Summer 1:1 with all students

This summer (and last) I taught (fulltime) Intro to Biochemistry which is mainly taken by students in Nursing pre-program.  Most have not taken College 101 and I have been wanting to incorporate more mentoring and College 101 topics in this introductory course.  I cannot recall a semester when I am not asked to take late assignments or to rearrange an assessment for work- related reasons.  Each semester some students are very surprised by the amount of studying required for our class or the rigor involved.

Try as I have for many years to impart some of these truths, I decided about two years ago to meet with all students 1:1 so they could have an instructor who invites them to share and lets them know we are  willing to help them find answers to questions about NWTC.

I have noticed more interaction among the students after these meetings and I am sure that some meetings also save some students time and effort when they decide to clarify for themselves how to 'do school'.  
I find Starfish to be very helpful too, but not all students know how to use it.  
Sometimes it is easy to think students know where the library/ assessment center/ BATHROOM is located, but I find each summer that not all students have been here before or feel comfortable exploring on their own.   Many transfer students from universities have commented that they love the small classes and personal attention they receive at NWTC.

Create an Online Habit

Managing online classes can be a challenge. The student isn’t in front of us; so it is easy to grade what is in “needs grading” and think we are on track. 

On Course Strategy

On the first day of each learning plan in class, provide students with a list of topics/key words to know (or assign ahead of class time). In my case it was medication information for nursing pharmacology. Have students start with different sets of meds so they are not all working on the same. Have half the class be an Eagle, the other half Hawks. Pair students up into an Eagle-Hawk team.

Creating Blackboard Banner

I decided to personalize the banner at the top of my blackboard page. I am updating it with a practice exam question for motivation in hopes to get my students to log in more frequently!!  To create a banner using .ppt read further.  

Corequisite Remediation: Spanning the Completion Divide

Breakthrough Results Fulfilling The Promise
of College Access for Underprepared Students

http://completecollege.org/spanningthedivide/#home

Complete College America’s new report, Spanning the Divide Through Corequisite Remediation, presents new and exciting data from five states that have seen dramatic improvements in gateway course success rates in both math and English. These states have scaled a statewide approach to academic support in which students who would have been placed into remedial education are instead enrolled in a college-level math or English course with additional academic support provided as a corequisite.  The session will review the report’s findings and some exciting tools for states and institutions are that are committed to implementing corequisite support.

Discussion Board and Facebook

I am using discussion board and Facebook in my online class in hopes to stimulate better discussions and engage students!

Clever, Quick Vocabulary Assessment

Recently, while reading the latest issue of the STAR (STudent Achievement in Reading) newsletter I came across an idea for a vocabulary activity that could be done with…wait for it…no prep! What? It didn’t seem possible, but it really is a clever little activity that allows instructors to assess students’ depth and breadth of understanding of a particular vocabulary word with virtually no prep. Even better, it can be used in any discipline area on the spot (when you have a few extra minutes) or as part of your planned lesson delivery. If you are intrigued, click the link and read on…WHO NEEDS TO KNOW THIS WORD?

A & P Fit document

During the Fall 2015 In-Service training, I was struck by an idea.  I felt that many of my students had the desire to succeed in my courses but lacked the tools that they needed in order to do so.

They were reading PowerPoint slides, sometimes watching lecture videos…but that was about it.

To The Moon!

In a previous post, I mentioned that I demonstrated the value of cooperative learning with a class activity. I like to tell the students that we are taking a trip to the moon, but in reality it’s a team building exercise.

Survey Says…

The question is, “What do students get out of participating in the High Impact Practice of Cooperative Learning?” Before getting to the survey results, let’s set the stage.

The final capstone of Teaching Methods 2.0 challenged me to analyze a negative situation in my classroom and develop a vision of the desired future reality, then implement an intervention.