**This is Competency 3 of the Certificate in College Teaching (CCT). You can learn more about the CCT competencies here.**
Core Competency 3 focuses on the incorporation of digital technologies into teaching practices.
In addition to the Certificate in College Teaching Institute, I have experience teaching with technology through my teaching assistantship during the 2023-2024 academic year. To read a bit more about my experiences incorporating digital humanities into coursework, please visit my Digital Humanities (DH) Certificate page here.
Core Competency 3 focuses on the incorporation of digital technologies into teaching practices.
In addition to the Certificate in College Teaching Institute, I have experience teaching with technology through my teaching assistantship during the 2023-2024 academic year. To read a bit more about my experiences incorporating digital humanities into coursework, please visit my Digital Humanities (DH) Certificate page here.
Workshop: Certificate in College Teaching Institute
Completed: May 10, 2024
Description: This workshop explored the myths behind learning styles, then was followed by a discussion of when it's appropriate to utilize technology (the application of a process, method, technique, machinery, equipment, or tools) in the classroom. We learned about how educators should use technology to successfully achieve a learning outcome, as well as how to write learning objectives and associated learning outcomes, and how to write a learning outcome that is specific and measurable.
Artifacts and Rationale:
Artifact: Learning Styles Don't Exist
Rationale: During the workshop, we learned all about learning styles, and how they actually do not exist. Grade schools have been teaching VARK (visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic) learning styles, which has been causing students to think that there is only one real way that they can learn. However, this is incorrect - rather than having a single learning style, we learn using multiple methods. This artifact was provided to participants in the 2024 CCTI and is a link to the Youtube video so that anyone can watch it.
Material Developed for the Course: Technology Workshop Handout
Rationale: During the workshop, we filled out a worksheet where we had to imagine a situation where we were teaching a subject to about 75 students, most of which were in the subject matter's major. With that knowledge, we used a Backwards Design to create a learning objective and a related learning outcome. To do this, we first decided what skill and/or knowledge we wanted our students to learn. Then we used the SMART method to create learning outcomes that were specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timebound. Through this process, we have to think about the ways that we can assess these objectives, a major part of the Backwards Design.
I wrote learning objectives and outcomes as if I was teaching an anatomy course. I have previously taken a class on how to teach anatomy to medical students, and had to come up with learning objectives. However, I never created learning outcomes. So, I wanted to build upon my past work. You can see what I came up with in my Material Developed for the Course attachment.
I will be using this method in the future to develop my course learning objectives/outcomes.
Reflection:
What skills and techniques did I learn that will help me become a better educator?
I learned that learning styles are a myth! I always assumed that I was a kinesthetic learner, but after this workshop, I reflected on my own learning and realized that I actually use several “learning styles” when I’m learning. This will help me become a better educator because I can begin to debunk this myth with my students, and we can talk about the several ways that we can make things accessible to everyone in the classroom. It can also help me deconstruct my thinking about my own ways that I learn so that if I am assigned to teach a class outside of my discipline, I will (hopefully) not get stuck on new learning material.
What things am I still uncertain about regarding this topic that I need to investigate further in the future?
I would like to learn how to write learning objectives and learning outcomes. I know this is a lifelong learning skill, but I still feel very uncertain about my ability to do this before teaching my own course. I think I will be studying a lot of different syllabi before diving into my courses and writing their learning objectives/outcomes.
How can I apply materials from this session to my own class to enhance the effectiveness of teaching and learning?
I can see myself discussing “learning styles” at the beginning of my courses to debunk them immediately, and hopefully remove learning blocks that have been put in place in grade school.
Concerning technology specifically, I plan to incorporate a digital project into my classes where appropriate, especially regarding making public-facing projects. I hope to give students transferable skills along with the material that they learn in class.
Completed: May 10, 2024
Description: This workshop explored the myths behind learning styles, then was followed by a discussion of when it's appropriate to utilize technology (the application of a process, method, technique, machinery, equipment, or tools) in the classroom. We learned about how educators should use technology to successfully achieve a learning outcome, as well as how to write learning objectives and associated learning outcomes, and how to write a learning outcome that is specific and measurable.
Artifacts and Rationale:
Artifact: Learning Styles Don't Exist
Rationale: During the workshop, we learned all about learning styles, and how they actually do not exist. Grade schools have been teaching VARK (visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic) learning styles, which has been causing students to think that there is only one real way that they can learn. However, this is incorrect - rather than having a single learning style, we learn using multiple methods. This artifact was provided to participants in the 2024 CCTI and is a link to the Youtube video so that anyone can watch it.
Material Developed for the Course: Technology Workshop Handout
Rationale: During the workshop, we filled out a worksheet where we had to imagine a situation where we were teaching a subject to about 75 students, most of which were in the subject matter's major. With that knowledge, we used a Backwards Design to create a learning objective and a related learning outcome. To do this, we first decided what skill and/or knowledge we wanted our students to learn. Then we used the SMART method to create learning outcomes that were specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timebound. Through this process, we have to think about the ways that we can assess these objectives, a major part of the Backwards Design.
I wrote learning objectives and outcomes as if I was teaching an anatomy course. I have previously taken a class on how to teach anatomy to medical students, and had to come up with learning objectives. However, I never created learning outcomes. So, I wanted to build upon my past work. You can see what I came up with in my Material Developed for the Course attachment.
I will be using this method in the future to develop my course learning objectives/outcomes.
Reflection:
What skills and techniques did I learn that will help me become a better educator?
I learned that learning styles are a myth! I always assumed that I was a kinesthetic learner, but after this workshop, I reflected on my own learning and realized that I actually use several “learning styles” when I’m learning. This will help me become a better educator because I can begin to debunk this myth with my students, and we can talk about the several ways that we can make things accessible to everyone in the classroom. It can also help me deconstruct my thinking about my own ways that I learn so that if I am assigned to teach a class outside of my discipline, I will (hopefully) not get stuck on new learning material.
What things am I still uncertain about regarding this topic that I need to investigate further in the future?
I would like to learn how to write learning objectives and learning outcomes. I know this is a lifelong learning skill, but I still feel very uncertain about my ability to do this before teaching my own course. I think I will be studying a lot of different syllabi before diving into my courses and writing their learning objectives/outcomes.
How can I apply materials from this session to my own class to enhance the effectiveness of teaching and learning?
I can see myself discussing “learning styles” at the beginning of my courses to debunk them immediately, and hopefully remove learning blocks that have been put in place in grade school.
Concerning technology specifically, I plan to incorporate a digital project into my classes where appropriate, especially regarding making public-facing projects. I hope to give students transferable skills along with the material that they learn in class.