2024 Innovations in Teaching and Learning Conference

Developing Assignments that Foster Critical Literacies when Using Generative AI

Two years after the explosion of interest and trepidation following the release of OpenAI's ChatGPT 3.5, faculty are still engaging in initial experiments and innovations. Student use of AI tools is increasing as well, and both students and faculty are wrestling with how to determine when it is appropriate to use these tools and how to use them effectively. AI tools can support student learning, but we have a responsibility as educators to ensure all students understand their uses and limitations. This session offers faculty models for considering when and how to use generative AI tools in their courses. Assignments can be applied in courses in any discipline; faculty teaching Mason Core writing intensive (WI) courses will likely find these approaches most useful.

Everything you need to know about teaching a Mason Core course (and didn’t know to ask!)

Congratulations, you are teaching a Mason Core course! But what does that really mean? How could it possibly be any different from teaching a major course? Surprise – it is! Whether this is your first time teaching a Mason Core course or your 25th, this interactive session provides you with an array of tips, tricks and techniques every instructor can use to successfully navigate the challenges (and appreciate the joys!) of teaching in our general education program. By definition, the majority of students in Mason Core courses are non-majors. What does this mean for student engagement, course content coverage, scaffolding, assignment design and even student support? We will focus on the differences between teaching a major course and one with the broader learning outcomes associated with a Mason Core course. We will also preview a new series of continuing professional development workshops designed specifically for Mason Core instructors. Participants are invited to discuss their challenges, share their solutions, and consider how the ideas presented might apply to their course. By the end of the session, participants will have new strategies for increasing student engagement and success while better managing the additional workload that often comes with teaching a general education course.

Volts, Wires, and Waves:  Charging Up, Building Connections, Breaking Through

This session describes the adventures of a group of faculty as they set out to incorporate inclusive pedagogical strategies aimed at providing all students with the foundational knowledge, critical thinking skills, and metacognitive awareness needed to succeed in Electrical and Computer Engineering.  In spring 2024, the instructors for two foundational courses (ECE 101 and 201) implemented new structures for in-class exercises and formative assessment.  To evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions, they administered the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory [Schraw/Dennison, 1994] at the beginning and the end of each course and used the Critical Incident Questionnaire [Brookfield, 1998] to understand student learning experiences.   In this session, the panelists will share their successes, failures, inspirations, and frustrations and describe plans for continued improvements in ECE 101/201 and other foundational courses.  The audience for this session is faculty who want to learn more about inclusive pedagogies, metacognition, and/or how to have a ton of fun teaching required entry-level courses. 

Should Your Department Offer a Course on How to be a Successful Graduate Student?

Should your department offer a course on how to be a scientist and a successful graduate student? Although eager to participate, new graduate students may not yet know how to conduct scientific research, which includes the practical and logistical realities of working in a research lab and within an academic institution. Complicating this further, new graduate students also need to learn how to navigate the competing priorities and expectations of graduate student life, balancing coursework, teaching, outreach, and research while not losing sight of their own professional development to meet their goals. Students know that to become good researchers and contribute to the field during graduate school, it is essential that they quickly acquire and develop proficiencies in fundamental research skills and learn to navigate the demands of graduate school. But where might a new student learn fundamental research skills and how to be a successful graduate student? Although considered a fundamental component of graduate training, the process of teaching research and professional skills (and which ones) is not consistent across departments, research labs, or cohorts of students. We offer a course in the Bioengineering department to teach students fundamental research skills and how to be successful in graduate school. Audience includes educators of graduate students from across STEM.