This site provides examples of instructional resources created in the Humanizing Online STEM Academy, a professional development program funded by the California Education Learning Lab and administered by the Foothill DeAnza Community College District.
I enrolled in the Humanizing STEM academy based on great recommendations from colleagues who attended earlier cohorts of the course. I was doing some of the projects in the humanizing STEM academy already. I had course card for my classes and also text version of the getting to know you exercise. I had welcome videos and short videos (bumper videos) to explain concepts but I was not consistent. I had a canvas homepage for my course but I knew it could be better. I was aware of the benefits of a liquid syllabus but did not have one yet, and I did not have any experince in using adobe express and Flip.
I am comfortable using adobe express to create engaging videos, and I have a liguid syllabus that will make important information accessible to students before the beginning of the semester. I can use flip to create interactive video/audio exercises for students. I am also conscious of the data and current thinking about humanizing STEM to close equity gaps.
I look forward to circling back to the resources available to me through this course as part of my professional development. I will make liquid syllabi and welcome videos a consistent component of all my courses. My experience with adobe express will also make it easier to create video content. I will also be more intentional about creating bumper and microlecture videos to improve student engagement and learning in my courses.
I have always wanted to create a liquid syllabus so I am glad I now have the tools to create one for my courses. Giving students access to important but precise course information at the beginning of the semester is a good way to reduce the stress that students experience. I previously sent students abridged versions of my syllabus before the beginning of the semester, but with a liquid syllabus I can make important course information and resources even more accessible to students.
I chose this image of a seal lying on its side. It is almost as if the seal posed for the picture, which makes it funny. Many non-biology major students tend to be anxious when taking science classes but this course card invites students to relax and have fun with the course content.
I used a banner image that both welcome students and includes biology themes that are related to the course. I have a brief introduction of myself to the class and some important communication imformation about how they can reach me. My picture with a warm smile also creates a calming effect. At the bottom of the page I have a sinlge buttun that tells students where to start in the course - the orientation module.
The "Getting to Know You Suvey" is one of the best ways to get inforation about the specific needs of students and discuss with students how best I can serve them. There is a sense of warmth that is created between me and my students through this exercise.
This self-affirming ice-breaker has a series of questions that students share about themselves in Week 1 discusion post exercise. Students introduce themselves to the class using Flip. Students tell us their name, hobbies, carrier goals, expectations for the course, study skills, etc. and get to interact with each other by responding to two of two posts of their classmates.
I have a page on note-taking in my orientation module. However, adding a video that gives an overview of specific note-taking method, the cornell method, will give students the resources and encouragement to give it a try. I will add this to my orientation module as well.
I have a discussion exercise on enzymes that allow students to help each other out with the concepts they found most challenging, i.e. their muddiest point. However, a microlecture about just enzyme regulation, since its one of the concepts students find challenging will help clarify some of the information better.
