Design Memos
Check out 2-page Design Memos below from previous Semester Support Groups that followed a SIMPLE Design Framework.
Reducing the Research to Practice Gap
This group guided participants in transferring research-based practices stemming from cognitive science principles to their course structures and teaching practices.
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Dr. Laurent Vera,
Teaching Instructor in Department of Mathematics.
Precalculus II (01:640:112), Precalculus College Mathematics (01:640:115), Calculus II for the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (01:640:152). Spring 2023
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What is the strategy?
The strategy is to provide opportunities for students to retrieve and reuse content that has been previously covered in the class. Cognitive science shows that retrieval practice is a highly effective learning strategy that students often overlook to focus on techniques having little effectiveness, like rereading or highlighting. I had two main goals for the implementation of retrieval practice in my lectures: first, enhance student learning and help them get more out of their time in class, and second, show students what an effective study strategy looks like, in the hope that they would also use it outside of class to improve their performance in the course.
What motivated you to use the strategy in your class? What did you hope to achieve?
Most of the classes I teach are considered “gateway courses” (Precalculus and Calculus 1-2). A large proportion of students taking these courses are not adequately prepared and are unaware of the effective study strategies that would help them succeed in the course. Therefore, I wanted to incorporate strategies into my lectures that would specifically benefit these students and hopefully reduce the DFW rate, which is one of the big issues of these courses. Retrieval practice seemed like a good way to do so, as it would both provide good learning opportunities in class, and also show students an effective way to study out of class.
What did you want the class period to “look like”?
I usually implemented retrieval practice at the start of the class period. Students were given an exercise requiring them to retrieve knowledge from previous lectures/units. When possible, the exercise was tailored to be also connected to the new material that would be covered during the rest of the class period. One of my goals giving this exercise at the start of class was to promote engagement from the beginning of the lecture and help students understand the connections between the different topics of the course. I also encouraged students to work in groups and talk with each other about the material during the activity.
Why should I use it? (How are they useful for the students? How are they useful to the instructor?)
Research has shown that retrieval practice is a highly effective learning strategy. Including retrieval practice components in my lectures helps students learn and makes the time spent in class more productive and effective. From my point of view as instructor, retrieval practice exercises conducted in class are a low-stakes way to gauge students’ understanding of the material and present an opportunity to give quick feedback to students.
What is an example (or two) of the task?
Example 1: At the beginning of the lecture on trigonometric integrals, I gave the following exercise “What techniques of integration could you use to evaluate the following integrals?”. I then gave two trigonometric integrals that could be evaluated using u-substitution, a technique learned previously in the semester. Students had to retrieve how to perform substitution in the specific case of trigonometric functions. In the rest of the lecture, we worked on more difficult trigonometric integrals that required more advanced techniques. The purpose of the exercise was to help students retrieve a core technique from the course that would be built upon for the rest of the lecture.
Example 2: At the beginning of the lecture on comparison tests for series, I gave the exercise “How could you determine if the following improper integrals converge or diverge?” with two examples of improper integrals. Students had to retrieve how to use comparison tests for improper integrals in each of the given cases. Later in the lecture, we introduced comparison tests for series. The exercise was meant to both get them to retrieve what they had previously learned about improper integrals and to serve as a basis for an analysis of the similarities and differences between the case of integrals and series.
How do these tasks fit into my class? How long will they take?
I decided to implement the retrieval practice tasks during the first 5-10 minutes of the lecture. Occasionally, the task lasted longer when it was apparent that students had misconceptions about the material and more explanations were needed. The tasks could have been implemented more frequently throughout the lecture. However, I found that this was difficult to achieve due to time constraints. The courses I teach are closely coordinated and follow a very dense schedule, so it is challenging to make changes to the delivery of the course while still following the guidelines set by the department.
Should I do these problems in groups? How big? Who chooses them?
Even though I encouraged group work, I chose to let students decide if they wanted to work in groups or by themselves.
For which topics should I assign them?
I tried to have a retrieval practice exercise at the beginning of most lectures so that most topics of the course would eventually be covered. The topics I prioritized were the topics that students usually struggle the most with (volumes of revolution around axes other than the coordinate axes, advanced techniques of integrations, comparison tests for series and integrals, difference between sequences and series, operations with power series, applications of Taylor series).
How should I grade these problems? Should I grade these problems?
