Well this feels a little anti-climatic but here goes for the final blog...this week I to meet class requirements I chose one of the group activities from last week and expanded it by incorporating the case studies wiki activity found in Chpt 4 of the West and West book. Enjoy...
CHALLENGES FACING UNDERGRADUATE INSTRUCTORS
Lesson Summary (excerpt) - Wiki Project (Critical Thinking)
(Note: Items italicized are directions for the instructor)
Case Study #1 - Class Size
Purpose
The following purpose must be presented by the instructor to the students to develop interest and provide the main objective.
Provide the following abstract to the student groups:
“Explain the possible consequences of increased class sizes Kansas State University undergraduate classes and what challenges this causes first year undergrad instructors. Propose possible solutions.”
Frame
Homepage
On the homepage the instructor should include the following introductory information to provide context:
“A new president has just been appointed at KSU. She is determined to get the first and second year class sizes under control and reduce them to a more manageable number of students. A number of professors and students alike have been complaining about this for sometime.”
Example of Case Study expectations can be found on the following site:
Case Study Research Guide - University of Calgary
Don’t forget to promulgate links to each student groups’ pages on the introductory page!
Guidelines for Completion
Students should be provided with the following excerpts to give additional background information on the Case Study:
“The president has appointed your group as part of her task force to look into solutions. Your group is to brain storm, discuss and present potential solutions for managing first year class sizes. What are the challenges associated with class sizes?”
Additional direction to the students must provide the actual case study assignment and expectations. Instructors must list the following aim and deliverable to the students on the home page to ensure student comprehension of what is expected:
“Your group has to come up with a wiki listing challenges associated with class size. Along with the challenges, case studies and potential solutions will be expected. Be creative!”
Grading Rubric is listed in Annex A.
Case Study Material Page
On this page instructors should place and organize supporting materials to aid student analysis. This material is only meant as a launch pad for students as they are expected to perform some original research and do their own analysis (West & West, page 83).
Artifacts
- Link to memo from KSU President (publish on wiki instructor homepage) as this will provide greater detail on the background of the case study
Analysis aids
- eListen Survey software: This should only be offered to students who have previous experience and desire to survey students (examples include measuring student and professor frustration with class size)
- SPSS: If students demonstrate advanced analytical abilities, then provide access to SPSS to aid data interpretation and data manipulation
Useful links (to other examples of Case Studies, Learning Aids, and supplementary information):
Transport Canada examples of Case Studies
York University Tutorials
Kansas State University President homepage
Case Study Solution Page
This separate page is to be set up to provide students with a place where each group can engage in case analysis and build a solution (West & West, page 84).
The following phases should be included:
Research
- As the groups research and build their knowledge base, they will require an area where they can share ideas. Therefore it is important to provide a space where students can organize and coordinate activities related to this.
Analysis
- Once the research phase is completed, students will then begin to organize and structure their ideas in a such a way as to be able to analyze the data. Provide a separate area where students can brainstorm and discuss their interpretations of the data. Provide additional online communication tools as required (e.g. chatroom)
Writing
- This is the final phase where students construct the finished findings. If the students are weaker, make use of scaffolding to provide a structure students can utilize for their finished product.
(Adopted from West & West, page 84).
Group Management
- Case studies will have a maximum of three people, no more
- By mid-week instructor should be able to gage student comfort level and competence, release additional information pertaining to KSU Class Size Faculty Board report as required
- Indicate to students that previous KSU Class Size Working Group members will be available to interview and consult
Additional Resources
Provide additional resources as required by students (e.g KSU Class Size Faculty Board Report). Remember that students are expected to conduct the bulk of their research and the instructors role is to step back and function as an online facilitator.
Annex A
ASSESSMENT PLAN
Summary: Students will be graded as per rubric below.
Wiki Project Collaboration
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Criteria
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Exemplary
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Above Avg
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Mediocre
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Way unsat
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Constructive Process
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All group members made frequent and constructive contributions
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Most group members made substantial efforts to contribute
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Most members made some sort of contribution
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One or two members attempted to carry group
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Balanced Contributions
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All group members worked to complete projects in assigned roles
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All group members contributed but some had to step in to complete certain tasks
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Long pouty silences followed by maniacal periods of sweat filled desperation
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Fights broke out between group members and police were called
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(Loosely adopted from West & West, page 43)
References
West, J.A. & West, M.L. (2009). Using wikis for online collaboration. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Hi Angry Farmer,
ReplyDeleteWell, this is an excellent example of a case study as defined and illustrated by West and West (2009), and it definitely tackles a relevant real-world problem that should engage the interest and commitment of the project participants.
I like your elegant yet simple solution to a question that I struggled with earlier: how to separate the directions for the teacher from the instructions for the students within the same document/lesson plan. Your idea to put the teacher directions in italics takes care of that problem.
The wiki project you have proposed, properly executed, could well lead to both critical thinking and contextual application if the result is some feasible solutions to the problem of undergraduate class size. In this regard, it reminds of something I read in Elgort, Smith, and Toland (2008) about the strength of wikis in group course work:
“The nature of interaction in wikis is fundamentally different from that of threaded discussions; it is interaction through action. Participants in a group project wiki work together towards a common goal, i.e., not so much engaging in a discussion about concepts and their application, but actually applying what they know and have learned, and demonstrating their understanding in action” (p. 199).
KSU Cuz
References
Elgort, I., Smith, A. G., & Toland, J. (2008). Is wiki an effective platform for group course work? Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 24, 195-210. Retrieved from http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet24/elgort.pdf
West, J. A., & West, M. L. (2009). Using wikis for online collaboration: The power of the read-write Web. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
This Wiki project you propose for the course is certainly relevant and has practical application for the University; however, it leaves me with several questions. First, why is the course titled New Technology Impacting Education, yet the case study focuses on class size issues? I do not see the immediate connection between the two. Second, you use an evaluation or research study framework for the Wiki project but what is the hypothesis or research question? If the students are going to conduct research should they not start with a research question they seek to answer? If the student's role is to find solutions for reducing class size I can see polling other students for ideas but that is not really a research study. West and West (2009) frame the research study with "table of contents, research topic, background and significance, method of research, instrument for collection, and resources" (pp. 91-92). Your project seems to fit more with the frame of a collaborative research paper so I am somewhat unclear as to what approach you would like the students to use when engaging in the Wiki project. It is certainly possible I am interpreting your directions incorrectly but as a student, I would need further clarification on how you want groups to frame the project.
ReplyDeleteHaving said the above, I think engaging students in such a project not only gets them actively involved in solving problems that are directly affecting them, it also empowers them in the process and gives them ownership of change. This is a brilliant idea!
References:
West, J. A., & West, M. L. (2009). Using wikis for online collaboration: The power of the read-write Web. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Hi, I know late response but thank you for the feedback. I think you raise several good points and ask pertinent questions. First, the course is not "New Technologies...", that is the name of the Blog. The title of the course is Challenges facing instructors. Second, I think the reason I did not create allow for the students to create their own case is because I was incorporating scaffolding into my lesson design. My targeted audience was supposed to be new professors who have never taught before and are taking an introductory instructors course. I had used the Case Study framework found in West and West, perhaps my execution of it was not a hundred percent correct. I will have to re-examine that chapter and look at my lesson again to verify I followed the proper format.
DeleteAgain, thank you for the feedback. It is always good to have a second set of eyes look at the structure. If it was not clear to you, I need to review it again to ensure it is clear.
Cheers.