Do you ever find yourself getting tired of marking the same old assignments where students almost follow a formula to crank out papers and you mindlessly score them without really engaging in them? Well some of that tedium can be avoided if only we give more choice to out students in how they might present evidence of understanding and application. One way to provide students with a choice and encourage creativity is to use a rather old assignment format called a RAFT. A RAFT (Vanderventer, 1979) allows students to choose how they want to approach an assignment letting them select their Role, intended Audience, preferred Format and particular Topic from a list of options given by you! Giving students the opportunity to write from the perspective of a small business owner, nutritionist, family member, politician, newspaper reporter or Greenpeace activist might bring some creativity into often stale assignments and stretches the students by asking them to take on perspectives and unpack assumptions that they might not usually consider. And, these assignments can also be much more fun to assess. Instead of having to read or watch 40 rather dry reports on a certain topic, instructors can now read love letters, sample travel guides, follow dialogues, react to newspaper columns, view talk show excerpts, download political speeches, and a whole host of other possibilities. For some instructors this kind of choice can be a little unnerving. “How do I mark such a diverse set of assignments?” “Aren’t the students just going to see this as an excuse to avoid serious research?” These questions illustrate the need be clear about your expectations for the assignment. The fact is, no matter which format they choose, the students need to show that they have a sound grasp of the issue they are assigned or the process they need to illustrate. In fact, working from the rather academic language of texts and resources and then converting it into another form forces the students to consolidate the learnings and then use their understanding to make more refined applications. Imagine trying explain dementia from the perspective of a close relative or care worker, rather than as a student (reciting symptoms from a resource or website). What kinds of challenges might this relative seen and experienced? What kinds of emotions have they encountered? What kinds of supports might they be asking for? These questions also show the importance of having a well-developed rubric or scoring guide for evaluating student work. The rubric should be assessing not to see if the student says all of the “right things” but to see whether the student can show understanding in how they process the task, and in how they explain, interpret, apply show perspective, extend empathy, and show self-awareness (Remember the six facets of understanding from Wiggins and McTighe?). The key to any RAFT assignment is how well it might demonstrate understanding and inquiry, so students could choose very “unreal” scenarios to illustrate some very real concerns. For instance, in a unit on “healthy choices” a student might choose to write a complaint letter written by of a choked set of lungs to the pack-a-day smoker who is subjecting them to this daily abuse. RAFTs are quite versatile. They can be simple and short checks for understanding. They can also be full-blown assignments that require careful investigation and thoughtful expression. How do you use a RAFT?
One Example Here are the beginnings of a RAFT assignment on creating a hydro-electric dam in Southern Alberta. The dam will dispossess numerous land owners, flood an historic plain of traditional hunting grounds and burial sites, bring revenue to the province and certain corporations, provide a steady flow of irrigation to farms in Southern Alberta, provide recreational opportunities(boating, sportfishing and camping), and impact countless animal populations by interfering with their habitat. Students are free to mix and match from all of the columns. Of course, the assignment above would require some more fleshing out as you weigh the kinds of tasks and work with an eye to clarity, structure, fairness, and achievement. But it gives you an idea. Assignments like this could be made for virtually any subject area. Nursing students might be asked to take on the perspective of the patient, the care-giver, the health clinic staff, a family member, or even the virus itself: I am now starting to affect Jeff’s nervous system. In the next couple of days, he will no longer be able to go to the dog park with his border collies. Soon he will have difficulty even handling the TV remote so he can change the channel to watch the Bruins games. He will have to ask his wife to hold his Dr. Pepper up to his lips so he can take a sip through one of those paper straws. It will be a slow, painful degeneration. The possibilities are endless; however, this last example is one I don’t want to explore further! Vanderventer, N (1979, Winter). RAFT: A process to structure prewriting. Highway One: A Canadian Journal of Language Experience, p.26. Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (Expanded 2nd). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
