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.

Community Based Learning: Challenges and Opportunities Panel

​​ During this workshop we invite a panel of faculty, community partners, and CECiL team members to share their experience in designing, facilitating, and partnering on community based learning (CBL) courses! Topics discussed will include getting started with CBL, working with partners/working with Mason, learning outcome design, ethical considerations, and reflection. The CECiL team will also share resources the office can provide to facilitate CBL experiences at Mason and in the community. Any faculty or graduate students preparing to teach CBL in all modalities are invited to learn more about best practices and share experiences. Attendees will walk away equipped with new knowledge about CBL pedagogy, resources for getting started, and access to a network of peers interested in this teaching style.

Weeklong Plan for Cultivating Classroom Respect

Five years of data collection revealed that the quality students most crave from classmates is respect. Over and over, respondents to a civility survey revealed that they felt that almost any topic could be fruitfully discussed if only respect were present. That led to development of a week-long curriculum that I use at the beginning of every semester. We begin with an open-ended blog posing questions about academic civility online or in person. The unit concludes with students forming their own code of classroom civility. The tool is a survey asking them to choose the three positive behaviors they most value from others from a list generated by previous classes. The results: students consistently report a safer classroom space where they feel valued and respected by others so they can focus on their learning and on exchanging valuable contributions with others. Suitable for all instructors working with students at any university level.

Grading Conversations: Insights from the Grading Process Task Force

Beginning in the Fall of 2023, the Grading Process Task Force (GPTF) began the two-year undertaking of assessing the advantages and disadvantages of the A+ to F grading scheme at Mason.  The task force has analyzed quantitative data on Mason grades from 2017-2023, revealing some interesting variations in grade distributions and averages among colleges, including a temporary increase in grades during the COVID-19 pandemic. The task force recognized the need to contextualize the quantitative data with qualitative insights from faculty regarding how faculty utilize the current grading scales, their perspectives on the COVID-19 alternative grading policies, and their views on potential alternatives for our grading scheme. These efforts will shed light on student experiences with grading, the impact of grades on academic and professional pursuits, and potential disparities in grading across demographic groups. Instructional faculty at all levels and appointment type, administrative and professional faculty, as well as academic advisors will find this session useful and have their voices welcomed. 

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.

Ungrading: Challenges and Opportunities in Undergraduate Teaching

In Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead), Susan Blum and Alfie Kohn outline some of concerns about letter grades. These concerns range from grades incentivizing cheating to grades detracting from meaningful learning, to grades discouraging creativity and risk-taking. Because Mason faculty are required to submit final grades (and sometimes midterm grades) for students and because ungrading is not common at Mason, implementing the strategy of ungrading can be daunting. In this interactive session, we explore how to effectively deploy ungrading in the undergraduate classroom. We will review why we decided to implement ungrading, the challenges we encountered/mistakes we made, and the benefits of ungrading for both students and faculty. This session would benefit any instructor who teaches undergraduate courses, especially those in the humanities and social sciences.

Using AR to Help Foster Belonging in Co-Curricular Spaces

How can Augmented Reality (AR) be used to reduce stress and peak student interest? What is AR anyway, and how can it play a role in post-secondary education? Join us in this active learning session as we share our research project developing an AR campus tour for first-generation transfer students, and hear how students themselves helped guide the design. The session will provide an introduction to AR technology, such as the Blippar platform, and will discuss how AR can be utilized within teaching and learning. This session would benefit any instructor interested in learning more about AR technology in curricular and co-curricular spaces. Everyone will leave with a list of resources and an increased understanding about the potential of AR in education spaces.

Unveiling Pedagogical Insights Through SoTL: Conducting Classroom-Based Research Projects at Mason  

Join us for an illuminating session where we delve into the world of classroom-based research projects aimed at enhancing teaching and learning experiences in higher education. This session will showcase innovative classroom-based research projects aimed at enhancing teaching and learning experiences in higher education. Drawing upon Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), Discipline-Based Education Research (DBER), and practitioner inquiry/action research, presenters will share insights into research methodologies, experimental designs, and analyses used to investigate pedagogical practices and student learning outcomes. This session is relevant to both seasoned researchers and educators new to conducting classroom-based research.

Instructional Design Lab: Freaky Friday Experience
Freaked out by Canvas? Don’t yet know where to start? Imagine how your students feel! Take a break and step into their shoes to experience online learning in Canvas from the student perspective. This engaging lab offers you the chance to explore several Canvas courses as a student or instructor, reflect on any challenges, and discover new strategies and tools. Work with George Mason's instructional designers to generate ideas to enhance the student experience in your own courses.  
Exploration Stations: 

• Self-Guided Canvas Course Tours + Reflection Board: Navigate through courses and share your insights. 
• Task Design: Learn how to create effective and engaging assignments.  
• Tools in Canvas Test Kitchen: Experiment with various tools (Harmonize, Voicethread, Perusal, Microsoft Teams Canvas Integration, Kaltura + Quiz, PollEverywhere, H5P, Lucid, Gradescope, Honorlock, etc.) 
• Online Course Quality Help Desk: Get personalized advice on improving your course quality. 
• Canvas Template and ID Village Resources: Access templates and discover new resources to streamline your course design.  

Join us for an experience that will empower you to create more engaging and effective online courses!

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. 

