Author: Emily Barber

Faculty Teaching Commons: A Place for ‘Teacher-Talk’

H. Naomie Nyanungo

Last week a colleague shared that students in their class wanted to engage in discussions on the Ukraine situation. Did you observe the same in your classes and what, if any, adjustments did you make to allow for this conversation in your classes? Are you interested in talking with other instructors about what they are seeing in their classes and the strategies they are using to support and engage with students. We now have a university-wide forum, the Faculty Teaching Commons, where faculty can connect with other faculty to share experiences and exchange ideas and resources for enhancing teaching practice. The CAT launched the Faculty Teaching Commons (the Commons) earlier this year as a space for faculty to engage in discussions on topics on all things related to teaching.

You probably already have spaces where you talk to peers about teaching. For example, conversations with colleagues in your department or program or participation in discipline-specific online communities or listservs. The Commons offers an opportunity to engage with instructors from all disciplines, campuses, rank and tenure across Temple University. As a large institution, the nature of the issues and topics that arise in our classes will vary widely. The cross-disciplinary nature of the Commons will undoubtedly lead to a rich exchange of ideas and resources because something that may apply in one discipline or setting may not apply to others.

Topics or questions discussed on the Commons can be general teaching issues/strategies, or specific to certain teaching contexts. For example, a recent post asks this question: What is the ‘rule’ or practice around sharing poll results or jamboards (like a screen shot) after students have completed them? I am certain that this is something that some of us do but have not really thought about it. (By the way, there is an answer to this question shared on the Commons.) In addition to asking questions and sharing ideas, faculty can also recommend articles and other resources related to teaching.

To access the Commons discussion forum, log into TU Portal, click on the ‘Faculty Tools’ tab and then click on ‘Faculty Teaching Commons’ as shown in the screenshot below.

In addition to the online Faculty Teaching Commons, the CAT invites you to attend  the next Faculty Teaching Commons Live session: Wednesday, March 16 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, Hosted in Person in TECH 109 (Details Here)

Please join us at the Commons Live for discussion and fellowship with your Temple colleagues. We’re the host, but the agenda for the discussion is set by you, the faculty!

We look forward to seeing you in the Faculty Teaching Commons!

H. Naomie Nyanungo is Director of Educational Technology at Temple’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching.

Checking for Readiness to Move On

Michael Johnson, Brigham Young University

Not all students in a class will master material at the same rate.  This tip discusses techniques for verifying that your class is prepared to learn new concepts, as well as ideas for helping those who fall behind.

Even though everyone’s learning journey is very personal, much of the university learning experience takes place in the context of a community and within the constraints of a semester or term schedules.  At times, some members of that learning community may not be ready to move on to the next stage of learning.  As teachers we sometimes move on, leaving learners behind, and sometimes these learners never catch up.  Without stifling those who are ready to move forward, it is possible to pause and verify that everyone is prepared to move on.

What can we do to ensure that each learner is ready to proceed on the learning journey?  Here are several ideas to consider:

How do you identify who is being left behind?  Simply ask the students what they understand

Approach 1: Invite students to do a think-pair-share

Ask students a question.

  • Give students appropriate time to formulate a response.
  • Have each student turn to another to share his/her response.
  • Randomly call on various students to share their responses with the entire class.
  • From a sampling of responses, determine if the students are ready to move on.

Approach 2: Conduct class instant polling

  • For instant in-class polling, use a classroom response system like i>clickers, Top Hot, TurningPoint, or other tools available at your institution.
  • For outside-of-class polling or surveys use tools like Survey Monkey or Qualtrics, etc.

Approach 3: Invite students to complete one-minute papers

  • At the end of each class period, invite learners to answer questions about the experience (e.g., “What is the most significant thing you learned in class today?” or “What is still confusing about what was covered in class today?”)
  • Collect and review the responses to determine who is ready to move on and who needs additional instruction.

Once you’ve identified who is being left behind, what can be done to help them?  Provide additional learning opportunities

Approach 1: Use low stake quizzes 

  • Low stake quizzes are worth few or no points.   
  • Low stake quizzes can provide opportunities for students to demonstrate learning.   
  • Significantly, electronic quizzes have the advantage of automatic grading and automatic feedback. 

Approach 2: Model and practice

  • Explain a concept or model a process that students need to master. 
  • Then break students into teams to practice, following your example. 
  • When the class comes together, select a sampling of students to demonstrate what was learned. 
  • Provide immediate constructive and confirming feedback.

Everyone has the potential to learn, even though he may represent the proverbial “last wagon.”  Teachers can use a few simple practices to help each student make steady progress in their learning.

Additional Resources

Angelo, Thomas A. and K. Patricia Cross. Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993)

Davis, Barbara Gross. Tools for Teaching 2nd edition (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009)

McKeachie, Wilbert J. Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers 10th edition (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999)

Michael Johnson is from the Center for Teaching & Learning at Brigham Young University

This article is released under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

What New in Zoom for the Spring 2022 Semester?