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The Future of Faculty In the past few weeks, I have been part of a NQ Futurist group tasked with opening up conversations and getting feedback regarding the future of teaching and learning at NorQuest. More specifically, gauging how ready our instructors are for the rapidly changing nature of post-secondary education. It was kinda fun. I ended up working with a small group (Heather, Justine, Farah and Rasoul) and we did some reading and research, considered the various scenarios that were already part of the Reimagine Higher Education document and tried to design an interactive workshop that might also secure meaningful data and suggestions. Then our little group went “on the road” (digitally) and did seven presentations in two weeks, reaching a sizable number of NorQuesters (126 responded in the Mentimeter polls!) All the same, I think we broadsided some instructors. Very early in our presentation, we asked participants to gauge how ready they were for current and emerging trends in post-secondary learning. For many, who focus mainly on supporting their students on a daily basis, the terms may have been a bit unfamiliar. I thought I might use this MMM to tackle these terms and provide helpful, reader-friendly links for those who want to know more. (No dry research articles in this lot!) Overall Trends https://thebestschools.org/magazine/current-trends-online-education/ Personalized Learning As the name suggests, this kind of learning allows students to complete an individualized or “customized” course/study that adapts and adjusts in light of their prior learning and experience, their specific learning strengths and needs, and their program and professional goals. This is a major shift from the standardized, one-size-fits-all courses and programs that most of us have encountered in post-secondary or at least, undergraduate education. For a better understanding of how personalized learning might look at the college level check out these links:
Students as Co-Creators This idea takes personalized learning and agency to the next level. From what I could learn, this approach asks students to help frame and build their own educational programs. Initially it reminded me of a couple of courses I designed for myself when completing my doctorate. My supervisors had to step aside from being the “experts” and facilitate my learning through coaching and check-ins while I tackled concepts and models that were unfamiliar to them. However, these co-creations seem to be more of an instructor-student collaborative study that has connections to research and designs for learning. While students collaborate with other students and instructors to do research In the process they learn and get credit for it. Moreover, there are co-creator programs that involve partnerships with organizations or industries. Although I could find could find many “references” to the idea of student co-creation being employed at a college level, I had a tough time finding short, summary-type articles on this. Instead, I pass on to you several examples of programs that use a co-creation model.
Online Facilitation Online facilitation is nothing new. We’ve been taking and hosting online courses for a couple of decades already. What is new is the extent to which we are now teaching online (it’s 2020!) and they way in which online teaching has evolved in terms of course design, flexibility, student engagement, OERs, interactivity, assessment, synchronous and asynchronous delivery, and online platforms, tools, and apps. Here’s a few articles and links that explore the advantages and disadvantages of learning in this way and some of the recent developments in online facilitation.
Micro Credentialing
A micro-credential is a certification or badge of assessed learning. It allows students and employers the flexibility to take small and targeted studies to develop a specific skill or competency without having to spend time in a comprehensive program. Micro-credentials can help prospective students effectively address learning gaps or continuing employees acquire immediately required training. In post-secondary, These credentials can be bundled to provide equivalencies for courses and programs. At this moment, many Canadian colleges and Universities are using microcredentialing to attract more part-time students and are looking at how to make these micro-credentials transferrable from institution to institution. Here are some more detailed explanations of micro credentialing from some institutions you may know:
HyFlex Learning At our Teaching and Learning Day last Friday, Jenni Hayman shared the HyFlex approach to course design. Unfortunately, I had to run my own session so I was unable to attend! However, with a little surfing on the net, I was able to gain a better understanding of this approach. HyFlex courses allow students to choose how they want to participate in their courses. One day they might attend class in person, another they could choose to join synchronously online, and on a third day they might watch the class asynchronously when it was more convenient. It is the “hybrid” or “blended” approach taken to another level of flexibility. HyFlex allows students to choose when and how they might go through their course, allowing students to stay engaged (f they have self-discipline). However, HyFlex requires a lot! Instructors must become very familiar with their program outcomes and to be extremely adaptive using in-person and online strategies and structures to construct a learning experience that is complex (multi-layered and varied) yet consistent in learning expectations and overall assessment. More information on the HyFlex approach is here:
Virtual and Augmented Reality Virtual and augmented reality is something that our college has been experimenting with for a little while. In the Innovation Studio, we had a VR set up where nursing students could put on the VR goggles and attend to a patient in a hospital setting virtually. On the other side of the retractable wall, students learned about human body systems by using the Z Boards, which allowed students to explore various parts of the body through 3-D interaction. This fall, NorQuest is investigating VR models and systems with an eye to helping students learn professional judgement through simulated interactions. More information on how VR and AR are changing the face of education can be found here:
It’s all about ME and six C’s Just after finishing my master’s program in 1994, I started looking at what makes an adolescent learner persevere in their learning. From research and experience, I found that teens have less patience in learning than pre-teens. When charged with teaching teens Trigonometry in Math, Poetic Meter in English, the Past Progressive Tense in French, Mitosis and Meiosis in Biology, or the Causes of the Great War in Social Studies, my students would often fire back three questions:
Now, at first, a teacher might resent such questions. After all, learning for the sake of learning is a noble pursuit, and many of us became teachers - not only because we love teaching - but because we also love learning. Nevertheless, these three student questions are significant and we needed to be ready for them. Moreover, our responses needed to be better than “because it is in the curriculum/syllabus” or “well, some day you might….” So I continued to dig into the research and surprise, surprise, I found out that perseverance in adolescent learners is dependent upon ME! You might take that in a number of different ways: 1) that it all comes down to the teacher or 2) that the single most important factor is the student and their personal (almost selfish?) needs for learning. In fact, both are wrong, what the research told me is that it all comes down to Motivation & Engagement (ME!) and the interplay of these factors in a teaching and learning environment. What is more, as I continued my odyssey in education, teaching at King’s, U of A and NorQuest, I discovered that what applies to adolescent learners aligns with much of what we know about adult learners. Just like teens, adult learners are concerned about practicality, immediacy of application, and personal and professional relevance. In other words, “So what?” and “Just how can I use this?” For our learners at NorQuest, it also comes down to ME - motivation and engagement. However, the idea of motivation is a tricky one. I have heard a number of scholars say that motivation is completely dependent upon the learner and that the teacher has no influence on this. If a student is unmotivated, either intrinsically or extrinsically, there is very little a teacher can do about it. Other educational scholars say that this is poppycock and that such teachers simply do not want to figure out what motivates their students, individually or collectively. Yes, these scholars say, motivation does come from within, but it is also very much influenced by situation, culture, necessity, and rewards (and many other factors). Teachers cannot create motivation, but they can learn and act upon the motives of their students and discover their “motivators”. This makes me think to the work I am doing now with my four-month-old puppies. Daisy’s “motivators” are food and love, Edgar is less interested in food rewards, but thrives on praise and attention, and Rufus is a very smart little dog who likes a challenge (He has already figured out how to open and close the back door.) and is motivated by play. I often catch him doing that Border Collie head cock thing where he looks like he is trying to figure out just how to get into that cupboard, or take away a toy from his siblings. Now, I am not comparing our learners to puppies (well, maybe a little…). Coming to class with a bunch of “puppy snacks” or a clicker would be absurd. However, I am saying that every learner is different and it is up to us to explore ways to use motivators to ignite and fuel their passions. Thankfully, most of our learners at NorQuest come to us of their own free will and chose programs that they see as beneficial to their development a persons, citizens, and professionals. So finding their motivators is a little easier than connecting to teens. Adult “motivators” might be self-improvement, a new career or challenge, a permanent residency card, or simply the love of learning. Junior and senior high school students do not have that same liberty as adult learners – they are conscripts in more comprehensive programming that they may or may not appreciate. Coupled with motivation is engagement. In order to tap into the motivators of our students we need to design learning environments and challenges that allow students to participate in a variety of ways and on a variety of levels. In this way, we might reach and inspire more of our students and support them in their learning journey. That still leaves us with an important question, “Just how can we better engage our students?” Well this is where the six C’s come in. In researching engagement, I found that students engage and persevere in learning, when they:
Keeping these six C’s in mind (choice, confidence, challenge, context, connections and collaboration) when we plan our courses, units and lessons, gives us a better chance in reaching our students and in making courses meaningful and relevant. |
AuthorJeff Kuntz Ph.D. ImagesExcept where indicated, images used in the blog posts are personal photos, images from NorQuest College or images from Pixabay. Pixabay is a vibrant community of creatives, sharing copyright free images, videos and music. https://pixabay.com/ Archives
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