Here are two more approaches:
Anne Foster, a history professor at Indiana State University, wrote in to say that she, too, builds in a rewards structure to get students to do the reading. But this is what grabbed me:
“The most significant change I have made,” she wrote, “is to reveal much more about the ‘why’ of assignments, approaches, reading choices, even how I construct the course. I think Gen Z students do need more motivation in some ways, but I think that is not quite the right word. They want to know the purpose of things. It can be annoying, but I also like it in a lot of ways. They care; they are discerning. I really enjoy teaching them.”
I asked Foster to describe in more detail this question of “why?” What do students want to know and what motivates them to work for more than points or a grade?
“They don’t just trust that I have a broader pedagogical plan,” she responded. “They want to know what the plan is, and how these building blocks of writing about each reading fit together to lead to success with the course goals.”
Some of those concerns are pragmatic, she noted. They might want to know how learning a skill will help them perform better on future assignments. But some of their concerns are more philosophical: What is the larger point of learning something? That can be tough, she wrote, if the learning is open-ended, not immediately applicable, and challenges “how they operate in and perceive the world.”
Her solution: “I find that when I openly share the questions that drive me in my work, talk about the varieties of benefits to them as people and in their future careers about being a more discerning and careful reader and writer, and explicitly explain the ways assignments in my classes are scaffolded to build to success on a big project at the end, they respond very well.”
Students from better-resourced school districts may have already experienced the joy of learning just to learn, she notes, “but most of my students have been taught for a long time that they are in school to acquire skills that will help them get a well-paying job. Some love to learn that it is also ok to learn things they just find interesting.”
Kerry O’Grady, director of teaching excellence at Columbia University’s business school described how she has completely changed her pedagogy. She teaches at Fordham University and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Here are some of her ideas.
Self-grading with review: On major assignments, O’Grady has students grade themselves using a rubric she designed. She reviews it and makes changes as needed. Echoing Foster, she noted that if she disagrees with students, “I make sure to justify why (because the ‘why’ is so important to this generation). While this approach may make faculty nervous, I can attest after implementation that students — overall — are honest about their performance while assessing themselves.” She has found that self-grading leads to better planning on their part, and encourages students to evaluate not just the effort they put in but the work they turned out.
Guided teamwork: Working well in teams is tough, O’Grady noted. It requires time-management, collaboration, and delegation skills. “Faculty need to do a better job discussing the benefits of teamwork to real-world employment, teach them how to effectively work in teams, and then assign the work with strong accountability structures in place and both individual and team grading mechanics.” To that end she draws up contracts, spot-reviews recorded team meetings, and provides feedback. She also uses a combination of individual, peer, and team grades.
A more interactive syllabus: Students often don’t read the syllabus. So instead O’Grady has created a PowerPoint version that requires students to engage with it up front, including signing a commitment statement and discussing parts of it during introductory videos they make.
Peer guidance: O’Grady includes in her syllabus comments from prior students on how to succeed in her class. In a public-speaking course, for example, she sat in a corner while students led a discussion about how to minimize public-speaking anxiety. “With this generation, the more leadership you give them, the more they feel in control of their education.”
If you’ve changed your course design to better connect with students, I’d like to hear about it. Write to me at beth.mcmurtrie@chronicle.com and your ideas may appear in a future newsletter
Has parenting become intrusive?
Are hovering parents getting in the way of students’ growth? That’s a question we’ve been discussing in the newsroom after this Slate article appeared recently. The lead anecdote is extreme — a mother who literally tracks her daughter’s movement all day and then calls every night to confirm she’s in bed by 10:30 p.m.
While that may be rare, it’s certainly true that parents are more involved than ever in their students’ lives. In addition to texting and phone tracking, Facebook seems to be a primary enabler, with parent groups sharing tips on how they can help their students complain about a bad grade, change roommates, or get into competitive clubs. “If college is historically meant to be a time of self-exploration, complete with bad decisions and murky mistakes,” the article notes, “an increasing number of parents seem to be attempting to curtail that growth.”
Do you see this among your students? And if so, how does it manifest itself? Do parents ever contact you directly with their concerns? Do students seem to be in constant contact with their parents? And, if so, do they make decisions and life choices in ways that seem foreign to your own experience in college?
I’d like to hear your take. Write to me at beth.mcmurtrie@chronicle.com and share what you’re seeing and hearing on your campus.
Thanks for reading Teaching. If you have suggestions or ideas, please feel free to email us at beth.mcmurtrie@chronicle.com or beckie.supiano@chronicle.com.
— Beth
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