Ariel Siegelman

With the start of a new semester, it’s always a good practice to check out the new features that Zoom has added over the last few months! You never know what new tools are now available that will make your online synchronous teaching more seamless–and more creative!–than ever before. Below are the CAT’s favorite new features that were added during the fall semester.

As always, you’ll want to make sure that you have the most up-to-date version of Zoom, otherwise these features may be unavailable. To do so, you can go to the Zoom program on your computer, click your profile picture in the upper right corner of the window that appears, and select “Check for Updates” from the drop-down menu.

Automatic updates

On the note of keeping Zoom up-to-date, there is now a feature that you can turn on to ensure that the Zoom program on your computer automatically stays updated. You can choose between two different update frequency settings: The “Fast” option will update Zoom every time there are new updates, which will allow you to be on the cutting edge of all of Zoom’s new features. The “Slow” option will update Zoom less frequently, which will allow you to become more comfortable with Zoom’s existing features, and Zoom will provide its new features to you at a slower pace. To apply this setting, go to the Zoom program on your computer, click your profile picture in the upper right corner, select “Settings” from the drop-down menu, and locate the “Zoom Updates” option in the window that appears.
 

Presentation slide control

If you use Google Slides, Powerpoint, or Keynote to present slideshows while sharing your screen, you can now turn on a setting that will allow you to give other participants in the meeting permission to control the progression of the slides. This is especially useful if you often co-present slideshows with another instructor or TA, as now all presenters will be able to progress through the slideshow instead of the person screensharing being the only one who can do so. To learn more about enabling and using this feature, visit the following Zoom support guide: Controlling slides shared by another participant.
 

New quiz question types for polling

Zoom has added new question types for polls! Previously, only single choice and multiple answer questions were available, but Zoom’s question types now also include matching, rank answers, fill in the blank, short and long answer questions, and rating scale. You are also now able to embed images into your poll questions, and Zoom will automatically record all responses from your participants. To learn more about these advanced polling features, visit the following Zoom support guide: Advanced polling and quizzing for meetings.

Poll editing access for alternative hosts

On the note of polling, any alternative hosts that have been assigned to a meeting can now add or edit polls. This is very useful if you would like a TA or co-instructor to manage the polls during your live class. An alternative host in a meeting will now see the additional in-meeting options to add or edit a poll, which will open the poll settings on the temple.zoom.us website to make any changes.

Two-way chat with Waiting Room participants

When you are the host of a meeting and have the Waiting Room enabled, you and any co-hosts can now exchange messages with participants in the Waiting Room! This is incredibly helpful for letting the Waiting Room participants know their estimated waiting time, to give them any information they need to prepare for your meeting, and for the participants to send you any necessary information while they’re waiting. You can send messages to all participants in the Waiting Room or just individual participants. Additionally, only the host and any co-hosts will be able to see responses from those in the Waiting Room. You can enable this feature in the Settings of your account when you log into temple.zoom.us.
 

Create, remove, and rename breakout rooms while they are open

In the past, if you wanted to modify any existing breakout rooms, you would have to close all of the breakout rooms in order to make any changes. Now, you no longer need to close the breakout rooms in order to rename, add, or remove rooms. You can perform these actions while breakout rooms are currently open and in use. Note that in order to do this, all of the participants in the Zoom meeting need to have the most up-to-date version of Zoom.
 

Schedule meetings with Focus mode

One of our favorite new features from last semester was Focus Mode! Focus Mode allows only hosts to see participants’ videos and screenshares and easily switch between different participants. Additionally, they can choose specific co-hosts and participants to also see these screenshares if they wish. This means that you can require students to be sharing their screens simultaneously while taking an exam, and you and any co-hosts can review each student’s screen, without the students seeing each other’s screens. This is also useful if a student wants to share or troubleshoot something on their computer privately with you, without sharing their screen with the entire class. Now you can schedule a meeting with Focus mode to start automatically when the meeting begins instead of having to enable it once you’re in a meeting.
 

Profile photos for in-meeting chat

Finally, the chat feature in Zoom meetings now displays all participants’ profile pictures next to their messages. If a participant has not uploaded a profile picture, the participant’s initials will appear instead. This will help you and your students put faces to names while interacting with the chat, further humanizing your Zoom meeting, especially if any students have their cameras off.

To learn more about how to use these features, you can visit our in-person Educational Technology Labs, our Virtual EdTech Drop-in Lab, or book a consultation with an Educational Technology Specialist. Information and links to these services are available at catbooking.temple.edu.

Have a great spring semester!

Ariel Siegelman is Manager of Learning Engagement at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.

Resetting Learning for Spring 2022

Stephanie Fiore

During the Fall semester, instructors reported high levels of disengagement and that students struggled with meeting course expectations both online and in-person. This is not entirely surprising since the effects of the pandemic are still with us. Students may be struggling to manage schedules that include online, hybrid and in-person classes. They may have spent the senior year of high school or the first year of university – formative times for our students – in online spaces. They may be feeling disconnected from the university, from classmates or from faculty or they may be dealing for the first time with the social and emotional aspects of engaging with the university community. They may also still be experiencing the fallout from illness, death, financial constraints, and food insecurity.

