STUDENT EXPECTATIONS FROM CS AND OTHER STEM COURSE

ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT EXPECTATIONS IN THE CLASSROOM

Presenter:

Karl Schmitt – University of Maryland, College Park Lilly Graduate Fellows: Andrea Andrew, Abdel-Hameed Badawy, Mara Dougherty, Katie Marie Hrapczynski, Elise Larsen, Matthew Walker Miller, Breanne Robertson, Karl Schmitt, Artesha Taylor Sharma

Co-Investigators:

Spencer Benson, Sabrina Kramer, Alexis Williams

How To Vote via Texting

TIPS

1. Standard texting rates only (worst case US $0.20) 2. We have no access to your phone number 3. Capitalization doesn’t matter, but spaces and spelling do

Sample Poll

Motivation

• Student expectations for a course?

• Teaching techniques?

• Technologies and tools?

• Different Assessments?

• Student expectations for instructors?

• Types of Communication?

Motivation II

• Do these student expectations match faculty’s impressions?

• How can we identify similarities and discrepancies? • How do we address these?

Outline

• Motivation •

Related Work

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Tool Description

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Survey Results- For CS

(Some more general results) •

Conclusions

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Q&A

What Others Say…

• Sanders, et al.

• Planning for 4-year curriculum/course of study • Did not compare with faculty perceptions of student expectations (gap analysis) • Trudeau & Barnes • Focused on instructor traits • Umbach & Wawrzynski • Showed positive correlation with many of the techniques our survey addressed and student engagement

A Simple, Deployable Tool

Tool Requirements: • Components of interest • • • • Learning activities Learning assessments Technology Instructor communication • Broad applicability • Appropriate length • Sufficiently informative • Flexibility

Survey Summary

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Two Primary Questions:

• Which of these components do you expect to be used in this course?

• Rank the three most important components for your learning in this course These were asked about over 20 different components

Survey Summary (details)

Categories Questions Selections Available 1) Technology Which of the following do you expect in this course?

Clickers PowerPoint E-Textbooks Social Media Learning Management Systems Rank the three most important components in this course for your learning.

2) Learning Activities Which of the following do you expect in this course?

Rank the three most important components in this course for your learning.

Demonstrations Chalkboard/Whiteboard In-Class Discussion Non-Textbook readings Textbooks Small Discussion Study Guides Groups 3) Learning Assessments 4)Instructor Interaction Which of the following do you expect in this course?

Group Projects Individual Projects Essay-Based Exams Multiple Choice Exams Rank the three most important components in this course for your learning.

Written Papers Homework Class Participation Points Which of the following do you expect from the instructor of this course?

Interact with Students Know students' names Other Be Accessible outside office hours Hold office hours None of the above 5) Timeliness of Actions by the Instructor How soon do you expect your instructor to: Respond to emails or phone-calls, post grades, return assignments, be available to meet Immediately Within 2 Days Within 24 horus Within a week Never N/A One free response question: What misconceptions do you think faculty have about students?

Survey Results

Participation Summary

  27 Instructors; 25 courses 816 undergraduate students enrolled in STEM courses Computer Science Breakdown: o Total: 57 Students o o 200-Level : 42 400-Level : 15 Class Distribution 23% 29% 28% Freshman Junior 20% Sophmore Senior Major Distribution 27% 73% STEM Non-STEM

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Think, Pair, Share, Predict - Results

Learning Activities • Classroom Discussion, Readings, Chalk-/White-Boards, Study Guides, Demonstrations • Learning Assessments • Exam types, Projects, Papers, Homework, Class Participation • Technology • PowerPoint, ELMS, e-Texts, Clickers, Social Media • Instructor • Office Hours, Classroom, Non-Office Hours, Naming, Answering Emails and Phone-calls, Assignment return, Grade posting Pick the three with the most difference

Survey Results Poll

Comparison of CS to Aggregate STEM

A deeper look:

Computer Science vs. Biology & (Bio-)Chemistry 200- Level Courses • Computer Science – 42 • Chemistry (2 courses) – 154 • Biology – 167

200- Level Course Breakdown

12% 46% 42% BSCI 223 (Biology) CHEM 232/27* (Chemistry) CMSC 216 (Computer Science) 400- Level Courses • Computer Science – 15 • Biology – 106 • Bio-Chemistry – 69

400-Level Course Breakdown

8% 56% 28% BCHM463 (Bio-Chemistry) BCHM464 (Bio-Chemistry) BSCI 440 (Biology) 8% CMSC 433 (Computer Science)

200- Level Courses: Poll

200- Level Courses

12%

200- Level Course Breakdown

46% BSCI 223 (Biology) 42% CHEM 232/27* (Chemistry)

400- Level Courses: Poll

400- Level Courses

8%

400-Level Course Breakdown

28% BCHM463 (Bio-Chemistry) BCHM464 (Bio-Chemistry) 56% BSCI 440 (Biology) 8% CMSC 433 (Computer Science)

Open Response Question: What misconceptions do you think faculty have about students?

