Student Culture – Page 5 – Centre for Teaching Excellence Blog

History and Learning of the Internaut – Cassidy Gagnon

“LO”.

Those were the first letters sent through the “Internet”, back in October 29, 1969. The first use of the ARPANET link was established between the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Stanford Research Institute. The word they tried to send was “LOGIN”, but the system crashed when trying to send the “G” (a literal “lo”w). Decades later, the Internet has developed into a monster of complex links to different servers and computers that is one of the greatest accomplishments in human history.

The original purpose of the Internet (which is not, as everyone says, cat pictures) was to communicate information between the different universities to share research and information that could not be easily sent through the phone or the postal system. It was a system that encouraged learning from others’ information, and using that information to create more information, and so on. But after computers started to condense from the size of an entire room into a device that could fit onto your desk, becoming much cheaper, and connections that were starting to be created all around the world, the common people were finally given access to a large amount of information and tools all in a short amount of time. But this information, as wonderful as it was, could not be communicated properly with the masses.

First, some of the information to articles and journals were (and still are) blocked, unless you pay a substantial fee to access that information. As well, this information was made for people in the field they were in, so people from other fields of work could not understand the information that was trying to be relayed since it would be filled with jargon and complicated information.

But it wasn’t until Salman Khan, founder of the Khan Academy, who started the Academy in 2006 on YouTube for the purpose of free tutoring lessons to friends and family in subjects of chemistry and mathematics. As time progressed however, the number of followers has grown to around 2 million and the site has broadened its focus: topics now include history, healthcare, medicine, finance, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, cosmology, American civics, art history, economics, music, and computer science, with videos available in 63 different languages.

A lot of other educators who wanted to provide free education to everyone followed suit, and more websites and YouTube channels popped up. For instance, my favourite educational channel on YouTube is CrashCourse, which currently covers subjects in literature, chemistry, world history (my favourite), biology, ecology, big history (as in the history of our universe), psychology and US history. Current sessions are going through the subject of anatomy and physiology, astronomy and US government and politics, while forecasted ones are going to be in intellectual properties and economy. Basically, everything you wanted to learn about a multitude of subjects in a very friendly and open matter that also brings up real world issues in the lessons.

As free and easy-access education is becoming more available, with different teaching styles, languages and subject matter being used, the future of online education is a bright one.

Getting The Most Out of Your Studying – Kelly Stone, CTE Co-op Student

Most people view lecture and lab time as the largest part of learning; however, it’s not what students spend the most time on. For me, studying takes up the majority of my time and I’ve been learning how to optimize it. Throughout my education, I’ve been introduced to different ways of studying, all of which I have tried at least once; you never know what works best for you until you do. Since midterms are currently in full swing, and exams are about one month away, I thought I’d share my opinion on these various types of study methods.

During first year, living in residence meant study buddies were available at all times. Having other people to study with can be quite valuable, especially in courses that are heavy in memorization. By talking through concepts with other people, you become aware of topics you are unsure of. Becoming aware of the materials you haven’t memorized allows you to refocus your efforts for better use of your time. Afterwards, I find meeting with your study buddies again the night before the midterm or exam is extremely beneficial – especially when you introduce food incentives. In first year I took Introductory Zoology, a course that required a lot of memorization regarding phylum names. Two roommates and I created our own study game the day before our final exam. We purchased Smarties and separated them onto a plate based on their colour, which we gave phylum names, producing eight groups with nine per group; therefore you could choose a question from a phylum up to three times. By introducing food incentives, and categorizing those incentives, my roommates and I ensured we reviewed materials from all of the relevant phyla we needed to know.

Despite the benefits of studying with other people, some courses are difficult to collaborate on, such as Chemistry or Mathematics. For courses such as these, working through practice problems is the typical method. But there are other ways to ensure you actually understand the problems, instead of memorizing numbers. Whenever I have to use equations to solve problems presented to me, I break down the process instead of focusing on the numbers. For this I write an equation on my whiteboard that I am expected to know. I then isolate each component and talk out loud about what it is and how to recognize what piece of information from a question would be used. After talking through what is used in an equation, I work through step-by-step how the numbers are used, especially in classes such as Mathematics. By breaking down the process for solving problems, I am better able to answer questions on exams because I understand the steps I need to go through, not just the numbers from practice problems.

