Making Laptops a Valuable Teaching Tool

Today's guest blogger is Maria Rodriguez, an SNL student. 

One can find much debate when discussing laptops and their use in the classroom. Some students I have talked to believe laptops are needed in class, and others think they are just a distraction. However, Benedict Carey, in “Frequent Tests Can Enhance College Learning, Study Finds,” thinks laptops can be used as a teaching tool to benefit students.  

In his article, Carey mentions Professors James W. Pennebaker and Samuel D. Gosling, two psychology professors at the University of Texas who conducted an experiment that consisted of asking 901 students to bring their laptops to class so they could take a short and personalized online quiz before class began. Experts believe this approach can help prevent students from failing class, especially students from low-income households, according to Carey.

Dr. Gosling seems to agree with him. According to Dr. Gosling, students with low-income backgrounds who also come from “poor-quality” schools need to be quizzed regularly because too often these students fail the first and second midterms, and this happens, he adds, because they once “were always smartest in class,” so when they don’t pass their first midterm they believe it was a mistake, Dr. Gosling says. He also believes once these students fail their second midterm, chances to pass the class are lost. Therefore, by quizzing them regularly students not only excel in class but also pass the class. In my opinion this experiment shows measurable outcomes. Students’ class attendance increased by 30 percent. Class scores went up 10 percent, and total high grades had noticeable growth. Better yet, students from lower-income households didn’t fail the class, and their grades showed the most improvement.

After learning the results of this experiment, one can say that computers used in the classroom can “act as an aid to teaching.” While students might not like the idea of taking quizzes at the beginning of each class, I would say that the advantage of these quizzes is practice that yields a results. For example, regular quizzing is already being practiced by Community Colleges of Chicago. As a former student of Truman College, I had a few professors who gave our class regular quizzes. Therefore, we knew to be prepared for the following class. Though their quizzes were not personalized as Pennebaker and Gosling’s, this regular testing helped me to retain more information, and as an adult learner it forced me to form good study habits and to develop better study routines. I learned to use collected quizzes as study guides and lessen the stress.

So, while quizzes can be given without the use of computers, I think the use of them (especially the students’ own laptops) cuts any strain between the professor and the student. Students don’t like to be told what to do, yet professors don’t want to waste precious time telling adults what to do. In addition, the use of this technology in the classroom helps preserve the environment and saves the school money on paper, ink, and electricity.  

Work Cited

Carey, Benedict. “Frequent Test Can Enhance College Learning, Study Finds.” New York Times. 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 21 June 2013.

The Wrong Way to Teach Grammar

Yesterday Michelle Navarre Cleary was a guest on Wisconsin Public Radio’s The Kathleen Dunn Show. During the hour she discussed, in short, the wrong way to teach grammar.

Navarre Cleary’s appearance on the program expanded on her recent article in The Atlantic, in which she outlined the research on the ineffectiveness of teaching grammar—memorizing parts of speech, drilling, diagramming sentences—before students are given the chance to actually write. “There is a real cost to ignoring such findings,” she wrote, and by focusing on grammatical correctness, students “never give themselves the chance to explore their ideas or ways of expressing those ideas.”  

Some schools have moved beyond the traditional model, and those that did have seen positive results: programs at Arizona State and the Community College of Baltimore that allow developmental students to start writing immediately resulted in higher pass rates and less time spent in developmental  courses.

“Good writing is clear thinking,” she says, noting that sometimes “it’s easier to worry about where the comma goes than to really push yourself to clarify your ideas.” But if students are allowed to focus on those ideas, grammar will follow naturally: “it’s in that effort to communicate that people start to learn what makes sense in terms of arranging their words in sentences.”

To read the full article in The Atlantic, click here.

To listen to the WPR recoding, click here.



And a reminder for your students: the deadline to submit to the Writing Showcase is April 1st!

Michelle Navarre Cleary on Inside Higher Ed

Last week Associate Dean Michelle Navarre Cleary's article on competence-based programs, "Creating Competent Students," was published on Inside Higher Ed. Presenting quantitative evidence of student success, Navarre Cleary explains, "Different does not mean diminished. To the contrary, by any number of measures, competence-based programs have proven that they can support effective learning as well as, and often better than, traditional programs." 

Click here to read the full article.

Winter Quarter 2014 News & Reminders

Now that Chicago is recovering from the deep freeze and the quarter is underway, SNL Writing would like to pass on a few notes and reminders for Winter Quarter. 

UCWbL Relocating

The Lincoln Park UCWbL office is now located in the Schmitt Academic Center (SAC) at 2320 N. Kenmore, next to the Richardson Library. The online appointment scheduler will be available beginning January 10, and the center will open on January 13. The Loop office is still in 1600 Lewis (25 E. Jackson). Instructors can request an in-class "orientation" for their students by clicking here. 

Digication

Beginning this quarter all WTC and WW students are asked to create their course portfolios using Digication. Click here to view the UCWbL's comprehensive how-to guide for both instructors and students. Instructors can request additional support and resources from the Teaching Commons, FITS, and the UCWbL. 

SNL Writing Instructor Handbook

The Handbook for SNL Writing Instructors Digication site includes sample syllabi, rubrics, activities, and other instructional resources for instructors of both WW and WTC. 

Resources for Writing Instructors & Upcoming Incomplete Boot Camp

Two New Resource Sites
Teaching Central highlights Bedford St. Martin's collection of resource guides, background readings, and bibliographies for writing teachers. The collection is searchable by publication date, author, and title, as well as topic (teaching advice, workshops and symposia, adjuncting, and more).  

