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Thersa Neil Research Fund Presentation 2: Teaching In Summer Session: Searching For Faculty-Centered Best Practices

Presenter: Bill Kops – University of Manitoba

Moderator: Martin Barry – Oregon State University

Introduction and Purpose

The topic is one that has long been of interest to those involved in summer session because of efforts to ensure the quality of academic programs taught in the summer term(s). Concerns have been raised, by some, about the efficacy of courses taught in such intensive/compressed formats. While the literature on the topic of teaching and learning using intensive formats is not extensive, most of what has been reported supports the notion that the quality of the learning experience is comparable to when the same subject matter is taught in a longer format, particularly when the instructional quality is high. This study attempts to provide more detailed information about how faculty, known for the high quality instruction, approach teaching in a compressed/intensive format, identify how these teaching strategies and approaches may differ from those used in full-length sessions, and propose “best practices” for teaching in Summer Session. It is expected the results of the study will have broad interest to directors, faculty, and others involved in the production of high quality summer sessions teaching/learning experiences.

Best Practice – What is it?

Best practice or benchmarking is used as a way to improve organizational performance. Best practice refers to those practices that have shown to have good results, have been selected using a systematic process, and have been judged as exemplary. Once identified, best practices can be adapted/adopted to improve performance. The process begins by identifying critical areas of practice, then determining best practices in each of the areas. In other words, benchmarking involves identifying outstanding practices used elsewhere and then trying to learn from them. In other words, the process would involve identifying “best practice” individuals or institutions then determining how they do what they do. Often, the easiest part of benchmarking is determining what is best practice, while the more difficult part is implementing these practices in another organization. In order for implementation to happen, it is important to take into account resistance to change, identify performance gaps, and develop a process to integrate new practices into teaching approaches of faculty.

Instructor Sample

Initially, a sample of 27 successful summer term instructors (rank of professor or lecturer) from the University of California at Santa Barbara were selected and interviewed about their strategies and approaches for teaching in summer session. The goal was to obtain a sample of faculty teaching different subject matter (humanities; fine arts; social sciences; mathematics; life and physical sciences; engineering) in order to get a sense of teaching strategies across academic disciplines. Individuals selected had to have taught undergraduate courses in two or more summer terms (in the past 5 years), and have a reputation for as a high performing instructor. As well, instructors had to have taught in the “regular” (full length) session in the last five years.

Recommendations for Best Practices

The goal of a teacher or administrator with responsibility for planning quality learning experiences is to create conditions where the greatest amount of learning can take place for the greatest number of learners. (Craig Swenson, 2003)Identifying and using best practices for teaching in compressed formats will help to increase the likelihood that such a goal can be achieved. What do successful summer session faculty do to ensure quality of student’s learning experience? What can we learn from them? What is best practice?

Some of the answers to these questions are organized below. Based on the analysis of interviews with successful teachers, suggested best practices are outlined that can be adopted to improve teaching performance and the quality of the learning experience in courses taught in an intensive format, such as in summer sessions.

Determine basis for restructuring the course – high performing instructors consider re-structuring the course as the key element in preparing to teach intensive format courses. Restructuring or “re-chunking” requires that instructors reorganize/redesign the course content and processes into a different format. This may require prioritizing content, whereby some material is given more emphasis than others or eliminating/deferring some content altogether. While courses taught in intensive formats typically have the same amount of contact hours/class time, the courses are taught at a faster pace, i.e., longer and more frequent class meetings. This results in a need to think about how to set up the course content to fit the varied schedule. Instructors need to ask themselves how to re-chunk or re-configure the content and processes to fit. Best practice suggests that instructors consider the basis on which to determine the fit of course content. One suggestion is to focus on outcomes versus content, i.e., what do students need to know versus what content needs to be covered. For example, the “need to know” determination may be based on requirement of advanced courses in the discipline. An outcomes-based approach helps outline the “must” versus “should” components of the course.

Be over organized – good organization is key to any successful teaching experience, but it is particularly important when teaching in a compressed format. High performing instructors plan carefully taking into consideration the compressed schedule. They make every effort to anticipate everything that is required, and/or could happen during the session/course.

Set longer planning horizon - the planning horizon needs to be longer for courses taught in a compressed format. In other words, a teaching/lesson plan should be developed for the entire course before starting, including time for creating opportunities for instructor/student interaction.

Develop guides textbooks/readings - high performing instructors provide guides to assist students with reading assignments. This practice fits with the idea of supporting students during the learning process. For example, guides could include an outline of the textbook chapters and readings that students must read versus those that students should read (i.e., secondary importance); an arrangement for shared reading where not all students are individually responsible for all readings, but rather students are assigned selected reading with a responsibility to report to the class; a list of discussion/reflection questions for assigned readings to help students focus on key issues and topics.

Provide lecture notes/slides to students – while this may be considered some of the work that students should be doing, it ensures that students have the basic information contained in lectures and presentations. As well, it provides instructors with an opportunity to shift class time from information giving to greater interaction with students.

Move activities outside of class time – in addition to assigning readings and written assignments outside of class time, high performing instructors assign other activities that are done in-class during the full semester/term to outside of class time. For an example, students are required to view films outside of class time in intensive format courses versus viewing in class.