In addition, I have tried other study techniques for when I am unable to study with other people. The first way I have tried, and still use to this day, are flash cards and – what I have called – flash tables. The benefit of these mainly comes from making them. For terms, making flashcards ensures I cover all those discussed in lecture, with a definition worded in my own way that makes sense to me. For concepts or groupings, such as phyla, I create “flash tables” where I write a profile for that concept; this includes the name of the concept, a general explanation, how it’s used, how it’s related to other concepts, and any defining characteristics. The process of creating these “flash” papers helps me to determine what I know, what I sort of know, and what I need to focus on.

Along with creating these “flash” study resources, I incorporate mnemonics into my studying. During Introductory Zoology, we were expected to memorize reproductive cycles of various phyla; that meant we had to know the names of the life stages. For example, the jellyfish lifecycle consists of five distinct stages – Planula Larva, Scyphistoma, Strobila, Ephyra, and Mature Medusa. With help from my roommates, we created a mnemonic to remember the stages, based on the first letters: People Love Seeing Stars Even Monday Morning. Needless to say, I still haven’t forgotten the life stages of the jellyfish!

Of course, with every successful discovery, there are always some failures. A high school teacher suggested I record myself saying my lecture notes. Then, with these recordings, suggested I listen to one lecture each night before falling asleep since short-term memory is transferred into long term overnight. Since I was still determining the best study method for myself, I decided to give it a try. I found saying my notes out loud as if I were presenting the material to be quite helpful; however, listening to my recordings later was not as beneficial as I thought it would be. Personally, by the time I reached my bed, I no longer had the concentration to absorb the material. But it was an interesting experience that led me to talking out loud instead of simply reading my notes.

In the end, studying is different for everyone and we all gravitate towards methods that might not work for someone else. I have learned that verbal studying is extremely beneficial and to never be afraid to ask someone else to explain an unclear concept. Collaboration helps you determine the topics you may have missed or perhaps interpreted incorrectly. With all that said, happy studying and good luck on your midterms and exams!

How Can Instructors and TAs support Student Mental Health? – Kristin Brown

Student mental health is an issue that is close to my heart. Outside of my PhD research and work at CTE, I am the Co-Founder and Co-Director of Stand Up to Stigma, a student-led mental health initiative on campus partnered with Counselling Services and Health Services. Our goal is to start (and continue) a conversation about mental health at UW. Last term, I created a CTE workshop regarding how TAs and instructors can support student mental health – this blog post provides some of the resources available to help students in distress and promote mental well-being in the classroom.

What’s the issue?

A recent survey conducted by the American College Health Association (2013) highlights the current issues Ontario post-secondary students are facing with respect to mental health. Within the past year:

59.2% of students had felt academics were traumatic or very difficult to handle;
57.9% had felt overwhelming anxiety;
40.1% had felt so depressed that it was difficult to function;
12.2% had been diagnosed or treated by a professional for anxiety;
10.0% had been diagnosed or treated by a professional for depression; and,
10.9% had seriously considered suicide.

The link between mental health and learning

Mental health problems are negatively associated with several learning outcomes, including lower GPAs and an increased chance of withdrawal from academic programs (Eisenberg et al., 2009; Hysenbegasi et al., 2005). Several sources have advocated for a campus-wide approach to mental health, which posits that all members of post-secondary institutions (e.g., administrators, faculty, and staff) should play a role in student mental health instead of counselling services only (Kitzrow, 2003).

What mental health support resources are available for UW students?

Counselling Services: individual and group counselling, workshops (e.g., stress management, mindfulness, coping skills), emergency situations
Health Services: medical doctors, psychiatric services, emergency situations
Accessibility Services: academic accommodation for students
Good2Talk (1-866-925-5454): free, confidential, and anonymous helpline for any post-secondary student in Ontario; available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year
Here 24/7 (1-844-437-3247): connection to addiction, mental health, and crisis services at 12 agencies in Waterloo, Wellington, and Dufferin counties

How can faculty/staff support student mental health?

