Continuing Education for the Quarantined Student

The number of positive cases and students quarantined increased this past week. As a result, a number of my General and Organic Chemistry students were placed in remote learning.

Attending a remote lecture was non-problematic as I am able to use my Ipad and Zoom to display the screen to my in-person class and those at home in Zoom. The recordings are also helpful for students who are remote or in-person.

The lab portion of these classes were the most problematic. While I have virtual labs from McGraw-Hill for General Chemistry there are not labs that correlate with the content early on in the semester. The Gen Chem LearnSmart labs focus on content covered in weeks 8 and later. There are experiments that involve Lab Skills and Density determination experiments, but my students completed these in-person early during Weeks 2 and 3 in preparation for remote learning/quarantine. General Chemistry I students performed the Empirical Formula determination of MgO this week. There was not a LearnSmart lab from McGraw-Hill that could substitute.

For these quarantined Gen Chem students, I recorded my pre-lab discussion for Empirical Formula determination and sent the link below where they could view the experimental procedure, record data and complete the lab. It was not ideal, but better than not completing this experiment.

Organic chemistry I labs are technique focused labs until week 8. When designing the lab class, my goal was to have students perform in-person labs involving melting point determination, recrystallization, extraction, distillation, reflux, and TLC. After these lab skills are performed early in the semester, I could easily transition to the virtual labs from BeyondLabz. BeyondLabz virtual labs are reaction focused and really very good but I wanted students to appreciate that a distillation takes longer than 5 minutes.

Since my Organic Chemistry lab was still focused on techniques, specifically TLC, quarantined students were able to Zoom during lab and watch in-person students perform the Thin-Layer Chromatography experiment. My laptop was set up near a student performing TLC and explaining each step to the remote student. We made sure the remote student was able to see each step by re-positioning the laptop’s camera. Again, not ideal but better than not experiencing this technique live.

In both Gen Chem and Organic labs, my goal was to have students perform as many technique based hands-on labs early in the semester. I anticipated that Penn College would either have to go all remote or individual students would be quarantined and need remote learning options. As it turns out, the latter situation is on-going. My quarantined students feel supported by this pivot-to-remote design and do not feel their education has been compromised.

COVID-Era Teaching with an IPad

It’s been a week using my new IPad Air and Apple Pencil in the classroom. It’s been a bit of a learning curve but with help from my students, I feel more comfortable using it for instruction.

In organic chemistry I do not use PowerPoint because I want to work through problem solving with the students versus going through terms. Several students are quarantined and I want to provide them Live classroom opportunities as well as recordings of the lectures. To this end, I am able to use Zoom to present Live and record.

On my Ipad, I join the Zoom meeting as the host. This gives me the screensharing and recording options. On the classroom desktop connected to the projector, I enter the Zoom room as a guest. You have to join in that order: Ipad first, then the desktop. After letting the students know I will be recording, I share the whiteboard in Zoom to go through the organic problems. I did attempt to use the camera to show models but this did not work well so instead I went old school and built my models and went around the room to make sure students used their models correctly.

In my general chemistry class, I also Zoom the lecture but I use PowerPoint with blank slides added on which I guide students through problem solving. Eventually I want to move away from PowerPoint and present problems for us to solve as a class. Students are much more engaged when I am working through problems versus looking at words on a slide. Further, I find PowerPoint is difficult to annotate even with an AirPencil.

After the class lecture is completed, I stop the recording. Zoom provides a mp4 file of the recording which I upload to Office 365 Streaming app. I choose the Embed option, copy the code, add a Video in D2L, and paste the code for the video. Students who are in class appreciate the Live recordings for review.

Issues: Yesterday in class, I tried to join my Zoom room on my Ipad as the host. I forgot to logout of Zoom on my office computer and could not join as the host because I was the host on my office computer. After several attempts to record, I determined the problem and ran to my office to logout.

Saving the PowerPoints to OneDrive has also been problematic. I think I saved it correctly and when I opened it for class, the revised ppt file was not saved. When I opened the Office 365 app and looked for the updated file, it was not saved correctly again. Yet, another reason to move away from PowerPoint.

