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Teaching Improvement Program

Teaching Improvement Program. Labs, Students, and Teaching – Oh My!. January 17, 2008. Introduction. Facilitators Michael Morrow, Faculty Associate, ECE Mark Allie, Faculty Associate, ECE Jim Barner, Faculty Associate, ECE.

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Teaching Improvement Program

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  1. Teaching Improvement Program Labs, Students, and Teaching – Oh My! January 17, 2008

  2. Introduction • Facilitators • Michael Morrow, Faculty Associate, ECE • Mark Allie, Faculty Associate, ECE • Jim Barner, Faculty Associate, ECE What is the primary role of the teaching assistant who is teaching a lab section? What other responsibilities do they have? How can they do the best job possible? And where did that workshop title come from, anyway?

  3. Workshop Topics • Lab organization and operation. • Equipment and emergencies. • Fostering interest and creativity. • Lab reports and grading. • How TAs can influence and improve a course from within. Now, let’s form some groups!

  4. Group Exercise • What are the most important and/or difficult issues that teaching assistants must deal with when teaching a lab course? • Be ready to present your group’s list of the top 3 items.

  5. Fundamental Assumptions • Our ‘product’ is knowledge; we assist students’ in obtaining it. • Educating in labs is a process requiring more than one person (a team). • Improving the effectiveness of our team (and our process) improves our product.

  6. So, let’s jump into our first topic! • What are the key things a lab TA must do to effectively organize a lab course ? • Be ready to present your group’s list of the top 5 items.

  7. Lab Organization Fundamentals • Preparation is the key to success – surprises are almost always bad! • Safety rules and equipment • You must provide and maintain a safe environment for learning • Coordination between TA(s) and faculty supervisor • Shared vision and expectations • Uniformity in grading • Regular meetings

  8. Preparation • As subject matter expert • Must know theory underlying lab experiments • Review theory, especially if it’s been a while • Be ready to provide in-depth explanations to students • Familiarity with process and pitfalls • Don’t just review a prior solution, do each experiment from scratch • Equipment and tools • Have you actually operated all the equipment? • Can you use any required software tools?

  9. Preparation • As teacher • Prepare for every presentation, however short. (Don’t wing it!) • Always do an introduction to each lab. • Try to anticipate student questions and misconceptions. • Experience • Reflection on lab material • Your students must believe that you like what you’re doing.

  10. Preparation • Your students • Are they ready to do the lab? • Prelab reports • Is the work useful to students? Do they know that? • Are they having the intended results? • Lab quizzes • Coverage • Difficulty • Concepts • Entry vs. exit

  11. Determining Educational Goals and Objectives • What do we want the students to learn? • Goals are abstract statements of what we want students to get from the lab. • Understanding is not directly measurable. • How will we know if they have learned it or not? • Objectives are measurable activities that students can do. • Establishing objectives helps us assess student progress.

  12. Lab Teams • Are teams appropriate? • Reasons for teams • More difficult experiments possible • Cooperative learning • Equipment limitations • Potential problems with teams • Individual accountability • Dysfunctional teams

  13. Equipment Issues and Emergencies • Equipment and tools • Do you have a tutorial? • Is the equipment safe? • Is it safely operated? • Is the equipment ready to use? • Who do I contact for repairs? • Is there any spare equipment? • What to do if • Power failure? • Network failure?

  14. Equipment Issues and Emergencies • Emergencies • Where is the nearest phone? • What is the number to call? • Is it posted next to phone? • Do you have the faculty supervisor’s home phone number? • Eyewash? • First aid? • Think through ‘what if’ scenarios

  15. Other Items? • Let’s check your lists to see if there are other items...

  16. Hey, why do I have to be here? • As a lab TA, what can you do to foster student interest and creativity, to make your students more motivated to learn? • Be ready to present your group’s list of the top 5 items.

  17. Motivating Your Students • Lab introduction • Purpose of lab • Technical competence • Never try to fake an answer • Lab wrap-up • Next lab pitfalls and effort required • Time-management

  18. Motivating Your Students • Why is this lab important? • Future use of skills • Relate simple lab to complex reality • Students acceptance of the difficulty of the lab is directly related to • Their perception of the value of the lab • How motivated they feel you are • Providing assistance • Problem solving process • Directed questioning • Be proactive

  19. Other Items? • Let’s check your lists to see if there are other items...

  20. Are they learning something? • As a lab TA, how can you effectively measure your students’ learning? • Be ready to present your group’s list of the top 3 items. ---------------------------------------------------- • Also, does measuring learning have any effect on learning?

  21. Assessment Issues • Levels of understanding • Bloom’s taxonomy • Design for Gradability (DFG) • Grading rubrics • Required report formats • Feedback to students • Timeliness • Oral quizzes • Practical exams • Team vs. individual grades

  22. Other Items? • Let’s check your lists to see if there are other items...

  23. Who thought this up, anyway? • As a lab TA, what are some of the barriers to effective teaching that you may confront in teaching your lab course? (Other than students!) • Be ready to present your group’s list of the top 3 items.

  24. Improving Your Lab • TAs have the closest and most frequent contact with their students. • Faculty supervisors are often much more isolated from lab students. • If there are improvements you would like to make, say something! • Present solutions, not problems • If there are multiple TAs, get consensus • Most faculty are receptive – they may already know there are problems but lack the time

  25. Wrapping Up • Anything left unresolved from your opening lists? • Questions? Comments? Criticisms? • Please complete the workshop evaluation forms! • Thanks for your participation!

  26. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Cognitive Domain Evaluation • Understanding occurs at many different levels. Synthesis Analysis Application Comprehension Knowledge

  27. Rubrics

  28. Another Sample Rubric • 10 – complete and accurate answer, addresses all significant points • 9 – nearly complete and accurate with only minor errors or omissions • 8 – adequate coverage with some gaps, no significant errors • 7 – minimally adequate, significant gaps, some errors • 6 – marginal • 0 – unacceptable Return

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