Provide Learning Content in Alternate Formats

I had a very compelling unplanned lesson in accessibility today. In a Zoom session, we were asked to watch a video. Rather than play the video via Zoom, which has problems, links to the video on three platforms were provided. But I could not get any to work. Normally I would read the notes, or the transcript, but could find neither, so I had no idea what it was about. I then took part in a discussion of the video and spent about ten minutes feeling excluded and a but of a fool, as I had no idea what they were talking about. As I can normally see and hear, this is not a common problem, but for those who can't, it is. I need to remember to include alternate formats in my own teaching, especially as I helped make this Australian law. 

Being a Student is Stressful

Last week I spent many hours preparing for the tutor training course I am a student in this week. I went through the materials for the week, checked ever link, read the readings. But this morning it all went wrong. I had to move cities due to a family emergency, and had an ad-hoc video setup. Also my laptop had updated its software. As a result the video did not work. While I was trying to fix that I discovered I did not have access to the resources for the live interactive activities. Eventually I got the video to work, sort of. Also I found an arrow which took me on to the resources, so in the end it all worked out fine, and it was energizing to be in small groups with enthusiastic new tutors. But this again emphasized the main point I relearn each time I do such a course: being a student is a really stressful experience, where what seems to me  as a teacher is not obvious to the student, and small seemingly unimportant items take on a overwhelming importance.

Perplexing Unconscious Bias Tests

As part of teacher training I am required to undertake some unconscious bias tests. This is to allow the teacher to realise they may have biases towards particular students, even if they don't think they do. That sounds reasonable, but I had difficulty with some of the tests. These are from the Harvard Implicit Project. 

First I tried the Race ('Black - White') test. This flashed a series of cartoon images of people with captions. These seemed to use made up names, to prevent a bias there. I was required to respond quickly, but it was not clear how to: an image would flash up briefly, but a mouse click, or key-press did nothing.

One test I was able to get to work was "Gender - Science". This first flashed up a series of gender words, and I was required to indicate if these were male or female. Then a series of discipline words were displayed, and I had to indicate if these were liberal arts or science. These appear to be training, not part of the study, but to ensure I knew how to click the correct button. However, then the disciplines were displayed again, but requiring me to choose from two combinations of gender and type of discipline (such as "Chemistry", "Male or Liberal Arts", "Female or Science" ). Initially I did not know how to respond to this, as the combinations did not make any sense. 

After a few minutes thought, I worked out the idea was to try to trick me to respond with a gender bias, for example, respond to "Engineering" with "Male", rather than "science". While knowing this consciously, I still found it difficult to press the right button quickly, and not select "female" for "Humanities" and "Male" for "Science".

The results of the test surprised me, showing a "moderate automatic association for Male with Science and Female with Liberal Arts" (which is the most common response). I would have expected more than "moderate". The results did not give any more details, such as a numeric indication of how biased I was.

The test was frustrating, as it diagnosed a bias, which I was aware of anyway, but did not give me any strategy to correct it. This is similar to when in primary school it was quickly established that I had difficulty with spelling and I spent many lunchtimes in detention for years afterward as a result. That did not help me spell, and I still can't (I am only literate with a spell checker). I suspect it will be much the same with the gender bias: something which I know about, but am unable to change. The ways to address this would instead have to be external, such as blind assessment, where I don't know the gender of the person who's work I am grading (easy to set up with a Learning Management System). 

Johari window a legitimate training exercise?

As part of tutor training, I have been asked to undertake the Johari window exercise. With this the subject first picks keywords from a list, describing themselves. One or more peers then pick from the same list to describe the subject. The words selected are then tabulated into a quad chart, showing those the subject and peers agree on (Open or Arena), those from subjects but not peers (Façade), peers but not subjects (Blind), and those selected by no one (Unknown). There are 57 words to choose from. 

I am deeply suspicious of all such tests. But I gave it a shot. I looked down the list of words. At first I tried to find some which applied, then which did not apply. However, I was not able to do either and did not find this useful.

To get over not being able to choose a set of adjectives, I used a random number generator to select. This produced: warm, mature, reflective, witty, and intelligent. That sounds far to positive and boastful, but for the purposes of the next part of the exercise (comparing my description with others), I guess it will do as well as any.

My skepticism is shared by some researchers, with Newstrom, and Rubenfeld (1983), suggesting a revised window.

Reference

Newstrom, J. W., & Rubenfeld, S. A. (1983, March). The johari window: A reconceptualization. In Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning: Proceedings of the Annual ABSEL conference (Vol. 10). URL https://absel-ojs-ttu.tdl.org/absel/index.php/absel/article/download/2298/2267

Do theories of teaching help?

Fox (1983) suggests four ways to think about teaching: transfer, shaping, travelling, and building. The first is bout transferring knowledge (and presumably skills, although Fox doesn't mention them), from teacher to student. The second is shaping the student in some way, which I guess might be about skills. The third is about having the teacher as a guide on a learning journey (a bit too metaphorical?). Building theory I did not really understand: perhaps constructionist? Experiential Learning, and growing theory were also mentioned.

It wasn't clear to me how this laundry list of theories was helpful. There was no attempt to conduct an experiment to see if these were actually evident in the way teachers teach, or was useful in practice. Also there was not attempt to see if one theory, or another, improved student outcomes.