Solutions: Using the Ipad with the classroom desktop in Zoom provided me with a seamless solution for in-person and virtual instruction while recording. It was so much better than setting up my laptop and recording the classroom whiteboard. The audio and visuals were clearer. Although the personal investment in the Ipad and Apple Pencil was significant, I plan on using this beyond the COVID-Era.

COVID-Era Teaching Week 3– Exam 1 Experiences with Proctorio features

As I stated in previous blog entries, my courses were completely re-designed to allow for a pivot from on-campus to online to on-campus instruction. One goal was to administer exams early in the semester on Connect (McGraw-Hill’s online learning system). I was excited when McGraw-Hill announced that it would provide remote proctoring by partnering with Proctorio. Proctorio offered lock down browsers, remote proctoring using webcams, and verification options. Several features such as the lock down browser was free but other features such as using a remote proctor, etc charged students a fee.

Since I did not indicate a charge for remote proctoring in my syllabus and I intended to administer the exams on campus, I chose the free options for exam 1. Students were asked to bring their laptop or tablet to class to take the exam. Students opened the exam and Connect asked them to download the Proctorio lockdown browser. This was easy for students using a PC and a little more involved with MacBook/Air users. However, I had 3 students using an Ipad and when they tried to download the lockdown browser, a notification popped up stating that they had to take the exam on a laptop. No where did Connect/McGraw Hill indicated to me that the lockdown browsers would not be supported on an Ipad.

After 15 minutes, I was able to secure laptops for all 3 students. This was an incredible disruption added on to an already stressful day. Fortunately, I gave exam 1 very early and addressed this issue while students were in class with me to help versus at home on their own. I emailed McGraw-Hill/Connect about the issue and hope that they rectify this issue quickly before more students try to take exams on Ipads.

Week 4 begins next week and at this time, Penn College is doing very well at keeping our positive cases to under 15. It is my hope that we can continue on campus instruction but if we need to pivot to online, my students and I are prepared.

COVID-Era Teaching: Weeks 1 and 2

Week 1 was a struggle. Normally my general chemistry class is in a classroom with a whiteboard, screens, and students at tables arranged in pods. Because I flip my class, I am able to start the class with guided learning problems then progress to student centered learning. With a class size of 30 students, my class was moved to an auditorium that is not configured as a classroom. The auditorium is equipped with a large screen, podium with a computer, and document camera. I taught ON A STAGE while students sit in the “galley” with small hinged desks.

I normally do not use Powerpoint to lecture, but it was necessary in this situation. My goal was to teach my class Live while recording through Zoom. This provides students with learning options if they had childcare issues or were not feeling well. The issue with the auditorium was that I could not record via the podium computer as it did not have a microphone that was connected to the computer. I resorted to using my laptop to display the Powerpoint and wrote on blank slides show problem-solving all while using Zoom to record. Every time my hand rested on the screen, Zoom and Powerpoint either stopped or changed programs. If I held the stylus up so my hand had no screen contact, my handwriting was illegible. It was a disaster! Honestly, in my 25 years of teaching, this was the worst lecture I ever had.

Finally, I turned off Zoom because there was no way to record and use my laptop to write. This helped somewhat, but then I just turned off my laptop. I toggled between displaying the PowerPoint using the podium computer and the doc cam to display my $2 whiteboard for problem-solving. It was beyond frustrating trying to show Powerpoint, write on the screen while Zooming without integrated instructional technology.

My colleagues found a solution. They used their personal ipad, Apple Pen, Airpods to display, write and record. With few choices, I made the same investment. Meanwhile, my class size dropped to 24 and we could move out of the auditorium. My class was moved to a classroom for Week 2.

The classroom made a huge difference in my ability to run synchronous Zoom sessions while teaching live. A student who had childcare issues was able to join us live so that she did not have to miss lecture. I would not have been able to provide her with this option in the auditorium (at least until my ipad is delivered!). In addition to being able to run Zoom live, I felt I connected better with students and they were more engaged. Hats off to my colleagues who teach in large lecture halls!

Watch for my next blog post at the end of next week. I will share the experiences with administering my first exam!

