- Back to Table of Contents
I have always found it interesting that I work as an educator as I have had minimal formal training in the art and science of teaching. I recall having taken one course during my graduate education that focused on teaching and teaching methods. The primary focus of my graduate education was on content in the area of speech pathology.
I could count the number of courses, conferences, and workshops that I have attended that focus on the process of teaching on one hand.
Over the past two decades the scope of practice in speech pathology has broadened dramatically. As a practicing speech-language pathologist I have had to continue my education through attending workshops, reading and self-study, and participation at professional conferences to maintain a contemporary level of knowledge. In addition to working as a clinician, I have been an educator at the university level for approximately ten years. I could count the number of courses, conferences, and workshops that I have attended that focus on the process of teaching on one hand. This was the primary reason I was interested in participating in FACETS. The thought of acquiring information and interacting with others on the same quest for information related to becoming a better teacher was appealing to me. The following represents some of my thoughts on being a participant in the FACETS project, discussion of some of the information that I found to be useful, and the impact FACETS has had on me as an educator.
The FACETS' Seminars—Opening My Eyes
I was pleased to see that there were so many individuals from such diverse backgrounds who were interested in improving their teaching. Even though we met at the end of a workday each month, everyone who attended the meetings seemed to come with a high level of energy and motivation. I was initially surprised to see that though our backgrounds differed significantly-- geography, theatre, music, computer science, to communicative disorders, many of the concerns that I had regarding teaching were similar to others in my group. Inclusion of current students and professionals in the community in our group gave our discussions a sense of authenticity. It more or less grounded our comments and deliberations in reality.
I approached the first issue, tackled on our initial meeting, teaching Millennial students, with a healthy dose of skepticism. My natural instinct is to shy away from generalization, respecting the differences of the individual. However, the insights that I gained from our discussion and from the text that was provided opened my eyes to generational variables that I had never considered. Many of the generational tendencies, for example, the preference to work in small groups, the tendency to view the instructor as “a person with expertise” instead of the expert, were observations I had made in working with my students. I felt a bit like a dinosaur when I recalled hearing myself say, “These students today, they have no idea of how it used to be” in my previous discussions with colleagues. I guess I had never really considered why I was seeing these differences. I began to realize my own ignorance of the unique make up of the current generation of students. I now have the beginnings of a better understanding of the Millennial student perspective. It is my intention to continue to appreciate the generational differences of my students and to adapt my teaching strategies in an effort to provide more meaningful learning experiences in my classroom.
The discussion of the backward design process, of learner understanding, of developing meaningful instructional experiences, and of the reflective process all hit home with me.
The seminar on cognitive science and its application to teaching and learning was jam-packed with information. Some of the material covered was familiar to me, but I had never had the opportunity to discuss these concepts with other educators. The notion of presenting information that is emotionally captivating to the listener, and that grabs her/his attention in an effort to promote retention of said information was compelling. In the past I have tried to do just this, I hope with some success. This new information provided me the motivation to attempt to find out more about student learning in the Fluency Disorders course that I teach. I enjoyed the material related to individual learning styles and preferences. I have learned that I must recognize and respect the diversity of student learning styles in my classroom. One way I can do so is by providing information to the student through an array of avenues. The use of lecture, PowerPoint presentations, large and small group discussion, hands on activities, videotaped examples, etc. effectively include varied modalities for learning. The assessment of students’ learning should also reflect consideration for individual learning styles, allowing each student an equal opportunity to demonstrate skills and knowledge.
Our final group meeting topic regarded using the backward design process in course development. I found this topic to be incredibly informative and immediately applicable! The discussion of the backward design process, of learner understanding, of developing meaningful instructional experiences, and of the reflective process all hit home with me. I was able to walk away from our final meeting feeling as though I was more prepared to design and develop coursework for student learning than I had ever been before!
Online Course Development—Daunting Challenges
Towards the end of the spring semester I began the process of developing an all-online course for the summer semester, Professional Issues: Medical aspects of speech pathology and audiology, and was feeling, quite frankly, a little lost as to how to accomplish the task. I had taught this course in a traditional lecture format in years past. This year, I would have audiology graduate students from UW Madison who were completing their clinical placements participating along with speech-pathology graduate students at UW Stevens Point. I had only a vague idea of how to present information in an online format and an even vaguer sense of where to begin the planning process. During the FACETS group discussions, as I listened to others’ share their thoughts and perceptions regarding the challenges of teaching, I felt as though many of the questions and uncertainties I had regarding the development of the course were being addressed, and that I was beginning to develop a game plan for resolving them.
I felt that the most daunting challenges in teaching an online course, along with my ignorance of the technology, included: how to connect personally with students in the cold vacuum of cyberspace; how to present information and maintain student interest, without boring them silly; how to determine the information I could include in the course, given the handicap of having to present it online only; and how to measure student learning.
As a result of my FACETS participation I began to realize that many of my perceived challenges were more related to the technological venue I was going to use rather than the challenges of developing student understanding. After being exposed to the information regarding the backward design (BD) process I was able to focus more on what I wanted students to walk away with from the course as opposed to how I was going to interact with the technology. BD allowed me to clarify the specific components I wanted to emphasize. I was able to deliberately use the BD process to organize desired student outcomes, developing my vision of a student’s “enduring understanding” as a result of having participated in my class, placing less emphasis on the fact that it was an online course.
