Staying true to the 3-big questions I now ask my students to answer, PATCH THIRTEEN: “EXCUSE ME, WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?” June 7, 2017 by Associate Professor Keisha G. Tracy post caught my eye and peeked my interest. What struck me was the profile of her learners. The courses I teach were often viewed by students as a hurdle. Students pushed back with every activity, task, or request for participation. Simply put the students and the original syllabus failed to make connections to why anything we did in class was important to them now or in the future. Working with the curriculum team we revamped the syllabus so that assessments reflected learning objectives. However, the day-to-day activities and learning opportunities built on, and even expanded, relevant and current world topics that modeled the learning objectives. The shift in the staff was noticeable and this positively impacted our learners. I took my instruction a step further by engaging learners in answering "Why they must learn___?" "When can they use ____?" and "How can they use ___?" Our instruction had vector that was personal, profound, and positive. And students walked away with nuggets of knowledge that they did not have before.

The Faculty Patchbook. (June 7, 2017). PATCH THIRTEEN –Excuse me. Why is this important?