Learner Sketch Tool Learning Community Faculty and Student Usefulness of the Learner Sketch Tool

1. Learner Sketch Tool Learning Community Faculty and Student Usefulness of the Learner Sketch Tool Abstract The Learner SketchTool is a resource developed by the Q.E.D. Foundation designed to help postsecondary students strategically approach academic situations based on what they report about themselves as learners. A pilot version of this resource is being evaluated. College STAR and Q.E.D. are working together to enhance this tool by providing class sketches for instructors to aid in their selection of instructional strategies. Pirate CREWS Team Andrea Carter, Ph.D. Teaching Instructor, Department of Chemistry Diane Majewski, Ed.D. Project Director, College STAR Vera Tabakova, Ph.D. Teaching Instructor, Department of Economics Sheryll Wood, MS Teaching Instructor, Department of English Lora Lee Smith Canter, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction www.facesoflearning.net Background Information At a time when the learning strengths and needs of students in college classrooms are changing and becoming more varied, class sizes and demands of faculty time are increasing. Faculty members seldom have opportunities to get to know students well, especially in larger sections of classes. Instructional considerations, such as Universal Design for Learning, can help faculty members reach larger numbers of students. Given that many students with disabilities choose not to self-disclose this information to instructors and that other students with learning differences may not have identifiable disability labels, a class snapshot of learning needs and preferences – even on an anonymous and very general level- has the potential to provide faculty members with one more piece of information to use when selecting or developing instructional strategies and resources. • Learner Sketch Tool Description • Grounded in a research-based framework of the mental components of learning, this electronic survey tool provides three levels of feedback based on student-submitted information. • Within the pages of the online tool students receive feedback on what their reactions to statements suggest about their strengths and weaknesses. • A generated pdf report combines the strength and challenge information with potential associated strategies for anything listed as a challenge. • A referral to the "science of learning" pages on the Faces of Learning offers more explanation of neurodevelopmental constructs and additional strategies and resource suggestions. • The developers of the Learner Sketch Tools are interested in fine tuning the product to produce a resource that is tailored to the college setting. Moreover, with participant input, the tool will be modified to have the capability to provide a class portrait to instructors by aggregating individual student information (anonymously) and generating a report that describes the student self-reported learning strengths and challenges of students in a particular course section as well as a list of potential instructional strategies and resources based on this class portrait. Evaluation Model This is a first look at the potential of the Learner Sketch tool in the university setting. While the content of the tool itself is grounded in research-supported constructs, the formatting of the resource and the reports that are generated are currently still in early stages of development. The intent of this project is to solicit general student and faculty feedback – both about the formatting of the tool itself and about potential implications of using the resource in the university setting. Initial focus group data suggests tool has great potential but might benefit from a few modifications in order to make it more attractive for post-secondary education students. Outcomes and final recommendations will be reported in December, 2012. Timeline January 2012 Pilot tool in 5 classrooms March 2012 Launch evaluation survey April 2012 Conduct focus groups June 2012 Introduce to Freshman Seminar Instructors August 2012 Pilot tool in 10 classrooms December 2012 Complete assessment of tool and report findings to Q.E.D.