Evolution of a first year Biology course to incorporate flexibility to promote inclusion and equity
Abstract
In Fall 2020, we seized an opportunity with the pandemic to modify our first-year evolution/ecology course to shift from tests to weekly (now biweekly) application-based assignments that provide more authentic assessments of conceptual understanding. Inclusive teaching practices emphasize both structure and flexibility (Hogan & Sathy, 2022). While our course already had considerable structure (e.g., pre-class quizzes to incentivize preparing for class, and in-class participation via required activities), we wanted to add more flexibility. The latter can reduce student stress and increase enjoyment of learning, which in turn can improve motivation, help students feel they belong to the course community, and that their needs are being met. To add flexibility, we 1) dropped a subset of the lowest weekly assignments, and 2) provided three grace days past the assignment deadline for each weekly assignment. Students could use up to three sets of these three grace days for the 10 assignments, but these were entirely self-tracked. At the end of each term, we surveyed students about their experiences with the weekly assignments and grace days. We will share our qualitative and quantitative analyses of both student and instructor perspectives on the assignments and grace days, discuss the adoption of these practices by other courses, and describe how we have incorporated these inclusive practices into current courses with the return to in-person learning. This research was approved by our institutional research ethics board.
Hogan, K. & Sathy, V. (2022). Inclusive teaching: Strategies for promoting equity in the college classroom. West Virginia Press.
Evolution of a first year Biology course to incorporate flexibility to promote inclusion and equity
Thames Hall Atrium
In Fall 2020, we seized an opportunity with the pandemic to modify our first-year evolution/ecology course to shift from tests to weekly (now biweekly) application-based assignments that provide more authentic assessments of conceptual understanding. Inclusive teaching practices emphasize both structure and flexibility (Hogan & Sathy, 2022). While our course already had considerable structure (e.g., pre-class quizzes to incentivize preparing for class, and in-class participation via required activities), we wanted to add more flexibility. The latter can reduce student stress and increase enjoyment of learning, which in turn can improve motivation, help students feel they belong to the course community, and that their needs are being met. To add flexibility, we 1) dropped a subset of the lowest weekly assignments, and 2) provided three grace days past the assignment deadline for each weekly assignment. Students could use up to three sets of these three grace days for the 10 assignments, but these were entirely self-tracked. At the end of each term, we surveyed students about their experiences with the weekly assignments and grace days. We will share our qualitative and quantitative analyses of both student and instructor perspectives on the assignments and grace days, discuss the adoption of these practices by other courses, and describe how we have incorporated these inclusive practices into current courses with the return to in-person learning. This research was approved by our institutional research ethics board.
Hogan, K. & Sathy, V. (2022). Inclusive teaching: Strategies for promoting equity in the college classroom. West Virginia Press.