APPLYING THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES FOR GOOD PRACTICE IN UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATIONPresenters:Dr. Felisa Eafford, Associate Dean, Liberal ArtsRachel Rickel, Adjunct faculty, EnglishStephanie Greer, Adjunct faculty, English

WHAT WILL BE COVERED

• What are the seven principles?• How can the principles be effectively applied to teaching?• What happens when the principles are not applied effectively?• How do the principles relate • to ELOs(Essential Learning Outcomes) and• preparing students for the workplace?

ARTHUR W. CHICKERINGAND ZELDA GAMSON

Authors of the Seven Principles (1991)Guidelines for faculty, students, administratorsBased off of 50 years of research on teaching & learning

Principle #1

GOOD PRACTICE ENCOURAGES STUDENT -- FACULTY CONTACT

Frequent student-faculty contact helps with student motivation and involvement. Faculty often become informal mentors to students to help guide them academically.

EXAMPLES1. Encourage students to communicate with you2. Get to know students’ names3. Seek out students who might be having issues4. Learn about students’ interests and majors/careers5. Serve as a mentor/informal advisor to students6. Share your own college experience with students7. Use multiple means of communication (e.g., WebEx, skype)8. Arrange student conferences during class time9. Arrive 15 minutes before and stay 15 minutes after class10. Develop contact within class

Principle #2

GOOD PRACTICE ENCOURAGES COOPERATION AMONG STUDENTS

Good learning is collaborative. Working with others often increases involvement in learning. It is good to use different teaching strategies that encourage students to get involved with one another in and out of the classroom.

COOPERATIVE PRACTICES1. Small group and online discussion forums elicit more participation than classwide and face-to-face discussions.• Online discussions provide students with an opportunity to practice civility in

virtual spaces.• Small group discussions reveal multiple perspectives to students.

2. Peer workshops and group work encourage students to take ownership of their learning process.• Working together encourages students to see their peers as resources.• Peer-to-peer feedback motivates students to put forth their best effort.

COOPERATIVE PRACTICES

1. SMALL GROUP AND ONLINE DISCUSSION FORUMS ELICIT MORE PARTICIPATION THAN CLASS WIDE FACE-TO-FACE DISCUSSIONS.

• ONLINE DISCUSSIONS PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTICE CIVILITY IN VIRTUAL SPACES.

• SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS REVEAL MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES TO STUDENTS.

2. PEER WORKSHOPS AND GROUP WORK ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THEIR LEARNING PROCESS.

• WORKING TOGETHER ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO SEE THEIR PEERS AS RESOURCES.

• PEER-TO-PEER FEEDBACK MOTIVATES STUDENTS TO PUT FORTH THEIR BEST EFFORT.

Principle #3

GOOD PRACTICE ENCOURAGES ACTIVE LEARNINGStudents do not learn much just sitting in classes listening to teachers and memorizing facts. It is good for them to talk about what they are learning, write about it, relate it to past experiences, and apply it to their daily lives.

ELEMENTS OF ACTIVE LEARNING1. Talking and listeningWhen students talk about a topic, whether answering a teacher's question or explaining a point to another student, they organize and reinforce what they've learned.

2. WritingProvides a means for students to process new information in their own words.

3. ReadingSummarizing and note checks can help students process what they've read and help them develop the ability to focus on important information.

4. ReflectingAllowing students to pause for thought, to use their new knowledge to teach each other, or to answer questions on the day's topics is one of the simplest ways to increase retention.

Principle #4

GOOD PRACTICE GIVES PROMPT FEEDBACK

Students need appropriate feedback on their performance and they need frequent opportunities to perform and receive suggestions for improvement.

PROMPT AND EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK1. Specific“Good Job!” or “10/20” are not acceptable. Identify the problems. Use Rubrics.

2. ActionableOnce you identify the problems, let the student know where they can improve, and what they need to work on for next time.

3. TimelyGiving feedback quickly on assignments through-out the semester gives the student a chance to fix their mistakes and actually learn.

Principle #5

GOOD PRACTICE EMPHASIZES TIME ON TASK

Students need help in learning effective time management so they can allocate realistic amounts of time to learning.

TEACHING TIME MANAGEMENT• Using some class time to allow students to complete a

portion of a large assignment models how to break down a project and the amount of time that should be spent on each part of the assignment.

