Using SoTL to Enhance Your Teaching

1. Using SoTL to Enhance Your Teaching Bill Buskist Auburn University buskiwf@auburn.edu

2. Today’s Goals • To Share with You Two Examples of SoTL that have Informed my Teaching • To Show You that SoTL Can Have Practical Benefits for Enhancing One’s Teaching • To Encourage You to Take a Scholarly Approach in Your Teaching and Thereby Become Even Better than You are Now~

3. A Reminder— • SoTL is research that investigates the variables, factors, and contexts that influence teaching and learning with an emphasis on understanding and improving both • This research is shared with others through presentations and publications~

4. Something to Think About… The main responsibilities of universities and colleges are teaching and research. Teaching imparts knowledge; research deepens and broadens it. Knowledge aims at the truth. . . The responsibilities of teachers is to bring students to an appreciation and understanding of the truth as it bears on some aspect of life. J. Kekes (1997). Against preferential treatment. Academe, 83, 35-37.

5. Improving Teaching and Learning Through Technology • A Few Years Ago, I Experimented with a Blended or Hybrid Course • Half Traditional Classroom and Half Internet-Based~

6. My Traditional Format • M-W-F Class Meetings (Lecture) • Weekly Quizzes • Non-Cumulative Mid-Term and Final

7. Experimenting with TechnologyClass Format • MO—No Class/Online “Prep Guides” Due • WED—Regular Lecture • FR—Online Video or PBL Due (Alternate Fridays—Class Every other Friday (lecture))~

8. Experimenting with Technology (Hybrid Parts) In Class Student Assessment On-line Student Assessment Prep Guides Mastery Quizzes Video Reports PBL Solutions/Discussions~ • Midterm Examination • Combination of Multiple-Choice and Essay Questions (Cumulative) • Final Examination • Combination of Multiple-Choice and Essay Questions • (Cumulative)

9. PBL EXAMPLE— One of the most famous subjects in the history of psychology died in December of 2008. He became famous not for what he could do, but rather for what he could not do—form new memories, especially episodic memories. He could not remember the details of his life shortly after they occurred. Interestingly, though, his procedural memory remained intact, although he could not remember that he had learned a new skill. Psychologists became fascinated this man, known for most of his adult life as HM, because of the opportunity he presented for learning about the brain’s role in the formation of new memories. HM’s real name was Henry Molaison and you can read a brief synopsis of his Wikipedia also In the NY Times (inserted URLs here).

10. Based on your reading of these two pieces, answer the • following questions: • What is the role of real-life events in furthering science, • in this case, psychological science? • 2. What does the study of HM tell us about the connection between • brain structure and brain function? • 3. Was the research conducted with HM ethical? What rights did • HM have as a subject in psychological research and did his mental • status as an amnesiac interfere with his ability to make decisions • as a participant in this research?

11. SoTL Results F 2011 (Reg) S 2012 (Hybrid) A 29% 49% B 36 31 C 18 15 D 06 02 F 11 03 N = 187 students 194 students

12. Take Home Messages—Technology SoTL • Challenge Students and They Will Rise to the Occasion if You Support Them • Adding Rigor to the Class Through Technology-Based Assignments and Exercises Improved Student Learning • I’ve Been Using Technology-Based Assignments and Exercises Ever Since~

13. Creation of the Teacher Behavior Checklist (TBC) • I Wanted to Discover the Key Elements in Becoming a “Master Teacher” • A Search of the Master Teaching Literature Revealed Lots of Lists of Qualities of Excellent Teachers • But this Literature did NOT Reveal Any Specific/Learnable Behaviors.~

14. Creation of the TBC • Asked 114 AU Students to Generate “Descriptors” of their Best (Most Effective) Teachers • Defined “most effective teacher as “someone from whom you’ve learned much and enjoyed the process of learning.”~

15. TBC Study • Resulted in 47 Quality Categories • Asked 184 More AU Students to Assign “Behavioral Descriptors” to Each Quality.~

16. TBC Study • Provided an Example to Clarify the Assignment • What Does a Teacher Do to Show that He or She has a “Sense of Humor?” • Tells a funny story or joke • Makes fun of him/herself~

17. TBC Study • The Results Produced 28 Categories with Accompanying Behavioral Anchors. The Scale has Very High Reliability and Validity • We Call this “Scale” the TBC—or the Teacher Behavior Checklist* (Handout) • We use it for Formative Evaluation of Faculty Teaching *Keeley, J., Smith, D., & Buskist, W. (2006). The Teacher Behaviors Checklist: Factor analysis of its utility for evaluating teaching. Teaching of Psychology, 33, 84-90.