Student Opinions of Faculty Misconceptions

• What themes do you think were voiced in their responses?

Student Opinions of Faculty Misconceptions

• We identified the following themes in student responses: • Dominate Themes (>100): -Student time commitments -Student effort, attitude • Secondary Themes (~40): -Effectiveness of pedagogy -Pace and student comprehension • Tertiary Themes (<30): - Students goals and grades - Prerequisites - Major or class specific comments - Cheating - Teaching tools - Student-instructor communication - Other - No Misconceptions

Student Opinions of Faculty Misconceptions

Student time commitments (130 responses)

“I think professors frequently underestimate the average workload of a full time student” “[Some faculty believe] That we are only in THEIR class and don't take any other time consuming courses or have jobs “ “They forget not all the students are traditional college students some work a lot and have responsibilities beyond school”

Student Opinions of Faculty Misconceptions

Student effort & attitude (145 responses )

“[Faculty believe] That students are lazy and try to take the easy way out whenever possible” “[Faculty believe] That our grades on exams directly correlate to how we feel about the course material..i.e. a bad exam grade means the student does not care” “[Faculty believe] That if they don't show up to office hours/review sessions then they do not care about their grades” “[Faculty believe] That we only want to get a good grade and typically aren't very interested in learning. Or that we should know everything we are told to learn, even when that includes minor details that aren't emphasized in lecture”

Student Opinions of Faculty Misconceptions

Pedagogy (49 responses)

Faculty believe “That students prefer an excessive amount of "easy" questions on exams in comparison to a shorter amount of more difficult questions. “ “When teaching a large class, it is easy to overlook the fact that there are individuals in your class with individual needs. Also, I feel that chemistry professors in particular have trouble explaining concepts to students. They assume that it makes sense to the students because it makes sense to them.” Faculty believe “That PowerPoints are an effective teaching method. They are good for presentation of material, not retention. A presenter is not synonymous with a teacher.”

Student Opinions of Faculty Misconceptions

Many students touched on several themes:

“[Faculty believe] That we don't want to learn -- if we show up to class, we are there to learn -- it is not hard to "skip" a class. In that vein, if we are in class, please -- do not baby us, do not mock us for asking questions, and do not waste your time or ours going into information that is irrelevant. Good lectures are key to a good class, whether or not the course material is interesting.” “I think they think that if we are using our lap tops we are on facebook but that is not always true. I also think they think we don't do the reading but in reality many people do, its just that there is so much reading that it might take a few reminders of which reading we are talking about before the faculty should jump to the conclusion that no body did the reading.”

Faculty Feedback

“I thought this survey was great at getting a cross section of what my students expected from the class. Plus, we are trying some new formats for the course, and we want to see how the student body changes. I was surprised at some the expectations, but the complaint of the majority: this class is too much work is wrong, in my opinion .”

Conclusions

• Students and instructors do not always agree on expectations in the classroom.

• Many students feel that instructors adopt a condescending attitude and underestimate their abilities.

• This tool provides an early opportunity for instructors and students to communicate and to improve learning.

Tool Can be found at: http://www.cte.umd.edu/Resource/Surveys/

Reflection

• Which student expectations do not match your current teaching style?

• What curriculum changes might you make based on this information?

• Are there questions specific to your course or to your discipline that you would want to add?

Thank You

• UMCP Center for Teaching Excellence • Spencer Benson, Sabrina Kramer, Alexis Williams • Instructors and students who participated in the surveys • Faculty who distributed the student survey

Some additional Results

Additional Comparisons: •

Learning Assessment

• Exam types, Projects, Papers, Homework, Class Participation

Learning Assessment

(by Class) 100% Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Multiple Choice Exams Essay Based Exams Individual Projects Group Projects Written Papers Homework Class Participation Seniors expect more sophisticated learning assessment components, such as essay-based exams, group projects, and written papers

Spring 2012

Additional Comparisons: •

Technology

• PowerPoint, ELMS, e-Texts, Clickers, Social Media

100%

Technology

(by Class) Freshman Sophomore 80% 60% Junior Senior Students tend not to expect e-textbooks and social media in STEM courses 40% 20% 0% Powerpoint Learning Management System e-Textbooks Social Media Clickers Fewer freshmen expect PowerPoint compared to other students

Spring 2012