The European HoTEL (Holistic Approach to Technology Enhanced Learning) project has an even larger list of learning theories. Here 24 theories are related to practice, but again not in a way which is useful to a practitioner wanting to improve their teaching: 

HoTEL Learning Theory Map, 
Richard Millwood, 2002 

References

1. Dennis Fox (1983) Personal theories of teaching, Studies in Higher Education, 8:2, 151-163, DOI: 10.1080/03075078312331379014
2. 
   

The Harder You Make the Students Work, the Less They Think They Learn

Louis Deslauriers, 
Harvard University

Deslauriers et al. (2019) have identified a curious problem for keen teachers: if you have students actively involved they learn more, but think they learn less. This could be a problem where teachers are evaluated based on student surveys. 

The authors conducted an experiment using introductory university physics students. One group had conventional lectures, the other used active techniques, but with the same materials. The latter group liked the active learning, and learned more, but did not think they did. The authors speculate this may be because the students are rating how smoothly the class ran, rather than how much they learned (an active class is inevitably a more messy activity than a lecture). A second theory was students new to university were not good at knowing how much they have learned (I wonder if students ever learn this). Thirdly, the authors suggest that students are not used to a "student-centered" classroom (that would not be the case in Australia, where secondary schools are very "active").

The authors suggest instructors explain the value of active learning at the beginning of class, along with a diagnostic test, so students better understand how much they learn. However, they do not make the obvious suggestion: student feedback scores should not be used to measure the quality of teaching. While teaching students more about how they learn will be good for their learning, it should not be used to simply bolster results on a survey of questionable validity, and I have found a far better way to game the student surveys. ;-).

Reference

Deslauriers, L., McCarty, L. S., Miller, K., Callaghan, K., & Kestin, G. (2019). Measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning in response to being actively engaged in the classroom. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(39), 19251-19257. URL https://www.pnas.org/content/116/39/19251

Do Teachers Make a Difference?

At the start of a new year I am learning a little more about teaching. This is not by choice, it is compulsory tutor training. But it is years since I have done a formal course, so a useful refresher, at least to remind me how hard being a student is. Otherwise it is easy for someone who teaches to forget how difficult, frustrating, stressful, and occasionally frightening being a student is.

One thing I have learned is that however experienced, as soon as I enroll in a course I start behaving like a student. One manifestation is to complain about readings: do I really have to read all this stuff? ;-)

Professor John Hattie, 
University of Melbourne

The first reading is Hattie (2003), who claims that teachers account for 30% of the variance in student results, the students themselves accounting for 50%, with home, school & peers each accounting for 5 to 10%. Hattie then presents a table (unlabeled), showing a long list of influences on student outcomes, the top ones being feedback, students’ prior cognitive ability, and instructional quality. The point here is that two of these are up to the teacher, along with most in the list. 

Hattie then goes on to argue that expert teachers make a difference, not experienced ones. However, the definition of what an expert was seems to mix up methods with results. As an example, expert teachers were said to be able to provide feedback, but also influence student outcomes. The former is something you could train a teacher to do, while they latter would be the outcome of successful training.

Having presented the case that teachers can make a difference, and that "expert" teachers make a bigger difference, Hattie does seem to have any useful advice on how to improve teaching. Perhaps the use of the term "expert" does not help. All teachers should be competent, in the sense they should have the required level of expertise, both in the field they are teaching, and how to teach. In Australia, school and vocational education teachers are required to have formal qualifications in teaching. University lecturers are only required to be qualified in what they are teaching, not how to teach. So it may be premature to worry about how to make them expert teachers, until they have reached the level of basic competence.

This paper is useful in giving university teachers some hope that they can make a real difference to student's education. But it doesn't help much with what to do. 

Reference

Hattie, J.A.C. (2003, October). Teachers make a difference: What is the research evidence? Paper presented at the Building Teacher Quality: What does the research tell us ACER Research Conference, Melbourne, Australia. Retrieved from http://research.acer.edu.au/research_conference_2003/4/

Online Teaching is Here Now

Casual teaching staff at some Australian universities are reported to be “panicking” over the implications of students who are unable to get to campus due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus. Last week I was helping teach one hundred tutors how to teach, and there were no signs of panic. Well, no more panic than any group of teaching assistants about to face their first class.

If students can't get to campus, then there will be less need for sessional staff to teach face to face (F2F). However, if some of those students are studying online, they may need more tutor support.

The same principles and techniques used in F2F teaching apply online. The practicalities are a little different online, depending on the communications technology available. But the same tools already used by Australian universities for blended learning can also be used for online learning. Staff and students are already familiar with these tools.

Universities are providing additional training and support for teaching online, to supplement that already in place. As an example, ANU provides Coffee Courses with short snippets of learning about teaching (not just for ANU staff: anyone can access these). Also, there are the usual self-paced courses on particular tools. For those planning to teach as a career, there are longer, more formal programs. As an example, ANU's "Principles of Tutoring & Demonstrating", starts on 3 March.

Relatively few Australian university courses have been delivered entirely online. More often courses are blended with materials delivered online, alongside face-to-face lectures, tutorials, and workshops. Students typically watch videos of lectures, submit assignments online, and may also do some quizzes. As staff and students are already using online tools for some of a course, a change to all online mode is not as difficult as it might first appear.

The tools already in use at Australian universities for blended learning can provide online learning. Typically a mix of tools provides announcements to students, materials for, and output from, students. Using multiple tools is more complex, but provides some resiliency: if one is not working, another can be used.

Asynchronous Tools

There may be one tool for general announcements, and another to deliver course notes and collect assignments, plus a tool for videos of lectures. These tools are used asynchronously: students work through the material in their own time, and then submit a response. This makes them  convenient to use, and communication glitches less of a problem. However, tutors do not get instant feedback from students, so they need to anticipate what students might need, and when they might need it. Also, students need to understand they will not get instant feedback from tutors.