My overall course goal was to develop and/or sustain the student’s interest in the medical aspects of speech pathology and audiology. Frequently, the graduate student’s experience at this point in her/his education has focused almost exclusively on educational settings. It is not uncommon for students to experience fear and apprehension when contemplating working at a hospital or skilled nursing facility. One of the best ways to diffuse fear is through providing information. I elected to audio and/or videotape my interviewing active professionals who worked in a medical setting. Then I edited and converted each interview into a RealPlayer file, and then placed it into my course for students to access. I asked students to view or listen to an interview and then participate in a small group discussion related to the speaker’s interview. Each week an assigned group scribe was required to sum up her/his group’s points of discussion and submit it to the class as a whole. We followed this weekly format for the bulk of the semester.
My Engagement with the Online Environment
Determining a means of assessing student performance for the online course became an easier process as a result of my FACETS experience. Because I elected to strive for authentic assessment, I decided to use their participation in the weekly group discussions. I provided the students with a rubric that outlined the components I was looking for in their discussion contributions and based my grading on it.
The entire process of developing and conducting an online course was a learning experience for me. As I stated previously, without the information I’d received from my participation in FACETS, I don’t believe I could have pulled it off as well as I did.
I have since completed teaching the online course and would like to include some of my reflections. The entire process of developing and conducting an online course was a learning experience for me. As I stated previously, without the information I’d received from my participation in FACETS, I don’t believe I could have pulled it off as well as I did. I had elected to make the course completely asynchronous. I felt that I might as well turn one of the perceived weaknesses into a strength; allowing students and me the flexibility in when we elected to participate in class. I felt that having practicing professionals serve as “guest speakers” would generate an interest and motivation in students to attend to the material being discussed.
It was even more relevant to the students since they were all approximately one or two semesters away from possibly practicing in a medical setting. Each of the speakers I chose had one thing in common, a passion for what s/he does in her/his respective field. I felt that the information presented was highly relevant and applicable, and that it was presented in a positive manner by each speaker. I was disappointed I could not participate in the weekly discussions as fully as I had hoped. I was busy acquiring speakers, editing their interviews, and constructing the electronic classroom, and simply did not have time to participate during the week. My comments typically came after all of the discussions had concluded and thus, most of my contributions came in the form of concluding comments. Another element I had hoped to encourage was an ongoing, back and forth interaction between the speakers and the students. Of the speakers who elected to participate in the electronic discussions, all did so after the fact, much like I had. These are elements I hope to address in next year’s class.
Reflective Practice—A Key Factor
The emphasis and importance placed on reflective practice in our FACETS discussions led me to ask the students for their reflections on the course. I elected to have one of the final class discussions focus on the course and the students’ perspective towards their participation. I specifically asked each student to share what s/he felt were the strengths and weaknesses of the course. Here are some of the pros and cons that they listed:
Strengths:
- “It was nice to have the freedom to post and do our assignments whenever we wanted to.”
- “Listening to ‘real world’ people was beneficial.”
- “I think that many people have been swayed by this course to consider the medical route.”
- “The personal interviews were excellent, in terms of content and responses.”
Weaknesses:
- “The amount of writing that was required for this class was relatively higher than expected.”
- “Students would have liked to have more interaction with the speakers.”
- “Just listening to the presentations was difficult. It was better when we could look at the speaker.”
- “I was disappointed in the structure of the class in that the discussions were one-sided. Rarely would students respond to other students comments.”
It was interesting to see that the students shared some of the same concerns that I did regarding the course. The response regarding the difficulty of just listening to a speaker without video information is one that I believe reflects a generational difference. I remember spending time as a youngster listening to the radio, whether it was a baseball game or a radio show (I’m sounding ancient here). I had to remember that my students are used to watching while listening. I hope to obtain video interviews with all of my speakers next year. Another generational difference between the students and me was related to the use of the new technology. Not one of the 28 students in the course indicated having any difficulties or concerns with maneuvering in the Desire 2 Learn course management system. I, on the other hand, felt almost completely dependent on Mary Mielke, our UWSP D2L expert, in learning to orchestrate the class.
Afterthoughts—Looking Backwards
I know that I will never arrive at a point where I can say “There, I’ve got it. Now I can relax and put it into cruise control.”
Fostering student learning is an ongoing, never ending process. I know that I will never arrive at a point where I can say “There, I’ve got it. Now I can relax and put it into cruise control.” I appreciate the direction and insights that I have gained through my participation in FACETS. I am happy to be able to state that I now have more tools to use to continue to help me evolve as an educator. I plan to use these as I digest my experience in teaching this online course. Rather than anticipate the next year’s course with fear or dread, I look forward to making it more effective than my initial attempt. I can honestly state that as a result of my participation in FACETS my teaching is better. My approach towards fostering student learning has been altered from now on. Thank you!
Contact Charlie at: cosborne@uwsp.edu