I decided not to grade these exercises as they were intended to be a learning activity rather than an assessment. However, for the future, I am considering grading students’ participation in these activities to incentivize attendance and engagement. Correctness of their answers would still not be graded to avoid creating unnecessary stress about completing these activities.
What difficulties did I encounter?
I encountered several difficulties implementing this strategy.
- Time constraints: the course moves at a very fast pace, so it is challenging to incorporate additional activities into the lectures. To address this, I had to rethink the way I deliver some of the lectures to optimize the time I had in class. I condensed some of the information given or shortened some examples to make room for the retrieval exercises.
- Participation: while most students participated enthusiastically, some students did not seem particularly engaged. Also, students who walked into class late missed the retrieval practice activity as this was done at the beginning of class. Grading participation could be a solution to this issue.
- Level of difficulty/student preparation: some students seemed to have a hard time with the exercises given and were not able to make much progress in the time allotted. Some of this might be “productive struggle” and serve the purpose that the tasks were intended for, but I have to stay mindful to keep the exercises doable. One way I could address this in the future would be to complement the in-class activity with a pre-class short assignment, such as an interactive video.
- Measurement of effectiveness: I did not have a direct way to measure how effective the strategy was in the form I implemented it. However, most students seemed to appreciate the opportunity to practice and get feedback.
What do I need to explain to my students about this new classroom activity?
I explained to students that I would regularly start class with retrieval practice exercises. I explained that the goal of these exercises was to encourage them to retrieve and reuse past material, and that this is shown to be a very effective study strategy.
Values Affirmation Intervention
This group implemented Jordt et al. (2017) version of the values affirmation intervention. Access CBE-Life Sciences Education article here.
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Dr. Sheila Tabanli,Teaching Instructor in Department of Mathematics.
Calculus II for the Life and Social Sciences 01:640:136, 3-credits. Spring 2021.
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What is a values affirmation intervention, and what does it aim to address?
Values affirmation intervention (VAI) is an instructional strategy that aims to give the message to all students that their values matter in class and in life. By giving an opportunity to students to think and write about their values such as perseverance, confidence, independence before high-stakes assessments students are empowered to be equipped with an “I can do” attitude and have a greater confidence before taking exams.
Why might you want to implement the values affirmation intervention in your course? What do you hope to achieve?
Some of the reasons to implement VAI in my course include incorporating an alternative assessment that value students’ unique backgrounds and the individual experiences they bring to the course. Unfortunately, some students experience math anxiety and some experience test anxiety. In order to address these obstacles that may adversely affect students’ performance, I choose to incorporate VAI as an alternative assessment that I am very passionate about as an educator. I hope that students reflect on their values that make their unique personality and by focusing on the things that matter to them on an individual level they can find correlations between their values and the personalized path to their success in my course. One of the reasons why I chose to incorporate the VAI is to support students’ commitment to their own success by improving self-belonging and inclusiveness. Especially, during the pandemic, this type of support is what is needed to improve student learning outcomes. I hope that students receive boost and confidence by participating in this optional assessment to hopefully improve their performance in my course.
Why did you decide to incorporate values affirmation intervention into your class? How is it useful to you as an instructor? How is it useful to students?
My personal teaching philosophy include addressing the whole-person. I like incorporating alternative assessments that does not offer one-fits-all perspective. To me, teaching and learning is not a one-fits-all concept! I am a big fan of alternative assessments and have been developing & integrating them in my courses. When I learned about the VAI Faculty Support Group it appealed to me since it is well aligned with my professional interests of developing and integrating alternative assessments. In addition to assessing students’ conceptual mastery in Calculus, I chose to assign optional VAI assignments to cultivate a learning environment that values everyone’s contribution. Students appreciate the opportunity of extra credit and the fact that I read & review & share their responses anonymously enabled a more close-knit learning environment. Students enjoyed the fact that there are no right or wrong answers (unlike a Math problem) and participation matters in my course.
How does the values affirmation task fit into your class? How long does it take for students to complete?
I incorporated the VAI strategy into my Math 136: Calculus II for Life and Social Sciences course as optional Canvas quizzes before each midterm during the Spring 2021 semester. For each midterm exam, I included a different format such as video, audio or written to improve the diversity in the format and offer more opportunities to participate to the assignment. I transformed the original VAI task to be more applicable to the math learning in a way to appeal to the students more. This included focusing on the perseverance in problem solving teaching standard and reminding students that the values they have perfectly fits with learning and exceling in Mathematics. It took 10-25 minutes to complete the assignments depending on the depth of the information students choose to provide about their values.