Preparing for a Potential Pivot

This is my first of weekly posts about my experiences instructing during the COVID-19 era. At Penn College we are determined to keep our students on campus for instruction. It is difficult if not impossible to meet our mission of hands-on learning while at home. In preparation for the unknowns, I completely re-designed my chemistry classes to “paperless”.

This semester I am teaching general chemistry lecture and lab, organic chemistry lecture and lab on campus. My other classes have always been offered online. To offer classes paperless meant utilizing publishers’ software such as McGraw-Hill’s Connect. In both Gen Chem and Organic, the pre-class assignments consist of LearnSmart and Smartbook adaptive programs. Homework/problem solving and assessments are also in Connect. Connect and most publishers’ software can be paired with most LMSs. This alone is easier for students to navigate.

Students submit notes in gen chem to help guide them in learning good study skills. This semester students will use a scanning app (Genius Scan) to convert their hand written notes to a pdf and submit to an LMS dropbox.

Labs are on campus but students must wear masks at all times. As a back up, I have virtual labs prepared in Connect for Gen Chem and BeyondLabz for organic. If a student is not able to attend lab or we move to remote instruction, virtual labs will be assigned.

About a month prior to our start date, I sent chemistry students a Pre-class assignment to prepare them for the course and help them remediate forgotten concepts. In years past, I assigned videos and problems. This year I assigned the first LearnSmart/Smartbook assignment. It was definitely more streamlined and student feedback was positive. By using this software I can determine how much time they are spending on class preparation. It holds them accountable for their learning while guiding them through the concepts. Much better than just watching videos or reading a textbook.

Overall, the “no paper” re-design streamlined the assignments and will force students to complete the assignments honestly. While it took HOURS each week to re-design these courses, I feel it will benefit students in the end by keeping them safe while providing effective learning strategies.

Stay tuned for COVID-era Week 1 reflection.

Madness in March: The Pivot to Remote Learning at a Technical College

Never in the history of higher education have students and faculty been asked to so completely change the methods by which teaching and learning occur as they did during the COVID-19 driven quarantine of 2020.  A significant amount of research has already been published to document faculty and student perceptions using remote learning by choice.  However, the perceptions and impacts of a mandatory, mid-semester switch from face-to-face to remote learning has not been researched to date. 

This study addresses this gap and will provide an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses with remote learning at a 4-year applied technology college. The results of this analysis will be used to help faculty and students better prepare for future remote learning opportunities.  

Two surveys were developed and administered in Spring 2020 to assess student and faculty perceptions of remote learning. The surveys were developed in Qualtrics and distributed via email to students and faculty. Students and faculty were given 2 weeks to complete the surveys where the response rates for students (N=246) and faculty (N=1,082) were approximately 25% and 50%, respectively. Initial analysis of the responses indicates central themes among faculty for both the benefits and frustrations of remote learning.

Similarly, several significant themes emerged from student responses regarding their perspectives on effective strategies for remote learning and their frustrations with remote learning. While neither faculty nor students wanted to move entirely to remote learning, the lessons learned provide ideas for ways to capitalize on remote learning benefits, provide faculty professional development opportunities and student support for learning across modalities in post-COVID-19 educational design. 

The outcome of this study generated a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses with remote learning with the potential to better prepare faculty and students for future online learning experiences.

View the Ignite Presentation and read the Remote Learning Survey Report linked below. Our discussion will revolve around lessons learned and ideas for progress.

Remote Learning Survey Report Summary

Remote Learning Report pdfDownload

Infographic: Best Practices for Online LearningDownload

Inforgraphic: Best Practices for Online InstructionDownload

Exam Wrappers = Great Reflection

One of the most important aspects of guiding students in the learning process is reflection.  However, many instructors either don’t know how to incorporate reflection or just don’t understand the benefits.  Grant it, some courses lend themselves more to reflection.  STEM courses normally do not.

Flipping my classes has given me more opportunities to talk to students one-on-one.  Our conversations have given me better insight into their learning processes.  In addition to not knowing how to take notes, students spend even less time reflecting and summarizing what they learned and how they learned what they learned (or didn’t learn).  In a recent publication, I came across the idea of Exam Wrappers.   I used information from both Purdue University and Carnegie Mellon University to design an exam wrapper that will help students “learn FROM the test”.  Here is what I use as my exam wrapper.

