After the Conference

Monday, 22 July 2024

UMKC IT Resources and Classroom Technology | Stephen Pottebaum and Jamie Rinehart | view slides

Simple Syllabus | Marqual Graham and Annie Carr | view slides

Academic Technology | Danna Wren | View Slides

Connecting Students to Student Success Campus Resources | Kristi Holsinger | view slides

1. Division of Student Success: The Division encompasses several key departments: Enrollment Management (Admissions, Financial Aid, Registrar’s Office, UMKC Central, UMKC Connect), Roo Advising, Academic Support & Mentoring, Career Services, Professional Career Escalators Program, KC Scholars, and Bloch Scholars. Each department plays a vital role in providing support services to students, aiming to enhance their academic and personal success.

2. UMKC Central: Acts as a one-stop student service center handling core business transactions related to admissions, financial aid, billing, registration, and records. Faculty can refer students to UMKC Central for issues like payments, financial aid queries, and submission of petitions or paperwork. The center also conducts outreach campaigns and retention communications.

3. Financial Wellness Center: Launched in Summer 2021 and managed by Anna Zimmerman, it offers one-on-one financial coaching, workshops on various financial topics, and virtual resources. Faculty can collaborate with the center by inviting them to host sessions during classes or offering extra credit for attending workshops. Popular workshops include topics like applying for scholarships, credit management, and salary negotiation.

4. Roo Advising: Each student is assigned an academic advisor in their Major Academic Pathway (MAP), with mandatory advising sessions each semester. Drop-in hours and appointment scheduling through UMKC Connect are available. The advising syllabus in Canvas and post-appointment satisfaction surveys enhance student engagement and feedback.

5. Career Services: Expanded staffing and career development opportunities include applied learning experiences and community engagement. The Career Bridge program supports faculty in integrating career development into academic programs. Career Services offers presentations, internships, and career fairs to assist students in career exploration and readiness. Faculty are encouraged to involve students in these activities for enhanced career preparation.

Academic Support and Mentoring | Jessica Pearson | view slides

Making the Grade! (or Who's Grading Whom?) | Larry Wigger | view slides

Using the Who's in Class Form to Increase Accessible Learning | Alexis Petri | view slides

Tuesday, 23 July 2024

Instructional Design | Lorie Holt | view slides

Five promising practices for instructional design from Lorie's presentation are:

1. Focus on learning outcomes: Emphasize learning rather than content delivery, ensuring students understand and achieve specific learning outcomes. 

2. Backward design approach: Use backward design to structure courses, starting with the end goals and planning backward to ensure all activities and assessments align with these goals.

3. Student-centered design: Move away from teacher-centered approaches to learner-focused methodologies, prioritizing student engagement and critical thinking.

4. Beyond textbooks: Think beyond textbooks as the primary resource and consider diverse materials and activities to enhance learning.

5. Integration of critical thinking: Structure exposure to materials and activities designed to develop higher levels of thinking and critical analysis.

Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TiLT)  |  Alexis Petri  | view slides

Five promising practices around  TiLT from Alexis' presentation are:

1. Transparency in instruction: TiLT emphasizes transparent teaching and learning by clearly communicating the purpose, tasks, and assignment criteria. This involves explaining the outcomes (what students will learn), the tasks (what they need to do and how to do it), and the evaluation criteria (how their work will be assessed). This transparency helps students understand the expectations and how to meet them, promoting equitable learning opportunities.

2. Equitable impact: Research shows that transparently designed assignments can significantly impact student success, particularly for underrepresented, first-generation, and low-income students. These students are 50% less likely to complete college in four years compared to their peers. By making small changes in teaching practices to increase transparency, educators can provide more equitable opportunities for all students to succeed.

3. Addressing student challenges: TiLT addresses various challenges that students face, such as under-preparation, time management, motivation, and access to resources. Transparent teaching methods help students recognize and overcome these challenges by clarifying expectations, providing support, and connecting coursework to real-world applications.

4. Relevance to students' lives: TiLT helps students see the value of their college education by making it relevant to their work and daily life. According to surveys, alumni who believe they developed in-demand professional skills are more likely to feel their education helped them achieve their goals. Transparency in teaching helps students understand how their learning experiences are applicable beyond the classroom.

5. Long-term benefits: Implementing transparent teaching practices not only improves immediate academic performance but also has long-term benefits. It equips students with the skills and confidence needed for their future careers and personal development. Transparent instruction fosters a deeper understanding of course content and its applications, encouraging lifelong learning and continuous improvement.

