VOLUME XIl, NUMBER 6

#@ INNOVATION ABSTRACTS

PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DE a ROle Pte OA ee eam or eet

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE W. K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION AND THE SID W. RICHARDSON FOUNDATION

 

Teaching Learning Project—Fun for Student and Educator!

Integration of writing skills, critical thinking, concep-
tual learning, and concurrent theory and practice are of
paramount concern across our campuses. As a college
professor, I have witnessed a steady decline in the
ability of my students to think critically, write expres-
sively, and learn conceptually. This is a concern shared
by our curriculum theorists, as well as by the research-
ers who suggest that writing is a critical component in
all disciplines.

Of equal importance is keeping our sanity as profes-
sors and not inundating ourselves with mountains of
paperwork. When we have classes of over 30 students
each, multiple choice exams are especially attractive.

But we wanted to encourage more writing. There-
fore, we developed a teaching /learning project that
required more writing, but that limited writing assign-
ments to one page each!

The teaching/learning project model presented here
is for nursing students in a senior medical/surgical
course, but it can be adapted to any discipline.

Criteria for Teaching/Learning Project

1. Content Accuracy (30%)
It is imperative that the information the student is
disseminating to clients or professionals be accurate.
The content should be relevant to the subject matter
of the course. For example, in the senior medical/
surgical course, the student can pick self-breast
exam, testicular exam, colostomy care, or a specific
medication related to the course content for his/her
writing assignment.

2. Content Clarity and Appropriateness for
Client Reading Level (20%)
The student must design the project for a specific
audience. If the student is preparing a teaching/
learning project for a client, terminology should be in
lay terms. If the project is designed for others in the
field, professional terminology is more appropriate.

3. Appearance (15%)
Included in this category is neatness, spelling,
grammar, and sentence structure. If students in any
discipline want to be seen as professionals, they must
be able to communicate with their clients and other

professionals. Also included is the one-page limit.
While initially this may seem like an easy task for
students, they soon discover it is very difficult to
effectively communicate in a one-page format.

4. Creativity (10%)

I encourage students to be creative and “do their
thing.” Students have designed pamphlets and |
board games, and they have demonstrated tremen-
dous artistic ability. Several of my students have
sent their projects to professional journals for publi-
cation.

5. Evaluation of Teaching (15%)

Students should understand that because they have
been taught does not mean that they have learned!
They must, therefore, know how to evaluate the
effectiveness of their own teaching. On a separate
sheet of paper they are to include:

a) Teacher goal statement (i.e., to teach a client to do
a self-breast examination)

b) Resource materials used (i.e., AV material, printed
handouts, models, pamphlets)

c) Techniques utilized in teaching (i.e., demonstra-
tion/return demonstration, lecture, discussion,
role-playing, question-answer period)

d) Evaluation of teaching (i.e., client outcomes,
specific and written in measurable terms)

6. Bibliography (10%)

Students must learn to seek information from a
variety of sources. They are to include, on a separate
sheet of paper, a bibliography of no less than three
sources which they have consulted (from the project
textbooks or professional journals). Bibliographies
should follow an approved reférence style.
The teaching/learning project fosters creativity and
puts fun into learning. It also allows instructors to be
themselves, as well!

Claire Ligeikis, Associate Professor, Nursing

For further information, contact the author at Broome
Community College, Box 1017, Binghamton, NY 13902.

 

EDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD)
Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at Austin

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