Teaching in Higher Ed

More on blind grading

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blind grading

On episode #068 Dave and I discussed the biases that can be problematic when working to grade exams fairly.

One technique that we shared to promote greater integrity in our exam grading was blind grading. Not everyone agrees with this method, since there are some downsides.

David Gooblar stresses that despite the challenges that knowing which student is being evaluated presents, we should have knowledge as to which student produced the work we are grading.

Gooblar writes:

If I were to grade blind, I wouldn’t be able to chart a student’s progress throughout the term, from one assignment to another, nor would I be able to tailor my grading to the specific skills each student is working on. – See more at: https://chroniclevitae.com/news/1186-should-we-all-be-grading-blind?

While I tend to grow increasingly depressed each time I allow myself to read the comments section of anything on the internet, I was pleasantly surprised by the nuanced reactions to Gooblar's piece.

One of the commenters describes how s/he attains a balance between the two extremes:

I grade essays blind, but then identify each author when I record grades. So I do know how each student is doing through the course, while still reducing bias in grading.

I realize that, like parents with their children, we should love all of them equally. But, like parents, we are human, and we like some better than others.

I didn't emphasize it in episode #068: my blindness in grading is a temporary thing.

Being able to talk with each of our students, individually, about how we see him/her developing is an important aspect of our roles as teachers. However, doing what we can to ensure that we aren't poorly evaluating their work due to conscious or unconscious biases is also paramount.
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Assessment and instructional design

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luke-pt

My husband (Dave) and I are preparing to participate in a parent/teacher conference about our son (Luke) for the first time. Dave brought home a couple of forms that we needed to fill out about Luke, that included us doing some at-home assessment.

I told Luke we were going to do some games and some experiments and that I needed his help. Many of the questions asked about things that I wasn't sure as to Luke's current level of proficiency.

Sample questions

The questions went something like this:

_____ can jump forward six inches with both feet.

[  ]  Yes  [  ]  Sometimes  [  ]  No

_____ can follow a three-part set of instructions without being reminded of any of the steps (such as move your jacket from the floor to the couch, bring me the red book, and put your cup in the sink…)

[  ]  Yes  [  ]  Sometimes  [  ]  No

Careful consideration in assessment

I was conscientious as I filled in each answer. I didn't want us to be those parents who over-inflate our child's abilities in our own minds.

The directions were quite clear and they seemed to predict my questions about how to rank Luke's skills.

Verifying skills

After I completed the assessment, I kept reflecting on how many of the items I had to double check (by having Luke perform whatever skill it was asking whether or not he knew how to do).

I'm one of his parents and one would think I would already know such things.

How much more, then, is it likely that we as faculty aren't always able to gauge where our students are in terms of their progression in our classes?

Motivation vs competence

Dave and I also joked quite a bit while completing the assessment about the number of times that we were confused about whether we should answer the questions as to whether or not he can do a particular task, or whether or not he will.

How much of the time are we able to assess whether it is a lack of competence that is holding our students back, or whether or not the problem is with motivation?

The Mager Six Pack

The whole experience had me thinking, once again, about my most-often consulted set of books in my home office: The Mager Six Pack.

I was first introduced to Mager's books in the late 90s, when the third edition of the Mager Six Pack was published.

Mager's writing is more geared toward an audience doing any kind of instruction, not necessarily specifically toward those teaching in a higher education context.

However, this does not present a weakness, as far as I'm considered. I'm still amazed that a couple of decades later and in any kind of an educational context, Mager has much to offer.

Analyzing Performance Problems: Or, You Really Oughta Wanna–How to Figure out Why People Aren't Doing What They Should Be, and What to do About It

The title of the first book in the series speaks for itself. I've used it extensively in teaching managers how to figure out what to do when their employees aren't meeting expectations in some way.

Often, a company asks a training department to offer some kind of workshop to fix a performance problem, when it is way down on Mager's list of steps to potentially take, well after having looked at other potential reasons for things not going as they should.

