www'middlesex'cc'ma'us

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www.middlesex.cc.ma.us
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Collaborative Scholarship

• Phyllis Gleason
• Professor of Humanities

Jessie Klein Professor of Science
Joan Kleinman Professor of Computer
Science
Middlesex Community College Bedford and Lowell, MA
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Overview of Session

• The Middlesex Carnegie Group as an example of a
  community of practice
• Specific examples from 3 disciplines
• Value of faculty involvement in the scholarship
  of teaching and learning
• Questions

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Middlesex Carnegie Group A Community of Practice

• began with Carnegie initiative in 1998
• focuses on the scholarship of teaching and
  learning
• involves 15 faculty from multiple disciplines who
  meet regularly to peer review, research and
  collaborate on presentations

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Critical Ongoing Question

• Were teaching
• but are they learning?
• Projects were an attempt to explore different
  pedagogies and to assess their impact on student
  learning.

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INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS

• Comparison of In-Class and Distance-Learning
  Students' Performance and Attitudes in an
  Introductory Computer Science Course
• - Joan Kleinman, Professor of Computer Science
• The Development of a Motivation Based College
  Course
• - Don Margulis, Professor of Psychology
• The Use of Media Can Enhance Students Intrinsic
  Motivation
• - Phyllis Gleason, Professor of Humanities
• Using Case Studies Engages General Biology
  Students
• Jessie Klein, Professor of Science
• Problem Based Learning in Histology Are
  Understanding and Motivation Enhanced?
• - Kathleen Sweeney, Professor of Dental Hygiene

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Teaching and Learning OnlineComparison of
In-class and Distance-LearningStudents
Performance and Attitudes in an Introductory
Computer Science Course

• Joan Kleinman
• Professor of Computer Science
• (781) 280 3979
• kleinmanj_at_middlesex.cc.ma.us

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History

• Course offered online since Spring 1998
• Among first of online courses at Middlesex
• Formerly used FirstClass but implemented in
  Blackboard in Spring 2002

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Introduction to Computer Science

• Beginning level programming (Visual BASIC)
• Required for Computer Science majors with no
  programming experience elective for others
• Satisfies 3 core intensives (required for
  graduation for all Middlesex students)
• Computer literacy
• Writing
• Impact of Technology

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Course Mechanics

• Assignments in textbook or from instructor
• Materials sent
• as powerpoint and word documents
• as Visual Basic programs
• in e-mail messages
• on web site
• Homework submitted in word documents and as
  zipped Visual Basic programs

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Methodology

• Fall 1999 taught two sections, one in-class and
  one online
• Compared demographics of two groups
• Examined initial attitudes, preparation for
  course, expectations for course
• Examined success in course and satisfaction with
  course

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Comparison of Mean Responses to Questionnaire
Items for In-class and Online Students
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Comparison of Mean Responses to Questionnaire
Items for In-class and Online Students
 
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Grade Distribution
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Background - Findings

• Approximately same
• gender
• workload
• Little but no significance in number of credits
  and prior computer experience
• Significant difference in age- online students
  older

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Student Expectations

• Same in
• expected grade
• expected amount of work
• Online students more confident

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Outcomes

• Online class had larger initial dropout rate
• most likely due to technology hurdle
• No significant difference in grades
• Online students were
• slightly more positive about their learning
• more willing to recommend the course
• significantly more positive in their overall
  rating of course

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Student Challenges

• Must be disciplined and very patient
• Must jump technology hurdle
• Must be proactive, engaged
• Must deal with overwhelming amount of material in
  first week of course

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Faculty Challenges

• Logistics
• need to be very organized
• more time to view/assess homework
• On call 24/7
• Pressure of immediate response
• No external delimiters (like end of class)
• Clarity of Communication
• compensate for loss of gestural and tonal clues
• desire to convey sense of instructors personality

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Faculty Challenges

• Harder to monitor individual progress
• Keeping everyone together
• Fostering communication among students

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Unexpected Outcomes

• More individualized communication
• Increased role as course designer- less as
  presenter of information
• Pay more attention to clarity of communications
  and thoroughness of course materials

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Support is Critical

• Support of College is essential for course
  viability
• Technical assistance to students AND faculty must
  be immediate and superior
• Support must be consistent.
• Technical help is critical factor especially at
  beginning of semester

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Using Case Studies Engages General Biology
Students
Jessie Klein Professor of Science (781) 280
3862 kleinj_at_middlesex.cc.ma.us
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WHY USE CASES?

