Promoting Effective Preparation Effective, Efficient and Practical Research-based Strategies 2:30-3:30 PM Friday 23 January 2015 Tom Angelo, CAFÉ Director

Two Warm-up Questions 1. Why does it matter whether students prepare well for class? 2. What are the 2-3 biggest challenges you face in this regard?

Why don’t some of your students prepare well – or at all? They don’t think they need to (Haven’t yet) They don’t see any payoff or consequences They’ve got other priorities (e.g. work, sports, fun) They don’t know how to study effectively They haven’t mastered procrastination, anxiety, etc. Other reasons?

Which of these reasons can/should we meaningfully respond to? They don’t think they need to They don’t see any payoff or consequences They’ve got other priorities (e.g. work, sports, fun) They don’t know how to study effectively They haven’t mastered procrastination, anxiety, etc. Other reasons?

How might we – and others – promote more and better preparation? Convince them they need to prepare Make the consequences – positive and negative – very clear (accountability) Help them recognize and own their priorities Teach them how to study more effectively Help them manage emotions/change habits Create effective prep assignments, with clear guidance and useful feedback

Some options for: Convincing students they really do need to prepare Assess your course and grading scheme to see if student preparation really is necessary in order to pass your course Give a pre-test Use an exam or assignment “wrapper” Show students a comparison of grades of those who prepare well and those who don’t Stage small group, post-test discussion among students about how and how much they prepared Video past students (with your phone) and get them to make the case for preparing

Some options for: Making the consequences really clear Give a quick quiz before (MyCourses) or at the start of class Require submission of a set number of preparation assignments (e.g. SPAs) Collect and mark (very minimally) their homework Allot a small percentage of course grade to prep work Share, via MyCourses, examples of excellent prep work Call on students ‘randomly’ (cold calling) Allow only prepared students to participate in discussions/labs Show them examples of exam questions focusing on assigned prep material Avoid lecturing on/reviewing material they should have prepped

Assign a one-week time-logging exercise Some options for: Helping them recognize and own their priorities and choices Assign a one-week time-logging exercise Do a values affirmation exercise Seek help from Student Success and/or Student Life staff

Some options for: Teaching them to study more effectively Give very explicit directions for how to carry out preparation, not just what to prepare Demonstrate and model how to read/study for your subject Make effective metacognitive strategies explicit Scaffold the assigned prep work so that they know which are the most important elements to prepare Set up study groups and incentivize them (a tiny bit) Seek help from Student Success Center staff

Some options for: Helping them manage emotions and change habits Seek help from Student Success Center, Student Life and/or Health & Wellness staff Encourage and/or require students to seek help Use learning preference indicators to promote self-awareness Dedicate the last few minutes of class to starting the prep work Indicate to students how much time to spend on each element of the prep work Prioritize elements of the prep work (i.e., “If you can only spend 30 minutes on this, do the following first . . . “)

Assign prep work from Class #1 Some options for: Creating effective assignments, with clear guidance and useful feedback Assign prep work from Class #1 Provide all assignments at least two weeks in advance Assign realistic amounts of work for the time available Assign no readings that you won’t discuss or test students on Connect explicitly each prep assignment to the SLOs Assign no preparation that you won’t/can’t monitor (not the same as marking) If there are lots of prep assignments, drop the lowest mark(s) Give students feedback – not necessarily individual – on high- value preparation assignments Get feedback on your directions before giving them to students to ensure they are clear

A few final thoughts . . . Students’ preparation is affected by prior experience, habits, contextual motivation, task demands, and feedback We can’t change their past, and habits are difficult to change But we can influence motivation, carefully structure our tasks, and use feedback to our advantage Positive feedback and incentives generally work better We’ve got allies we can collaborate with “The perfect is the enemy of the good.” Small changes and small improvements can add up over time.

Possible Applications Applications Card Ideas/Techniques Possible Applications

The Parking Lot Test

What, Why and How Choose one of your possible applications. Prepare to answer the three questions below about that specific application: What is it? Why do you think it might be useful? How do you think you might use it?

If you have any questions about this presentation, or would simply like to discuss student preparation, please contact Tom Angelo angelot@queens.edu