How should points in the course be assigned for students’ work on the values affirmation assignment(s)?
The assignment was optional for students and there are no right or wrong answers. Therefore, the assignment itself valued efforts and participation. I added 2 points to each 100-points midterm based on student participation to each VAI assignment. The students who choose not to participate did not get penalized, so this group of students were exempt.
What pitfalls should be avoided?
One of the pitfalls was that the assignment may become redundant by including the same questions as if the answers would be different in such a short time. In order to avoid this, I incorporated additional questions and additional format for the assignment each time and relate the values to the course content and learning.
How do we explain to students about the purpose of the activity (if at all)?
I briefly introduced the VAI strategy in a lecture before assigning it to the students. I remember not using the word “intervention” so I would not introduce any potential negative attitudes towards the strategy. I stated that this is a research proven instructional strategy to boost student confidence before a major assessment with the aim of improving the outcomes. After this brief introduction, I sent Canvas emails before each VAI assignment reminding students that the assignment is available in Canvas and due within a specific time frame.
What, in your view, is the most important thing to know about implementing this type of intervention? (e.g., if you were telling a colleague about it who had never implemented it before)
In my professional opinion, as educators, we need to embrace the idea that education is not a one-fits-all concept. By incorporating different instructional strategies such as the VAI we are giving opportunities to our students who have different backgrounds and skillsets that their willingness to contribute to class matters (and valued). I have learned that many students value independence, perseverance and empathy (specifically empathy is what we need right now as we are going through the pandemic). I have seen and heard students who might be uncomfortable to participate in a live class through the video submitted for the VAI assignment. These type of “out-of-the-box” assignments contribute to a productive learning community that we all strive to cultivate.
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Dr. Elin Wicks,Assistant Teaching Professor in Industrial and Systems Engineering.
Engineering Economics 14:540:343, 3-credits. Spring 2021.
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What is a values affirmation intervention, and what does it aim to address?
A values affirmation intervention allows students to reflect on their own values and how those values impact the way they live. It aims to remind students of their own worth. By providing the student with the time to focus on their own values and reaffirm them, it helps to lessen the impact of stereotypes or identity threat.
Why might you want to implement the values affirmation intervention in your course? What do you hope to achieve?
I believe values play an important part in engineering. And if such a simple intervention can positively affect everyone, we should do it. I want to help everyone be the best they can be.
Why did you decide to incorporate values affirmation intervention into your class? How is it useful to you as an instructor? How is it useful to students?
I used it because if it could make the difference for just one student then it was time well spent. I believe the students benefit from taking a moment to reflect on what is important to them. I introduced the assignment using the following announcement: In the Discussion and In-class Learning Activities module you will find a survey “Values Affirmation.” This is a special 10-minute writing exercise. This is designed to give you additional practice in both critical thinking and writing, which are essential parts of any career. Just by taking part you will get full credit. I also believe that by bringing this into the course it helps the student to better engage with the course – making it more personal to them.
How does the values affirmation task fit into your class? How long does it take for students to complete?
I made the exercise part of the Discussion and In-class Learning Activities portion of their grade which is intended to promote engagement with the material during class. I Introduced the assignment via email and didn’t spend time talking about it in class. I was uncertain as to whether I should dedicate time in class to this or not (does talking about it undo what it is trying to accomplish). Next time I want to set aside the beginning of a class period and have them work on it then.
How should points in the course be assigned for students’ work on the values affirmation assignment(s)?
Students are receiving the same amount of points just for completing the survey. I weighted the survey so that it was comparable to other in-class activities.
Section 03 participation: 107/130
Section 02 participation: 153/170
Section 01 participation: 239/280
Because I don’t want non-participation to negatively impact students, I’m going to excuse the assignment for those that didn’t complete (as opposed to giving them a zero).
What pitfalls should be avoided?
Carefully plan out when each intervention will take place. I lost sight of this and missed the window of opportunity for the second pass.
How do we explain to students about the purpose of the activity (if at all)?
I don’t necessarily want to talk about reducing stereotype threat, but I would like to present it in a way that they understand it has value. That by reflecting on what is important to them, it helps in subconscious ways.
What, in your view, is the most important thing to know about implementing this type of intervention? (e.g. if you were telling a colleague about it who had never implemented it before)
That it is simple to do – nothing to lose and so much to gain!