The good news is that we can proactively approach the spring 2022 semester in ways that support student success in our courses. Here are some strategies to consider:

  • Clearly outline expectations for meeting learning goals to your students. This means making sure the goals for your course and each of your class sessions are clearly articulated in ways that students can understand and that speak to the types of skills or knowledge they will need to acquire. But it also means providing guidance on how to succeed in the class and frequent opportunities for practice and feedback that allow students to track progress and remediate areas of concern.
  • Reduce stress on the already heavy cognitive load students are experiencing by being as transparent as possible whenever possible. Make sure the instructions on assignments are crystal clear. Include a class schedule on your syllabus and update it when changes are made. Use rubrics for evaluation of work and hand them out ahead of time with the assignment. Trim reading assignments to only the essentials, and make sure your Canvas course is easily navigable. For Zoom-based classes, you may also want to rethink your camera policy.
  • Invite students to privately share any factors that may affect their ability to perform well in the class. A quick survey at the beginning of the semester can gather this information easily. Then reach out to students who have particular concerns in order to provide guidance that will support their learning and success and inform them of university resources. Provide students with information about university resources on your syllabus, on Canvas, and individually as needed. For more information on mental health resources, check out this previous EDvice Exchange post.
  • Make clear how to contact you if students need to discuss a course-related issue. Consider making yourself available for office hours in person and virtually. Remember to frequently invite students to come to your office hours. Better yet, set up time slots in the first two weeks of the semester and have students sign up to meet with you in pairs or in groups.
  • Check on student engagement in your class. If you see that a student is not coming to class, logging onto Canvas, or keeping up with assignments, reach out to check on them and offer support. Then contact the CARE Team if you are concerned about their well-being. The Student Safety Nest is a useful guide for faculty on supporting student well-being. 
  • Support students in building community. Provide opportunities for students to get to know each other in class. Incorporate collaborative learning activities that encourage deeper learning but also allow students to connect with others. Consider personally inviting students to co-curricular events where they can engage with your discipline and with each other, or make a plan to create these events to provide a sense of community around your discipline, major, or department.
  • Set up opportunities for students to reflect on their learning and make a plan for improvement. Brief exercises that have them identify key points in a class or a reading, what they know and what they are still confused about, and whether their study techniques worked for your assessments take very little time and help students tremendously to succeed. 
  • Take the temperature of the room. Check in periodically on how students are feeling and let them know how you are doing as well. Norming the fact that we all may be feeling tired, anxious, or overwhelmed helps students (and us) to cope. 
  • Reconsider how you think about rigor. Rigor is often confused with rigidity, but true rigor means setting up learning opportunities that lead students to reach the learning goals in your class. Unless rigidity is absolutely necessary for a specific aspect of your discipline, consider building in some flexibility to allow for breathing room when students may need it. For instance, allow two free passes that give students an extra week to complete two assignments of their choosing during the semester, no questions asked and no points deducted.
  • Don’t make assumptions about behavior you are seeing in your students. A student who is disengaged may not be disinterested in what you are teaching. They may instead be dealing with issues that are distracting or upsetting. A student who misses classes may not be a slacker or a poor student, but may instead be dealing with financial or health issues that impact their ability to get to class.
  • Remember that tone and attitude matter in interacting with students. Your encouragement and partnership in their learning makes a difference!

Finally, reach out to the CAT. We’re here to discuss teaching with you when you need us. You can make an appointment at catbooking.temple.edu.

Stephanie Fiore, Ph.D., is Assistant Vice Provost at Temple’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching.

A New Way to Discover and Adopt OER at Temple

Steven J. Bell

The University’s Textbook Task Force has been strategizing to promote textbook affordability through the adoption of open educational resources (OER) and affordable learning materials. Among its initiatives are the addition of a new syllabus policy for affordable learning materials, creating more awareness about OER, and working with Temple Student Government on textbook affordability.  

In fall 2020, the Task Force asked faculty to complete a survey on their current use of OER and affordable materials. The survey responses were useful to better understand how often and for what purposes OER and affordable materials are being used at the university. Faculty who responded were also invited to learn more about OER, and university librarians followed up with the 156 faculty members who requested more information.  

To better share and leverage the data collected in the survey, the Task Force decided to develop a resource that would allow faculty to access the information that was collected and even add to it. If more faculty could see who else was already using OER and other zero-cost learning materials, they could be encouraged to do so as well. It would also provide faculty with contacts within or beyond their own department who could potentially provide advice and resources for how to eliminate textbooks and other materials that can be expensive for students to purchase.  

That information is now available in Temple’s Open and Affordable Learning Materials Inventory [http://library.temple.edu/affordablematerials]. This inventory is a resource for University faculty to use in order to obtain ideas and suggestions for affordable learning materials to adopt. Only Temple faculty/staff can view the Inventory; it is not available to the general public. 

What’s Included in the Inventory

When you view the Inventory you will see which faculty members are already using OER and other zero-cost learning materials in place of traditional commercial textbooks. You will see which type of zero-cost material it is: OER; library-licensed content; free/non-OER; or instructor-created content. All OER materials are verified to ensure they are indeed openly licensed content.

