Blog

CETL in the News – October 2023 Roundup

· Nov 1, 2023 ·

CETL’s fearless director Josh Eyler shared the news last week that his talk has been selected for the SXSW EDU Conference in Austin, Texas, in March 2024. SXSW (“South by Southwest”) EDU is part of the SXSW family of conferences, and it hosts thousands of stakeholders from all parts of education for a series of talks and workshops aimed at innovation and positive change in education. Josh’s talk, “Scarlet Letters: Fixing the Problem of Grades,” is based on his forthcoming book from Johns Hopkins University Press. Here’s his abstract:

Getting a good grade is supposed to be a sign of excellence, but research shows that grades often have very negative consequences. Grades interfere with motivation and perpetuate the idea that school is a place for competition rather than discovery. Even worse, grades are affecting our children’s wellbeing. Specifically, the stress, anxiety, and pressure felt by students about grades are directly linked to the widely reported mental health crisis among children, teens, and young adults. In this session, we will zero in on the problem of grades and discuss ways that we might yet fix it.

We are super excited for Josh and this giant platform for his work on grades and grading!

Hanna Lee is CETL’s operations coordinator. Hanna is also a librarian, having worked in libraries and educational institutions from Mississippi to Maryland to Mozambique. Hanna shared with the CETL team recently that with her librarian hat on, she is chairing the 2025 award selection committee for the Caldecott Medal. Yes, that Caldecott Medal! You’ve probably seen the gold Caldecott seal on a picture book or two. The Caldecott Medal is given by the American Library Association to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. Hanna will soon have stacks of picture books in her office as she and the committee review books published in 2024 for the 2025 award. Congrats to Hanna for this distinctive service to her field!

Earlier this month, Marc Watkins, academic innovation fellow with AIG and lecturer in writing and rhetoric, was interviewed on the fantastic Tea for Teaching podcast. Marc appears on Episode 311, “Upskilling in AI,” where he talks about the importance of higher education faculty learning about generative AI and its intersections with teaching and learning. Marc also discusses the rapidly changing landscape of generative AI, which includes far more than just ChatGPT. You can listen to Marc’s interview here, or search “Tea for Teaching” in your podcast app. And for more from Marc, please note that he’s speaking at an AIG workshop, “Beyond ChatGPT: New Tools to Augment Your Research,” on November 8th at 11am on Zoom. See our events page for details and registration.

Closer to home, both Bob Cummings, executive director of academic innovation, and Derek Bruff, CETL visiting associate director, were interviewed by the Daily Mississippian about artificial intelligence. Bob was interviewed by student Anna Grace Likes for a piece called “UM’s AI task force adapts alongside constant technological advances,” while Derek was interviewed by student Jordan Isbell for “Professors reckon with artificial intelligence.” Marc Watkins is quoted in that article about the AI task force, too. CETL staff continue to be at the forefront of higher education’s response to generative AI.

CETL Program Spotlight: STEM Teaching Lunch Series

· Oct 27, 2023 ·

by Derek Bruff, visiting associate director

Last spring I hosted a faculty learning community for CETL on the subject of active learning instruction in large STEM courses. We had about a dozen faculty from various departments who met every other week, mostly on Zoom, to share and discuss shared challenges teaching large coursse. We also read and discussed a selection of STEM education research articles, and you can view our reading list in a previous CETL blog post.

This fall, as the CETL liaison to the STEM departments on campus, I wanted to build on the spring learning community by involving more faculty in important discussions about STEM teaching. A second goal for the fall was to raise awareness about the many STEM teaching initiatives around campus, ones I had been learning about as I did my listening tour of STEM departments.

With those goals in mind, CETL launched a series of STEM teaching lunches this fall. Each event in this series features a different set of panelists doing interesting things in STEM teaching at the University of Mississippi, and each event is in person with lunch provided by CETL. We’ve had two lunches so far, with a third on coming up on November 10th, and the participation and discussion in the series has been fantastic.

September 22nd – Supplemental Instruction

The first lunch on September 22nd focused on the Supplemental Instruction (SI) program that is run by CETL’s program manager Hannah Margaret Glass. Panelists included two faculty members involved in SI, Emily Rowland from chemistry and Jenny Meyer from physics, as well as three experienced undergraduate SI leaders: Abigayle Taylor, Reid Bain, and Kaleb Henry. They all spoke to the goals of the SI program, the benefits they see from the program in STEM courses, and some of the challenges they encounter in their various roles.

What is Supplemental Instruction? SI recruits undergraduate students who have done well in historically difficult courses to serve as, well, supplemental instructors for those courses. These SI leaders offer weekly support sessions for students in those courses that go beyond mere tutoring. The SI leaders plan problem-focused activities for the sessions that engage students, reinforce learning, and support students around the hardest topics.