Has implementing this intervention made you think about other potential areas in which you’d like to improve equity and outcomes in your classes? If so, please describe.
I live to improve equity and outcomes in my classes. As a result, I’m frequently trying to take on too much and need to slow myself down. This summer I am focusing on improving student engagement during class time.
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Lena Sandberg-GoldenInstructor in English Department, Writing Program
Expository Writing 01:355:101, 3-credits. Fall 2021.
Research in the Disciplines, 3-credits. Spring, Summer, Fall 2021.
What is a values affirmation intervention, and what does it aim to address?
The Values Affirmation Intervention, hereafter referred to as VAI, is an intervention administered as an assignment to students often before a high-stake assignment, quiz, or exam. The VAI focus on self-affirmation and in this context, we have used the VAI as a brief, written quiz where students can focus on values that are important to them and how those values fit into their lives. The VAI aims to destress in general but also to more specifically reduce stress connected to the social identity threat related to a certain identity or group membership. VAI may also help reduce stereotypical threat which is when an individual is identified with a stereotype of a group they belong to and often underperform based on perceived expectations of the stereotypes of their group.
Why might you want to implement the values affirmation intervention in your course? What do you hope to achieve?
The VAI is an assignment that anyone can take and “succeed” at, there are no wrong answers and each individual focuses on their values and the importance that they have in their lives. The VAI may signal to a student that the instructor’s interest in them goes beyond the discipline of the course. Asking a student what values they find important and why is a simple investment in student trust and confidence and may encourage students to engage in self-affirmation. If this could result in even a small reduction of stereotypical threat and lead to success for students that suffer from a sense of non-belonging and/or impostor syndrome then it is a small investment in time with a possible great revenue for students and faculty alike. The VAI may also help close the performance gap between majority represented and underrepresented students. In research writing classes for example, stereotypical threat may be in typically gender-related topics such as assumptions that males are more inclined to excel in certain STEM areas and that women might be more inclined to excel in the humanities and in writing and composition.
Why did you decide to incorporate values affirmation intervention into your class? How is it useful to you as an instructor? How is it useful to students?
Expository Writing (101) is a course that all Rutgers undergraduates are required to take (except for students who are awarded degree credits for AP exam scores of 4 or 5 in English). Many students are also required to take an additional writing course during their undergraduate education. The diversity of the students in the classes are therefore great with many students that are first-generation college students, international students with limited command of English etc. Many students come from underrepresented backgrounds that take classes with students from diametrically opposite environments. It may create an imbalance in the classroom where some students for example feel extremely comfortable addressing the instructor or engaging in class discussions while others may not feel comfortable talking to anyone as there may be an inherent sense of not belonging.
Whereas I have only implemented the VAI in a 200-level course so far, I am hoping that it will have an equally positive outcome this fall when I plan to implement it in a section of Expository Writing (01:355:101) as well.
How does the values affirmation task fit into your class? How long does it take for students to complete?
Most courses in the Writing Program do not have exams and quizzes but essays, source evaluations, research proposals, etc. For the 201 class, Research in the Disciplines, that I taught in spring 2021, I decided instead to give the first assignment mid-semester immediately before Oral Presentations. Although the OPs only represent 10% of the final course grade, it is an assignment that often brings great stress to the most confident student. The second VAI quiz, which was identical to the first one was taken on the very last day of class as the Final Draft of the Essay was due the same day after class. The Final Draft represents 50% of the final grade. The VAI has taken less than ten minutes and for many students less than five minutes. This class was taught synchronously this semester and the VAI (based on Jordt et al. 2017 CBE Life Sciences Educ) was given as a quiz in the Canvas LMS which is the learning management system used in the Writing Program. To achieve full participation, the quizzes were given during synchronous class time and all attending students at each time participated. However, class sizes are small in the WP so participation for both instances was less than twenty.
For my summer 2021 session of 201 Research in the Disciplines I have already given the quiz on the very first day of synchronous class and plan to implement it again before the Oral Presentation as well as on the day that the final paper is due. The enrollment is 19 students and all that were registered on the first day participated in the first quiz.
How should points in the course be assigned for students’ work on the values affirmation assignment(s)?
No points or extra credits will be given for the assignment(s) except for possible points in the participation category (10% of the final grade, the VAI would represent a small part of this grade).
For the course in spring 2021, no participation points were awarded but that may be needed as an incentive in the future.