As an example of the sort of forums, posts and FAQs for an online course, see the tutor guide for "ICT Sustainability" (offered by ANU and by Athabasca University in Canada) and the module Learning to Reflect (for ANU's Techlauncher program). Students read the course notes, watch videos, do quizzes, contribute to forums, and do assignments. They get text-based feedback from peers, and instructors (audio and video are possible, but text is simpler). The full notes, videos, and tutor guides are available online.

Synchronous Tools

Universities also use synchronous tools: live video lectures, and video tutorials. With these, the instructor and students are connected at the same time, simulating a lecture theater or tutorial room. These tools are occasionally used to supplement F2F sessions. However, these tools take considerably more effort by staff and students to use. Because everyone has to be online at the same time, any glitch with the software, network, or the student's computer, results in them not being able to take part.

Usually, a live sessions is recorded for students who could not take part. However, this is not as good as the real thing. As an online learner myself for seven years, I found I was unable to connect to about one-quarter of the live sessions. With the current circumstances, I expect international students will be unable to connect to a session at an Australian university about half the time. So each session should be offered two or there times.

COVID-19 Coronavirus Response

As some students may be unable to get to campus this semester due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus, some universities have decided to offer remote access. Which of the tools will be usable, and what alternatives are possible, is being investigated by technical staff at universities across Australia. So far it appears the asynchronous tools already in daily use will work. These tools are also less susceptible to intermittent problems: if it doesn't work today, try again tomorrow.

The synchronous tools are more of a problem. The usual tools may not work, or require workarounds, and may suddenly stop working. It may be necessary to conduct some courses with no synchronous communication at all. My approach for the last few years has been to design courses for online asynchronous delivery, then blend in add F2F, or synchronous, elements. This offers maximum flexibility for remote and on-campus students. Also I had in mind the possibility that international students would be suddenly unable to attend campus.

Being a student can be a very lonely and frustrating experience, and even more so for a distance education student. Tutors can give the students the sense you are there for them, through regular posts to the class. Staff time is limited, so messages to individual students have to be used sparingly. If they have the time and the technology, to provide video, staff can do so. However, research (and my experience), shows video is not necessary.

Technology-based distance education is not new, or a fad, it has been part of university education for decades. How to use technology for teaching is something all university educators should learn, as part of their basic training. Universities offer such training free. But those with ambitions of making this a career should be willing to undertake further formal study.

Equipment for teaching online is cheap and readily available. A web camera and a quality headset/microphone cost less than $100. This is something those who teach can have as part of their professional equipment, in their bag, with their laptop computer.

In ten years of teaching online, I have had deep and satisfying interactions with students around the world, who I have never seen, and never spoken to. As an international online student for three years, I was able to complete a degree from the other side of the planet, without setting foot on campus. It was not easy or fun, but being a university student is not easy or fun. This experience is documented in an e-portfolio, a blog post, and a book.

Resources for New Tutors

I have been a preoccupied providing advice on how to quickly provide courses for online delivery, for students who are unable to get to class due to the Novel Coronavirus. But I need to get back to tutor training. I am finding the online course Contemporary Approaches University Teaching has some good material, but would take some pruning, as it is a 12 week, 24 hour course, not something a tutor can do in a few hours. Some useful resources for students I have found, mostly from ANU's Coffee Courses:

1. LinkedIn recently predicted that the most in-demand soft skills with employers for 2020 will be creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability, and emotional intelligence.Tutoring can help you refine these skills and provide evidence to a prospective employer you are leadership material.
   
   See: The Most In-Demand Hard and Soft Skills of 2020, Bruce Anderson, LinkedIn Talent Blog, January 9, 2020. URL https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/trends-and-research/2020/most-in-demand-hard-and-soft-skills
2. "... authentic real life assessment tasks should contain the challenges of a real life work context.
   From: Principles of authentic assessment, from Assessment and Feedback, Jill Lyall and Mandy Tutalo, ANU Coffee Course, 2019 URL https://anuonline.weblogs.anu.edu.au/2019/04/30/day-2-principles-of-authentic-assessment/
3. In Small Group Teaching:
   • Motivating students to attend weekly classes
   • Encouraging a community of sharing and pride among students
   • Helping students develop insight in their learning
   From: Good practice examples in Module 3: Teaching practice, Enhancing Student Wellbeing, 2016. URL http://unistudentwellbeing.edu.au/teaching-practice/examples/
4. Seven Learning Concepts
   1. Deep vs Surface Learning,
   2. Extrinsic vs Intrinsic motivation
   3. Taxonomies of knowledge and learning
   4. Characteristics of Adult Learning
   5. Constructivism
   6. Student-centred learning
   7. Active learning
   From: Why learning theory? Seven Key Concepts for University Teaching and Learning, Jill Lyall, ANU Coffee Courses, 2018. URL http://anuonline.weblogs.anu.edu.au/2018/11/14/day-1-why-learning-theory/

Why Tutoring?

In teaching university tutors how to teach, perhaps the first question is why should they learn this. Tutors are unlikely to go on to a full time career in teaching (very few of those who complete a PhD become university academics). LinkedIn recently predicted that the most in-demand soft skills with employers for 2020 will be creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability, and emotional intelligence. Learning to teach can help with these. A teachers must be able to design lesson plans (creativity), get students to study (persuasion), team teach and teach students to work in groups (collaboration), change the teaching method and content depending on student needs (adaptability), and use use emotional information to guide  their teaching (emotional intelligence).