18. TBC Study • We Then Compared 916 Students and 118 Faculty on the “ToP 10” Most Important Qualities/Behaviors Related to Effective Teaching. • Similarities: >60%~

19. TBC: AU Students and Faculty Agreement on Top 10— StudentsFaculty Quality/Behavior Category rank rank __________________________________________________ Realistic Expectations/Fair 1 9 Knowledgeable About Topic 2 1 Approachable/Personable 4 5 Respectful 5 7 Creative/Interesting 6 8 Enthusiastic About Teaching 10 2

20. TBC: AU Students and Faculty Disagreement on Top 10— StudentsFaculty Quality/Behavior Category rank rank _____________________________________________________ Understanding 3 21 Happy/Positive/Humorous 7 27 Encourages/Cares for Students 8 12 Flexible/Open-minded 9 13 Promotes Critical Thinking 25 3 Prepared 20 4 Master Communicator 15 6 Presents Current Information 22 9

21. TBC Study • Differences: • Students—Emphasize Relationships • Faculty—Emphasize Teaching Technique~

22. The TBC is Robust— • These Have Been Findings Replicated: • at the Community College Level • at the Liberal Arts College Level • in Canada, China, and Japan For further details: • Keeley, J., Christopher, A. N., & Buskist, W. (2012). Emerging evidence for excellent teaching across borders. In J. E. Groccia, M. Al-Sudairy, & W. Buskist (Eds.), Handbook of college and university teaching: Global perspectives. (pp. 374-390)Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. • Liu, S., Keeley, J., & Buskist, W. (in press). Chinese college students’ perceptions of characteristics of excellent teachers. Teaching of Psychology.

23. Enhancing Positive Educational and Personal Student Consequences • Factor-Analytic Studies of the TBC as well as Student Evaluations of Outstanding Teachers Reveal Two Factors: • Professional Competency (Technique) • Rapport (Social Interaction) ~

24. Lowman’s Empirical Observation The ability to stimulate strong positive emotions in students is what separates the competent from the outstanding college teacher. Joseph Lowman, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Lowman, J. (1995). Mastering the techniques of teaching (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

25. Another Very Interesting Observation… • National Award Winning Teachers Differ from “Typical” Teachers in Their Emphasis on the Importance of Rapport in Teaching. . . Diane Halpern, Claremont-McKenna College

26. Comparison of Award-Winning and Other Faculty Ratings of the 28 Qualities/Behaviors (Keeley, Mansour, & Buskist, recently collected data (5-17-2014))

27. Professional Competency- Rapport Matrix Rapport (R) High R Low R High PC Professional Competency (PC) Low PC

28. Level of Student-Teacher Interaction and Positive Consequences for Students Rapport (R) High R Low R High PC Professional Competency (PC) Low PC

29. Scott Plous, CASE Awardee 2006, Psychology, Wesleyan University If I had to name one indispensable aspect of teaching, it would probably be to cultivate a caring relationship with those whom you teach. Operationally, this includes getting to know students by name; listening to what they have to say; respecting their time and intellect; understanding their perspectives, concerns, and aspirations; and trying to offer them the sort of learning experience that you would want if your roles were reversed. ~

30. Take Home Messages—TBC Study • Although Excellence in Teaching is Very Difficult to Achieve, Teaching Consists of Identifiable Behaviors that can be Learned, and in Time, Mastered • Excellence in Teaching Involves both Professional Competency and Rapport • To Truly Achieve Excellence in Teaching, One Most Go Beyond Technique and Develop Rapport with Students, too~