What pitfalls should be avoided?
My students required truly little information about the VAI so I would refrain from explaining much more than that it is a quiz that does not affect any outcomes in the class but may rather benefit the learning community as a whole.
If possible, allowing students to take the quiz during class time may render better participation.
How do we explain to students about the purpose of the activity (if at all)?
This was a concern of mine, that students would be less likely to complete or not engage well with the intervention due to not understanding the purpose. However, it was obvious from the first time that the Intervention quiz was given that students saw it just as another task that needed to be completed for class and asked no questions. They were given a very brief description of the SIMPLE group in very general terms and had no further questions.
What, in your view, is the most important thing to know about implementing this type of intervention? (e.g., if you were telling a colleague about it who had never implemented it before)
Perhaps after looking at some of my students’ answers, I realize how open they have been and how much they have included as a “message” to whom they assume the intended reader is (i.e., their instructor). Many of them have left the kind of information about themselves that often is invaluable to me in their entrance surveys that I include at the very beginning of the semester. I only read a handful but many of them seemed to specifically speak about how their values have helped them maintain mental wellbeing during the pandemic. This has made me consider adding the VAI to the start of the semester as well, even though it will not precede a high-stake assignment it may alleviate some initial stress connected to the unknown of a new course. It may be difficult to convince some of my colleagues that implementing the VAI may be extremely useful, while others will take a great interest in it. For some, it may just be difficult to consider the addition of another quiz, even though there is no need to grade nor read the answers.
Has implementing this intervention made you think about other potential areas in which you would like to improve equity and outcomes in your classes? If so, please describe.
Yes and no, this whole past year has made me think about how to improve equity, inclusiveness, and how that may affect learning outcomes in my classes. But one thing that implementing the VAI has made me think about is how I can incorporate other exercises that are inclusive for everyone regardless of prior experience, knowledge, and linguistic ability. As an instructor in the Humanities with many STEM students and with research writing courses that address STEM related topics this has made me consider how within the humanities and in small classes VAI can be optimized to render desired results for students.
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Dr. Marc Muñiz,Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Extended General Chemistry 01:160:166, 4-credits. Spring 2021.
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What is a values affirmation intervention, and what does it aim to address?
A values affirmation intervention is a brief writing activity that asks students to reflect on values that are important to them. Such activities aim to address stereotype threat – a phenomenon that occurs when members of marginalized groups feel as though they have to perform at a very high level to either 1). Confirm existing stereotypes about their group performing better than other groups, OR 2). Go against existing stereotypes about their group performing worse than other groups. The stress response associated with stereotype threat can, in fact, inhibit performance. A values affirmation intervention aims to direct attention toward values that are important to students and away from a fixation on having to “prove oneself” based on the aforementioned stereotypes. They are most effective when administered ahead of high-stakes assessments such as exams.
Why might you want to implement the values affirmation intervention in your course? What do you hope to achieve? Why did you decide to incorporate values affirmation intervention into your class? How is it useful to you as an instructor? How is it useful to students?
Introductory (or “gateway”) STEM courses are environments that, often times, put students from underrepresented backgrounds at a disproportionate disadvantage for a number of reasons (stereotype threat, didactic instruction, lack of resources dedicated to first generation college students, lack of culturally conscious instruction or representation, microaggressive behavior from instructors or other students etc.). Therefore, any intervention that is effective at reducing the impact of these inequities should be given strong consideration by an instructor who is aiming to equitably engage students in the class and, therefore, produce equitable outcomes. My hope is that the implementation of this intervention, in conjunction with transitioning to a high-structure course format, narrows the achievement gap between students who are traditionally excluded and marginalized in STEM.
How does the values affirmation task fit into your class? How long does it take for students to complete?
In the class I co-teach this semester (with colleagues Christine Altinis and Mary Emenike), the values affirmation task will be implemented at least three times during the semester (once before the first exam, once before the third exam, and once before the final exam). The task is administered online via the course learning management system (in this case, Canvas), and points are award to students based on effort. These points count toward a category of the course called “surveys etc.” that is worth 5% of the overall grade. The aim is to provide an incentive for students to take the task seriously while also contributing to a decrease in the stakes regarding assessments (i.e. 5% of the grade that could otherwise be allocated toward moderate or high stakes assessments is now allocated toward assessments that are very low-stakes). Students are expected to take no more than ~15 min. to complete the task.
