outside of the classroom. Building positive relationships with instructors personalizes the learning experience, and encourages students to succeed in all of their courses. Conversations during office hours are less structured and more spontaneous than lectures, and can generate new research opportunities and insights into the course material on both sides of the discussion. At the same time, the instructor is gaining experience in the art of teaching–and more importantly how to revise their teaching practice to connect with learners.

There are several reasons why students don’t come to office hours. Griffin et al. (2014), noted that the most important determining factors include things like perceived convenience of the office hours, the course level, or whether the course is required or an elective. In a recent National Public Radio story (Nadworny, 2019) students described office hours as “‘intimidating’ or ‘terrifying,’ ” because attending office hours means “talking to the smartest, most powerful person you know.” Because of such anxieties or the perceived inconvenience of attending, some students prefer to email, to ask questions during class, or to meet with a TA instead. In a research article titled, “Office hours are kind of weird:” Reclaiming a resource to foster student-faculty interaction, the authors studied survey responses from 625 undergraduate students and found that oftentimes students do not really understand what office hours are for or why attending could benefit them Smith et al. (2017).

So, how can instructors take a more active role in encouraging students to seek meetings outside of class? One option is to require students to come to office hours as part of their grade. An instructor who takes this approach assigns 5% of the final grade and requires students to complete two one hour office visits with him, the TA, or one each. In an editorial for Inside Higher Ed, the instructor explained his approach and reported that many of his students said they found it very or extremely useful (Nowak, 2021). Another option is to reframe office hours as tutoring sessions or review (Joyce, 2017). “Tutoring” has a clearer purpose than the traditional, open-ended “office hours,” and its benefit for students needs no explanation. Alternatively, holding office hours in public spaces on campus, in libraries, cafes, or even in the hall outside of class, can help students feel more comfortable approaching professors for help. Offering virtual sessions can also be a good way to make office hours more accessible to students whose schedules prevent them from attending in person. 

As instructors, if we want students to take advantage of office hours, then we ought to make it clearer to them why office hours are valuable. However, raising student interest in attending office hours is only one part of it: instructors also need to make an effort to anticipate student anxieties and be available to meet with students. 

The approaches mentioned here offer a few ideas that instructors can think about for restructuring their office hours to make them more accessible. In my next few posts, I’ll explore the barriers preventing students from attending office hours, and discuss ideas for instructors looking to restructure their office hours in greater detail.

How do you approach office hours? If you have any suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment.  Join us for a CELT Inclusive Teaching Discussion Panel on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. ET.

Register:  https://stonybrook.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYqceGtqzwqGN06H2GkNgQA2nS3EL5FVdFm

Questions: Carol Hernandez, Ed.D. carol.hernandez@stonybrook.edu

References

Griffin, W., Cohen, S. D., Berndtson, R., Burson, K. M., Camper, K. M., Chen, Y., & Smith, M. A. (2014). Starting the conversation: An exploratory study of factors that influence student office hour use. College Teaching, 62(3), 94-99.

Joyce, A. (2017). Framing office hours as tutoring. College Teaching, 65(2), 92-93.

Nadworny, E. (2019). College students: How to make office hours less scary. National Public Radio. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2019/10/05/678815966/college-students-how-to-make-office-hours-less-scary

Nowak, Z. (2021). Why I require office hours visits. Opinion: Teaching and Learning, Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2021/12/15/benefits-requiring-students-come-office-hours-opinion#.YyoRGLBq4Q0.link

Smith, M., Chen, Y., Berndtson, R., Burson, K. M., & Griffin, W. (2017). “Office Hours Are Kind of Weird”: Reclaiming a Resource to Foster Student-Faculty Interaction. InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, 12, 14-29.

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.