How Do I Add to the Inventory? 

Once you are viewing the Inventory, adding your own OER or zero-cost learning materials is easy. First, click on the “+NEW” button on the left side of the top of the page. 

That will open a form where you can add your information. There are supplemental notes to provide additional information on each of the form items.

Before your entry is added to the Inventory, it will be reviewed by a member of the Libraries’ Open Education Group. If there are any questions, the reviewer will contact you by email. 

We invite you to begin using this Inventory as a resource to identify other faculty in your discipline who are currently using zero-cost learning materials, as well as sharing information about your own use of these materials. Working together, faculty can identify resources that will help our students to have a more affordable education. 

Bear in mind this is a first iteration of a faculty inventory for affordable learning materials. Your feedback will help lead to future improvements and enhancements. Please send your comments to this mailbox. 

If you have any questions or need additional information about OER, please contact your department’s subject specialist librarian.

Steven J. Bell is Associate University Librarian for Research and Instructional Services at Temple University Libraries.

Learning preferences are not learning styles… and why the language we use matters

Claudia J. Stanny, Ph.D.

Let’s begin with debunking a persistent misconception about learning: Learning styles do not exist. Moreover, matching instruction strategies to a particular learning style, such as using visuals to teach a “visual learner,” does not improve learning for that particular student (Pashler, McDaniel, Roher, & Bjork, 2009). Worse, using the wrong sensory modality for instruction for some content may impair learning if the content is better suited to learning strategies delivered in another modality. For example, providing a lecture on knitting to an “auditory or verbal learner” will not improve learning if this is the only form of instruction. All learners will benefit from visual instruction and will require hands-on practice (kinetic learning strategies) to learn to knit.

Why the language we use matters when we talk to students about learning strategies and learning preferences.

The myth of “learning styles” persists for several reasons. One source for this misconception is the genuine need to accommodate individuals who cannot access materials in a particular modality. A second source is based on personal experiences with preferred activities. Some people prefer to read a book whereas others prefer to watch a film. If we talk about “learning styles” when we mean to talk about preferences, we inadvertently reinforce the false belief in “learning styles.” Language matters.

Certainly, some individuals have physical or cognitive characteristics that impair accessibility to learning in that modality. Hearing impairments create obstacles for lecture-based instruction. Dyslexia and other reading disabilities limit the accessibility of written materials. Visual impairments (blindness, or, in some cases, color blindness) interfere with learning from images. Limitations on mobility or fine motor skills make hands-on learning activities less effective. The fact that a particular modality is not accessible to a student does not mean that the student has a “learning style.” Materials presented through one sensory modality are simply not accessible to them for learning.

Similarly, preferred activities are not “learning styles.” We may enjoy some activities more than others, but our preferences do not mean we cannot learn if we use a less preferred activity. We might be more motivated to engage in a learning strategy that uses our preferred learning activity. If I like to watch videos more than I like to read, I might be more likely to complete an assignment that requires watching a video than one that requires reading a text. However, my preferences do not mean I will learn more by watching the video than by doing something else (e.g., reading or hands-on practice). 

Different content and skills are sometimes learned best when students use specific modalities to interact with the content, regardless of the learner’s preferred activities (Bruff, 2019). For example, botony students will learn to identify plants more accurately if they study pictures than if they listen to a lecture or read verbal descriptions. Students in a poetry class will learn more about writing poems if they listen to poems read aloud than if they study images that depict the meanings of poems. Students of piano or dance must engage in physical activity to learn to play piano or dance. Interestingly, for all disciplines, students learn even better if they engage with the content and skills using a variety of modalities and learning activities (e.g., viewing images of art and reading verbal descriptions and analysis of the work).

Research on how people learn indicates that people learn best when they use multiple modalities to think about, practice, and encode new content and skills (Ambrose, et al., 2010; Bruff, 2019). If I read content, listen to a lecture, and study images and graphs related to the content, I am more likely to remember than if I think about the content in only one way. Research on memory and cognition refers to this phenomenon as the benefit of dual coding (Paivio, 2007) or breadth of processing (Anderson & Reder, 1979). If memory for new information uses both images and words, I have two ways to remember the information. If I forget the information coded in one modality, I might still be able to remember it by using the other encoding modality. Redundant systems work more reliably than a system that operates correctly with one procedure only. 

Application: Effective Learning Strategies

  • Present material in a variety of modalities: visual (pictures and graphics) and verbal (written and spoken). 
  • Provide concrete examples as well as abstract explanations of concepts. Discuss the connection between characteristics of the concrete examples and key elements of the abstract representation.
  • Distribute learning activities over time. Repeated exposure and practice of new material spaced across intervals of time (a few weeks) produces longer-term learning. The passage of time between each exposure creates a different learning context. Variations in learning contexts create multiple cues that students can use to help them remember.
  • Interleave review of examples of solved problems with activities that require students to solve problems independently. As expertise and problem-solving skill increase, ask students to spend less time studying examples of solved problems and more time working independently to solve new problems.
  • Use quizzes and exams as opportunities to learn. Tests require students to practice retrieving information from memory. Students get feedback about retrieval success during the test and from their test scores. They can learn about how well the strategies they used to learn new material worked. Ask students to reflect on how they prepared for an exam and ask them to consider whether using a different study strategy might improve future test performance. Post-exam reflections (exam wrappers) help students calibrate their judgments about how well they prepared and how much they learned. These insights can guide their choices for future study activities.

