Dear Colleagues:
A faculty developer colleague posted a question on "how to get students to
prepare for class" on a discussion list. Below are the responses posted back
to the list. Each starts with the person who contributed the response followed
by what they said. Mainly the responses are either resources on this topic
or examples of strategies to encourage students to come to class prepared.
There are some good ideas here.
Kathleen
Major Marie Revak, PhD
Director of Academic Assessment
Center for Educational Excellence
US Air Force Academy
One of our departments uses a method they call "quiz first." Each lesson, students respond to a multiple-choice quiz, first as individuals and then within their group (3-4 people). The grade is weighted at 75% individual and 25% group.
Another department requires students to do a web-based exercise and submit it before 7 am on the day it is due. The instructor has the opportunity to check the submissions and then plan a lesson based on common misconceptions.
Jean MacGregor
Washington Center for Undergraduate Education
The Evergreen State College
Collaborative learning is a powerful incentive for preparing for class. At Evergreen, where much of the teaching and learning revolves around the "book seminar" or small group explorations, we build strong norms around preparing for collaborative work in class. Yes, it's much easier when a whole college reinforces this ethos.
Another example: Several faculty members in biology at Yakima Valley CC in Washington have instituted small group methods in their courses. The weekly reading assignment is coupled with a set of worksheets on which students have to make a significant start before they come to class. (The questions test for understanding of the reading and application of concepts.) The "ticket to class" for each student is their completed or partially completed worksheet, and the cooperative group work takes off from there. If students haven't completed the work, they are expected to go to the library and get it done. Faculty report that by Week 2, "everyone gets into the routine and comes prepared for class." The kicker in all this is that for freshman biology, students are asked to buy any one of 5 (!) textbooks, so students are building answers to questions from differing presentations of biological concepts. The faculty also report that "our students are no different than at any community college; they are working, commuting, and busy --- and often underprepared to tackle dense and dry college texts. But when expected to prepare for class in this fashion, guess what? They do." (For more info. you can contact Judy Kjellman: JKjellman@yvcc.cc.wa.us)
Kathleen McKinney, Illinois State University, provided a link to an impressive and useful array of documents and links to other useful sites. Worth a long look not just for this topic but for many others.
We have several related handouts or links to other sites on our Web page. The categories most relevant are probably Active Learning, Class discussion, Classroom management, and Motivation/Engagement.
John Boehrer
Senior Lecturer
Director of Teaching Resources for The Electronic Hallway
http://www.hallway.org
Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs
University of Washington
Box 353055, Seattle WA 98195
voice: (206) 616-1670, fax: (206) 685-9044
email: jb3@u.washington.edu
FWIW, it always seems to me the two key questions relevant to getting students to read the assignment are...
- What guidance, e.g., study questions, do they receive toward preparing?
- What use is made of their preparation, e.g., articulating, analyzing, or applying the reading, when they come to class?
Nancy A. Diamond
OIR: 249 Armory MC528
U. of Illinois
505 E. Armory Ave.,
Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: [217] 333-3370
E-mail: ndiamond@uiuc.edu
Fax: [217] 244-4431
Judith E. Miller, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology and Biotechnology
Director of Educational Development, Technology, and Assessment
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
100 Institute Rd.
Worcester MA 01609 USA
(508) 831-5579, -5707
jmiller@wpi.edu
Fax (508) 831-5936M
I have had great success with giving students a brief homework set for each class that requires that they have read the chapter in advance. It works best if the questions require them to synthesize and try to do something with the material, not just skim the chapter to find the answers. The homework is due on the way into class--no late homework accepted!--and is graded on good faith effort, not so much for correctness.
Additional useful wrinkles:
- At the end of each set of homework questions, ask students to write down questions that occurred to them while they were doing the homework.
- Do this for every class period, but require less than the entire number for full homework credit. For example, for 14 classes, include in the course grading scheme 10 homeworks X 5 pts for full homework credit. Then, allow students to do extra homework for extra credit.
The difference that this strategy makes in class participation is truly astounding! At least 2/3 of the students come to class prepared with questions every time!
Marina Milner-Bolotin
Physics Department and Science Education Center
College of Education, SZB 340
The University of Texas at Austin,
Phone: (512) 471-7354
Austin, TX, 78712
e-mail: marinamb@physics.utexas.edu
Let me share with you what I have been trying to do to support student preparation to my classes. I hope it might be helpful.
10-minute quiz at the beginning of the class period based on homework readings.
Pros: Students know that they have to read at home to be able to answer the questions.
Cons: Grading time and time spent on the quiz.
Solutions: You do not need to do it every class period, you can do it randomly, but they will be prepared. Students can exchange quizzed and grade each other if it is a multiple choice quiz. I know that physics professor Eric Mazur from Harvard does it in large classes because he has the equipment to instantaneously see student answers on the big screen (the students push buttons on their desks or chairs).
Minute paper at the beginning of the class: What was the most unclear point in the homework assignment that you still don't know how to do. What was the concept which you understood while doing the homework?
Cons: We have to teach our students to read textbook. I spend time discussing with them HOW to read, what it means to understand etc. using psychology terms, I am trying to help them develop their metacognitive skills.
Classroom discussions based on the homework assignments. Of course it is easier to implement in the small classes.
Of course students try not to do the hw assignments and they have millions of reasons why they didn't. To eliminate at least some of them I post their assignments on the web. See my web site with the class schedule.
I use a UT computer Homework Service (see on the Web site as well) which assigns hw with a very specific due dates and my students do it. I also can monitor it from my computer and know who hasn't submitted the assignment. By the way, this service is free and it is very useful for people who teach calculus, chemistry, physics, physical science etc. We are currently writing a paper about using technology in teaching and we will describe it there.
