OD Resource 9 - Building Bridges, Not Barriers - Sanja Avramovic, Abdul HafeezTopic: Building Bridges, Not Barriers: Tailoring Instruction for Diverse Learners in Health Informatics. Health informatics classrooms often embrace diverse learners. Traditional instructional methods can leave some students behind. This session explores a dynamic teaching approach presenting strategies like tiered explanations, real-life examples, varied assessments, and peer-led instruction, all aimed at promoting student success regardless of background or learning style.
Audience: Health informatics classrooms often embrace diverse learners, including traditional but also contemporary students: transfer students, active-duty military personnel, veterans, international students, returning parents, and career-changers. While this diversity fosters a vibrant learning environment, traditional instructional methods can inadvertently leave some students feeling discouraged and unsupported. The presentation will explore different strategies designed and tested in Health Informatics class to bridge learning gaps and empower all students to thrive. Our strategies include: Tiered Explanations, Real-World Applications, Differentiated Assessments, Peer-Led Learning, Self-Reflection and Improvement, and Use of Generative AI for teaching and auto-grading.
Takeaway:
Participants will be able to articulate the challenges faced by diverse learners in health informatics education.
Participants will be able to design and implement differentiated instructional strategies, such as tiered explanations and real-world applications, to cater to varying learning styles and backgrounds.
Participants will be able to develop and utilize diverse assessment methods, such as peer-led tutorials and interactive discussion boards, to effectively evaluate student learning and promote student-to-student support.
Participants will be able to incorporate peer-led learning activities, such as ""teaching videos,"" into their curriculum to foster collaboration and deepen student understanding.
Participants will develop a plan for implementing one or more differentiated instruction strategies in their own teaching practice to create a more inclusive learning environment for all students.
Participants will provide feedback to the instructors to ensure the effectiveness of the instructional strategies and that the efforts of inclusion and diversity are ongoing and responsive to the changing needs.
Participants will appreciate the use of generative AI for personalized learning and instant feedback through auto-grading for an accelerated learning trajectory.