Resources

Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M. C., & Norman, M. K. (2010). How learning works: Seven research-based principles for smart teaching. Jossey-Bass. 

Anderson, J. R., & Reder, L. M. (1979). An elaborative processing explanation of depth of processing. In L. S. Cermak and F. I. M. Craik (Eds.), Levels of processing in human memory (pp. 385-404). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Bruff, D. (2019). Intentional tech: Principles to guide the use of educational technology in college teaching.West Virginia University Press.

Paivio, A. (2007). Mind and its evolution: A dual coding theoretical approach. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 

Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2008). Learning styles: Concepts and evidence. Psychological science in the public interest, 9(3), 105-119.

Claudia J. Stanny, Ph.D. is the Director Emeritus at the Center for University Teaching, Learning and Assessment at University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL

This article is released under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Creating a Profession-Specific Niche Website and Database with Students: A Positive Project

Heather R. Porter, PhD, CTRS, FDRT

A Positive Project title card

As described within a previous EDvice Exchange article, Positive Projects is the revving up of students’ Positive emotions through Engagement of Meaningful student projects outside of the classroom that highlight and strengthen Accomplishments and Relationships. Here, we will delve into the Positive Project of creating and operating a profession-specific niche website and database with students.

Meaning

A Positive Project begins by identifying a profession-specific gap or need that’s meaningful to you and your students. For the purpose of this article, consider how this gap or need could be met by developing a profession-specific niche website. For example, students in the Recreational Therapy (RT) Program at Temple University conduct literature syntheses within select coursework. Some of this work is exceptional and could inform current clinical practice with additional mentoring by faculty outside of the classroom. Sadly, however, it sat idly in their computers. The need to share and disseminate this work to the broader field was identified as a gap and a need. Consequently, the RT Wise Owls website was created to share peer-reviewed student syntheses publicly.

The dissemination of student work through this website is meaningful to faculty and students because it contributes to the greater good of the profession, increases name recognition, demonstrates a commitment to strengthening the field, and is often presented at regional, national, and international conferences.

Since its inception in 2013, the website has grown into a database and evidence-based practice information resource center for the field. Additionally, the RT Wise Owls Research Lab was created to support the upkeep of the database. In this lab, RT students search electronic databases for high-quality RT-related literature aligned with their clinical interests for potential inclusion in the database. This experience strengthens their literature search skills and increases their knowledge of the most up-to-date research in areas of interest, which subsequently enhances their clinical marketability.

The website currently garners 14,000+ unique visitors per year from over 100 countries.

Engagement

Positive Projects need to immerse students further into the profession than what is typical in academia and allow them to ‘give’ something (e.g., to another student, the profession, or the community). Engagement at this level can help students find meaning and purpose in their career path and promote altruism, driving personal and professional growth. The development of a profession-specific niche website can provide this experience for students. For example, the RT Wise Owls site offers opportunities for students to be published, which is not typical, especially for Undergraduate students. In addition, it provides them with an opportunity to contribute to the profession at large, connect with others who read their research, and increase their sense of being a change agent within the profession, which often drives intrinsic motivation for continued professional involvement.

Importantly, students involved with the RT Wise Owls site are mentored by faculty members outside the classroom, where students build upon existing skill sets gained in other contexts. For example, RT students learn how to search electronic databases and synthesize literature in coursework; and then expand upon these foundational skills through their involvement with the RT Wise Owls site. This creates a sense of flow, an optimal state of intrinsic motivation. 

Accomplishment

A sense of accomplishment is an essential ingredient within Positive Projects. Consequently, if choosing to develop a profession-specific niche website, the project needs to be broken down into discrete steps with clear and feasible timelines. Regular feedback must also be provided, along with opportunities for students to experience a level of autonomy appropriate to the tasks.

Students who desire to publish their work on RT Wise Owls work closely and collaboratively with a faculty mentor over a semester outside of the classroom to strengthen their work. Specific tasks are outlined along with clear deadlines. Kind, specific, and helpful feedback is provided. Two additional faculty members then peer-review, and a decision is shared (accept, accept with revision, denied).

Students who volunteer in the RT Wise Owls Research Lab work collaboratively with their faculty mentor to identify a topic of interest that they will research for the semester. Additional education and training are provided at the start of the semester on how to search electronic databases related to their research topic, and guidance is provided throughout the semester.