The SI leaders at the September 22nd lunch spoke compellingly about the value of SI to the students who attend their sessions. Not only do these students get the help they need learning the course material, but they also develop relationships with the SI leaders and each other. These relationships are important for students struggling through a hard course to persist in that struggle, and all three SI leaders talked about how rewarding it was to motivate and cheer on students in this way.

The faculty panelists also spoke to the value of SI for their students, particularly the students who start attending the sessions well before the first exam. Sure, there’s value in showing up to an SI review session right before an exam, but the students who attend regularly get the additional time on task (with support) they need to master the course material. The faculty also mentioned how rewarding it was to reach out to a student who had done well in a course to invite them to be a future SI leader.

You can read more about the Supplemental Instruction program on our website, and if you’re interested in adding SI to your courses, please reach out to SI program manager Hannah Margaret Glass at hmglass@olemiss.edu.

October 3rd – Alterative Grading Practices

The second STEM teaching lunch on October 3rd featured a conversation with Eden Tanner, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, about her recent experiments with mastery assessment. In a nutshell, the students in her 170-seat general chemistry course can retake a new version of each of the four exams in the course basically as many times as they want. When she first tried this new approach in the spring semester, she saw dramatic improvements in her students’ scores on the final exam, a nationally standardized exam from the American Chemical Society.

How did Eden manage so many exam retakes in such a large class? That was the hot question during the discussion, which spent a lot of time on the logistics of this mastery assessment strategy. I won’t say anything more about Eden’s presentation here on the blog because I recently interviewed her for my Intentional Teaching podcast. In that interview, we talk about her motivations from moving away from traditional grading practices as well as, yes, all the nuts and bolts about her retake policy.

November 10th – Student Belonging in STEM

Our third and final STEM teaching lunch this fall is coming up on November 10th from 12pm to 1pm in the Johnson Commons East Banquet Room. We’ll focus on the topic of student belonging in STEM courses and majors at the University of Mississippi. I’m very excited to have a panel of faculty and staff involved in a Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant aimed at understanding, promoting, and evaluating inclusivity in STEM education. Grant team members Jessica Osborne (Center for Research Evaluation), Susan Pedigo (chemistry), and Rebecca Symula (biology) will share and discuss some of their initial research on student and faculty perspectives on belonging and inclusivity.

If you’re involved in STEM teaching at Mississippi and would like to join us for the November 10th session, please register here so we can have a lunch waiting for you! And keep an eye out for CETL communications about more STEM teaching lunches this spring.

Empower Your Teaching Journey: Resources and Programs for UM Graduate Students

· Oct 19, 2023 ·

by Amitesh Singh, graduate consultant

Are you a graduate student at the University of Mississippi eager to enhance your teaching skills and become an outstanding educator? Look no further than the wealth of opportunities and resources provided by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL). Whether you’re just starting as a teaching assistant (TA) or a seasoned graduate instructor, CETL offers a variety of programs and support to help you excel in your teaching role.

I am a Graduate Consultant at CETL. Besides being an avid researcher working on evolution of binary black holes, I have been engaged as a TA in active-learning-based physics classrooms, where the learning is student-centered. As a part of my duties in CETL, I also am involved in facilitating programs for TAs and graduate instructors who are eager to enhance their teaching.

If you are seeking teaching support, the Fundamentals of Teaching Learning Community offers a unique opportunity to hone your pedagogical skills, connect with fellow graduate instructors, and access CETL resources throughout the term. This program spans four in-person sessions, focusing on various aspects of teaching, including setting the course tone, lesson planning, grading, and assessment. Online engagement allows for real-time support and resource sharing between sessions. This semester, our Fundamentals cohort have had fascinating discussions on student motivation and grading. My favorite part: refreshments are provided during in-person meetings!

If you like reading and are ready to expand your teaching knowledge, the Graduate Reading Group organized by CETL offers a fantastic opportunity. Throughout the semester, you’ll engage in thought-provoking discussions about a selected book. This fall, we’ve been reading The Missing Course: Everything They Never Taught You About College Teaching by David Gooblar. Graduate students in the reading group have already met twice over lunch to discuss topics like promoting student autonomy and designing effective courses.

Graduate Teaching Orientation 2023. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

Additionally, CETL offers three tiered teaching credentials, self-paced and open to all graduate students at UM. By completing a series of activities, including workshops, observations, consultations, and reflections, you can earn one of these credentials, which you can share on your CV. Each level focuses on different aspects of teaching, and you’ll connect with peers from various disciplines to enhance your teaching practices.

In addition to the Graduate programs, CETL offers an extensive range of pedagogy resources designed specifically for graduate teachers. These resources are invaluable for refining your teaching skills and staying informed about the latest developments in teaching and learning.

In summary, the University of Mississippi’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is your go-to source for support and resources to become an outstanding graduate teacher. Join CETL’s vibrant community of educators and unlock your full teaching potential! Don’t miss out on these incredible opportunities – your path to teaching excellence starts here!