Teachnet is a blog featuring advice, resources, and links, with an emphasis on teaching with technology. Recent posts include "10 Tips for Grading Writing with Less Stress and Frustration" and "Accelerating Community Through Online Writing."

These sites have joined the Handbook for SNL Writing Instructors Digication site on the Key Resources & Websites page. 

Upcoming Incomplete Boot Camp: Wednesday, December 18
If you have students with incompletes outstanding or other projects to work on over break, please consider inviting them to the next Boot Camp, which meets on December 18 from 5:30-9PM at 14 E. Jackson. Students should contact snlsa@depaul.edu to register.

SNL Writing Faculty Publish on Teaching Writing to Veterans

An article by Michelle Navarre Cleary and Katie Wozniak was recently published in Composition Forum, in a special issue focused on veterans and writing. 

Abstract: 
Considering veterans in the context of research on adult and nontraditional students in college writing classes, this article proposes Malcolm Knowles's six principles for adult learning as an asset-based heuristic for investigating how writing programs and writing teachers might build upon existing resources to support veteran students. 

Navarre Cleary and Wozniak explain that many institutions take a deficit-based approach to evaluating the needs of veterans and subsequently find their resources lacking, while those that take an asset-based approach find they already have many of the tools to support veterans. Moreover, the deficit approach reinforces the idea of the veteran-student as outside the mainstream, when in fact research on teaching composition to veterans aligns with that of other adult, nontraditional students. As such, the six principles of andragogy identified by Knowles are well-suited to informing conversations regarding improvements to practice and examination of existing knowledge and resources. 

Read the full article here.  

Update on Richardson Library Renovation: Faculty Resources in the Library Learning Commons

University Librarian Scott Walter recently posted an update on the Richardson Library's ongoing renovation, including a description of several new resources for faculty: 

"For faculty planning their fall courses, however, it will also provide access to two new service programs designed to directly support your teaching and research: the Learning Commons and the Scholar’s Lab.

The Richardson Library Learning Commons will be a collaborative effort between the DePaul University Libraries, the Division of Academic Affairs (e.g., The Writing Center, The Science and Math Learning Center), and the Division of Student Affairs (e.g., Office of Multicultural Student Services). With support from Caryn Chaden, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, faculty and staff currently working in these areas have spent the past several months planning for the launch of the new program and for the introduction of Learning Commons services to new and returning students through orientation programs, instruction associated with the Chicago Quarter, etc. Bringing together existing library services such as research assistance and information literacy instruction with existing partner programs already housed in the library (e.g., Supplemental Instruction), the Learning Commons is envisioned as a “one-stop shop” for learning support for DePaul students in all schools and colleges. We hope you’ll visit the Learning Commons in the fall to learn more about what it can offer your students.

While visiting the Learning Commons, you will also be able to see the Richardson Library Scholar’s Lab, another new program to be housed in the Information Commons and one dedicated to supporting teaching and research that bring together scholarly content, data sources, digital content, and technology tools. A collaborative effort between librarians and academic programs exploring opportunities for teaching and research in areas such as digital imaging, textual analysis and text mining, social science data, and digital humanities, the Scholar’s Lab will provide a new resource to DePaul faculty and students in all schools and colleges interested in exploring innovative approaches to teaching, learning, and research, and will promote engagement between faculty and librarians working with the next generation of digital, scholarly content."

To learn more about new resources and for other related announcements, visit the project's website. 

News From the Teaching Commons & An Introduction

Reading and Assessing Digital Portfolios: Background and Strategies

Assessing individual assignments during a course is common protocol in most college classrooms, but what about holistic assessment of students’ learning at the end of a course? What happens when we move from analytic assessment of individual pieces of student work to holistic assessment of a body of work presented to us in reflective and digital forms? How do we know what our students have actually learned and what was significant for them in our courses? In this workshop, we will provide an overview of grading and assessment theory and practice and help faculty consider new ways of assessing learning from a holistic perspective with portfolios. Presented by Katie Wozniak (SNL) and Michael Moore (WRD).

May 30, 12-2pm - Loop - DePaul Center 8011 
May 31, 12-2pm - LPC - Richardson Library 400

Mobile Learning: What is it? How can it help my students?
Learn how web-enabled mobile devices like smartphones and tablets are being leveraged to increase students' participation and engagement in their classes. That's right, there's more to these technologies than Angry Birds and Facebook.

Join a Faculty Writing Group
Are you interested in participating in WRITE, DePaul's new faculty Writing Group? Since this will be a high-tech, inter-campus, inter-disciplinary effort, read the specifics and guidelines for the group in advance so you can be ready when the time comes.

Register Now for the 18th Annual DePaul Faculty Teaching & Learning Conference
Friday, May 3, 9am-5pm
DePaul Center, 8th floor

And a Brief Introduction
Dear SNL Writing Faculty, 
My name is Claire Rooney, and I started earlier this week as the new program assistant for SNL Writing and International Study. (In short: the new Kaitlin.) I'm coming over to SNL from the Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse department, where I taught WRD 104. I'm also a DePaul alum: I finished my MA in Writing & Publishing last June. During my MA program, I had the pleasure of working at the UCWbL as the assistant coordinator for the Writing Groups team, the role in which I was first introduced to SNL and its Writing program. I'm very excited and fortunate to be here, and I look forward to meeting everyone soon!