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Hi! I'm Faith Sidlow with the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism in the College
of Arts and Humanities. The course I'm redesigning is MCJ 172, Media Law.
One of the technology tools I learned about during the summer academy was videoscribe,
and I'm going to attempt to deliver my report out video using this tool.
The key elements of my redesign include the following:
I rewrote my student learning outcomes using the updated Blooms Taxonomy and I've made
sure the assignments are relevant. I've eliminated two of four scantron exams
and replaced them with a group research paper. Students will work both individually and as
a group to write a paper and produce a related video.
I redesigned my syllabus and Blackboard to make them more student friendly and better
organized. My videos have been digitized and are being
uploaded to the streaming service for student access outside of the classroom
And I'm incorporating rubrics into Blackboard for grading of class discussions and group
research papers When I began teaching this class four years
ago, it was strictly lecture followed by four multiple choice, true false exams. A lot of
class time was used showing videos to illustrate concepts and tell stories, but students were
not engaged. I've been working to make the course more
interactive, but I've found students still come to class unprepared, they haven't read
the text, and most don't participate in class discussions. I've tried daily iClicker quizzes
and weekly discussion board assignments, but I haven't really noticed an increase in retention.
I've also tried group discussions in which students worked out solutions to hypothetical
situations, and while they were more engaged, they were still unable to answer exam questions
dealing with the same concepts we discussed in class.
My plan is to flip my classroom so students spend more time outside class-- reading assignments,
watching videos, and doing research, and more time in class engaged in meaningful discussions.
I started doing this on a small scale last semester with my group discussions. Previously,
I had each group discuss the same hypothetical situation at the same time and then respond
to a list of questions with the entire class. I found that the same two or three students
did all of the talking. This time I gave students a list of 9 questions in advance. They had
to turn in hard copies in class, which improved attendance. The questions started with key
terms or concepts, moved up to a theme or idea and then applied the concepts to real
life. Some of the comments during the technology
academy made me realize that my groups of 5 to 8 students were too large for ideal discussion.
There were always a couple students who didn't participate and a couple who monopolized the
discussion. At the academy, we talked about the think, pair, share concept, which offers
more structured discussion and gives students who don't speak up an opportunity to be heard.
Also, as a result of the academy, I've decided to experiment with a group research paper
and video project. In the past, students who completed research papers for extra credit
remarked how much more they learned doing the research than they did reading the text
and studying for exams. I plan to use intensive peer evaluations to get all of the students
involved in the planning and execution of these projects.
I've struggled with my student learning outcomes until attending this academy. I couldn't understand
why my outcomes didn't work with my assignments and vice versa. With the help of my instructional
designer Sue Yang, I rewrote my learning outcomes and then I redesigned my assignments based
on the outcomes. With the help of Chris Hernandez, I'm designing
a post semester survey to give to my spring 2013 media law students. The survey will assess
their perceptions and level of engagement related to iClicker quizzes, Blackboard discussion
forums, in class discussion groups, discussion group assignments, discussion question assignments,
extra credit research papers, in class videos, the text, handouts, Internet articles, the
lengthy exam review packet, types of exam questions, and number of exams, and students'
perception of my grading structure. Although students will participate in this survey after
receiving their grades, I'm hoping their responses will give me an idea of their perceptions
of the class prior to redesign. I will then give fall 2013 students a similar survey and
compare the results. I'm planning to get almost all of this all
done for the fall 2013 semester. I've completed my syllabus redesign and I'm working on my
Blackboard redesign now. I've converted all of my VHS videos to digital, and they should
all be uploaded to the streaming service before the beginning of the fall semester. I'm in
the process of rewriting my exams and the research assignment and adding the learning
outcomes to the assignments so students will understand exactly what they're supposed to
accomplish. The summer academy is one of the most beneficial
workshops I've ever attended. The main highlight for me was being able to brainstorm with other
faculty who are as interested in learning new technology as I am. I gleaned so many
ideas from just listening to everyone else talk. Some of the highlights- the emphasis
on authentic learning activities instead of exams, learning about grades first and the
new and improved Blackboard—especially how to add rubrics to individual assignments and
learning about new technology. I don't really have a lot of concerns. I guess
the thing I'm most worried about is overdoing technology. I have a tendency to want to do
too many things at once. Each semester, I've added a new element to this class, but I've
never eliminated any of the old elements. I'm also concerned that my students won't
do the out of class assignments, much as they don't do out of class reading. But I can't
wait to find out. Bottom line is, every day I learn something
new about teaching effectively, thanks mainly to Title V and Tilt. Thanks for this opportunity!