After a test is graded, I return the test along with an exam wrapper.  I print the exam wrapper on colored paper so that students are less likely to lose it.  Students are directed to complete the wrapper by the next class meeting.  I review the exam wrapper and give students up to 5 points on the test for completing it.  The more reflection, the greater the points.

I make copies of the exam wrappers and write the test score on each copy of the wrapper for future reference.  Many of my students really find it beneficial not only to guide them through the test, but help them know what to do to prepare for the next test.  Here a few comments from the first test exam wrappers.  The first comment is from a student repeating the course.

 

The exam wrappers are also a huge benefit to me.  Students are given the opportunity to give suggestions to me.  Instead of waiting until the end of the semester for feedback, I hear it from the students during the semester and I can address any concerns now instead of later.  I am able to give the student feedback on the exam wrapper about their learning.  Exam wrappers are a win-win for both the student and me.  If you haven’t thought about student reflection, exam wrappers are a great tool to try.

 

The #Highered #Flipclass: Lessons Learned

I’ve been blogging about flipping at an open-enrollment college for about 2 years.  When I began flipping my general chemistry course 3 years ago, I made some huge assumptions about student learning.  Interestingly, I realized that I didn’t understand HOW students learned until I began flipping my course.

Every student learns differently and at different paces depending on the material.  Most students are not aware of how they learn, but yet think they know how to learn.  By flipping my class, I am now able to learn how each of my students learn and give them better support and direction to become more self-regulated learners.

Lessons Learned:

1.  ORGANIZED.  Be VERY organized in what students are to do at home.  Students need step-by-step instructions that are not only clear, but require the students to be active learners.

2.  REQUIRE note-taking.  Guide students in the note-taking process.

3.  FEEDBACK.  Collect the notes and provide comments on EVERY students’ notes.

4.  NOT “FLIPPED”.  I do not label my learning environment as “flipped”.  Tout the benefits and the past successes of students  who learned using this strategy.   I tell students that I have been teaching for 20 years and this “structure” has produced the best grades AND long term retention of material.

5.  GUIDE. I try to talk to every student during my face-to-face time.  My stronger students tend to want to monopolize my time, but I go out of my way to seek out my weaker students.  I encourage them to get help from me outside of class.  I want them to know that I want them to be successful.

6.  STUDENT CHOICE.  This is college… those students who don’t need my help and finish early, I tell them they can leave.  This is their time with me and they are paying for it.  If they don’t need help, they don’t need to stay in class.  This makes students feel like they are in control of their learning.  Most really appreciate this and end up staying for class.

7.  ACCEPTANCE.  Get students on board with the structure early on.  Tell them that you know this is new for them and that it will take some getting used to.  I make sure I tell students that my goal for the semester is for every student to earn an A.  I will do what I can to help them learn the material.

8.  CLARIFICATION.  Always start the class with an example problem or go over a “muddy point”.  It sets the tone for the class time and helps clear up any misconceptions.

I will never go back to lecture-only.  Some students say they do not “prefer” this method, but by the end of the semester, they realize how much they remember.  A student from the fall semester summed it up the best.  He told me that he could not believe how much he learned and that he hardly had to study for the final exam.  He did not have to cram because he knew the content.  In my years of lecture-only teaching, no student ever said this.

Strategies for Students who “Don’t watch the videos” #FlipClass

It’s been a few months since my last blog entry.  Since several students found my blog and were reading my entries, I felt it was not appropriate to comment or reflect on the teaching and learning.  Now since the semester is complete and grades are earned, it’s time for me to update my blog.

In a nutshell, I believe that this semester’s flipped classroom iteration was by far the most successful.  The “success” can be quantified using overall class grades and also my perspective in terms of student attitudes and perceptions of the flipped classroom.  Similar to the Spring 2014 semester, I did not label how I was teaching as the “flipped classroom”; I continued “Stealth Flipping”.  However, since many of the Spring 14 students indicated that they did not take notes on the vodcasts, or simply did not know how to take notes, I implemented a structured note-taking template based upon the Cornell note-taking method.  I also added “exam wrappers” which promoted reflection on student learning and preparation.