Preparing Instructional Objectives

This would be the place I would have all teachers in higher ed start, as it relates to Mager's work. I just saw that you can purchase this title on Amazon for $4.00, so it is also an affordable way to get started with Mager's work, if you decide not to purchase the entire Six Pack.

Those of us who are fans of the Choose Your Own Adventure books will like Mager's writing approach in this book. He presents information to you along the way and then gives you little quizzes to assess your learning. He has you turn to a specific page, based on how you answer a question.

If you wind up turning to the page that shows you knew your stuff, he has you skip over additional review. If the page you turned to shows that you need a bit more support in learning about this aspect of instructional objectives, he provides further examples.

Measuring Instructional Results

The prior title looked at how to craft instructional objectives. This book explores how to assess learning and the attainment of those outcomes.

I probably need to pull this one off the shelf more often than I have, as it has checklists and other resources to help you when working to assess learning outcomes.

How to Turn Learners On… Without Turning Them Off: Ways to Ignite Interest in Learning

As I shared with the example of Luke not necessarily always wanting to perform a particular task, this isn't only a problem when relating to almost-four year-olds… Mager gives insight in this title about how to help motivate learners.

Goal Analysis: How to Clarify Your Goals So You Can Actually Achieve Them

Mager leverages his writing approach in this title, as he gives you over 50 practice exercises to help you with goal setting.

Making Instruction Work: Or Skillbloomers: A Step-By-Step Guide to Designing and Developing Instruction That Works

Again, this is a title I could probably pull out more often. This book describes itself as a practical resource for instructional designers. There are all sorts of instructional methods out there, but Mager focuses on proven ones that work and will enhance your teaching.

My recommendation

It looks like the original publisher of the Mager Six Pack is no longer printing them. However, I saw in the reviews that the Mager Consortium still has them available.

Mager does have a playful writing style that may be a source of irritation for some academics. If you can get past that, he does provide a structure for his books that focus on the concrete and practical side of instruction.

I hope you'll consider adding the Mager Six Pack to your instructional library. While you're at it, spend some time thinking about ways that you are assessing your students' learning throughout your course and approaches you're using to address motivation throughout the semester.

[reminder]Are there any books on your higher ed bookshelf that you have referenced more than any other over the years?[/reminder]

It’s that time in the semester

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stress

I'm in the midst of the most challenging part of my semester.

It's called the dip.

I just finished grading 95 research papers (industry analyses), launched a doctoral class I teach a couple of times a year, and am gearing up for a couple of experiential learning activities for my sales class that require considerable coordination.

While I type this blog, I yearn for a nap.

I also know, however, that things aren't anywhere near as bad as they have been in the past, because I follow a set of principles that keep me sane during times like this.

Capture

It is easy to get overwhelmed with all the stuff we have to do. However, it is also easy to get overwhelmed at all the stuff we are trying to hold in our head that needs doing.

I take the time out to do a daily “mind dump” of what has my attention… of all the stuff I feel like I'm forgetting. When I'm confident that the system I have built has identified everything that needs to get done, I can prioritize where to start and what comes after that.

Track

Any time I think of something (or someone) that I'm waiting on, I make a note of that. In my case, I use OmniFocus, which has this as a built-in part of their applications. However, any list-making tool can have a waiting-for list easily incorporated into it.

Rest

This one is easier for me than for others I know. I just am dreadful at sleep deprivation, so I can't function when I'm exhausted.

As my day is coming to a close, I look at the following day's calendars and figure out the minimum things that have to get done in order to not drop the ball on anything important and then I go to sleep.

Reflect

The temptation is for me to lose perspective at this time of the semester. It helps to keep letters from former students nearby, as well as pictures of my family in spots where I'll see them often.

There's a reason I teach. If I allow stress to overtake my entire perspective, I stop being effective at what I do. I'm no longer good at teaching, I'm not fully present for my family, and I'm not enjoying all the good stuff that comes my way on a daily basis.

What things do you do to keep your stress in check during the challenging times of the semester? 

It's that time in the semester

By | | | XFacebookLinkedInEmail

stress

I'm in the midst of the most challenging part of my semester.

It's called the dip.