Take advantage of intensive, continuous format and smaller class size – typically, classes taught in intensive formats in the summer have comparatively fewer students. Smaller classes provide a better opportunity to recognize and respond to learner differences, which should allow for greater learner engagement, reflection and feedback. The notion of engagement suggests setting a relaxed classroom atmosphere and a sense of community through discussion, group work, and problem-based learning. This, in turn, helps learners to make connections with course material. Further, it is important to gain the right balance ofchallenge and support in order to foster learning. The idea of reflection also fits with smaller class settings because of the opportunity for guided reflection in the context of discussion, group work and other similar strategies. For example, instructors could schedule time to invite discussion and/or for a question and answer period. The intensive, continuous schedule of intensive-format courses provides an opportunity for instructors and students to focus more effectively with relatively less interruption than in courses taught in a full length semester/term. This has advantages in terms of both creating a more seamless teaching/learning experience, and increasing “time on task”. Instructors teaching in intensive formats should capitalize on these advantages when preparing to teach intensive-format courses.

Schedule breaks within class time – because of the intensity and length of intensive format classes, it is important to schedule breaks within class time. Breaks help students (and instructors) to maintain their stamina and interest over longer class times, and provide an opportunity for instructor-to-student, and student-to-student interaction.

Utilize varied student mix – courses in summer session often attract a greater variety of students, including mature students and visiting students from other universities and colleges. The result is a broader range of experiences and backgrounds than is typically the case in courses offered at other times during the academic. High performing instructors take advantage of this situation to enrich the experience within the classroom for all students.

Be more available to students – even though the contact/classroom time may be equivalent, students do not have as much opportunity to connect with instructors as they do in a full length term/semester. Consequently, it is important for intensive-format course instructors to be more available to students by scheduling longer, and more frequent office hours, and arriving early and staying after class. The increased opportunities to meet with students to deal with academic and other course related issues are essential to student retention and success in intensive courses.

Redesign and/or reduce assignments – to fit the time compression of intensive courses. Successful instructors did a number of things to ensure that assignments were meaningful given the revised time frame of summer session courses. Instructors felt that deconstructing single longer assignments into frequent shorter assignments allowed students to complete assignments more readily without compromising the integrity of the course. Further, instructors scheduled the first assignment early in the course in order to have students start immediately. More specifically, some instructors require an assignment outline early in the course that is included as part of the assignment grade. This is most appropriate for larger assignments that may be due later in the course. As well as immersing students in course work earlier, early and/or more frequent assignments provide early and frequent feedback, and encourage students to keep up with the course work. As part of the redesign of a course for an intensive format, successful instructors reschedule reading and written assignments to fit the “rhythm” of the course such that assignments are synchronized with lectures. In particular, attention is given to scheduling longer assignments and more complex readings over longer breaks in the week. In some instances, best-practice instructors felt it was prudent to reduce the number of assignments in order to allow students to complete the course requirements in the compressed time frame. The general view was that a reduction in the number or length of assignments did not jeopardize the academic integrity of the course or limit students’ ability to perform.

Stay on schedule - successful instructors often commented on the importance of staying on schedule – both in terms of the teaching agenda and the requirements for students to keep pace with the course. They emphasize that instructors should check frequently about pacing by checking with one’s course plan (emphasizes the value of planning the entire course versus planning on a week-by-week basis).

Stress time management - closely related to keeping pace is coaching students on time management. Often instructors assume that students are experienced at time management, particularly senior students. While this may be true in terms of the full length semester, the lessons of time management need to be reviewed for students taking courses in intensive formats. This includes stressing the importance of beginning course work early – leaving reading and assignments until later is a recipe for failure. Some best-practice instructors provide students with a time management survival guides or summary of tips on how to manage time in summer session. In particular, successful instructor alert students to the intensity and fast pace of the course, and the need to commit time to the course, including warning students not to overextend themselves with too many activities outside of the course.

Focus on teaching - as important as it is for students to focus their attention on the course, so it is for instructors. Successful instructors talked about “clearing the decks” in order to be focused on teaching for the intensive period. In other words, instructors were careful not to clutter their schedule in order to concentrate all their energy on teaching.

Teach familiar content/courses - some instructors recommended not teaching a course for the first time in summer session (intensive format) because it is important to have prior experience teaching the course. Without a good grasp of the content and the processes of teaching a course, it is difficult to make the needed decisions to ensure the course will be successful in an intensive format. This is particularly important for less experienced instructors – less experienced in teaching, generally, and teaching in an intensive format, specifically. On the contrary, instructors with a good deal of teaching experience, both in the full length term and summer session, often used the summer session to develop and teach a new course because, as one instructor stated, it is a great time to experiment.

Teach fewer courses - similarly, some successful instructors suggested not teaching more than one course at a time. Again this will vary with experience, but, as is the case with students, teaching more than one course is more time consuming and energy draining, which can have a negative impact on the quality of the teaching/learning experience.

Maintain expectations and standards - instructors generally were clear that expectations and standards were not lowered in courses that they taught in intensive formats in the summer session. Redesigning a course, selectively determining reading requirements, and adjusting assignments and tests do not result in a lowering standards and expectations. On the contrary, many instructors attributed these changes to creating a better learning experience for students in courses taught in a compressed format.

Deal with complex topics early - don’t leave complex topics to the end of the course was a practice echoed by several best-practice instructors. This practice connects to the earlier discussion of re-chunking course content to fit the compressed class schedule and decisions around the “must” versus “should” inclusion of course content. Given other considerations like the sequencing of topics, it makes sense to deal with “must” topics earlier in the course than at the end when time pressures may increase. In other words, it is good course planning not to leave key or complex topics to the end of the course.

Note - it is anticipated that the full length version of the paper will be available in an upcoming issue of Summer Academe or contact Dr. Bill Kops for more information:

Bill Kops

Director, Summer Session

University of Manitoba

188 Extended Education

Winnipeg, MB, Canada

R3T 2N2

Phone: 204-474-6198

E-mail: bkops@ms.umanitoba.ca.

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