The Art and Science of Teaching: Integrating New Models and Technologies Sauder School of Business University of British Columbia William F. Massy Professor Emeritus and former Vice President for Business and Finance, Stanford University November 19, 2010

Introduction  Why new models? Why now? National needs and fiscal stringency require doing things as effectively and efficiently as possible. Because governments and other payers are strapped for cash, universities must make the most of what they have. Breakthroughs in science, technology, and management during the last decade are revolutionizing teaching and learning in higher education.  What we’ll cover this morning 1.Information technology enables innovative solutions that were not feasible in the past. For example, it can leverage the teaching and learning process, facilitate learning communities, reduce the frictions of time and distance, assess student learning in real time, and build databases for management and research. 2.Cognitive science enhances our ability to understand how students learn, how teachers should teach, and how to integrate the art and science of teaching. 3.Design principles for courses and “departmental teaching strategies” (portfolios of courses) enable the systematic improvement of effectiveness and efficiency.

1. Layers of IT Innovation 1.Personal productivity aids 2.Presentation aides 3.Unstructured information retrieval 4.Course management systems 5.Organized social networking 6.Structured information retrieval 7.Integrated learning aids 8.Integrated learning modules (fully fledged “learning objects”) Difficulty of the innovation task

Innovation is Achieved in Overlapping Stages time Technology relieves successive constraints: “ How the electric motor flattened the factory. ” Early adopters (first-mover advantage) Late majority Diehards Percentage of population adopting v. time Layers of IT innovation 1.Personal productivity aids 2.Presentation aides 3.Unstructured information retrieval 4.Course management systems 5.Organized social networking 6.Structured information retrieval 7.Integrated learning aids 8.Integrated learning modules Time % Stages of Adoption ( characterized by different kinds of people or organizations.) Innovators (intrinsic interest) Early majority (jump on the bandwagon)

2. Learning Principles from Cognitive Science 1.Prior knowledge can help or hinder learning. 2.Motivation generates, directs and sustains learning behavior. 3.The way students organize knowledge determines how they use it. 4.Meaningful engagement is necessary for deeper learning. 5.Goal-directed practice and targeted feedback are critical to learning. 6.Mastery involves developing component skills and knowledge, synthesizing, and applying them appropriately. 7.Students must learn to monitor, evaluate, and adjust their approaches to learning to become self-directed learners. 8.Students develop holistically, and their learning is affected by the social and emotional aspects of the classroom climate. Eberley Center for Teaching Excellence, Carnegie Mellon University

Teaching Principles from Cognitive Science 1.Acquire relevant knowledge about students and use that knowledge to inform course design and classroom teaching. 2.Align the three major components of instruction: learning objectives, assessments, and instructional activities. 3.Articulate explicit expectations regarding learning objectives and policies. 4.Prioritize the knowledge and skills that will be taught. 5.Recognize and overcome our expert blind spots. 6. Adopt appropriate teaching roles to support our learning goals. 7. Use reflection & feedback to progressively refine our courses. Eberley Center for Teaching Excellence, Carnegie Mellon University

3. Some Design Principles for Courses  Task and space differentiation Steps in the learning process Students’ first exposure to materials Student “processing” of materials Feedback on student work Types of “learning space” Joint space (F2F or synchronous online classes) Student space Teacher space  Resource differentiation Figure out the “highest and best use” for each type of resource (e.g. faculty, TAs, support staff) and use it that way.  Manage class sizes for the department’s course types as a “portfolio.” For example, the relationship between class size and learning is multifaceted.

Principles of Differentiation  How could this example of a conventional lecture with TA- taught discussion sections be improved? ResourceTeaching and Learning Task First exposureProcessingFeedback FacultyLectureOccasional office hoursNotes on individual papers TAsDiscussion sectionsNotes on individual papers TechnologyUsed mainly for presentation enhancement and course management

Principles of Differentiation  How could this example of a conventional lecture with TA- taught discussion sections be improved? The lectures are bad knowledge transmitters because: They fail to engage the students: passive learning + one-size-fits-all Student attention to pre-assigned work often is cursory (not “needed?”) Processing, which should produce the most active and deepest learning, is handled by the least experienced resource (TAs). Commenting on individual papers is highly labor-intensive and repetitive. Technology is “bolted on,” not embedded in the basic course design. ResourceTeaching and Learning Task First exposureProcessingFeedback FacultyLectureOccasional office hoursNotes on individual papers TAsDiscussion sectionsNotes on individual papers TechnologyUsed mainly for presentation enhancement and course management

A Course Design that Illustrates the Principles Asynchronous teacher participation Asynchronous student participation Synchronous activities: teachers and students Help: TAs Work with course software Peers TAs Faculty Process & response Peers TAs Faculty Response Reporting sessions Response Papers or projects Process Interpretive seminars Process Motivating lectures First exposure Response Test First exposureProcess Feedback Steps in the learning process: Teacher Student Joint Types of learning space:

A Planning Model for Departmental Teaching Strategy Teaching Portfolio