The addition of these two self-regulation tools seemed to have added to the success of the stealth flip structure.  As you can see from the graph below, the overall course grades were higher over all 4 student categories.

 

Students who graduated in the top third of their high school class made the greatest gains in course success.  The results from students graduating in the bottom third of their high school class is a bit misleading as there were only two of the seven students graduating in the bottom third of their HS class enrolled in General Chemistry who completed the course.  One of these students earned an A, but had already earned a BS degree.  The low retention of the bottom 1/3 students is ongoing regardless of the learning environment.  However, it appears that the bottom 1/3 students withdraw earlier in the semester in a flipped classroom.  Learning in a flipped classroom requires a great deal of self-regulated learning and many just don’t want to do the work.

Interestingly, the bottom 1/3 students were the ones who consistently did not submit in class problems or notes from the vodcasts.  Nor did they take the online quizzes.  Many of these students just came to class and seldom engaged in the learning process.  Others did not even make it to class.  As an instructor, this is very frustrating, but I can only do so much and ultimately the student needs to decide become vested in their learning.

Overall, the addition of SRL tools helped those students who graduated in the top and middle third of his or her graduating high school class.  SRL tools also helped non-traditional students (or those in the “other” category).  I plan to continue teaching students how to take notes and reflect on their learning.  Hopefully many will see the advantages and continue to use SRL tools in all their classes.

My next blog will include student comments on the implementation of the Cornell Note-taking methods when viewing the vodcasts.

Self-Regulation Tools and the #Flipclass

The first test in General Chemistry has been graded.  The test assessed similar topics to the first test from the Spring 2014 semester except for the addition of naming.  The overall average from the Spring 2014 class was a 60%.  The Fall 2014 class average on Test 1 is a 76%.  Unbelievable!  However, I prefer not to look at overall class averages because the student population changes each semester.  Examining the student average in terms of High School Class rank (top 1/3, middle 1/3, and bottom 1/3) gives a better indication of achievement/success in different learning environments.

Here’s a look at the data:

Class Rank	Fall 2014 Test 1 Average	Spring 2014 Test 1 Average
1	89.4	68.4
2	71.5	58.25
3	49.8	49.25
Not Given/GED	76.4	61.1

The highest achieving students (top 1/3 of their graduating high school class) in the Fall 2014 class were almost 20% more successful on Test 1 than in the Spring 2014 class.  The middle achievers (middle 1/3 of their graduating HS class) were 23% in the Fall 2014 class more successful on Test 1 than in the Spring 2014 class.  Students whose class rank were not given (mostly non-traditional students) were 15% more successful this semester.  Interestingly, those students graduating in the bottom 1/3 of their high school class were not more or less successful this semester versus in the Spring 2014 semester.

What is different?
I believe asking students to take notes using the Cornell Note-taking method is the main reason students are much more successful in this semester’s flipped class.  From past observations and student comments, many students did not take notes, or did not know how to take good notes, or simply did not watch the vodcasts.

Another difference is that students are working in groups of four in class with tables in a square arrangement.  In past iterations of the flipped class, the learning space was in rows.  This group arrangement is conducive to peer instruction. I am also encouraging them to teach each other by showing data that indicates deeper learning when students explain concepts and help each other with problem solving.  Many of my students are making a conscientious effort to teach each other.  As a result, the students have formed a learning community with me as the facilitator.  The learning community is positive because there are mature students in this class who take responsibility for their learning.

What to do with the lowest achieving student?

Students graduating in the bottom third of their high school class show no difference in achievement in a flipped class with implemented self-regulation tools.  Ironically, these students have not submitted their Cornell notes.  Even with the self-regulation tools as a requirement, positive classroom environment, and peer instruction, students with little motivation in high school are not likely to change their habits or self-efficacy in college.  Not surprising.

The flipped classroom with Cornell Notes promotes a significantly higher level of success amongst higher achievers (students graduating in the top and middle third of their high school class).  Overall, the implementation of Cornell notes and group learning space has increased the Test 1 average by 16%.  I deem this a success!!