Relationships

Within a Positive Project, the students and faculty members work together in a collaborative process that enhances a sense of support, relatedness, and belonging. When students work on a synthesis of the literature to be posted on RT Wise Owls, the students and faculty mentor work collaboratively throughout the process. This not only aids in the students’ enhancement of skills through regular feedback and guidance, but it also creates a ‘we’ bond. It increases students’ comfortability in seeking and receiving feedback and lessens students’ anxiety. Collaboration may take the form of providing questions and answers within the synthesis document, discussing resources, reviewing and explaining literature, and having group-based conversations.

Positive Emotions

Positive emotions–such as joy, excitement, and pride–flourish when projects are structured in the above manner. Regarding RT Wise Owls, students who publish on the site or work in the RT Wise Owls Research Lab report feelings of joy and pride related to the work they produced and contributed to the broader profession. Faculty also report feeling a sense of pride in the students they mentored and a sense of meaning in mentoring the next generation of the RT profession.

Resources

If you would like additional guidance in creating a Positive Project, feel free to reach out to me (hporter@temple.edu). Also, if you are interested in creating a profession-specific niche website, here are a few helpful resources:

  • Website Platform: Temple faculty can create a free website using WordPress through Temple University. Simply go to sites.temple.edu to develop your own website.
  • Domain Name: It is recommended you choose a name for your website and register it (e.g., through Name Cheap) so that your readers can easily find and share your website with others.
  • Database: The search functionality for the database within RT Wise Owls was created using a free WordPress plug-in called Pods, which allows you to create taxonomies for data. This is used in conjunction with Posts Table Pro ($79/year), which works with Pods to create searchable taxonomy tables.

Heather R. Porter, PhD, CTRS, FDRT is a Professor at Temple University,’s College of Public Health in the Recreational Therapy Program.

Supporting Your Students’ Mental Health and Wellness

Linda Hasunuma & Cliff Rouder

This month the CAT partnered with the Dean of Students Office, Wellness Resource Center, and the CARE Team to provide a workshop for faculty to learn how they can support student mental health and wellness. Rachael Stark, Senior Associate Dean of Students; Megan McCloskey, Associate Director, CARE Team; Alison McKee, Director, Wellness Resource Center; and Janie Egan, Mental Well-Being Program Coordinator, Wellness Resource Center shared strategies and resources to help faculty be proactive in identifying students who may be struggling–ensuring they get the support they need during this challenging time.

This was an especially valuable workshop as we are still facing the uncertainty and challenges of an ongoing pandemic on top of the many other stressors of the past year and a half. We share the highlights of the workshop in a question and answer format.

How can you support your students’ mental health and wellness in class?

  • Include a mental health syllabus statement. A sample is available in the Student Safety Nest Guide. (You’ll see the link to this resource at the end of the blog.)
  • Include periodic reminders about resources beyond the first week of class.
  • Talk openly about well-being and self-care (and the connection to academic performance). This can help normalize help-seeking.

What are possible signs of students’ mental distress?

Students may still hesitate to reach out for support, so in addition to the suggestions above, another thing you can do is to be aware of possible signs of mental distress, including

  • Physical signs: Significant changes in energy, worrisome changes in hygiene, regularly sleeping in class
  • Emotional signs: Emotional outbursts, written/verbal expressions of hopelessness, exaggerated personality traits
  • Behavioral signs: Verbally aggressive, verbal/written threats, demanding a lot of time
  • Academic signs: Repeated absences, seeking of special provisions, ranting emails

If you do see these signs, reach out to your students and invite them to come talk to you.

What if a student does come to talk to me?

One helpful approach for providing informal, yet skillful support, is to use the Validate, Appreciate, Refer (VAR) model, developed by Active Minds. Here are examples of what you can say using the VAR model:

VALIDATE Feelings

Example response: “I’m sorry to hear that you’re struggling. You have a lot going on.”

APPRECIATE Vulnerability

Example response: “I know it isn’t easy to talk about this with an instructor. I really appreciate that you shared this with me.”

REFER to Services

Example response: “How familiar are you with campus resources? Is it okay if I share some info that might be relevant?” It’s helpful to share several resources and let the student decide based on their comfort level.

What campus resources can I suggest?

Crisis, Assessment, Response, Education (CARE) Team

If you have a concern about a student based on something they may have said or done, or if they’re not showing up and have not communicated with you after reaching out, we recommend you contact the CARE Team. If you are not sure the concern merits a CARE Team referral, they would still like you to reach out to them, and they will advise you. The CARE Team is composed of a diverse group of representatives from key student support offices across the University, e.g.,Tuttleman Counseling Services, Disability Resources and Services, and the TUPD, who evaluate the referral and determine the next course of action.

Tuttleman Counseling Services

If a student is in need of counseling, Tuttleman provides valuable resources for mental health support. Students need to register for services by filling out a form on their website M-F 10 am – 1:30 pm. A counselor will reach out within 24 hours. Please visit their website for more information about these and other services:

Disabilities Resource Services (DRS)

It’s important to remember that some students may have invisible disabilities (mental health) or have short term/temporary disabilities or injuries as well. If you have concerns and questions related to how you can best support a student who needs accommodations, please reach out to DRS For your convenience, you can make an appointment for an individual consult with the Director of DRS, Andrea Vassar, through the Center for the Advancement of Teaching at catbooking.temple.edu.

