teaching improvement program labs, students, and teaching – oh my! january 17, 2008

Teaching Improvement Program

Labs, Students, and Teaching –

Oh My!

January 17, 2008

IntroductionFacilitators Michael Morrow, Faculty Associate, ECE Mark Allie, Faculty Associate, ECE Jim Barner, Faculty Associate, ECE

What is the primary role of the teaching assistant who is teaching a lab section? What other responsibilities do they have? How can they do the best job possible?

And where did that workshop title come from, anyway?

Workshop TopicsLab organization and operation.Equipment and emergencies.Fostering interest and creativity.Lab reports and grading.How TAs can influence and improve a course from within.

Now, let’s form some groups!

Group ExerciseWhat are the most important and/or difficult issues that teaching assistants must deal with when teaching a lab course?

Be ready to present your group’s list of the top 3 items.

Fundamental AssumptionsOur ‘product’ is knowledge; we assist students’ in obtaining it.Educating in labs is a process requiring more than one person (a team).Improving the effectiveness of our team (and our process) improves our product.

So, let’s jump into our first topic!

What are the key things a lab TA must do to effectively organize a lab course ?

Be ready to present your group’s list of the top 5 items.

Lab Organization Fundamentals

Preparation is the key to success – surprises are almost always bad!Safety rules and equipment You must provide and maintain a safe

environment for learning

Coordination between TA(s) and faculty supervisor Shared vision and expectations Uniformity in grading Regular meetings

PreparationAs subject matter expert Must know theory underlying lab

experiments Review theory, especially if it’s been a while Be ready to provide in-depth explanations to

students Familiarity with process and pitfalls

Don’t just review a prior solution, do each experiment from scratch

Equipment and tools Have you actually operated all the equipment? Can you use any required software tools?

PreparationAs teacher Prepare for every presentation, however

short. (Don’t wing it!) Always do an introduction to each lab. Try to anticipate student questions and

misconceptions. Experience Reflection on lab material

Your students must believe that you like what you’re doing.

PreparationYour students Are they ready to do the lab? Prelab reports

Is the work useful to students? Do they know that?

Are they having the intended results? Lab quizzes

Coverage Difficulty Concepts Entry vs. exit

Determining Educational Goals and Objectives

What do we want the students to learn? Goals are abstract statements of what we

want students to get from the lab. Understanding is not directly measurable.

How will we know if they have learned it or not? Objectives are measurable activities that

students can do. Establishing objectives helps us assess

student progress.

Lab TeamsAre teams appropriate?Reasons for teams More difficult experiments possible Cooperative learning Equipment limitations

Potential problems with teams Individual accountability Dysfunctional teams

Equipment Issues and Emergencies

Equipment and tools Do you have a tutorial? Is the equipment safe? Is it safely operated? Is the equipment ready to use? Who do I contact for repairs?

Is there any spare equipment? What to do if

Power failure? Network failure?

Equipment Issues and Emergencies

Emergencies Where is the nearest phone? What is the number to call? Is it posted next to phone? Do you have the faculty supervisor’s

home phone number? Eyewash? First aid? Think through ‘what if’ scenarios

Other Items?Let’s check your lists to see if there are other items...

Hey, why do I have to be here?

As a lab TA, what can you do to foster student interest and creativity, to make your students more motivated to learn?

Be ready to present your group’s list of the top 5 items.

Motivating Your StudentsLab introduction Purpose of lab

Technical competence Never try to fake an answer

Lab wrap-up Next lab pitfalls and effort required Time-management

Motivating Your StudentsWhy is this lab important? Future use of skills Relate simple lab to complex reality Students acceptance of the difficulty of

the lab is directly related to Their perception of the value of the lab How motivated they feel you are

Providing assistance Problem solving process Directed questioning Be proactive

Other Items?Let’s check your lists to see if there are other items...

Are they learning something?

As a lab TA, how can you effectively measure your students’ learning?

Be ready to present your group’s list of the top 3 items.

----------------------------------------------------Also, does measuring learning have any effect on learning?

Assessment IssuesLevels of understanding Bloom’s taxonomy

Design for Gradability (DFG) Grading rubrics Required report formats

Feedback to students Timeliness

Oral quizzesPractical examsTeam vs. individual grades

Other Items?Let’s check your lists to see if there are other items...

Who thought this up, anyway?

As a lab TA, what are some of the barriers to effective teaching that you may confront in teaching your lab course? (Other than students!)

Be ready to present your group’s list of the top 3 items.

Improving Your LabTAs have the closest and most frequent contact with their students.Faculty supervisors are often much more isolated from lab students.If there are improvements you would like to make, say something! Present solutions, not problems If there are multiple TAs, get consensus Most faculty are receptive – they may

already know there are problems but lack the time

Wrapping UpAnything left unresolved from your opening lists?Questions? Comments? Criticisms?

Please complete the workshop evaluation forms!

Thanks for your participation!

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Cognitive Domain

Understanding occurs at many different levels.

Knowledge

Comprehension

Application

Analysis

Synthesis

Evaluation

Rubrics

Another Sample Rubric10 – complete and accurate answer, addresses all significant points9 – nearly complete and accurate with only minor errors or omissions8 – adequate coverage with some gaps, no significant errors7 – minimally adequate, significant gaps, some errors6 – marginal0 – unacceptable

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