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Dr. Christine Cahill,Teaching Instructor, Political Science
Introduction to Political Science Research Methods 01:790:300, 3-credits. Spring 2021.
Why did you decide to incorporate values affirmation intervention into your class? How is it useful to you as an instructor? How is it useful to students?
I decided to incorporate a values affirmation intervention into my class because I worry about the effects of stereotype threat on my students’ performance and experience in my Introduction to Political Science Research Methods course. This course is a quantitative course and has a high failure rate (at least in the social sciences). I decided to incorporate a values affirmation intervention because it is an evidence-based approach to overcoming the negative effects of stereotype threat. The values affirmation intervention is likely most beneficial to my students, particularly those who are susceptible to stereotype threat. In a way, I think it is also beneficial to myself as an instructor because I often reflect on my graduate school experience where I was the only female graduate student in my cohort. I would often be teased about my gender and how my gender would affect my ability to succeed in the quantitative courses. I didn’t know about stereotype threat back then, but when I reflect on my experiences as a graduate student I am certain that gender stereotypes affected my performance on course exams and qualifying exams. I don’t want my students to find themselves in a similar situation.
How does the values affirmation task fit into your class? How long does it take for students to complete?
The values affirmation will fit into my class as a weekly assignment. I have two weekly assignments for my online research methods course. Each assignment is worth 10-points, and is worth 50% of their course grade. This should take students about 10 minutes to complete.
How should points in the course be assigned for students’ work on the values affirmation assignment(s)?
See answer above. I will award points based on completion of the assignment.
What is a values affirmation intervention, and what does it aim to address?
A values affirmation intervention is a low-stakes assignment where students reflect on their personal values. What is important to them? What do they value? This reflection is meant to pull them from the minutia and rigor of the course to remind themselves of who they are, what they value, where they came from, and where they want to go. On a physical level, this reflection can calm students and serve as a grounding exercise before a major high-stakes assessment. One of my favorite yoga phrases is “root down to rise up.” It means finding your balance and grounding yourself before you rise up to a more challenging position. To me, a value affirmation intervention is the equivalent of this yoga phrase.
What pitfalls should be avoided?
We discussed in our faculty group that we may not want to repeat this values affirmation more than twice. Instead, we could incorporate a few variations of values affirmation exercises in our courses. One member of the working group mentioned that students could just copy and paste their responses if they have to do the values affirmation more than once in the semester. So if we are going to give the values affirmation twice, then we suggested the second time that we might ask students to connect their values to the course. How might their values serve them in this class or major? Or future jobs?
How do we explain to students about the purpose of the activity (if at all)?
I remember reading that the effect of the values affirmation intervention is reduced when students are aware of the intent of the intervention. I think an explanation would almost serve as a reminder of stereotype threats (like women are less adept at math compared to men) and mitigate the positive effect of the values affirmation intervention.
Here is how I prompted students:
“Hi All,
I have designated our class this week as a Mental Health Day. Some of your classmates, or perhaps you, are going through really difficult times. I want to remind you that you are NOT alone in your struggle, and that there are people who want to help support you through your difficult time. Please spend ~10 minutes participating in this individual reflection activity. This is a graded lecture activity, and will count toward your “Online Lecture Activities” course grade. You will receive full credit if you complete the activity. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions.
After you participate in this discussion, please take time OFF from class this week. At a minimum, you have three hours of “freedom” from this particular class this week. You have my permission, in fact my full support and encouragement, to NOT do anything related to our class this week. Take some time to breathe. And finally, please remember that there are resources on campus to help support students. Please share this with your friends and encourage your friends to use these resources too. Asking for help can be one of the hardest but most important decisions you ever make. Here is a good starting place: http://health.rutgers.edu/medical-counseling-services/counseling/”
What, in your view, is the most important thing to know about implementing this type of intervention? (e.g. if you were telling a colleague about it who had never implemented it before)
I would want my colleagues to understand how quick and easy it is to implement a values affirmation intervention in their classes! It takes very little time to set up the Canvas activity and very little time to grade (if at all)…but the benefits of this easy activity are substantial for the students!
Has implementing this intervention made you think about other potential areas in which you’d like to improve equity and outcomes in your classes? If so, please describe.
Yes! While a values-affirmation intervention is an evidence-based approach known to reduce achievement gaps, it is like putting a band-aid on a major wound. I would still like to learn more strategies to improve equity and learning outcomes for my classes. I am still concerned about achievement gaps in my quantitative courses and I would like to discuss methods of engagement and retention for all students.