Wellness Resource Center (WRC)

The WRC offers intentional learning opportunities to promote student well-being and cultivate community. As Temple’s health promotion office, it provides services for students, such as the HEART Peer Education Program, free safer sex supplies, trainings, campus-wide events, and wellness consultations.

What resources are appropriate in an emergency situation?

Call Temple Police immediately at: 215-204-1234 (1-1234) if you are worried about your student’s safety or if they have already been harmed or need medical attention. Officers are trained in Mental Health First Aid and also use a referral call line to determine the best course of action for mental health emergencies. If the emergency is related to sexual assault, harassment, stalking, and dating or domestic violence, these must also be reported to the Title IX Office, which serves as an ally against discrimination, harassment and assault on the basis of sex, gender identity or gender expression.

What if I’m not sure whether it’s an emergency or not?

Refer to the guidance contained in the Faculty and Staff Referral Guide for information about what constitutes an emergency.

*           *           *

We are very grateful to the facilitators of this workshop. If you have further questions or concerns, we encourage you to reach out to them directly: 

Rachael Stark, Senior Associate Dean of Students (rhstark@temple.edu)

Megan McCloskey, Associate Director, CARE Team (megan.woltemate@temple.edu)

Alison McKee, Director, WRC (amckee@temple.edu)

Janie Egan, Mental Well-Being Program Coordinator, WRC (janie@temple.edu).

These additional online resources can also be bookmarked for your reference.

As always, if you want to learn more about how to support student mental health and wellness in your classroom, please make an appointment for an individual consultation with a faculty developer at catbooking.temple.edu.

Linda Hasunuma, Ph.D. and Cliff Rouder, Ed.D. both work at Temple University’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching.

Beware the Curse of Knowledge

Micheal Wiederman, Ph.D.

How can knowledge be a curse? The term is used by psychologists to refer to the human condition wherein once we know something, or how to do something, it is impossible to re-experience what it was like to be ignorant of it.  The result is that we tend to overestimate how common the knowledge is that we now possess, or how easy it is to be able to perform the activity we now know how to do. This curse of knowledge tends to leave us assuming learners know particular things that we now consider basic yet the learners have yet to grasp.  Learner may be confused by our instruction, which leaves out important information assumed to be “common knowledge,” and we may be frustrated by the learner’s apparent inability to perform at a level we assume to be appropriate.

To circumvent the curse of knowledge you could develop the habit of asking learners what they know about the topic or ability at hand, before providing instruction or guidance that is based on the response.  Be sure to ask the question openly:  “Describe for me what you know about X,” rather than, “Do you know about X?”  The latter is likely to elicit a “yes” response, either out of a sense of performance pressure or because the learner does not recognize what they don’t know about X.

Another approach to address the curse of knowledge is to consistently start your teaching or demonstrating at a bit lower level than you naturally would.  If it seems to you that your starting point is a bit too basic, you likely are starting at an appropriate place.  If it turns out to be a bit below the actual knowledge or ability of the learner, the worst case may be simply that the learner feels somewhat reassured in their recognition of a baseline level of competence.  What might you do a little differently now that you’re aware of the curse of knowledge?

Michael Wiederman is a professor and the Director of Leadership and Professional Development and the Co-Director of Family Medicine Faculty Development Fellowship in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

This article is released under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Positive Projects: Cultivating Positive Emotions for Enhanced Learning & Professional Growth

Heather R. Porter, PhD, CTRS, FDRT

Positive emotions, such as joy, happiness, and serenity, are more than ‘feel good’ moments. They can be a pedagogical tool to propel students’ learning and flourishing!

The Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions developed by Barbara Fredrickson (2001) explains that when students experience positive emotions, they are more willing to think in new ways and try new things, which builds resources (e.g., knowledge, friendships, self-awareness), leading to upward spirals in their lives. She explains that positive emotions function as an internal sign to approach or continue, thus prompting individuals to engage with their environments and partake in activities. Positive emotions widen the array of thoughts and actions that come to mind; lead to flexible, creative, integrative, and efficient thought patterns; and increase brain dopamine levels that improve focus, attention, goal setting, pleasure, and satisfaction. Positive emotion additionally increases the likelihood of finding positive meaning in ordinary events, improves coping and resiliency over time, and accumulates and compounds, predicting future experiences of positive emotions.

A field of study called psychoneuroimmunology also supports the value of positive emotion, finding that positive emotion correlates with increased antibodies and improved healing; whereas negative emotion correlates with disease, mortality, and decreased healing (Tausk et al., 2008; Yan, 2016).

Consequently, facilitating the experience of positive emotions inside and outside of the classroom can enhance our students’ learning and subsequent professional growth and health!

How can instructors cultivate positive emotions?

In my experience as an instructor at Temple for 20+ years, the secret sauce is the PERMA Theory of Well-Being developed by Martin Seligman (University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center, 2021). The PERMA theory consists of five building blocks that enable flourishing – Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. Although each building block is a separate and distinct component in the theory, I have found benefit in their integration. Specifically, I’ve found that facilitating student projects outside of the classroom that provide Meaningful Engagement that highlights and strengthens Accomplishments and Relationships revs up Positive Emotion . I’ve coined the term ‘Positive Projects’ to reflect this type of project.

