Course Design for Student Self-Efficacy and Resilience
Loading...
Date
2018-04
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Ohio State University. Office of Outreach and Engagement
Abstract
College can leave some students feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and unsure. This session will equip participants to consider how course design and pedagogical choices can help college students build self-efficacy and resilience. A key premise is that educators who are experts in their subject matter sometimes forget to acknowledge and scaffold the underlying content and strategic knowledge their students have not yet developed. We will address the expert-novice divide in three main areas, helping students to: understand threshold concepts in a course, become strategic learners, and know how/when to reach out for help. The intended audience is faculty, lecturers, graduate students, and other staff members who design courses, teach, and interact with college students. Participants will leave with an understanding of underlying concepts, as well as specific strategies they can implement in their own course design and classrooms.
Description
College can leave some students feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and unsure. What happens in the classroom can either reinforce or reverse this state of affairs; in other words, instructional design and pedagogical choices are pathways to supporting student wellness. This session will equip attendees to consider how their course design and pedagogical choices can help students feel encouraged, balanced, and confident. A key premise is that educators who are experts in their subject matter sometimes forget to acknowledge and scaffold the underlying content and strategic knowledge that their students have not yet developed. We will address the expert-novice divide in three main areas: understanding threshold concepts in a course, becoming a strategic learner, and knowing how and when to reach out for help. First, we will emphasize teaching strategies that help students increase their sense of control over their learning outcomes and performance. Using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a framework, this section will highlight specific elements of course design (e.g., frequent assessment, scaffolding, transparency) that instructors can implement to increase students' engagement and confidence in learning. Next, we will emphasize learning strategies that instructors can model and recommend to students. Using self-regulated learning as a framework, this section will describe essential study strategies (e.g., distributed practice, elaboration, self-testing) and how they support students' mastery of the content. Finally, we will emphasize ways that instructors can support students' well-being, such as encouraging self-care and stress management, promoting the use of resources, and recognizing warning signs for at-risk students. This section will also address language use in the syllabus, the classroom, office hours, and email. As a whole, the session will take a theory-to-practice approach while connecting the presentation and discussion with attendees' own teaching contexts and concerns. The presenters will ask the audience to reflect and share their perspectives to provide active learning opportunities and increase the relevance of the content conveyed during the lecture portions of the presentation. The intended audience for this session is faculty, lecturers, graduate students, and other staff who design courses, teach, and interact with college students. The theoretical frameworks and ideas for practice will apply most directly to individuals who work in higher education; however, any individual with a concern for shaping classroom environments that support the self-efficacy and resilience of adolescent or adult learners may find the session beneficial. The presenters are professionals in the teaching and learning centers of The Ohio State University, where they regularly design, facilitate, and support programming on teaching and learning. They hold advanced degrees in higher education, social work and educational psychology.
AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Lauren Hensley, Senior Associate Director, Dennis Learning Center, hensley.121@osu.edu (Corresponding Author); Stephanie Rohdieck, Associate Director, University Center for the Advancement of Teaching; Jennie Williams, Program Manager, University Center for the Advancement of Teaching.
AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Lauren Hensley, Senior Associate Director, Dennis Learning Center, hensley.121@osu.edu (Corresponding Author); Stephanie Rohdieck, Associate Director, University Center for the Advancement of Teaching; Jennie Williams, Program Manager, University Center for the Advancement of Teaching.
Keywords
college teaching, student support, instructional design
Citation
Engaged Scholars, v. 6 (2018).