CETL Program Spotlight: Inclusive Teaching Learning Community

· Oct 3, 2023 ·

by Emily Donahoe, associate director of instructional support

Some of the work we’re most proud of at the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is helping instructors create courses that prioritize equity and inclusion so that every student, regardless of background or identity, is able to learn and succeed at a high level. Like many aspects of teaching, this work involves sustained reflection and intentional development over time. As much as we love teaching workshops, one hour (or even two!) is not enough to equip instructors with all the skills and knowledge they need to create more equitable classrooms.

That’s why programs like the Inclusive Teaching Learning Community, offered in partnership with the Academic Innovations Group and the Center for Cross-Cultural Engagement, are so valuable. The ITLC, in support of the Pathways to Equity Strategic Plan, offers grants each year to a small cohort of instructors to support an equity-focused course redesign process.

The 2023 cohort of the ITLC, comprised of 19 instructors from many different disciplines, had its first meeting in January. Each participant began by identifying a course they wished to redesign with inclusion in mind—a course they planned to teach during the Fall 2023 semester. At our monthly gatherings, we provided background on inclusive teaching approaches, examining our students’ identities, and our own, in the classroom; investigating the challenges and opportunity gaps our students face; considering social belonging and its absence in higher education; and introducing techniques for creating more equitable course structures. CETL staff also worked with the Office of Institutional Research, Effectiveness, and Planning to provide participants with data on previous versions of their course that could inform their redesign.

After these group meetings, instructors met individually with CETL staff to discuss their course revision plans for the fall. Their redesigns focused on everything from structure and scaffolding to authentic assessment and alternative grading to inclusive participation and equitable group work.

Options for an inclusive teaching course redesign, mapped by Emily Donahoe

This semester, instructors are teaching the redesigned versions of their course and sharing the details of those redesigns with their colleagues. During our meetings, participants have the opportunity to report on what they changed about their course and what they’re finding as a result—both good and bad. The group has an opportunity to ask questions, troubleshoot problems, and celebrate victories as they arise. These meetings will continue through the end of the semester, offering every instructor a chance to process the results of their redesign.

But the learning doesn’t end, even after the community dissolves: as part of the program, participants will share their new knowledge with their home departments, helping to facilitate discipline-specific conversations about how we can help every University of Mississippi student succeed.

We’re excited about what the 2023 cohort of the Inclusive Teaching Learning Community has achieved! And we’re looking forward to working with our next cohort of instructors soon. Stay tuned for more information about the ITLC and a call for applications.

Win-Win with Student Feedback Sessions

· Oct 2, 2023 ·

by Liz Norell, associate director of instructional support

Student feedback sessions are one of CETL’s core offerings. Engaging in this practice is a powerful way to achieve several meaningful goals, including:

Emphasizing to students that they play a key role in the learning process,
Giving faculty access to information about how their students are experiencing a course, and
Creating greater trust between professors and students.

Participation in student feedback sessions is entirely voluntary and confidential. In other words, the feedback we collect and share with instructors is not shared with departments or peer faculty members. As with all of CETL’s offerings, our focus is on promoting exemplary teaching and effective learning. We do not recommend that department chairs or deans require participation in student feedback sessions for any instructor.

Typically, these sessions are most effective if conducted around (ideally just before) the midpoint of the course, although they can be useful at any point during a semester.

Here’s what’s involved:

An instructor requests a session from CETL. These are available to anyone teaching a course, regardless of rank or title.
A CETL consultant will collaborate with the instructor to gather information about the course, the student, and any specific issues or questions the instructor wants us to focus on. These collaborations can take place in person, via Zoom, or by email.
The CETL consultant meets with students during a class session, generally towards the end of a class session. The instructor is not present during this time. We lead students through a discussion on these questions:
- What is working well to facilitate your learning? How are you contributing to your own learning? How is the instructor?
- What is making it difficult for you to learn? How are your actions hindering your learning? How are the instructor’s?
- What changes, if implemented, would accelerate your learning? What could you do? What could your instructor?
The CETL consultant organizes student feedback for instructors without identifying any students by name.
The instructor meets with the CETL consultant for a debrief, ideally before the next class meeting. We summarize and synthesize what we heard from students, providing anonymous feedback and engaging in discussion about any strategies that might prove useful. We emphasize to students that their comments will be shared with the instructor anonymously.
The instructor–ideally at the next class meeting–leads a short discussion with students about what they learned and any changes or adjustments as a result.

There is a lengthy body of evidence that sessions of this sort have positive impacts for both student learning and instructor experiences. For example, one classic study found that instructors who collected student feedback experienced more favorable student evaluations, higher levels of student success in the course, and more enjoyable teaching and learning experiences for all involved. Another study linked the practice of student feedback sessions to principles for good practice in undergraduate education.

The emphasis on both instructor and student contributions to (or distractions from) learning can also facilitate deeper metacognitive reflection and student agency in their learning.

CETL offers student feedback sessions on request, depending on staff availability. We recommend requesting these as far in advance as possible. To do so, fill out this form.