Principles of Tutoring and Demonstrating

In looking for materials to teach computer science and engineering tutors at ANU, I have access to the ten "Principles of Tutoring and Demonstrating" (PTD) modules. I looked at cutting it down to something one tenth the size, suitable for two days. That would have the advantage of consistency with the longer course, which some might then take. However, it was not feasible, but the same major topics could be used (these are much the same as other institution's tutor/TS introductions). One feature worth retaining is that PTD uses the same Moodle based system as the tutors will need to use for part of their role.

Using a conventional online or blended learning layout, this would be something like:

• Announcements forum
• Contact your instructor
• Notes

1. Preparing for the first class 
2. How students learn 
3. Plan a lesson 
4. Students learning together 
5. Supporting international students 
6. Designing Assessment

What Skills and Knowledge do Tutors Need?

I was asked to help with training of university tutors for computer science and engineering. So I looked at some of the training materials used around the world. But what do tutors need to know and be able to do? The term "tutor" is used by Australian universities for casual contract staff, usually later year undergraduates, and graduate students, who teach small groups (tutorials, or workshops), or supervise in a laboratory. In the USA these are referred to as Graduate Teaching Assistants, or just Teaching Assistants, and are usually PhD students.For simplicity, I will use the term tutors.

Tutors may take on many roles, apart from teaching small groups, including giving lectures and in some cases running whole courses (under the supervision of a Professor). However, my interest here is in what a beginning tutor, who has been asked to supervise a small class needs to know and be able to do.

UK Professional Standards Framework 

The UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) breaks what a university teacher needs to be able to do into three categories: Areas of Activity (A), Core Knowledge Professional Values (K), and Professional Values(V):

"A The Areas of Activity

1. Design and plan learning activities and/or programmes of study
2. Teach and/or support learning
3. Assess and give feedback to learners 
4. Develop effective learning environments and approaches to student support and guidance
5. Engage in continuing professional development in subjects/disciplines and their pedagogy, incorporating research, scholarship and the evaluation of professional practices 

K. Core Knowledge

1. The subject material
2. Appropriate methods for teaching, learning and assessing in the subject area and at the level of the academic programme
3. How students learn, both generally and within their subject/ disciplinary area(s)
4. The use and value of appropriate learning technologies
5. Methods for evaluating the effectiveness of teaching
6. The implications of quality assurance and quality enhancement for academic and professional practice with a particular focus on teaching

V. Professional Values

1. Respect individual learners and diverse learning communities
2. Promote participation in higher education and equality of opportunity for learners
3. Use evidence-informed approaches and the outcomes from research,
   scholarship and continuing professional development
4. Acknowledge the wider context in which higher education operates recognising the implications for professional practice"

From:  UK Professional Standards Framework, HEA, 2011

Under the UK PSF Graduate Teaching Assistants (ie: tutors) are expected to have covered at least two of the five Areas of Activity (A1 to A5), core knowledge of the subject matter and how to teach it (K1 & K2), a "commitment" to appropriate Professional Values (V1 to V4), professional practices, subject and pedagogic research and/or scholarship of these, professional development activity (A5).

Areas of Activity

 The Areas of Activity seem a good place to start. It may seem curious that the first item on the list is not teaching (it is second). This may be because tutors, and university teachers generally, do not simply teach pre-prepared materials, they design activities for their students, and in many cases, carry out some of the assessment. So A1, A2 and A3 would appear essential for a tutor.

It is less clear that tutors can, and should, develop learning environments and approaches (A4). Beginning tutors will not have the experience, or training to do this. More clearly, tutors should be undertaking continuing professional development (K5).

Core Knowledge

Obviously, the tutor will need knowledge of the subject their student are to learn (K1) and how to teach it (K2). Undergraduate students who are tutoring will generally be at a later stage in their studies at the same institution, in the same field as the students they are tutoring. Thus these tutors will be familiar with the subject matter. However, PhD students may have finished their studies years ago, in another country and in another part of the discipline, as so will need to study up on what they are teaching.

Practitioners from industry may also be less current with the subject matter, however they will have a depth of practical experience, which students value. Subject matter knowledge is something I don't think needs to be covered in tutor training, except to say the tutor needs to review the teaching materials.

More problematic are methods for teaching and assessment (K2). Practitioners, and PhD students may not be familiar, or comfortable, with modern teaching and assessment methods. These tutors may assume students attend lectures, and assessed via examinations and individual assignments assessed by staff. However, a constructionist approach is increasingly used, particularly in fields such as computing and engineering.

With a constructionist approach the focus is on students undertaking projects, working in teams. There may be videos and computer based instructional materials, in place of lectures, and peer assessment of project work. This can be very confronting for tutors who have not learned in this way, especially when challenged by students who are not familiar with it either. There is a temptation for the tutor to fall back on what they know, giving lectures, and marking student work, instead carrying out their expected role.

Those teaching tutors, I suggest, should lead by example. Giving lectures to tutors telling them they should not give lectures will not send the intended message. Instead the same approach with videos and online materials should be used for teaching the tutors. The tutors should be given group activities to undertake, with most of the learning time spent on this. Even if their training is not to be formally assessed, they should be set the task of assessing each other, so they have experience of this.