How can instructors develop a Positive Project?

Meaning

Start by identifying a gap or need within your profession and subsequently create a meaningful out-of-classroom project that addresses this gap or need. It should be something that you are passionate about and matters to you. When a project is meaningful, it not only excites and motivates you to move the project forward, but your excitement reflects to the students, which sparks and maintains their interest, attention, and motivation for the project.

Students who are new to the profession might not fully understand the meaningfulness of the project. Consequently, include an educational piece where you share the purpose of the project, the benefits that students can experience from participating in the project, and the impact it can have on the greater good (e.g., profession, community). When this information is shared enthusiastically with students, their excitement to participate in the project rises.

Engagement

The project should immerse students further into the profession than what is typical in academia and allow them to ‘give’ something (e.g., to another student, to the profession, to the community). Engagement at this level can help students find meaning and purpose in their career path and promote altruism, driving personal and professional growth. For example, a Positive Project might involve finding and synthesizing the most up-to-date research on a particular topic for students to present at a local conference, assisting in the development of legislative advocacy materials and educating others about how the legislation impacts the profession, writing a systematic review that will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, assessing the needs of a community and subsequently implementing a much-needed service, etc.

It is also imperative that the project builds upon something in which the students already possess a foundation to promote the experience of flow. This is when the challenge of the task is slightly above the students’ ability (Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2009). This creates an optimal state of intrinsic motivation. On the other hand, if the challenge of the task is significantly above the students’ abilities, it creates anxiety and worry — and — if the challenge of the task is significantly below the students’ abilities, it creates apathy and boredom. Consequently, carefully consider the students who you accept into the project.

Accomplishment

Using Goal-Setting Theory, each project has clear goals broken down into discrete steps with clear and feasible timelines. This is shared with the students before they commit to the project, so they know the expectations and can determine if it is practical for them to participate. Typically, Positive Projects take one to two semesters to complete to allow sufficient time for student growth and accomplishment.

A level of autonomy is built into the project (e.g., choices), and regular feedback is provided (e.g., weekly). The instructor actively guides, supports, and communicates movements towards success to the project team and recognizes and applauds progress. A sense of accomplishment is also fostered by integrating opportunities for recognition by others and encouraging self-reflection on the personal and professional benefits achieved through project participation. The integration of autonomy and success are two components of the Self-Determination Theory (SDT). The third component of SDT is relatedness, or sense of belonging, which falls into the “Relationships” element below.

Relationships

Throughout the project, students work together, and the instructor provides purposeful and frequent guidance and support to build relationships and social capital. This might include group project meetings, intentionally designed opportunities for students to support each other and provide feedback, and collaboration with others outside of the team, such as community members and professionals in the field. Thus, a sense of relatedness and belonging among all project members are constantly promoted throughout the project (we are a team!).

To promote positivity when communicating with the project team, use Active Constructive Responding. Additionally, be aware of the messages you are sending when interacting with the project team and how these messages could potentially influence students’ beliefs about themselves and their subsequent performance (Pygmalion Effect). Consequently, be consciously aware of your communication to motivate and encourage positive growth rather than stunt it.

Positive Emotion

When I structure projects in the above manner, I have found that positive emotions flourish in students (e.g., joy, excitement, pride, sense of belonging). The projects build their self-confidence, enhance awareness of their strengths, and heighten motivation to be a change agent within the profession. The relationships they build with me, their team, other professionals, and the community open new doors to them and inspire those who observe their success, particularly other students, to become involved. Mentoring the students also brings a wealth of positive emotions to my own life. It has enriched my sense of meaning in being able to pay it forward and help propel the next generation of my profession.

Are you looking for more information?

If you are interested in creating a Positive Project, consider using the Positive Guidelines & Worksheet. If you would like additional guidance in creating a Positive Project, feel free to reach out to me (hporter@temple.edu). Lastly, if you are interested in learning more about how positive emotions impact learning, take a look at Emotions, Learning, and the Brain: Exploring the Educational Implications of Affective Neuroscience and Engage The Brain: How to Design for Learning that Taps Into the Power of Emotions.

References

  • Fredrickson, B. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218-226.
  • Nakamura, J. & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2009). Flow theory and research. In S. J. Lopez & C. R. Snyder (Eds.), Oxford handbook of positive psychology, 2nd edition (pp. 195-206). Oxford University Press.
  • Tausk, F., Elenkov, I., & Moynihan, J. (2008). Psychoneuroimmunology. Dermatologic Therapy, 21, 22-31.
  • University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center (2021). PERMA Theory of Well-Being and PERMA workshops. Retrieved from https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/learn-more/perma-theory-well-being-and-perma-workshops
  • Yan, Q. (2016). Psychoneuroimmunology: Systems biology approaches to mind-body medicine. Springer International

Heather R. Porter is a Professor at Temple University’s College of Public Health.