Queen’s University and Western University have excellent resources for staff and faculty that highlight common signs of distress, how to talk to a student in distress, and how to make referrals to support services.

The Council of Ontario Universities has developed a series of videos that explain the issue of mental health in the post-secondary population, how to support students in distress, and the role of the university community in supporting student mental health.

How can I incorporate mental well-being into my classroom?

Simon Fraser University: This evidence-based resource provides strategies and examples from Simon Fraser University faculty for how you can build well-being into your class.

The Council of Ontario Universities has developed a resource describing strategies for teaching students with mental health disabilities.

References

Eisenberg, D., Golberstein, E., & Hunt, J. B. (2009). Mental health and academic success in college. The BE Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 9(1)

Hysenbegasi, A., Hass, S. L., & Rowland, C. R. (2005). The impact of depression on the academic productivity of university students. Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics, 8(3), 145.

Kitzrow, M. A. (2003). The Mental Health Needs of Today’s College Students: Challenges and Recommendations. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice: 41(1): 167-181. doi: 10.2202/1949-6605.1310

Momentum: Learning in Residence Life – Cassidy Gagnon

During the second last weekend of January I attended the 35th Annual Residence Life Conference at the University of Guelph, in which dons from all over Ontario gathered together and learned (and danced) with other dons. Although I’m not currently a don (or RA) for the Winter term, I was a don the previous two terms living at Village 1 and UWP. During the Fall term, I was given the opportunity with my friends in Residence Life to present at the conference under the title “Walking on the Quiet Side”, a presentation aimed to help fellow dons and RAs learn what the difference between extroverts, introverts, and ambiverts was, and how to cater to introverts who have trouble feeling part of the residence community. I wasn’t quite sure what the conference was going to be about and how I would react to it since, ironically, I am an introvert and extroverts seem to love the energy of conferences. The three members of my presentation group had already gone to last year’s conference, in which they told me about how the process was going to work, which did relax me a little.

We arrived the Friday evening and was staying at the Delta hotel. During the night, I only received 3 hours of sleep (which, as I write this blog, is still affecting my sleep cycle). The next morning of the conference, we were guided to a big, old building somewhere on the Guelph campus. On the projector screen in the building was only one word: momentum, with the “o” in the shape of a fast forward button, which was the theme of the conference. According to the website, “momentum is the product of existing motion; it is a testament to the hard work, creativity, and vision that has gotten us all to where we are. And, reflective of the energy and excitement we all feel now, we feel it captures our joint enthusiasm for the future”.

The first speaker that day was the keynote, who focused on the effects of technology on society and how we must be careful with how it affects our lives with others. After that session, we were given the choice of going to 1 of 8 learning sessions out of 5 concurrent sessions: basically, we were allowed to see 5 different sessions during the day that focused on material from diversity, personal and professional development, student learning and development, leadership and mentoring, self-care and balance, community building and advising and supporting. Needless to say, there was a variety of choices for anyone who wanted to learn about something they were either interested in or in something that they think would benefit themselves or their students more.

Being one of the presenters, I was only allowed to go to 4 of the session, since I was presenting in the middle of the concurrent sessions. The sessions I attended included: “Illuminating the International Enigma” (focusing on learning of different cultures and creating a safe and diverse environment for students), “This is Our Moment” (focusing on dysfunctional teams and how to go forward with building strong team dynamics), “How to Talk so Residents Will Listen” (a language based session that focused on how to talk to residences during any situation), and “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility” (a diversity session to identify privileged people and student leaders, and how these people can change residence communities, campus, and life beyond university).

At the end of each session, the delegates and judges were then asked to rate the presentation based on a number of criteria. The top 5 sessions out of the 40 would present again (unfortunately, ours did not make it, but oh well…). The last session I went to, “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility”, was actually in the top 5, as well as “GROOVE Your Body-Esteem”, done by Waterloo’s own Reba Campbell, which focused on exploring body image challenges and using GROOVE dancing to improve body confidence. I decided to attend the session called “Man Up!”, since it seemed the most appealing, and I already saw the other session, and Reba holds GROOVE classes on campus, which I have already attended (and was quite enjoyable. Thanks Reba!). The “Man Up!” session turned out to be my favourite session of the entire conference. It focused on breaking down stigmas surrounding cis gendered masculinity in our society and identify solutions for changing our student’s lives. Being a cis gendered male, there were a lot of truths within the session that I never would have thought of. And not to be melodramatic, but it definitely changed my life for the better for listening to it, and I will definitely be apply the nuggets of information I learned from this session towards my future students and myself.