How students learn (K3) need not be covered in detail. Some tutor training courses make the mistake of assuming they are training education academics, rather than practitioners. I suggest it is better to briefly mention learning theory, and then apply it, via the tutor training materials and activities. Similarly, learning technologies can be introduced by using them as part of the tutor training. Ideally the same tools should be used for tutor instruction, as they will use for teaching students.

Methods for evaluating teaching (k5) and quality assurance (K6), should be confined to peer review, which can be practiced during the training, and whatever standard evaluation surveys the institution uses. Those training teachers should resist the temptation to turn them into apprentice education researchers, or assistants for the trainer's research projects, as few of the tutors will go on to a career in academia.

Reference

Higher Education Academy. (2011). The UK professional standards framework for teaching and supporting learning in higher education. URL https://documents.advance-he.ac.uk/download/file/7013

Facilitating Blended Learning

To see if the Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) course materials could be adapted for classroom teaching, I started with the FLO Fundamentals course. 

I copied the e-book for "Week 1 Overview". FLO has the e-book broken up into very small segments, each designed to be readable without scrolling. I find this format very annoying, as so many button clicks are needed to get the screen-fulls. Instead I prefer one e-book for a whole module, arranged as conventional long pages, which are scrolled (this also makes editing much easier). So I pasted the Week 1 content into one new e-book page.

Next, as this is to be about more than online teaching, I searched for all occurrences of "online" and deleted them (about 40). As the course may not be in a weekly format, I replaced occurrences of "week" with "module" (thus Module 1, Module 2, instead of Week 1, Week 2). 

The result is mostly readable, but some manual editing would be required, to have this cover both online and classroom teaching. For example this sentence makes little sense for face-to-face teaching (without the word "online"):

 "It is important for learners to understand that we are actually present and active in the online class as we are not visible to them.".

It would be tempting to add "face-to-face" to this. But instead, I suggest generalizing the concept:

 "It is important for learners to understand that we are active helping with their learning, even when we are not speaking to them."

The point here is that students assume that teaching only happens when the teacher is telling the student something. So the teacher needs to give students the sense that they actively monitoring a classroom discussion, be it online or face-to-face. One problem new teachers have is making their presence felt without constantly interrupting the student discussion, stifling it (this is something which many senior professors have never learned). One approach I suggest is to wait for a scheduled, or natural break in the discussion, and then provided feedback which quotes students contributions.

I suggest terms need to be explained in course notes. For example, the section on "feedback" does not actually say what feedback is, or what it is for. There is little point in going into the finer points of good feedback, if the reader doesn't know the basics.

Also I dislike inspirational, and overly long quotes in course notes, so I would want to cut those down. This also avoids having to manually check global edits (such as deleting "online") has not effected a quote. The remaining text is a bit wordy, and I would like to cut it down by about a quarter. However, even with these few simple edits, the notes read reasonably well:

Notes: Facilitating Learning Fundamentals

Building Community

Overview

Setting the stage...
We begin by introducing some important topics in teaching and learning:

• intended learning outcomes
• building and sustaining an learning community
• providing feedback

Throughout the workshop you'll be asked to participate in or facilitate specific learning activities. Take time to reflect on these important topics and see how they affect the learning experience - both from a facilitator's and a participant's perspective.

During Module 1, you'll explore concepts and research associated with facilitation, learning and the Community of Inquiry framework. You'll begin to develop and participate in the learning community. By the end of the Module, you'll be connecting with the other members of your facilitation team, sharing your first "nuggets" of learning, and self-assessing your participation.

Notice what the facilitators and your colleagues did this Module to develop the learning community. What worked for you (e.g., features of the course itself, activities, timing, certain moments or postings)? What could have been done differently?

Learning Outcomes

A learning outcome provides a description of what learners should know, understand, and be able to do in a course or program (Huba and Freed, 2000). Learning outcomes place the emphasis on what learners will obtain in the learning process, not on what the instructor is attempting to do in the course or unit.

A learning outcome establishes the basis for fair learner evaluation. Formal and informal assessment processes provide both participants and facilitators with opportunities to check that learning is aligned with learning outcomes. As learning facilitators, we have a challenging task to incorporate assessment in a way that is both constructive and supportive of our learners. This is especially true in the environment where our learners may feel increased isolation and concern. You made find it helpful to reflect on the following questions as you prepare to teach your course:

• How do the outcomes inform and focus the course's learning activities?
• How do I keep learners focused on the outcomes?
• How do I ensure that ongoing assessment and feedback aligns with the learning outcomes?

Module Activities

During this first Module, the Facilitators will guide you in a demonstration learning activity about community. The purpose of this activity is to show you one way of facilitating a learning activity in a short period of time.
Note:  Each of you will have an opportunity to facilitate a Module long learning activity during this workshop. You can review the details of the process in the Workshop Handbook:  Activities: facilitating page and you will find further guidance in your team planning forum in the Facilitation Teams Workspace tabbed page.
Your activity facilitation team will post detailed instructions and a schedule above the activity forum.

Focus for the Activity

You’ll be asked to explore your own perceptions of learning communities and the role an instructor can play in building community.

Goals

During this Module's discussions, you'll be asked to:

• share your ideas and experiences around learning communities
• explore different aspects of the Community of Inquiry model
• think of ways that an instructor can develop and maintain an learning community

Community Building

Developing a supportive and connected learning community is a key factor in helping learners feel comfortable and willing to fully engage in learning activities. Preparing a statement on a given topic and posting it for everyone to see can be an intimidating experience for a learner in a new group, particularly for those who are relatively new to the environment. When people know a bit about each other and have had an opportunity to interact informally, a sense of camaraderie can develop which encourages people to feel comfortable enough to take risks and explore ideas.

