Connecting Teaching and Research: Is it the Impossible Dream?

1. Connecting Teaching and Research:Is it the Impossible Dream? Donna M. Qualters, Ph.D. Director/Associate Professor Northeastern University Minority Faculty Development Forum Washington, D.C. August 1, 2006

2. Objectives: • Be exposed to some interesting (intriguing) research on the teaching/research nexus • Understand “Backward Design” process as a possible means to incorporate research • Be exposed to AEM learning: active, engaged, measured learning as a form of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)

3. WHO ARE YOU? • You are from a top 100 research institution • You are from a Research Intensive/Extensive (old Carnegie 1) institution? • You are from a Comprehensive Institution • You have less than 5 years of teaching experience • More than 5 years of teaching experience • Any training in teaching/education

4. Research – your reaction • Professors find their own research and teaching activities merging in a seamless blend (Clark, 1987) • “US higher education needs to break away from the tired old teaching/research debate!” (Boyer, 1990) • “ Colleges whose faculty are research oriented increases student dissatisfaction and impacts negatively on most measures of cognitive and affective development” (Astin, 1993; Astin & Chang, 1995) • “Bringing teaching and research together involves developing a conception of teaching as being student focused and concentrating on conceptual change”(Brew, 2001)

5. Turn to a partner, small group • What is your reaction to these quotes • What are the challenges to a seamless teaching research nexus?

6. Research – your reaction • Professors find their own research and teaching activities merging in a seamless blend (Clark, 1987) • “US higher education needs to break away from the tired old teaching/research debate!” (Boyer, 1990) • “ Colleges whose faculty are research oriented increases student dissatisfaction and impacts negatively on most measures of cognitive and affective development” (Astin, 1993; Astin & Chang, 1995) • “Bringing teaching and research together involves developing a conception of teaching as being student focused and concentrating on conceptual change”(Brew, 2001)

7. Strategies to increase relationship between teaching and learning • BACKWARD DESIGN (Wiggins & McTighe: Understanding by Design) Identify Determine Plan learning desired acceptable experiences results evidence and instruction

8. Stage 1: Identify Desired Results ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS that your class answers Rich and engaging questions that cause someone to RETHINK previous ideas or see from a DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE and create ENDURING UNDERSTANDING! If I ran into a student one year after my course what would I want s/he to tell me about my class!

9. Overarching What are the ethical concerns of engineers? Topical Unit on car manufacturing What EPA laws apply to car manufacturers? What are the challenges of balancing profit and environment? Engineering Essential Questions

10. Enduring Understanding! Facets of Understanding: • Explanation: sophisticated theories which provide knowledgeable and justified accounts of an event • Interpretation: narratives, translations that provide meaning (Donna’s velcro theory) • Application: ability to use knowledge effectively in a new situation or diverse context

11. Enduring Understanding! Facets of Understanding: • Perspective: critical and insightful points of view • Self-Knowledge: wisdom to know one’s ignorance and how one’s patterns of thought and action inform as well as prejudice understanding

12. YOUR ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS • Take a few minutes, think about your course and write a couple of Essential Questions (integration YOUR RESEARCH) that provide enduring understanding for a course you will teach! • Write a topical question that your course will answer.

13. Share your questions and get some feedback or additional questions

14. 2. Determine Acceptable Evidence Lowest – Material worth being familiar with • Traditional quizzes, tests etc Middle – Material important to know and DO • Know – traditionally • Do?? – active learning – projects, group activities, application exercises, simulations Highest – Enduring Understanding • Performance tasks and projects

15. 3. Plan the Learning Experience W = Where are you going?(where does this fit into the larger picture? How do I connect new material to prior information, where can this contribute/ enhance my research?) H = Hook – How am I going to introduce the topic? (pose questions that you’re researching and are trying to answer, show some puzzling results from your research) E =How will you Engage and Equip students for enduring understanding R = How will my class cause students to Reflect and Rethink their idea? (how do you create an atmosphere where students can take risks and change their mind? How are differing viewpoints encouraged?) E = How will students Exhibittheir understanding?

16. Summary • Start with essential questions • Overarching/topical – integrate research • Determine evidence that will allow you to know that students can answer the essential questions of your course • Plan activities – including traditional lecture and “hands-on” feedback –integrate research

17. AEM Learning: Active, engaged & measured • Active engagement of students in the process of their own learning • Investment of mental and physical energies to make learning meaningful • Careful two way on-going feedback system

18. Techniques to do AEM • How do I know what students are really learning? • How do I measure enduring understanding? • How do I convey in a timely manner to students their knowledge and skills (or lack thereof) • How do I build to a final assessment?

19. Step 1: create an integrated course/research map Objective Evidence of learning Research Int

20. Step 1: create an integrated course/research map Objective Evidence of Learning Research Int Explain the con- quiz final exam theories cept of green Engineering Demonstrate short answer Ethical decision Air Model (Cohen & Qualters) making

21. M: On-going learning measurement Classroom Assessment Techniques: (CATs) T. Angelo & P. Cross • Techniques & active approaches to leaning • Ways of knowing HOW students are learning so as to better plan teaching activities • Simple, non-graded, often anonymous in-class activities that give IMMEDIATE feedback to teacher and learner

22. One Minute Paper • On a 3x5 card anonymously write down the answer to the following question(s): • What was the main point of today’s class? • What questions do you still have? • What would enhance learning in this class

23. Let’s try it! • What’s the most important insight about teaching and learning you’ve had so far? • What’s one technique for you to create a teaching/research nexus? MY Question – what do you do with this data? Remember recreational data collecting creates burnout!

24. Think-pair-share • After a segment, give a task that can be accomplished by pairs in several minutes • Each task has several parts • Formulate the answer alone in writing • Share the answer with a partner • Listen to the partner’s input • Create a BETTER answer through synthesis • Ask a student to explain the answer to the class

25. Concept Quiz - PRS • Prepare a brief conceptual multiple choice quiz • Have students write their answers on a card/paper and hold it up • Discuss the answer with partner • Brief class debrief of answer and why

26. Example Teaching/Research nexus is important because • It is more efficient and will assist in tenure • It will create an active learning environment • It will force faculty to talk to each other about their teaching

27. Cold Calling: brr……. • Write student’s names on cards, shuffle the deck, use the order to call on people to answer questions on points you think may be difficult. • Should you cold call? • How do you warm them up?

28. Note Checking • At the end of a lecture segment, students pair up to complete a short exercise with their notes: • For example • Summarize the three major points so far • Write a quiz question

29. Let’s try it! • Find a partner • Think about the session so far and write 1-2 possible quiz questions I could ask if I was testing you on this material.

30. Application Cards • After students have heard about a principle, theory, procedure, etc • Hand out card • Have them write a least ONE real world application for what they’ve learned • Debrief the class

31. Directed Paraphrase • Select an important concept students have studied in depth • Determine who would be a realistic audience for the paraphrase of this topic – make it two different audiences • Have students construct a paraphrase/share and critique each others.

32. Let’s try it • You have just learned about Classroom assessment techniques to improve learning. Explain what they are to: • Students in your freshmen class • Senior colleague

33. Involving Students in Your Research • Can you design a project that students can participate in as a class project • Simulation we designed – we had students write the EPA cards. They had to research an EPA law around car manufacturing and come up with a challenge card for the game. • Course – the faculty member was researching consumer responses to designs and she had her class respond to her project • Undergraduate Research projects

34. Take Home Points • Find points DURING the planning process to integrate your research into your class • Involve students actively in your class • If possible, find ways to involve students in your research

35. Thank You! Questions/Comments/Ideas???