“We know our disciplines well, but now it is time to consider how to translate our practices to the many “spaces” we find ourselves (and our learners) in so that we can foster learning and prepare our students for a competitive, global workforce” (MTMC, Module 1).
Whether you are a well-practiced instructor looking to refine your craft, brand new to teaching and wondering where to begin, or anywhere in between, keep reading and know that you are not alone. We can all appreciate the learning curve (and accompanied discomfort) associated with teaching and learning in these new, perhaps unfamiliar, modern classrooms.
To support CMU instructors on your continued journey, over the next 4 weeks, we will continue to explore what effective teaching and learning looks like in these new and diverse settings as we share practical information and valuable insights from our Multi-Modal Teaching Methods Certification (or MTMC) faculty development opportunity.
Discovering Your Modality
The different methods we use to disseminate our content and engage with our students comprise our new(er) learning space, the more broadly encompassing multi-modal learning environment. Accordingly, we must acknowledge the call to action that we face as instructors to re-envision how the design of our course, the instructional methods we implement, and the modality we are teaching in, can be maximized for authentic student learning.
The first step in this process involves identifying the “modes” of your specific teaching and learning environment; the modality (or modalities) you find yourself teaching in will likely inform the strategies you use and the tools you implement. This will require an understanding of instructional modalities as defined here at CMU (see CMU’s Curriculum Authority Document for a listing and definitions). Along with modality determined parameters, it is also important to recognize that instructor preference, comfort level, and other contributors within these aspects, should also inform how your course will be structured (physically and logistically).
Familiarizing yourself with the physical and metaphorical “spaces” that you’ll be teaching in (and with), the next step is to consider the design and structure of your course (what your course might look like). Robust course design prepares instructors for effective teaching in essentially any delivery mode. Applying learner-centered and backward design principles can help you efficiently and strategically connect the content you teach with your instructional space and the techniques you utilize. In other words, the process of designing your course must first begin with the instructional context and limiting or defining modality parameters and should be bolstered with learner-centered and backward course design principles.
Why? In his book Creating Significant Learning Experiences, author L. Dee Fink (2013) leads us to the answer: “course design has the greatest potential for solving the problems that faculty frequently face in their teaching” (p. 27). Fink outlines three common challenges faced in higher ed: getting students to prepare before class, student boredom, and poor retention of knowledge; these challenges existed pre-pandemic and continue today. A learner-centered course design is ultimately recommended to mitigate these challenges because “it requires that faculty give students some [responsibility] over those learning processes that directly affect them” (Weimer, 2002, p. 45). Likewise, the principles of backward design drive us to consider ways to differentiate our practices based on our learning goals, instructional modalities, and other variables (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998). Such differentiation can mean large or small scale “…adjustments in instruction, materials, and assignments” to accommodate these variables. This is where differences in modes and adjustments to support a student’s readiness and other differences come into play (Oakley, Rogowsky & Sejnowski, 2020, p. 25). Thus, the heart of this process (developing and implementing successful educational experiences) lies in the learning goals of your course and how they can be met through your instructional modality/modalities as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Don’t let the “education” jargon stump you here. Support for all steps in this process is available. What comes next? Enroll in the MTMC training shell, check next week’s CIS newsletter, or send us an email for more.
Reference(s):
Fink, L.D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses. Jossey-Bass.
Weimer, M. (2002). Learner-centered teaching: Five key changes to practice. Jossey-Bass.
Wiggins, Grant, and McTighe, Jay. (1998). Backward design. In Understanding by Design (pp. 13-34). ASCD
Oakley, B., Rogowsky, B., Sejnowski, T. (2020). Uncommon sense teaching: Practical insights in brain science to help students learn. New York: Random House.