Many programs begin with a face-to-face course or residency so learners have met each other in person and have begun to form a cohesive learning community. As an instructor you might be the "stranger" who needs to get to know your learners.
We build a sense of connection with our learners through presence, interaction and commitment to a common purpose in a given space and time. Non-verbal and verbal cues of welcome, invitation and encouragement contribute to the tone of a face to face class. In the environment most of these communication tools are at our disposal if we just know how to employ them:

• Providing brief audio and video introductions to both the course and yourself as an instructor help bring your voice and personality to the class. Learners can do the same.
• Make your intentions and expectations explicit.
• "Silence" in an course, (a lack of messages, responses to messages or other interactions), can be construed – and misconstrued. In addition, it is easy to misunderstand a written message and draw negative conclusions. When a person is feeling anxious, the likelihood that they will interpret things negatively increases.

Mike Thompson (1:24)

Our job as learning facilitators is to be obviously supportive, both of the group and of the individual. The kinds of learning activities we choose play a significant part in the development of a sense of community. Learners cannot be passive knowledge-absorbers who rely on the instructor to feed information to them. It is imperative that they be active knowledge-generators who assume responsibility for constructing and managing their own learning experience. In a learner-centred environment, many of the traditional instructor responsibilities such as generating resources and leading discussion shifts to the learners. Success in an learning environment depends on the use of instructional strategies that support this shift in roles.

How do you create and sustain communities?

Patricia McClelland (3:46)

Beth Cougler Blom (3:41)

Presence and Learning

It is important for learners to understand that we are active helping with their learning, even when we are not speaking to them. We want them to know that we are reading their postings, watching activities unfold, and taking note of the process of learning. This is referred to as "instructor presence". Throughout this course you will find tips and strategies to establish and maintain presence without being overbearing or stifling learner initiative.

Doug Hamilton (1:03)

Developing a sense of community can begin from providing opportunities to create connections between participants and between participants and the course content. Don't be afraid to use your imagination and get creative; bring who you are to the online environment. At the same time watch that you don't overwhelm the group with additional activities that burden them. Keep it simple and make much of it optional.

Beth Cougler Blom (2:43) 

Alicia Wilkes (1:20)

Doug Hamilton (1:28)

Facilitation

This resource contains five very short video clips (three on this page, two on the next) from faculty. Sit down and take a relaxing 10 minutes to hear a few of their thoughts. Keep their insights in mind as you work through this Module's activities.

Doug Hamilton (1:02)

Jen Walinga (1:18)

Alicia Wilkes (1:28)

Providing Feedback

Feedback is essential to learning. It lets people know whether they are mastering the outcomes and indicates whether or not remedial or additional action is required. Feedback can also encourage learners to stretch and reach new heights. Feedback is like water or air for learners; they need it to survive.
Feedback can be inspiring to learners. It can assist struggling learners who need more encouragement and positive reinforcement. It can also help learners better appreciate the specific strategies they need to use to improve their skill level or performance. Nevertheless, if not done with sensitivity, respect, and empathy, feedback can also be devastating. Poorly planned, or awkwardly phrased feedback can confuse and demoralize a learner.
To be effective, feedback should be positive, concrete, and specific. Feedback should also be instructive. Like asking good questions, providing feedback also enables participants to reflect on their learning and determine possible follow-up actions and strategies.

Alicia Wilkes (1:04)

Optional Reading and Viewing

The following optional readings and videos are provided as references for the topics discussed in this Module's Overview.

Facilitation

• Cougler Blom, Beth, Facilitation - Tips and Strategies (PDF)
• RRU - CTET. (2008, Fall). Facilitating Learning (PDF) Tools for Teaching (T4T) Tipsheet, 1(2), 1-2.   Note: Still a useful guide for facilitators!
• Vaughan, Norman et al (2013) Chapter 3:  FACILITATION, Teaching in Blended Learning Environments: Creating and Sustaining Communities of Inquiry, AU Press,  pp.45-62.
• White, Nancy, Full Circle Associates, (updated article Mar 15, 2015) An Overview of Facilitation
• Roberts, Tracy, RRU - CTET. (1/1/2010). Assessing Participation (PDF)

Videos

• Excerpts from 2008 Facilitation Strategies video - (6 min, Youtube)
  0:11 - "How do you help students interact effectively in an course?"
  1:20 - "How do you sustain discussions?"
  1:45 - How do you keep a presence in discussions without taking over the conversations?"
  

And just for fun....

• (3:08 YouTube video)
  Note: Calling all Elvis fans....(funny because it's true?)

Community

• Richardson, Jennifer C et al. (2015) Conceptualizing and investigating instructor presence in learning environments.  The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, [S.l.], v. 16, n. 3, Jun. 2015. ISSN 1492-3831. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/2123/3349
• Thormann, Joan, Fidalgo, Patricia (2014)  Guidelines for Course Moderation and Community Building from a.Student's Perspective. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, Vol. 10, No. 3, September 2014, Retrieved from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol10no3/Thorman_0914.pdf
  Note:  Review the Abstract and the final sections - Discussion and Implications (pp383-385).
  