I just finished grading 95 research papers (industry analyses), launched a doctoral class I teach a couple of times a year, and am gearing up for a couple of experiential learning activities for my sales class that require considerable coordination.

While I type this blog, I yearn for a nap.

I also know, however, that things aren't anywhere near as bad as they have been in the past, because I follow a set of principles that keep me sane during times like this.

Capture

It is easy to get overwhelmed with all the stuff we have to do. However, it is also easy to get overwhelmed at all the stuff we are trying to hold in our head that needs doing.

I take the time out to do a daily “mind dump” of what has my attention… of all the stuff I feel like I'm forgetting. When I'm confident that the system I have built has identified everything that needs to get done, I can prioritize where to start and what comes after that.

Track

Any time I think of something (or someone) that I'm waiting on, I make a note of that. In my case, I use OmniFocus, which has this as a built-in part of their applications. However, any list-making tool can have a waiting-for list easily incorporated into it.

Rest

This one is easier for me than for others I know. I just am dreadful at sleep deprivation, so I can't function when I'm exhausted.

As my day is coming to a close, I look at the following day's calendars and figure out the minimum things that have to get done in order to not drop the ball on anything important and then I go to sleep.

Reflect

The temptation is for me to lose perspective at this time of the semester. It helps to keep letters from former students nearby, as well as pictures of my family in spots where I'll see them often.

There's a reason I teach. If I allow stress to overtake my entire perspective, I stop being effective at what I do. I'm no longer good at teaching, I'm not fully present for my family, and I'm not enjoying all the good stuff that comes my way on a daily basis.

What things do you do to keep your stress in check during the challenging times of the semester? 

How to be more productive by factoring in context

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context

I have always been a big fan of personal productivity books and tools. When David Allen's first edition of Getting Things Done came out, I liked his methods, with one big exception:

I completely didn't get how considering context was going to be useful to me at all

For those of you who may not be familiar with the idea of using context in your planning, he advises that with each action item on our to do list, we not only consider when this action needs to be taken, but also what (or who) would need to be present in order to do it.

The examples I remember him giving in the first edition were primarily location based. If I were going on an errand to our local CVS, it would also be good to know to stop at the grocery store, which is next door. Also helpful would be to drop by and pick up our dry cleaning.

The problem with his examples was that I can't stand going on errands and it is mostly Dave (my husband) who does the grocery shopping and dry cleaning drop offs in our household. If I'm going to grocery shop, it is likely going to be via the Amazon Fresh delivery service.

While this post links to how to articles on OmniFocus, the set up of contexts is available in many different kind of task managers. Even if your specific tool doesn't have a field for context, you can still type in an @ symbol at the end of each task name and include the context you want to use, such as:

@agenda:FDC or @energy:high or @grocerystore

Why I Changed to Better Appreciate Context

Three factors caused me to make a dramatic shift in my appreciation of context in personal productivity:

  1. I become an OmniFocus user. OmniFocus is one of the task management applications that has features set up for leveraging contexts.
  2. David Allen revised his Getting Things Done book and somehow it stuck better with me on this edition.
  3. I expanded my thinking of how contexts might be set up beyond location-based ones, thanks to experts like Tim Stringer.

There are still ways that other people make use of contexts that don't resonate with me too heavily.

Some people use energy-level contexts and work on the @focus tasks when they are at a time of the day that allows them to target their attention at a given task.

Others set up sophisticated location-based contexts that are better served for people who run lots of errands at once.

If you have set up a system like OmniFocus, but don't think it is working well for you, check out these potential pitfalls and associated solutions.

Contexts that Work Well for Me

By far, these are the contexts that work best for me:

Here are the application-related contexts that I have set up on OmniFocus:

mac-contexts

By far, the biggest time saver on the list is the @Moodle context.

Another one that works well for me is the @Studio context. We have a studio set up at home with professional audio equipment. Whenever I have tasks that can only be accomplished when accessing the audio equipment, I apply that context.

Then, each time I sit down at that computer, I have all the tasks I should take care of in that sitting.

[reminder]How do you use the concept of context in your personal productivity approaches? [/reminder]