Teaching with Technology Part I: General Things

Teaching with Technology is an exciting part of our field. It is a tool for learning to be used to enhance the productivity of both professor and student.

This is the first of several posts on the topic where I will discuss management technologies (like Blackboard –Bb or Web CT), authoring technology, and presentation technologies.

When I began teaching, it was the chalkboard (with chalk) and live demonstrations. Things have evolved to using excellent video libraries of chemical reactions, document cameras, and fewer live demonstrations, mainly due to safety concerns.

My experience is with Blackbaord (Bb) where we use it for distributing handouts, grade management, and preparatory quizzes. The preparatory quizzes (Prep Quizzes) are a method for students to prepare for class. Before each class they are to complete a short quiz (5-8 questions) on-line covering material for the upcoming class. The logic is that a prepared student will be receptive to understand more deeply during the class.

After much discussion, for our combined sections, we decided that a student should be able to complete the Prep Quiz at the 75% level for maximum credit. The quiz would be from reading material in the text. We use the scores as a bonus for some course, but the are required for other courses. In our labs, the preparatory quiz is required for all students and it counts in its entirety.

We now have libraries of appropriate questions written for five courses. In a coordinated course, the professors share the libraries and write a few questions on their own. We usually post the Prep Quizzes a week at a time. They are due two hours before the class begins. The professor can then access the statistics for the prep quiz. It is extremely useful to know the percentage of students who can (or cannot) handle a concept. Then during the class, the professor can emphasize the troublesome point. Having used this system for over five years, I believe it is a good addition to our program and helps us achieve our goal. Writing the questions initially was very time-consuming but now that we have a decent data base, writing just a few new questions for each year is manageable. I endorse the concept. Yes, there are some details that could be improved! Write me if you want to know more.

Bb has some quirks that require adjustment overall. However, it is the system we have and will continue to use.

The students particularly like having their materials available easily and, accessing their grades on-line. I'll address further aspects of this in future posts.

Exams Part VI; Returning Exams

Exams Part VI: Returning Exams

TTY: Tom Bowers

Emotions are a bit high on the day we return exams. We usually return them at the end of the class because otherwise, the students cannot focus on the class at hand. However, we do allow time for the process. The papers are alphabetized so the students can pick theirs up and leave the room.

Prior to picking up their paper, we post the statistics for combined sections including average, median, standard deviation, high-low score. We post the answers on Blackboard.

In the event of a grading error or need for further discussion, we ask the students to WRITE their concern and return the paper to the professor within one week. There are several reasons for this procedure. Some students are too timid or nervous to verbally make their case. It is much less threatening to write out a concern. Similarly, with written comments, I do not make any changes with the student present. I consider any challenges based only on their written comments. Some, of course, are obvious (points added wrong, clear error) but others require consistency to all students.

The professor needs to understand the wide variety of emotions for the students on this day. Some are delighted, others deeply disappointed. Being direct with clear explanation of the results without comments is how I handle this tough day.




http://weblogs.jomc.unc.edu:16080/tbowers/

Exams V: Grading Sessions

TTY: About 20 TAs a year for almost 20 years.... approximate 400!! THANKS, we couldn't do it without you!

Grading exams is difficult, no matter how you look at it. Many schools use machine-graded assessments for this very reason. We have resisted because we want to give a variety of question types and offer partial credit for calculations and discussion questions. We do try to design exams with the grading in mind.

I am eager to hear how others handle grading of 100-500 papers within a 3 hour session. I’ll describe the system we have devised over the past 15 years.

Our exams are administered from 5-6 PM and grading begins immediately after the exam is finished. We have a room with tables and we order pizza for delivery about 15 minutes after the session begins. Food does help the process!

The professors have written the key in advance and agreed on partial credit. Each professor is in charge of one page and works alongside the TAs to grade just that page. Each TA grades one question consistently. The first 30 minutes of the session is critical as the TAs need to make sure they understand the problem and various acceptable responses. Once we get rolling, the TA consults with the professor in charge of the page as needed.

When possible, we try to grade some exams prior to the large grading sessions. These are from students who had a conflict and took the exam at an alternate time. We can then see the common errors and address the grading protocol based on real answers.

We total each page and then the exam, writing the score on Page 2 as described in a previous post. Then we sort and alphabetize the papers for each professor to record.

In general the process works but there are some issues. Some graders lose focus and do not show the consistency we want. In the Fall, when many of the TAs are new graduate students, we are not aware of their strengths and weaknesses. As time goes on, we learn how to assign tasks for efficient and effective evaluation.

Normally we can finish a session in three hours, but there have been times it lasts much longer than that. What can I say? The task isn’t finished until all papers are graded, sorted, and ready to record.

Exams IV: Administration

Again, I’m sure that there are many ways to organize exam administration for large groups. I’ll share the way we administer and grade 100-500 exams in about 3-4 hours. This style is what we have worked out over quite a few years.

We reserve large rooms for 90 minutes (5:00 to 6:30 PM) for the days of exams. We request enough seating so that students can sit in alternate chairs. We do give two versions of the exam as well. This takes care of inadvertent cheating. In order for students to do their best, a good testing atmosphere is essential. Space between students minimizes distractions during the exam.

As the students enter the room, they must sit in alternate chairs directly behind another student. The TAs direct students for the first exam. For other exams, the students know the system and sit as we want.

We reserve a small section in the room (I call it the First Base Line, baseball fans will know what I mean) for latecomers or others that have special testing needs…like a class that meets at 6:30. See below for students with disabilities.

To begin the exam, we pass out the pre-counted papers. We always have a cover sheet that contains reference material such as the Periodic Table and certain equations. We ask for students to count the pages in their exam and TAs check for defective copies. When we are ready, we say “Tear off the first page and begin.” At the same time we write the exact time on an overhead where everyone can see. We also write the time that papers will be collected: Example: Start: 5:12 Stop: 6:12.

We project clocks during the exam, but only give an oral time check once, usually with 5 minutes left. When the exam is finished, we stop everyone and collect the papers. We do use an ID check as they turn in their papers.

Students with disabilities do not attend the combined section exams. They go to a special place (Office of Institutional Equity) where their needs can be met. In our experience, it is best for all concerned to have these students tested at the center. We just cannot fairly give extra time to anyone.

Next post will address grading sessions with 4 professors and 12 graduate students!

As usual, I’m interested in the way others handle these types of exam situations.