Community of Inquiry Model

• Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher educationmodel. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), 87-105
• Interactive CoI Model - https://coi.athabascau.ca/coi-model/an-interactive-coi-model/ Note:  includes definitions and embedded videos explaining elements of each presence

Feedback

• Effective Feedback - http://ctet.royalroads.ca/effective-feedback - Centre for Teaching & Educational Technologies, Royal Roads University

Facilitating Learning

I came across the Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) courses, while looking for materials to teach Australian university tutors. These courses are hosted by BCcampus in British Colombia, Canada (an organization similar to an Australian state funded TAFE vocational education providers). FLO courses are derived from the Canadian Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW), but intended for online delivery to those who teach online, rather than ISW's face-to-face. FLO materials are available as Moodle backup files, so they can downloaded, modified and uses (under a CC-BY license, for free).

 

In reading through the ISW and FLO materials, it struck me that there was no longer a need for two different approaches to teaching instructors, with two sets of courses and materials. There are no fundamental differences in the way students learn on-line or face-to-face, or the way instructors do their job. Instead teachers could learn how to teach online, an face to face. The materials and exercises for this could be designed for delivery online, or face-to-face, but like most post-secondary courses today, would likely be delivered via a blend.

 

In Australia, where I teach, and I assume Canada (where I have studied), most courses are officially categorized as classroom based, but students treat them as blended, only attending the face-to-face components they find of value. A student can usually get course outlines, videos, exercises and assignments online, only needing to turn up to some workshops/tutorials, and some examinations. Where conventional lectures are offered, most students will not turn up.

 

Post-secondary teachers can become frustrated when their students don't turn up. This frustration, I suggest, could be lessened by taking teachers through a well designed blended course, on how to teach. Instead offering a course which focuses on classroom exercises will increase frustration.

 

ps: One thing I did not understand is that FLO's Facilitators Forum (implemented in Moodle), is called a "Private Rail Car" and has a photo of a dome topped railway car. Is this ed-tech jargon, or Canadian slang?

Role of the Tutor Collaborating on University Educaiton

A tutor’s guide to teaching
and learning at UQ,
Bath, Smith & Steel, 2019

In looking for materials to teach university tutors, I came across "A tutor’s guide to teaching and learning at UQ" (Bath, Smith & Steel, 2019). This is a detailed 68 page document from the University of Queensland's Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation, intended to be read alongside the training offered to UQ tutors. It starts with responsibilities of a tutor, then addresses fears and concerns, preparation and planning. Then there is a chapter on how students learn, emphasizing that just telling students is not very effect, you have to get them to do something. The next chapter is "Effective small group teaching and learning". This is then followed by assessment, evaluation, and resources.

The emphasis in this guide is on small small group teaching (with mention made of classes of 16 students). The assumption is that the tutor works alone with a class, making up their own lessons. However, students are increasingly instructed in large groups, with a team of instructors, following a pre-designed lesson plan. Even where the tutor is on their own, they need to follow what the student is being asked to learn and do, in the course notes, lectures, videos and other instruction.

As a student myself, and as a tutor, a major frustration, and source of confusion has been when the tutor doesn't know what is going on in the rest of the course, so doesn't know how to support the students. As a tutor, on occasion, I have asked the students what was said in lectures. This can be a useful way to see what students have retained, and what misunderstanding there have been, but often it is because I really don't know what they were told.

I suggest tutors need to be trained to work collaboratively, with fellow tutors and the course supervisor. It is not be enough for the tutor to sit back and wait for this collaboration to happen, as many supervisors are too busy to organize it, don't understand the importance of this, or how to do it.

Standards for Australian University Teaching

In looking for material to help teach university tutors, I stumbled across the curious "Australian University Teaching & Criteria & Standards". The first odd thing about this is the title, which uses "and" twice. This Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching funded project set out criteria for those at each university teaching level. The project report proposes seven teaching criteria (Chalmers, Cummings, Elliott, Stoney, Tucker, Wicking, & Jorre de St Jorre, p. 43, 2014). Five of these criteria (1,to 4 and 6) are the same as the five "Areas of Activity" in the UK professional standards framework (HEA, p. 3, 2011). One of the added criteria appears to be from the HEA's Professional Values (V3 "scholarship"). The other, "Professional and personal effectiveness", appears to be an attempt to summarize several of the HEA criteria, but is too general to be useful. It would have been better for the project to simply endorse the HEA's criteria:

"1. Design and planning of learning activities
2. Teaching and supporting student learning
3. Assessment and giving feedback to students on their learning
4. Developing effective learning environments, student support and guidance
5. Integration of scholarship, research and professional activities with teaching and in support of student learning
6. Evaluation of practice and continuing professional development
7. Professional and personal effectiveness"

 Proposed Australian teaching criteria (Chalmers, et. al., p. 43, 2014), with those from HEA (2011) highlighted.

References

Chalmers, D., Cummings, R., Elliott, S., Stoney, S., Tucker, B., Wicking, R., & Jorre de St Jorre, T. (2014). Australian university teaching criteria and standards project. URL http://uniteachingcriteria.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Draft-SP12-2335-Project-Final-Report-21-July-2014.pdf

Higher Education Academy. (2011). The UK professional standards framework for teaching and supporting learning in higher education. URL https://documents.advance-he.ac.uk/download/file/7013

Improving Tutor Training

How much teacher training do those teaching at university need and how should this be provided? This is a question I have been looking at since first becoming involved in teaching at a university twenty years ago. I have been subjected to poorly designed online introductory tutoring course, a better four day face to face course, as well as longer programs. I decided to look at some of my frustrations, and recommendations, so I do not repeat the mistakes of the past.