W.R. Miller
Auburn
This challenge has been with me and others for the 40 years that I have been in college teaching. John B. makes excellent observations. A study guide with questions that focus the students attention on the relatively most important concepts. The value that the instructor places upon the student's preparation by drawing on their reading for discussion, question/answer etc. helps to reinforce the value of being prepared. Some instructors use their seating chart to systematically (not randomly, although it may appear that way to students) ask questions from the reading. A grade for class participation that is based on the quality of student response to several questions over the span of the course would place a value on preparation. I had a history prof who every 3-5 class meeting would give a written pop-quiz of 2-3 items as a means of assessing student daily preparation. The class knew that he gave pop-quizzes, but they did not know which day they would appear. If you do not have a copy, I suggest you get a copy of the Handbook for College Teaching from PineCrest Publication, Inc. You can order by fax at 334 887-6671 an exam copy or purchase order. We developed the Handbook while here at Auburn and then turned its publication over to a commercial publisher.
Denise C. Camin, Visiting Instructor - English
Purdue Univ. Calumet
I have tried quizzes in the past, and study guides also, but perhaps the most influential thing I've found is using the reading assignment as a group thing or demo requirement. In other words, if the assignment isn't done, it doesn't affect me as much as it does their group. If they have a shared portion of the reading, there is a responsibility to the group, and that serves as a better focus than the teacher.
Another tool is assigning students the task of teaching something to the rest of the class. They are not only responsible for completing the reading, they must think of a way to explain what they read and apply the knowledge.
As for the quiz and study guide thing, I've found it useful to have students complete a study guide related to reading. However, I don't check the study guides until I administer the quiz. Everyone is allowed to use the study guide during the quiz, so if the reading was done, and the study guide shows effort, the student will do well. I have used this with groups as well, and because students learn that other students want to work with those students who have done the work, they try harder.
Tania Reese
This question is asked more frequent recently in the varied faculty development programs I facilitate. And it is likely to get worse with greater diversity of our learners. It would be great if you would collect and share the useful suggestions you receive.
The second comment from John Boehrer was really on track. Students today tend to be very pragmatic when they make choices about their time and energy. They don't attend to anything that doesn't have immediate rewards/recognition.
Another key to student preparation is classroom interaction -- we find that students are much more apt to prepare when that knowledge will be tested by their peers. Any kind of small group, team, or pair discussion followed by class reporting greatly increases preclass work.
And, don't forget, it is our job as instructors to help the students see the relevance of whatever they are learning. If it's not relevant, it doesn't matter! Gen X and Gen Y are even more apt to react this way than the boomers, although multiple life roles add a lot of pressure to sift out the irrelevant.
Hope this helps you find a few ideas that you can implement.
Ken Jones
Professor of History
Director of Learning Enhancement Service
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
Collegeville, MN 56321
At the end of each class I give them a question to think about as they do the readings for the next class. When they show up for class the next time I start with that question in a variety of ways that require individual accountability. Some days I will randomly call on three or four people to provide a response to the question to start discussion. Other days I have the entire class go to the blackboard to write their answer and sign it. I then pick people from this list to expand their answers and move the conversation forward. (This works best if the question can be answered very briefly -- I ask them give grades or use a 1-10 scale for a set of policy decisions.) Another approach is to ask everyone to do a 5 minute free write on the question. I collect these and grade them very quickly on a check, check plus, check minus system which goes into their discussion grade. On a slightly more formal level, about every third or fourth class period they have a scheduled one-two page pre-discussion paper. This is graded like the in-class writing but carries more weight. I have found that using some combination of these techniques over the first month or so of a semester sends the message; as long as you continue to draw out everyone in the class in discussion, you don't have to keep up the more time consuming written aspects. (I use these approaches in classes with 20 to 40 students.)
Phyllis Blumberg
Employ active learning techniques and require the students to take responsibility for their actions. I suggest you read Mel Silberman's book on 101 strategies for active learning. They work.
Amy G. Oden
Professor of Church History
Oklahoma City University
aoden@okcu.edu
405/521-5286 phone
405/557-6046 fax
Another class preparation method I use for students is a "Reading Response Sheet" which they have to fill out and send to me by e-mail at least half of the class sessions through the semester (which turns out to be about 15 times). They have to e-mail me their "Reading Response Sheet" by 9 pm the night before class, so that in the morning before class, I print them out and they help me immensely in planning how to spend class time. The process helps the students get clear about what they are confused about and what their questions are. It also tells me whether or not they're reading the material. I've found since instituting this practice that students are much better prepared for class and much more self-conscious about their own learning in the course. The "Reading Response sheet" form is below:
READING RESPONSE SHEET
Name:
Date:
Words for review:
Things I found confusing:
Things I found interesting:
Things I'd like to discuss in class:
Pam (Zarb?)
I have the students take notes from the text for 5 of the most difficult topics in the course. When they turn in a quiz, I put a check mark on the quiz that I saw the notes. They then recieve a 100% for one of the quizzes in the course. and adjust downward from there. Everyone does it. Some better than others. I scan and give suggestions for better note-taking.
Tara Gray, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Criminal Justice
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, NM 88001-8003
505-646-1013
505-646-2827 (Fax)
tgray@nmsu.edu
Easy, you give them study questions for each reading and have them turn them in (and grade one), or give pop quizzes. grading these is a great job for a graduate assistant--but with or without one, it's quick and easy (to grade) and transforms discussion. i once team taught with a colleague who really resisted the idea--but after the class, she said she never would teach without study questions again.
