A Scientific Approach to Achieving Learning in Your Course Leilani Arthurs Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Welcome! Every participant will have a participant number. We’ll count off. Please remember what your number is. L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 2 of 19

What kind of institution is closest to the kind of institution that you teach at? A.Elementary to Middle school B.High school C.2-year college D.4-year primarily teaching college E.4-year research university L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 3 of 19

In which department or discipline do you primarily teach your course(s)? A.Geology / Geoscience / Earth Science B.Geography / Environmental Studies C.Meteorology / Climatology D.Astronomy / Physics E.Chemistry L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 4 of 19

How much do you already know about developing learning goals, classroom activities, and assessments? A.I consider myself an expert in these areas, and I could totally be giving this workshop! B.I have a high level of familiarity with these, and am always trying to learn more about them. C.I have a high level of familiarity with 1 or 2 of these areas, but not all 3. D.I have a modest understanding of these areas. E.Developing these 3 things myself is new to me. L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 5 of 19

What is one thing that you hope to get out of this workshop? L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 6 of 19

What does “effective learning” mean to you? L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 7 of 19

What is your target course (e.g. Historical Geology, Environmental Geochemistry, Intro Astronomy)? L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 8 of

A basic scientific approach to achieving learning in your course involves a systematic three-step process. L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 9 of Set & comm. learning goals for self & students 2. Use activities to help students achieve goals 3. Assess whether students achieved goals

A learning goal is a statement of what students should be able to do and at what level. L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 10 of 19 Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation Levels of intellectual behavior, Bloom’s taxonomy (1956). Receiving Responding Valuing Organizing Internalizing Levels of attitudinal behavior, Krathwohl’s taxonomy (1973). Increasing levels of sophistication

These statements are written with specific language (esp. verbs) and are assessable. L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 11 of 19 Students will be able to … A.understand how surface properties affect albedo. B.appreciate the connection between the chemistry of Earth’s atmosphere and Earth’s climate. C.define latent heat. D.apply knowledge of feedbacks to predict possible climate outcomes given a hypothetical scenario. E.compare temporal CO 2, CH 4, and temperature data and interpret what they mean. Useful Action Words:

LGs can be written to address different levels of the course structure. L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 12 of 19  Course-level LGs provide the “Big Picture” for the overall desired learning outcomes after taking your course.  Topic-level LGs are behaviors students should be able to do after learning about a specific topic.

LGs can be written to address different levels of the course structure. L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 12 of 19  Course-level LGs provide the “Big Picture” for the overall desired learning outcomes after taking your course.  Topic-level LGs are behaviors students should be able to do after learning about a specific topic. 1.Take out a piece of paper. 2.If you haven’t already, write the name of target course. 3.Write 3 overall course-level LGs for your target course. 4.List 3 topics addressed in your target course. 5.For each topic, write 1-3 topic-level LGs.

What are some examples that you all came up with for course- and topic-level LGs? “Students will be able to ….” L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 13 of 19 C = course-level LG; T = topic-level LG C: T:

After establishing learning goals for your students, it’s time to ask: What can I do to help my students achieve these learning goals?  Traditional lecture vs. Transformed teaching  Many options for transformed teaching L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 14 of 19

After establishing learning goals for your students, it’s time to ask: What can I do to help my students achieve these learning goals?  Traditional lecture vs. Transformed teaching  Many options for transformed teaching ConcepTests & peer instruction (Mazur, 1997) Contrasting cases (Swartz, 1998) Authentic performance tasks (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005) Process-oriented guided-inquiry learning (Hanson, 2006) Lecture tutorials (e.g. Prather et al., 2008; Kortz & Smay, 2010) Integration of instructional technology: GE, sims, clickers.. and more! L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 14 of 19

Activities that enhance student learning share several common characteristics. They are associated with a specific learning goal(s). They are based on a single well thought out and well designed question or series of questions. They engage students beyond the lowest levels of intellectual or attitudinal behaviors. They promote communication and discussion between students about course concepts. They are spring boards for instructor-facilitated class discussion about students’ current level of understanding. L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 15 of 19

After setting goals and structuring learning activities to aid in their attainment, it’s time to ask: To what extent did students achieve the learning goals?  Formative Assessments Done throughout the semester Often not graded Informs instructional decisions e.g. CATs (Angelo & Cross, 1993)  Summative Assessments Done at the end of semester, module, chapter Usually graded Generally, does not inform instructional decisions (for that semester/term) e.g. exams, final projects, final papers L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 16 of 19

After setting goals and structuring learning activities to aid in their attainment, it’s time to ask: To what extent did students achieve the learning goals?  Formative Assessments Done throughout the semester Often not graded Informs instructional decisions e.g. CATs (Angelo & Cross, 1993)  Summative Assessments Done at the end of semester, module, chapter Usually graded Generally, does not inform instructional decisions (for that semester/term) e.g. exams, final projects, final papers L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 16 of 19

The results of assessments can help to inform you on matters such as … To what extent your students achieved the learning goals How effective the activities and classroom practices were at facilitating student learning Whether and how you might revise one or more activities Whether and how you might revise a learning goal(s) Where there may be room to improve the alignment between what you expect students to learn, how you help them meet those expectations, and how you assess their learning L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 17 of 19

Aligning these three aspects of a course can be an iterative and energy/time intensive process, but is extremely worthwhile in terms of helping students learn. L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 18 of 19 Be patient with yourself and have fun when undertaking this process! 1. Set & comm. learning goals for self & students 2. Use activities to help students achieve goals 3. Assess whether students achieved goals

Thank you for your participation in this workshop! Questions? L. Arthurs; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; CLEAN WorkshopSlide 19 of 19