• Relate material to real life
• Use active learning as a supplement to lecture
• Develop critical thinking skills
• Improve group work skills

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RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. Do students find cases useful for
understanding the course content? 2. Do students
find cases useful for making the course content
more interesting?
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CASES FOR GENERAL BIOLOGY

• Should Bill Take SAMe? - Introduction to
  Chemistry
• Lactose Intolerance - Sugars and Interpretation
  of Graphs
• The Endomembrane System - Cell Structures
• What's a GMO? Pro/Con Paper and Discussion

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ASSESSMENT

Q1 How would you rate the usefulness of the
SAMe case study in helping you understand the
chemistry material? Not Useful Somewhat
Useful Useful Very Useful
Extremely Useful Q2 How would you rate the
usefulness of the SAMe case study in making the
chemistry part of the course more interesting?
Not Useful Somewhat Useful Useful
Very Useful Extremely Useful
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Student Responses to Using Case Studies in Biology
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Student Responses to Using Case Studies in Biology
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The Use Of Media Can Enhance Students Intrinsic
Motivation
Phyllis Gleason Professor of Humanities (781)
280 3801 gleasonp_at_middlesex.cc.ma.us
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1. Is it worthwhile to teach Media Literacy to
community college students? 2. Can the use of
media enhance students intrinsic
motivation? 3. Can a project this small, by
tapping into existing research, form any valuable
conclusions that can be shared and/or reviewed by
peers who may be struggling with similar
questions?
1.    
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Question 1 Is it worthwhile to teach Media
Literacy to community college students?

A recent, Roper poll indicates that over 80 of
North Americans get their news and information
from television.
Tyner, Kathleen. (1997) Can Your Students Read
TV? http//interact.uoregon.edu/MediaLit/FA/MLAr
ticleFolder/read.html
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Only about 15 of the average persons time is
spent communicating through reading and writing.

Walsh, Bill. Expanding the definition of Media
Literacy http//www.screen.com/mnet/eng/med/begp
ict/billwal2.htm
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One of the ways to increase students interest
in literature is to help them recognize that many
of the same storytelling techniques used in the
classics are also used in popular programs and
films with which they are already familiar.
Kubey, R.. The Case for Media Education
http//interact.uoregon.edu/MediaLit/FA/MLArticleF
older/kubey.html
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Depending heavily on Richard Taflingers work
with what he calls, Domestic comedies, I was
able to point out to students the similarities
between the structure of the TV shows we watch
and the classic structure of a short story.
Taflinger, R. Sitcom What It Is, How It Works
Domcom Character Based Situation Comedies Plot,
Thought, Diction, Music, Spectacle.
http//www.wsu.edu8080/taflinge/domcom.html
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Students have a stupefying amount of telinfo
(television information) They can sing or
whistle theme songs from Friends, The
Simpsons, or The Brady Bunch as well as
advertising jingles.Because students know so
much in detail, however they think they already
understand television.
Owen, D.B Silet, C.L.P Brown, S.E, et al.
Empower students By Teaching Television.
http//www.epnet.com/cgi-bin/epwtocs10/recount
103/strartrec1/ft1
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If students develop active, critical viewing
habits, they will come of their own accord to
begin to understand the breadth and subtlety of
televisions power and the serious personal and
cultural consequences it has for all of US.
(Owen et al). 
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Question 2 Can the use of media enhance
students intrinsic motivation?

In learning, intrinsic motivation occurs when
the activity and milieu of learning elicit
motivation in the student. In extrinsic
motivation systems, teachers are perceived to
motivate students through the engineering of
rewards and punishments. In intrinsic systems,
teachers and students create opportunities,
experiences, or environments that are likely to
evoke motivation.
Wlodkowski, R. J.(1999, summer), Motivation and
Diversity A Framework for Teaching. New
Directions for Teaching and Learning, (78).
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Competence Autonomy Relatedness
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Question 3 Can a project this small, by
tapping existing research, form any valuable
conclusions that can be shared and/or reviewed by
peers who may be struggling with similar
questions?

Seeing teaching as scholarly work is to
underline the possibility of a new role for
faculty in achieving and acting on more
systematic, informed understandings of their
students learning and what they, as teachers,
can do to make that learning more powerful.
Shulman, L. (1997, August) Fostering A
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning The
Carnegie Teaching Academy (A Proposal to the Pew
Charitable Trusts)