As Sunday came around, we learned that “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility” had won for the best session, while Reba’s session was runner-up (which was very exciting). After the closing ceremonies and the last keynote speaker, we then departed for home.

I found that this entire weekend was filled with lots of great knowledge, and better, knowledge I could apply towards my future residents, the people I meet, and myself. And even residents have loads of opportunities to learn things in residence, from educational events held by their don to leadership events offered by residence, such as the annual AMPED conference. But overall, thinking about my current state of being and carrying on the theme of the conference, I hope that I can have the momentum to take my love of donning and learning and conserve it in the future.
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For more information about my time at the conference, or learning in residence in general, you can make a comment underneath and I will try my best to answer you.

Also, thank you to Kerry, Dillon and Ananya for being such great team members and allowing me to work on the project with them.

Peeking Behind the Campus Curtains: Learning Through Leadership — Fahd Munir, CTE Coop Student

Imagine a university experience without clubs, teams, or leadership opportunities. While academic achievement is important, many other campus opportunities provide chances to get involved in other aspects of university life. Going to class is usually the number one priority; however, that does not and should not make it the only priority. This idea of getting involved with campus life as a student leader is something I learned in my first year living at the Ron Eydt Village residence at the University of Waterloo.

When September rolls around, the campus is filled with promotions from the various student clubs, teams, and services offering leadership opportunities. So why get involved? Why take on leadership opportunities at all?

Signing up for clubs and attending meetings sounds a bit overwhelming, especially with midterms, assignments, readings and finals all term long. This being said, once you dip your toe into the extra-curricular pool you see how easy it really can be! There are plenty of opportunities across campus that student leaders can utilize to refine their learning style.

Any first year undergraduate student can tell you about the challenge of making new friends in class. Most students are too focussed on lecture content to care what you have to say, and when you are finally able to strike up a conversation with someone, you don’t see them again in that same spot next class. University is always a good place to find a common-ground with students who share similar interests. So how do you find these students if not in class?

One of the most comforting things to know as an undergraduate student is that there are students in my class that can be helpful if I miss a lecture due to illness or an interview. Not every student has the luxury in their first year to have a residence floor where making friends is as simple as saying hello every morning. Assembling study groups with the students in your residence is crucial to learning how to learn in a new environment away from home. Every student has a different mode of learning, so understanding what works on an individual basis is the best way to achieve academic success.

If you talk to any successful upper-year university student on campus they will tell you the same thing: they didn’t get to where they are alone – they needed the people around them to help put them in a position where they could succeed and learn more effectively. Study groups that may not have been as effective back in high school become much more constructive and useful around exam times. One of the most satisfying rewards that study groups or extra-curricular involvement provides is the chance to bounce ideas off of other students.

The Federation of Students(FEDS) works with services and clubs on campus that specialize in academics, religion, environment, politics, business, health, and everything in between. Learning is not limited to these types of clubs; it can also become easier by involvement in intramural sports, fitness classes and sports team. With all of these different ways to meet other students it was really up to me to pick what I felt best lined up with my interests.

So now that we have established the presence of opportunities on campus, the question becomes: do the new friends you meet outside of class help or hinder your learning? In other words, is student leadership a hindrance or a supplement to learning? Experiential learning is one of the pillars of the University of Waterloo’s strategic plan, especially with the emphasis on co-operative education for many students. Experiential learning, through club and service experiences, allows students with similar academic and employment aspirations to interact. This is beneficial to learning because it allows both students to gain a new perspective and discuss concepts more openly. See the Centre for Teaching Excellence blog written by Katherine Lithgow called “Providing Authentic Learning Experiences” for more information about experiential learning.

