One of my BI 112 sections completed a GIFT session in Fall of 2023. While it can be difficult to determine student's perceptions of the classroom environment, I was pretty confident going into this session that the general attitude towards the class was positive. My perception was correct, as most of the comments and feedback given during the GIFT session were positive. Learning from an objective source what aspects of my teaching students responded to positively was helpful in identifying things that I should continue doing and using in my classes. A highlight that really brought it home for me was the point m students made of indicating that I focus on not just getting the right answer the first time, but the process of learning. This demonstrates that students are able to see their own growth and learn from their mistakes, which is intrinsically motivating. Normalizing making mistakes and learning as a growth process inherently helps to build resilient learners.
When discussing the items which students raised as things that interfere with their learning, I realized that these choices I'd made in the structure of my class for pedagogical reasons were intentional, but I had not communicated the reasoning behind those choices effectively to the group. I will often bristle at completing tasks or assignments if I don't see the why, so it goes students would as well.
This conversation reminded me of a keynote at NW Bio in spring of 2023. A biology education researcher studied "teacher talk" in general biology courses - how much and what tone (positive or negative) teacher talk takes throughout the term. One major conclusion they identified was teacher talk happened most frequently at the start of a term, but significantly dropped off afterwards. This is a good reminder that while I have sound pedagogical reasonings for how I structure my courses, and why I ask students to complete certain assignments in a certain order and timeframe, just because I mention my reasonings during the syllabus talk, doesn't mean they're able to connect that conversation to the actual assignments throughout the term. After the GIFT review, I attempted to add in the why behind assignments for that week. While it felt awkward reiterating what I perceived as to have already been discussed, it will get easier the more I do it. This type of explaining my thinking will most easily fit into discussions about learning and academic skills that I already have with my students on a regular basis.
Through more frequently explaining the why behind pedagogical decisions, I aim to gain student buy-in and ownership of learning activities. It's challenging to initiate motivation or develop resiliency without buy-in and ownership of the learning process.
Academic integrity is about doing the right thing in all aspects of academic life, even when no one is watching. As a members of the academic community at Chemeketa, it is expected that we are honest, ethical, and trustworthy, and we hold ourselves responsible for our educational pursuits. Practicing academic integrity includes enacting behaviors that help you learn, and completing work and assignments within instructor guidelines, including (but not limited to): providing original thoughts and answers to discussions, assignments, and all work. If sources are used, properly citing those sources, including quotations or paraphrasing when appropriate.
If you are in a position where it is not clear how to act with academic integrity, or if you are unsure if what you are doing would violate academic integrity, talk to your instructor about the best path forward. If your isntructor finds that academic integrity has been transgressed, on the first transgression you will be asked to re-do the assignment following proper academic integrity guidelines. On the second transgression, you will receive a zero for the assignment and a report will be sent to the Dean of Sciences and Dean of Student Affairs. If a third transgression occurs, you will receive a failing grade in the course and an additional report to the Dean of Sciences and Dean of Student Affairs.