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 have taught online for ten years, and I have come a long way. Back then I had no idea how to teach a logic class online. I didn't have many colleagues doing it, and those who were teaching logic online were doing a hybrid version where students come to campus to take exams. I wanted to be able to deliver a fully online course that has as much impact as a face to face course. I used publisher materials for exams and homework because I didn't think I could deliver the same kind of quality on my own. I wanted to create my own, but I was unsure of myself.
I am rejuvenated! This experience in the Humanizing STEM group has given me a lot of tools to work with, and I intend on using them all. I have even started incorporating videos into the current courses I'm teaching. I look forward to where I am going....
I am going on sabbatical next semester to write OER materials for an online logic course that is similar to the course that I focused on in this academy. I have taught that course many times. I am so excited to take what I learned here and work on my project and develop a fully online version of Symbolic Logic.
Using a liquid syllabus allows me to convey the message, "I want you to succeed in this course," to my students. By posting a welcome video, images, expectations, and more I am letting students know that I have given the class a lot of thought, and hopefully it shows to students that I will give them a lot of attention on their educational journey.
I chose this image for three reasons. First, it conveys the idea of "We are working together," meaning "I, the professor, amd working alongside you, the student. I think this is important to get across in an online class in general, but especially after the isolation due to the pandemic. Second, it conveys the idea of collaboration between students, too. This is important to impart a sense of community in the online class. Third, I was looking for images images of people thinking, and and this is a great exemplar image of people in thought.
My homepage serves as a kindness cue for students because I include information on the homepage to give students as much useful information at the start of class as possible. I include important information about the course and useful links to resources outside of the course. These resources include our food pantry, student services, the library, and Canvas support. I aim for students to veiw me as a resource as well.
This survey will be available the first day of class and open for the first two weeks. Two of my favorite questions from the survey are: What can I do to support you? and What do you think this course is about? I will take these responses and try to tailor the material to address some aspect of the responses. For example, if a student says that they think that the course is about the meaning of life, I might spend some lecture time of different kinds of meaning.
I chose this icebreaker activity because I think it's important for us to talk about our values. I think students appreciate it when professors take interest in their values and share their own. I also like getting to know that my students think, how they feel, and what they value.
I think that this assignment foster metacognition because it asks to students to think about how they felt at the beginning of the course and to compare that with how they feell about it now. By leaving advice for future students, too, students have the opportunity to reflect on their own growth in the course and the continuation of that growth beyond the course.
This bumper video is on operator scope, and it will use it early in the Symbolic Logic course. The purpose is to clarify what is meant by "operator scope" and give examples. It will give students reference examples to which to refer in their homework.
This is a micro lecture on how to complete a truth table. The learning objective that it is aligned with is to learn to evaluate formal arguments using various proof systems. The truth table method is one semantic method of proof that we use in the course.
I think that by being able to replicate the board work that I would do in a face to face class, I am enhancing student understanding. This video shows students the process of filling out a truth table and using that information to evaluate arguments for validity.