My own involvement with the Campus Response Team (CRT), which is composed of undergraduate students from all of the different faculties, shows how getting involved with other undergraduate students enhances one’s learning. The bonds that I have made during my previous two terms volunteering have given me an outlet to ask for advice from the older students, as well as the opportunity to make some great friends to spend time with outside of classes. So how does this experience make me a better learner? Not only has the CRT boosted my confidence during a medical response, but it has helped reinforce important soft skills such as communication, teamwork and project management. CRT has also given me an opportunity to discuss academic interests, course content, lab experiments and instructor teaching styles with my fellow undergraduate students.

Clubs, services and teams help you obtain the soft skills necessary to succeed in the workplace and academic environment. The soft skills are transferable to different areas of learning, such as study habits at work or on campus. Learning how to communicate better can lead to setting up a study group which can actually lead to more success in academic work. Joining an intramural team on campus can be the perfect way to alleviate the stress that gets built up from assignments and exams. Without this burden of stress, students can learn freely and absorb knowledge better. Professional schools and graduate student programs in Canada are becoming more competitive, so it is important to be well-rounded through leadership experience.

Being a leader on campus is about more than just résumé building; rather, it’s about applying effective leadership qualities to the academic learning environment such as on a co-operative work term. Leadership opens the door for self-discovery, but it requires that we check behind the scenes of campus life to do so. So the next time the club fair rolls around, use it as an opportunity to sneak a peek behind the campus curtains. What you notice might actually surprise you!

Peeling Back the Layers: Uncovering Organizational Culture and the Place of Teaching — Donna Ellis, CTE Director

At CTE, we work collaboratively with a wide variety of our campus colleagues – it’s an integral part of what we do. But we also work collaboratively with our colleagues at other institutions. I have been very fortunate to be part of a research group with my teaching centre colleagues from seven other Ontario universities. And our project has been an absolutely fascinating one: how can we uncover the value that our institutions place on teaching?

Our group’s underlying belief is that one fundamental way to ensure quality teaching at our institutions is to foster an organizational culture that values teaching. Full stop. This organizational culture comprises the deep structure of an organization that is rooted in its members’ values, beliefs, and assumptions (Denison, 1996). These elements lead to norms and patterns of behavior. Austin (1990) identified various factors that contribute to the perceptions of university members about their institutional culture, including institutional mission and goals, governance structure, administrators’ leadership style, curricular structure, academic standards, student and faculty characteristics, and the physical environment. Hénard and Roseveare (2012) provided seven levers for promoting an institutional culture that values quality teaching which significantly influenced our research study.

To dig deeper into our research question and underlying belief, we secured a provincial Productivity and Innovation Fund (PIF) grant to review existing literature, develop a survey instrument, and run a pilot study at three of our institutions in the Winter 2014 term. Nearly 4,000 faculty members and students at Western University, McMaster University, and the University of Windsor completed the pilot version of our Teaching Culture Perception Survey. Follow-up focus groups were also run to collect further feedback and insights.

We included two main scales on our survey: perceived existence (agreement rating) and perceived importance of a variety of indicators related to an institutional culture that values teaching. A sampling of the items includes:

there is a strategic plan that positions teaching as a priority
teaching effectiveness is considered in hiring
evidence of effective teaching is considered in the evaluation of faculty members’ job performance (e.g., tenure, promotion, annual evaluations)
there are rewards for effective teaching
learning spaces such as classrooms, labs, and/or studios are designed to facilitate learning
educators are encouraged to use the teaching feedback they receive to improve their teaching
there is an adequately resourced teaching support centre
educators can get financial support to develop their teaching (e.g., grants programs, teaching conferences)
opportunities exist for educators to develop leadership in teaching (e.g., Teaching Fellows program)
programs are evaluated based on student learning outcomes

The factor analyses completed on the data from the faculty and the student versions of the surveys revealed some differences between what is perceived as being in place and what is perceived as important at an institution. Consistently, the importance ratings were higher than the agreement of existence ratings, suggesting that respondents valued the various elements of a potential institutional teaching culture more than they perceived them to actually be in existence. The results also revealed differences between the faculty members’ perceptions and those of the students. The focus groups helped to uncover some of the complexity of the perceptions. For example, when discussing awards to recognize excellent teaching, some participants indicated that such awards are not valued, particularly in relation to research. Others spent time discussing the barriers to effective teaching that stem from aging and inappropriately designed teaching spaces. Another common theme involved issues surrounding poor existing methods for evaluating teaching.