• Transitioning partway through the semester from a large project that the instructor has broken down into smaller assignments to a large project for which the student is responsible for creating and meeting their own series of assignments and deadlines gives students practice in managing their own time.

PRINCIPLE #6 GOOD PRACTICE COMMUNICATES HIGH EXPECTATIONS

High expectations are important for everyone. So hold students to high expectations but clearly communicate what you expect of them.

COMMUNICATING HIGH EXPECTATIONS

• Link assignments to course objectives/outcomes.

• Post assignment requirements in multiple locations to ensure ease of access.

• Repeat verbal instructions in different words to increase comprehension.

• For longer projects, remind students of expectations throughout.

• Provide rubrics before assignments are due -or- allow students to participate in the creation of rubrics.

PRINCIPLE #7

GOOD PRACTICE RESPECTS DIVERSE TALENTS AND WAYS OF LEARNING

Students have different talents and learning styles. So, they need an opportunity to show their talents and learn in ways that work for them. Then they can be encouraged and even challenged to learn in new ways that do not come easily to them.

DIVERSE TALENTS AND LEARNING STYLES

1. Alternative Assignments- Independent Projects

-Group Projects

2. Learning Styles- VARK: Visual, Auditory, Read-Write, and Kinesthetic

Note: It is important to think about learning styles to not only mix up your teaching methods, but also to help students develop new strategies to help them become life-long learners!

SCENARIO:It is 9:11 a.m. and the teacher is at the front of the class reading verbatim off of PowerPoint slides. Some of the students are half paying attention, while others are blatantly on their phones. One student appears to have even dozed off in the back corner of the room! Only one student is taking notes. The other students figure, why bother? The teacher makes the notes available online anyway, and the test questions are directly from the slides. 10:12 a.m. rolls around, and some of the students start packing up and one student leaves. The teachers ends her lecture and asks if there are any questions. One student raises her hand, “When will we have our grades from last week’s test?” The teacher answers, “I haven’t started those yet, but I should have those completed by the end of next week.” No other students ask questions and at 10:25 a.m. the students and teacher are out the door before the class is even supposed to actually end: 10:45 a.m. At 10:30 a.m., a lone student goes into the room, but finds it dark. He had been trying to reach the teacher via email, because he had been in the hospital for a week due to a car accident, however, he has not received an answer. He had finally been able to catch a ride to come to class -- albeit a little late -- only to leave again, deflated by being unable to get a hold of the teacher.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE PRINCIPLES ARE NOT APPLIED EFFECTIVELY?• Student complaints• Grade disputes• Withdrawals• Interdepartmental transfers• Dissatisfaction with educational experience

WHAT DO THE PRINCIPLES HAVE TO DO WITH OUTCOMES?• Essential Learning Outcomes

or ELOs• Trivia question

ESSENTIAL LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Civic responsibility

2. Critical/Creative thinking3. Cultural sensitivity

4. Information literacy

5. Oral communication6. Written communication7. Quantitative reasoning

VALUABLE SKILLSEDUCATORS EMPLOYERS

1. Technical ability Work ethic2. Work ethic Technical ability

3. Technical knowledge Technical knowledge

4. Problem solving Lifelong learning

5. Teamwork Problem solving6. Communication Communication

QUESTIONS

REFERENCESBetter Angels. (2017). Who we are: A message from Trump and Clinton supporters from southwest Ohio.

Retrieved from https://www.better-angels.org/Chickering, Arthur, & Gamson, Zelda. (1991). Applying the seven principles for good practice in

undergraduate education. New directions for teaching and learning. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass.Center for Educational Innovation, University of Minnesota. (2015). Elements of active

learning. Retrieved from https://cei.umn.edu/support-services/tutorials/what-active-learning/elements-active-learning

Hora, Matthew. (2016). Beyond the skills gap: Preparing college students for life and work. Cambridge, MA:Harvard Education Press.

Ressa, Virginia. (2016, October 5). Reflecting on our practice: The importanceof effective feedback. Ohio Department of Education.

Rogers, Carl. (1952). Communication: Its blocking and itsfacilitation. Review of General Semantics, IX(2), 83-8.

University of Missouri, Kansas City. (2017). Strategy cards.VARK Learn. (2018). VARK Learning Inventory. Retrieved from vark-learn.com