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Dr. Cassie Nelson,Assistant Teaching Professor in Cell Biology and Neuroscience.
Systems Physiology 01:146:356, 3-credits. Spring 2021.
What is a values affirmation intervention, and what does it aim to address?
A values affirmation intervention is a classroom exercise designed to bolster students who may be most likely to experience a negative classroom climate. It aims to give students from underrepresented backgrounds a voice in a class where they may feel undermined or intimidated by stereotype threat.
Why might you want to implement the values affirmation intervention in your course? What do you hope to achieve?
I would like to implement this in my class because I am always looking for ways to promote inclusivity in my classroom. As a white person I want to do everything I can to make students of color feel welcome. I hope to see if this makes any kind of difference in the classroom environment. I work hard outside of this intervention to make my students feel included but using some research-based methods is intriguing.
Why did you decide to incorporate values affirmation intervention into your class? How is it useful to you as an instructor? How is it useful to students?
I wanted to try an evidence-based technique to let the students voice what is important to them. It is interesting to read their responses. I have the students fill out a student profile sheet prior to the start of the semester where I ask some questions similar to the values affirmation exercise (not quite as deep), to give them a chance to introduce themselves. I wonder if the addition of this values affirmation exercise makes the students feel even more that they have a voice. It is always useful as an instructor to hear what the students care about and what motivates their learning. It can help me think about ways to creatively present material and/or speak during class to promote inclusivity. I think it is useful to students because they feel that the instructor is interested in hearing about what is important to them. The students feel like less of a number (in a class of almost 400) and like a real, human participant in a STEM course.
How does the values affirmation task fit into your class? How long does it take for students to complete? How should points in the course be assigned for students’ work on the values affirmation assignment(s)?
I made it worth one concept check quiz. There are 28 total concept check quizzes this semester and the students get to drop 2. Concept check quizzes are worth 10 percent of their grade. On average the students spent about 5 minutes on the exercise. In general, if advising other faculty, I would say this needs to have some small point value (1-2%).
What pitfalls should be avoided?
If a faculty member wants to implement this, it is best if it’s prepared ahead of time and a part of the syllabus so the students are aware of the assignment right from the start of the course. I think the exercise itself is good but do not see a value in implementing it more than once, as they did in the Jordt paper. If there are two implementations of this exercise, the second one should be a follow-up to the first. It would be maybe most effective if the second set of questions were designed based on what students answered from the first set. I understand that this idea may be difficult to collect data on, though.
Rushing and not having a plan. Making it too big of a part of the grade. Measuring sense of belonging before and at end of semester.
How do we explain to students about the purpose of the activity (if at all)?
The messaging that I implemented in the spring 2021 semester is below. I think we need to discuss some purpose with them to show the students that we are constantly working toward making their classroom experience as meaningful as possible.
Messaging for students:
I am in a faculty focus group this semester where we are discussing how to make large STEM classrooms more inclusive and meaningful for all students. The other faculty members and myself would very much appreciate it if you could take this 5-minute survey (can find it under quizzes). We will do another survey later in the semester but this is the first of two. It will be graded as a concept check quiz and on participation only (no right or wrong answers). Thank you for taking a few minutes out of your busy schedules to do this!What, in your view, is the most important thing to know about implementing this type of intervention? (e.g. if you were telling a colleague about it who had never implemented it before)
I would stress to the colleague that this is not a difficult or time consuming task but could have some real impact on the students in the course. I think the most important thing is that you are giving the students a chance to share some of their thoughts and ideas with you. Many students crave the interpersonal connections with their teachers and this exercise is one way they can describe to you the values that they are bringing to their learning in your course.
Has implementing this intervention made you think about other potential areas in which you’d like to improve equity and outcomes in your classes? If so, please describe.
By implementing this intervention one time this spring 2021 semester, my biggest takeaway was that I enjoyed reading the students’ responses. I have a reflection assignment built into my course so between the values affirmation exercise and their reflection essays, I feel that the students were able to share a lot of who they are with me. This enriches my online teaching experience considerably. I think the exercise has affirmed that I want to continue doing assignments where the students share personal experiences and stories. Knowing that a professor cares enough to ask you these questions, read your responses, and even possibly respond can motivate a student and ultimately improve outcomes.