Journal of Effective Teaching in Higher Education

Letter from the Editors

James DeVita — 2024-06-17

A Case Study for Experiential Teaching and Learning

Sevinj Iskandarova — 2024-06-17

This study investigates experiential learning’s role and efficacy at a doctoral-level leadership studies program concentrating on a compulsory externship. Key to this work is the collegiate climate and collaboration of the graduate students and many participating organizations. This study employs hybrid community-based participatory research (incorporating graduate student, organizational stakeholder, and instructor perspectives) to increase knowledge and understanding of doctoral-level experiential learning and integrate that knowledge to benefit pedagogy, leadership development, and organizational-university partnerships. Results indicate that experiential learning builds robust collaboration between institutional and organizational settings. Moreover, the experiential learning experience provides a distinctive approach for graduate students, enabling them to make better work-context decisions and advance science by asking better, more salient research questions. Experiential learning also enriches the course context, encouraging students to marry their technical and academic expertise to make practical, positive changes.

Forming Optimal Classroom Environments Through Bandura’s Mastery Experiences

Nicola Meade — 2024-06-17

Higher education faculty members are increasingly being asked to defend their teaching methods with research-based support. This article offers such evidence through a randomized control-group pretest-posttest study that examined whether a newly created andragogy method, Forming Optimal Classroom Environments (FOCE), increased master’s students’ research self-efficacy in comparison to the standard teaching method (STM). The article details the model, based on Bandura’s social cognitive theory, particularly his concept of self-efficacy. The model relies upon both Bandura’s publications and results over the last forty years from researchers who have investigated higher education teaching techniques based on the concept of self-efficacy. Fifteen such research-based techniques form the model. Results found no significant interaction effect when comparing FOCE with the STM. Additionally, both teaching methods demonstrated that knowledge increases were positively correlated with research self-efficacy increases. This indicates that increasing research knowledge is one factor in increasing students’ research self-efficacy. Implications of findings are discussed.

Engaging Global Health Pedagogy: The Story Behind an Transborder online problem-based learning course between Canadian and Haitian Occupational Therapy Students

Chantal Viscogliosi — 2024-06-17

International and intercultural educational partnerships facilitate exporting a curriculum or course from a home university situated in a developed country (North) to a host university situated in a low-income country (South). Decolonization of health pedagogy principles were applied throughout a synchronous virtual cross-border intercultural course by videoconference (SVCIV) was carried out. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility and to identify facilitators and barriers to conducting a SVCIV involving students in Quebec and in Haiti. Five Quebec students and five Haitian students, all volunteers, took part in a 3-weeks course using problem-based learning (PBL) methods. A thematic analysis of data drawn from a 120-minute recorded focus group discussion held one week after the SVCIV reveals the feasibility issues regarding implementing an international cross-cultural North-South educational collaborative project. In order to successfully replicate such a project, the criteria deemed important relate to: 1) the attributes of the students and teachers involved; 2) pedagogical preparation activities; and 3) the use of multiple communication strategies. In addition to the acquisition of course content not readily available in Haiti, the social interactions inherent in the PBL method supported the acquisition of competencies such as collaboration, communication, and change agent advocacy promoted by the Canadian association of occupational therapy and contribute greatly to strengthening the students’ professional identity.

How Assessment Choice Affects Student Perception and Performance

Sanne Unger — 2024-06-17

Abstract. This action research project examined the effect of student assessment choice on grades and course evaluations, the two assessment options being a reading quiz or a two-minute video recording of themselves recalling what they could about the text (a “recall”). In the baseline condition (year 1), students were encouraged to complete recall videos about reading assignments for a type of extra credit in addition to required multiple-choice reading quizzes. In the experimental year (year 2), students were instead allowed to replace reading quizzes with recalls. The data included student submissions, grades, and course evaluations. Students completed more recall assignments when the recall replaced the quiz requirement than during the baseline year when recalls could not replace quizzes. In addition, the instances of students completing both the quiz and recall (for extra credit) increased in the experimental year. Average course grades did not change from the baseline year to the experimental year, but students with higher course grades were significantly more likely to have completed recalls. Student evaluations of the instructor were significantly higher for “responses to diverse learning styles” in the experimental year compared to the baseline condition. The study shows that letting students choose the assessment type they prefer can lead to increased student engagement and improve their perception of the instructor’s responsiveness to learning styles, without causing grade inflation.

Assessing Student Focus Areas for Self-Directed Metacognition and Self-Improvement

David Woods — 2024-06-17

Research in higher education has consistently focused on determining factors that influence student success and retention in academic programs. Successful students also positively impact the effectiveness of teaching practices used in a course. Previous work shows that a recurring set of assignments where students reflect on past work and set a SMART goal to make a specific improvement promotes a growth mindset and is an activity that students see value in completing. Promoting improvements by students should also make an instructor’s teaching efforts more effective. To understand how instructors and institutions can provide more support for student development and retention, students at four universities completed reflection and planning assignments that involved goal setting based on the SMART goal framework. Student submissions were analyzed to categorize the topic areas where students saw the need to work. Results highlighted the importance of many topics, including time management, self-care, course content, and study methods. Analysis of the data also revealed that facilitating exercises requiring students to set goals and report on their progress later in the term greatly enhanced student engagement and fostered behaviors geared towards establishing a growth mindset.

The Impact of Learning How to Teach for College Professors

Nicole Baker — 2024-06-17

In higher education institutions, many faculty members are hired because they are experts in their field of study, but not necessarily individuals who are trained in how to teach. This quantitative, quasi-experiment study examined college faculty member’s level of methodology training in relation to student satisfaction, current course performance, attendance, the belief in the need for training, and a faculty member’s sense of efficacy in teaching. In other words, does having a college professor trained in how to teach matter? The researcher found statistically significant results for student satisfaction, current course performance and attendance. The faculty member’s belief in the need for teaching methodology training showed that 96% (n = 87) of the faculty surveyed felt there was a need to be trained to teach at the college level. Faculty members want to be trained and great things can happen when faculty members develop the skills in “how to teach.”

Excellence in College Teaching and Beyond:

Cynthia Haynes — 2024-06-17

Positional leaders, such as administrators, are often thought of as the “leaders” in higher education. However, accepting exceptional educators as relational leaders is vital as changes in higher education demand institutions provide value and quality to their stakeholders. Morrill Professors, an example of exceptional educators at our land-grant Midwestern university, model the elements of relational leadership. They are purposeful and empowering while engaging students in the learning process. They are inclusive and ethical in their approach so as to live up to the land grant mission to serve the people of the state. Finally, they are process-oriented, encouraging iterative learning so they can build on their strengths and take ownership of their thinking and contributions to community. While each Morrill Professor accomplished this distinction by perfecting a different aspect/niche in the classroom, their success in developing relationships with their students was paramount throughout this process. The Morrill Professors reflected the knowing-being-doing triad in that knowledge of their students, their discipline, the land-grant mission, their values of the importance of teaching, and their actions to create excellent learning environments contributed to their (and their students’) successes.