While our analyses have indicated that we need to further refine our survey instruments, we are encouraged by the interest in our work from our colleagues across Canada and beyond. We have also launched a website where we can share information about our ongoing project, including the results as we are able to release them.

So what’s the value placed on teaching at the University of Waterloo? I hope that in the near future we can run the revised survey at our institution so that we can better understand our university community members’ perceptions about the value being placed on this critical part of our fabric: teaching. I think it’s time to peel back the layers and take a closer look.

By Donna Ellis

References:

Austin, A.E. (1990). Faculty cultures, faculty values. New Directions for Institutional Research, 68, 61-74.

Denison, D.R. (1996). What is the difference between organizational culture and organizational climate? A native’s point of view on a decade of paradigm wars. Academy of Management Review, 21, 619-654.

Hénard, F. & Roseveare, D. (2012). Fostering quality teaching in higher education: Policies and practices. France: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Trees of Knowledge — Mark Morton

We all have things we don’t want to know and/or don’t want other people to know. Last week, a video of an ISIS militant beheading an American journalist was released on the web. I’m not going to watch that video, because (among other reasons) I don’t want to know what a beheading looks like. I also don’t want my kids to watch it. I warn them that once you know something, it’s pretty hard to unknow it. I tell them that just as swallowing poison will damage their bodies, consuming disturbing images can harm their minds.

I didn’t always think this. I used to espouse a view that John Milton, author of Paradise Lost, articulated in his prose work Areopagitica: “I cannot praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue, unexercised and unbreathed, that never sallies out and sees her adversary…. the knowledge and survey of vice is in this world [is] so necessary to the constituting of human virtue.” William Blake, the nineteenth-century author and visual artist who wrote an epic poem about Milton, believed something similar. For Blake, humans must progress from a state of childlike innocence (a guileless naivete), to adult experience (with all its horrors), and finally back to a state of renewed innocence (an innocence that encompasses and transcends human horrors). Both Milton and Blake might have been thinking of an adage attributed to the Roman playwright Terence, who said “Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto” — that is, “I am human, I consider nothing human to be alien to me.” I take this to mean that all things — whether they are amazing, joyful, depressing, or horrific — are worthy of human study. And I guess they are. It’s just that I don’t want to be the one studying the horrific things. So, for better or worse, I more and more find myself changing the channel when the news comes on. There are so many things I just don’t want to know.

On the other hand, there are also things that I want to know, but other people want to keep them from me. A case in point: in February, after attending a conference in Anchorage, I took a five-hour boat cruise that got us up close to 21 different glaciers. The tour guide — who was actually a National Parks Forest Ranger — was excellent: informative, articulate, and passionate about the environment. As we approached each glacier in turn, she pointed out where the glacier was a decade ago and where it was now. In each case, the glacier had receded, sometimes by thousands of meters. Never, though, did she allude to global warming as causing the retreat of the glaciers. At the end of the cruise, I approached her and asked her about this omission. She paused, gave me a knowing look, and then said, “We’re not allowed to talk about global warming or climate change.”

Maybe the US government thinks it’s protecting me from dangerous knowledge about climate change, in the same way that I try to protect myself and my kids from disturbing images. And maybe Stephen Harper’s government is also trying to keep me safe by preventing those know-it-all scientists from sharing their troubling research with me. In reality, though, I think that neither the US government nor the current Canadian government has my best interests in mind when it comes to “dangerous” knowledge. Information about fisheries, rivers, forests, tar sands, and so on are not the same as pictures and videos of people being beheaded. We can grieve for the executed American journalist, and work toward ending such conflicts, without having to see his head fall onto the sand. But if we’re going to save the planet — or at least the ecosystems in it that support us — we need access to all the knowledge that’s out there.