Reasonable Accommodations | Shannon Wheeler | view slides

1. Individualized accommodations: UMKC Accessibility Services provides tailored accommodations for students with disabilities to ensure equal access to educational opportunities .

2. Support for faculty: Accessibility Services offers faculty resources and support for implementing accommodations effectively through the RooAccess Faculty Portal. 

3. Secure testing facilities: Accessibility Services ensures secure, video-monitored testing environments for students who require accommodations during exams. Testing accommodations policy.

4. Clarifying accommodation processes: Addressing common questions and scenarios related to accommodations to provide clarity and support to faculty. ​

5. Access vs. success: Emphasizing that accommodations are designed to provide access, not guarantee success, and balancing flexibility with maintaining course standards.

Building Community Among Graduate Students Session | Christine Getz | view slides

The School of Graduate Studies (SGS) supports graduate students through effective mentoring, providing resources, and fostering a community. Dean Getz encouraged sharing strategies that have worked and discussing how SGS can further assist in addressing the unique needs of graduate students.

1. Graduate students data: In Fall 2023, 33% of the UMKC student population were graduate and professional students. A significant portion, 35.18%, were international students, and 11.4% served as GTAs, GRAs, or GAs. Additionally, 18% were UMKC undergraduates, with many balancing family responsibilities and work within the Kansas City area.

2. Individual Development Plans (IDP): Implementing Individual Development Plans can help align expectations between students and mentors. These plans, available in multiple versions, provide a space for dialogue, planning, and career development beyond the standard study plan. They are designed to be revisited and adjusted periodically, serving as a roadmap for students' career development.

3. Support for professional development: One approach to building community is student-centered professional development. These include peer-mentored observations, themed learning communities, departmental colloquia, graduate student organizations, and specific programs like Preparing Future Faculty, 3MT (Three Minute Thesis), and career boot camps. 

4. Challenges faced by graduate students: Graduate students face challenges, including balancing academic responsibilities with family and work commitments, navigating unclear expectations, and accessing necessary resources. Dean Getz suggested ideas to address challenges and support educational and professional success. Encourage graduate students to self-select into themed learning communities for collaborative projects and discussions. Create mentoring spaces rather than evaluative ones to support graduate students in teaching and research. Promote the formation and participation in graduate student organizations to foster a sense of belonging and community.

Providing Feedback for Graduate Writers | Marcus Meade | view slides

here are five key take-aways specifically for feedback for graduate student writers, with an emphasis on the type and quality of feedback:

1. Types of feedback: The conference highlighted the importance of selecting the appropriate type of feedback for graduate student writers. Feedback includes formative feedback, which is ongoing and helps students improve during the writing process, and summative feedback, which is evaluative and provided at the end of a project. Balancing both types ensures students receive constructive guidance while understanding their overall performance.

2. Characteristics of good feedback: Good feedback should be specific, actionable, and focused on strengths and improvement areas. It should be clear and concise, avoiding vague comments that could confuse students. Effective feedback provides examples and suggestions for how students can enhance their writing, ensuring that they know exactly what steps to take next.

3. Encouraging reflective practice: Feedback should encourage students to reflect on their writing process and outcomes. This includes asking questions that prompt students to think critically about their choices and the effectiveness of their arguments. Reflective feedback helps students develop a deeper understanding of their writing and fosters long-term improvement.

4. Balancing positive and constructive feedback: A balanced approach to feedback, which includes both positive reinforcement and constructive criticism, is crucial. Positive feedback acknowledges what the student did well, which boosts their confidence and motivation. Constructive feedback addresses areas that need improvement, providing specific advice on how to make those improvements.

5. Other types of feedback: Written feedback is the typical path - when giving it, remember less is more. Also, consider trying different approaches to feedback. Using recorded message feedback can be an effective way to provide detailed, personalized feedback. Instructors can record their thoughts and suggestions, allowing students to listen and review the feedback multiple times. This method can also convey tone and emphasis more clearly than written comments, helping students understand the nuances of the feedback. Short, focused student conferences can be highly effective for providing in-depth feedback and discussing specific aspects of a student's writing. In a 15-minute conference, instructors can cover key points such as the main strengths of the student's work, areas needing improvement, and actionable steps for revision. These conferences provide an opportunity for interactive, real-time dialogue, allowing students to ask questions and gain clarity on the feedback received.