Online course exemplar: In reflecting on being an online student of teaching, one frustration was in difficulty using the Learning Management System (LMS). In that case I was using one unfamiliar to me (Blackboard). In teaching tutors, who are mostly students, it would therefore help to use the LMS they have been using as students. It would also help to lay out the tutor course using a familiar standard template of courses at the university. The online materials should be an example of good design. One of my frustrations as an online student of education, was where the content of the course said to do something, but that was not followed in the way the course was implemented (a case of "Do as I say, not as I do"). It is especially important that the materials are provided online for a tutor training course, as you only have the students for a short time.

Provide Assessment: As a form of staff training, short tutor training courses are often not assessed, although the student may get a certificate of attendance. There may be some optional assessment offered, if they intend to apply for credit to program, or apply for an external certificate (such as fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, Association for Learning Technology, or the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia). However, I found it difficult to take some teacher training seriously as there was no assessment, and I just needed to turn up. Even if only for the purposes of formative feedback, some type of assessment should be provided. This will also provide the participant with some idea of what it is like for their own students.

Peer Support: As a student I disliked any form of group work. My attitude was that I just wanted to be told what to do, I would do it on my own, and then get out of there. However, this does not make for a satisfying learning experience. New tutors, like new students, need help and support, which they can't just get from supervisors. So forms of group work, peer feedback and assessment, should be built into the tutor training. This may be difficult to arrange, and unpopular, but is useful.

Practical Exercises: Much of the teacher training I have been a student of has been very "academic", with theory expounded by an expert talking to a passive class of students. There is plenty of research to show this is not an effective way to learn. Ironically, some of that evidence was cited by people standing up presenting slide after slide, just as that research said not to do. What I found most useful as a student was to be told a little theory, and then have to prepare a practical lesson, with my peers as students.

Not Intensive Mode: Being crammed into a room for a few hours, or days is not a useful way to learn. There needs to be time to reflect, and ideally try out, what is being learned.

Tutor Training

Principles of Tutoring & Demonstrating" (ANU, 2014):

"Principles of Tutoring and Demonstrating is a decamod in the Academic Professional Development (APD) program. It is a program specifically designed for research students to give a broad introduction to university teaching in the context of tutoring and demonstrating. It runs weekly during semester to provide ongoing support just when tutors and demonstrators may need it. "

This was made up of ten modules:

1. Setting the Scene - Reflective Practice

• Preparing for the first class
• Overview of rights and responsibilities
• Reflective practice
• The Professional Standards Framework and the EFS

2. Setting the Scene: Student Learning

• Student learning styles and how this affects the way we teach
• The role of the teacher - Theories of teaching

3.  Planning a Tutorial

• Theories of student learning and lesson planning
• Structuring a teaching session

4.  Teaching Groups & individuals

• Small group and cooperative learning strategies
• Strategies for engaging with student one-on-one

 5. Dynamics & Diversity

• Dealing with diverse groups of students.
• Responding to challenging situations and "difficult" students
• Notions of group life cycle
• Student needs and support services

 6. Introduction to Wattle* for Tutors

• Tricks and tips for using Wattle to enhance your teaching

 7.  Peer Observation

• Observation of another tutor with reflection online 

 8. Assessment & Marking

 9. Evaluation & Reflective Practice

• Evaluation practices
• Creating a teaching portfolio
• Action learning - evaluation to inform practice
• Personal reflection

10.  Troubleshooting (The Tutoring Toolkit)

• Discussion of teaching scenarios from past semester
• Key skills in a tutor's teaching toolkit

ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS ) offered a Teaching and quality Program (TQP), based on the above.


 * Wattle is ANU's Learning Management System, made up of Moodle and other tools.

Reimagining engineering and computer science tutor training for the 21st Century

I have been asked to help teach engineering and computer science tutors how to tutor. But first, what is the role of the graduates of these disciplines in the 21st century? The College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) at the Australian National University (ANU) has set out to reimagine engineering and computing for the mid 21st century.

The re-thinking of ANU engine ring and computing includes how to teach them, with Reimagine Co Design Culture Lab this week in Canberra. This includes consecrations of "Transformational education experiences that give a distinctive edge in technological problem formulation, with experience curated from the breadth of engineering, computing, science, social science and humanities". Some of the key aspects of this are creativity, collaboration, and human needs.

For STEM students trained and selected for their skills in narrow technician specializations,  creativity, collaboration and meeting human needs, are a challenge. For teachers who have also been trained in a narrow technical area, how to teach these broader skills, and assess them is also challenge.

The answer I suggest is authentic education and assessment. That is the teaching should be as much like the real workplace as possible. Students are then given a real task and assessed on how well they do it. Hardly anyone spends their days working by sitting silently in a big hall listing to some giving a presentation, so that should not be how they learn. Hardly anyone works by answering written questions on paper, alone, with no reference materials, so that is not how they should be assessed.

University teachers can be trapped in a vicious circle, where they teach using the same poor techniques used to teach them. The problem is that university academics receive little teacher training, and then pass or poor practices to their students. Even when offered more extensive teacher education, academics are busy teaching, or researching. Tutor training, provides an opportunity to break this cycle, by showing the pre-career academic, alternative ways to teach, before they become too busy to lean.

How should I teach university tutors?

I have been asked to help teach engineering and computer science tutors how to tutor. Suggestions, and contributions of syllabus, references, videos, exercises and the like would be most welcome. About half the tutors have some previous experience, half are new. Some are graduate students, some are from industry. We have until February next year to come up with a program, and then two days to teach them. There will be experienced tutor trainers as part of the team, but I am new to this (I have been a tutor and a teacher and trained to teach students, but not train the trainer).