This semester, PETAL changed the format of our Roundtable Discussions, and it seems to have been an excellent decision. The new format is simple: a topic is announced beforehand, and then a group of faculty come together to discuss that topic. There is no presenter or facilitator, just an open and free-flowing sharing of ideas that is difficult to bring to an close at the end of the hour.
Each Roundtable has been attended by 10-12 faculty, which is about the perfect number for this kind of discussion (although I’m sure we could accommodate a few more), and each session has had a nice mixture of new and experienced faculty. One attendee commented later that the new form “allowed for all parties involved to express concerns while positively finding and suggesting solutions.”
Our first Roundtable was held on January 26 and focused on the issue of Engaging Students. Several excellent ideas were presented, ranging from something as simple as moving around during class to letting students take part in the creation of exams. One novel idea was to create tests that have multiple sections with a variety formats and to allow students to choose which parts they want to take. The advantage of this method is that students can match their testing method with their learning styles, which gives them more agency in the learning process.
In fact, I would say that the underlying theme to most of the suggestions presented, as well as to the answers to questions asked, is that the best way to engage students is to make them active participants rather than passive recipients in the course. This can involve radical moves such as revolutionizing how you create tests, but it can also be as simple as getting everyone talking, having them read “against” the text, or giving them a voice in the goals for the class.
Or, as one attendee put it, “Engaging students is as much a process as it is a purpose. It might not be accomplished in one class session but can evolve, in incremental steps, throughout the semester. Instructors and students can be equal partners in this effort so that ultimately engagement in the classroom is reciprocal.”
Our second Roundtable on February 16 and centered on the challenge of Improving Attendance, an issue that many faculty feel is one of the biggest impediments to student success here at USA. The University did a study a few years ago and found that class attendance is the leading determinant of student retention. When this was discussed at the Roundtable, the point was made that statistical correlation does not equal causation, that it is just as likely that students who come to class are the ones who are driven to be successful.
At the same time, however, I can’t help but believe that even unmotivated students could be more successful if they would just come to class-as long as the time they spend in class seems worth their time.
Most of the attendance discussion focused on various approaches to attendance policies, which usually boiled down to the question of whether we should use carrots or sticks, or a combination of both.
The main point we all took away from the session, however, is that students need to feel that the time they spend in class has to offer them a reason for being there.
PETAL Roundtable Discussions are currently being offered on one Monday a month at 2:00pm. The next Roundtable will be on March 30 and will focus on Teaching Critical Thinking, followed by Teaching Diversity on April 13.
If you have a topic you would like discussed at a future Roundtable Discussion, please let us know.