Collaborative Discussion Guides: Scaffolding Socialization and Learning Community Belonging

A successful foray into teaching the necessary skills of socialization to construct belonging into a learning community can be seen through the assignment of Collaborative Discussion Guides (CDG). CDGs provide students with a framework to engage their fellow classmates as they guide each other through deciphering and learning from a text. In this interactive session, instructors will try their hands at developing a Collaborative Discussion Guide, complete with a summary, guided reflection, large group discussion questions, and activity. This session will benefit undergraduate and graduate instructors of classes meeting regularly for five or more weeks in any academic discipline. While the greatest benefit is in face-to-face courses, implementing CDGs into hybrid (or with modification for synchronous or asynchronous online) modalities can also gain benefits.

Grading 100s of Exams (the Easy Way) with GradeScope

GradeScope is a GMU approved tool for grading that provides an advanced interface, along with AI features, that makes grading hundreds of test, quizzes, or exams simpler, less error-prone, and faster. This sessions walks participants through: connecting a course to GradeScope, setting an the exam for grading, creating reusable rubrics, using the AI grading features, viewing grade results, and releasing/communicating grades to students. Time permitting, the session may introduce other assignment types in GradeScope, such as homework. While this session is directly specifically at instructors and teaching assistants with large classes, many of the features introduced are also useful for those grading smaller classes with regular smaller assignments over a semester.

Instructional Design Lab: Freaky Friday Experience
Freaked out by Canvas? Don’t yet know where to start? Imagine how your students feel! Take a break and step into their shoes to experience online learning in Canvas from the student perspective. This engaging lab offers you the chance to explore several Canvas courses as a student or instructor, reflect on any challenges, and discover new strategies and tools. Work with George Mason's instructional designers to generate ideas to enhance the student experience in your own courses.  
Exploration Stations: 

• Self-Guided Canvas Course Tours + Reflection Board: Navigate through courses and share your insights. 
• Task Design: Learn how to create effective and engaging assignments.  
• Tools in Canvas Test Kitchen: Experiment with various tools (Harmonize, Voicethread, Perusall, Microsoft Teams Canvas Integration, Kaltura + Quiz, PollEverywhere, H5P, Lucid, Gradescope, Honorlock, etc.) 
• Online Course Quality Help Desk: Get personalized advice on improving your course quality. 
• Canvas Template and ID Village Resources: Access templates and discover new resources to streamline your course design.  

Join us for an experience that will empower you to create more engaging and effective online courses! 

Popping the Bubble: Self-Study to Enhance Writing Intensive Courses

Are you an educator who feels like you are teaching alone in a “bubble”? Is it a struggle to find ways to meaningfully engage and collaborate with other higher education professionals? Are you struggling to find ways to increase student success through best instructional practices? Then join us in this session to learn all about the process of self-study! Self-study employs a collaborative and reflective approach to discuss ways to increase student engagement, ensure best practices are being implemented, and find new and innovative ideas to promote teaching excellence. At this session we will discuss the process of creating a self-study group, as well as the challenges and benefits of engaging in this research process. Target audience members include colleagues from any department who provide direct instruction to students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as in multiple formats including online, hybrid, and face to face models.

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.

The Practice of Full Spectrum Listening

This session will engage participants in an activity they can adapt for courses in most disciplines and to most learners. This session will demonstrate experientially how essential intentional listening can be to team-based inquiry and problem-solving. In the current polarized context, students, workers, and scholars of every stripe can benefit from a deliberate focus on how we comprehend, or disregard, other’s observations, values, and concerns in the public square, the workplace, and academia. The facilitators will guide the participants in Full Spectrum Listening, one of the dialogic practices promoted by Essential Partners (EP). EP designed the Reflective Structured Dialogue (RSD) process to work with diverse individuals dwelling and working within polarized communities to develop connections characterized by respect and dignity in the face of divergent/opposing ideas about tackling challenging and even wicked problems on a foundation of mutual dignity. The Full Spectrum Listening activity is a practice that cultivates a way of listening to others that engages us fully in considering with respect what others choose to tell us.

How Can We Use AI as a Catalyst for Learning?

This session is an opportunity for discussion and sharing of experiences with using AI in the classroom, oriented towards how instructors can engage students in understanding the use of AI in professional settings. We will begin with sharing examples of AI use in development, peace building, and conflict resolution projects and invite participants to share how they have seen AI used in other professional and disciplinary settings. We will share and invite others to share examples of classroom activities with students that begin to develop relevant skills and abilities for their post-graduation work. We will share good practices from other institutions that apply across disciplines as educators navigate the positive potential, as well as strong critiques regarding the use of AI. As the tools and contexts of AI use continue to evolve, we aim to provide an open space for learning and sharing about experiences at the crossroads of teaching, AI, and professional development.

OTEA Panel:  Transforming Our Online Teaching Strategies in New LMS

In our interactive session, a panel of past Online Teaching Excellence Award (OTEA) winners (2018-2024) will guide conversations about transforming online teaching strategies in order to leverage functions and tools in Mason’s new LMS, Canvas. We also will highlight the pivotal role of online instructors as leaders to successfully implement new educational technologies enhancing Mason students’ online learning experiences. Although focused on fully-online teaching, the practices and strategies shared by the panel are relevant to all instructors for teaching across all disciplines and delivery formats.