Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education Implementation Ideas
The following ideas for implementing the seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education were obtained from the following sources.
1) The first list was generated by the
2)
The second list was created at a work shop I facilitated for
3)
The third list comes from an article provided by Dennis
4)
The fourth list comes from an article by Chickering and Ehrmann on
technology as a lever for implementing the 7 principles. TECHNOLOGY
5) The fifth list comes from an article by Chickering and Gamson giving
examples (http://www.indiana.edu/~icy/omnteach.html) EXAMPLES
6) The Knowledge Survey: A Tool for All
Reasons by Edward Nuhfer, University of Colorado at
Denver and Delores Knipp, United States Air Force
Academy. a description of the knowledge
survey is provided below SURVEY
7) Dr. James W. King, University of
Nebraska-Lincoln, has developed a combination list presenting ideas for the
regular classroom and for distance education. His URL is http://www.agron.iastate.edu/nciss/kingsat2.html KING
8) Seven Principles of Effective Teaching: A
Practical Lens for Evaluating Online Courses by Charles Graham, Kursat Cagiltay, Byung-Ro Lim, Joni Craner and
Thomas M. Duffy- We, a team of five evaluators from Indiana University's
Center for Research on Learning and Technology
(CRLT), recently used these principles to evaluate four online courses in a
professional school at a large
Midwestern university. http://ts.mivu.org/default.asp?show=article&id=839 DISTANCE EDUCATION
9) Joseph R. Codde, Ph.D., Associate Professor,Director, Educational Technology Certificate Program, 440 Erickson Hall, Michigan State University CODDE
The implenentation ideas are folowed by responses from discussion list members to my question "How do you implement the 7 principles in classes, advising and your personal life."
I would love to hear your reaction to these suggestions. How do you implement the 7 principles in your teaching, advising, or other aspects of how you interact with students?
If you would like to suggest additions to
any of the seven categories please email me at
tpanitz@capecod.net
1 Good practice encourages
student faculty contact
Frequent student-faculty contact in and out of classes is the most
important factor in student motivation and involvement. Faculty concern helps
students get through rough times and keep on working. Knowing a few faculty
members well enhances students' intellectual commitment and encourages them to
think about their own values and future plans.
2 good practice
encourages cooperation among students
Learning is enhanced when it is more like a team effort than a solo race. Good
learning, like good work, is collaborative and social, not competitive and
isolated. Working with others often increases involvement in learning. Sharing
one's own ideas and responding to others' reactions improves thinking and
deepens understanding.
3. Good practice
encourages active learning
Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn much just sitting in
classes listening to teachers, memorizing pre-packaged assignments and spitting
out answers. They must talk about what they are learning, write about it,
relate it to past experiences, and apply it to their daily lives. They must
make what they learn part of themselves.
4.Good
practice gives prompt feedback
Knowing what you know and don't know focuses learning. Students need appropriate
feedback on performance to benefit from courses. In getting started, students
need help in assessing existing knowledge and competence. In classes, students
need frequent opportunities to perform and receive suggestions for improvement.
At various points during college, and at the end, students need chances to
reflect on what they have learned, what they still need to know, and how to
assess themselves
5. Good practice
emphasizes time on task
Time plus energy equals learning. There is no substitute for time on task.
Learning to use one's time well is critical for students and professional
alike. Students need help in learning effective time management. Allocating
realistic amounts of time means effective learning for students and effective
teaching for faculty. How an institution defines time expectations for
students, faculty and administrators, and other professional staff can
establish the basis for high performance for all.
6. Good practice
communicates high expectations
Expect more and you will get it. High expectations are important for everyone--
for the poorly prepared, for those unwilling to exert themselves, and for the
bright and well motivated. Expecting students to perform well becomes a
self-fulfilling prophecy when teachers and institutions hold high expectations
of themselves and make extra efforts.
7. good
practice respects diverse talents and ways of learning
There are many roads to learning. People bring different talents and styles of
learning to college. Brilliant students in the seminar room may be all thumbs
in the lab or art studio. Students rich in hands-on experience may not do so
well in theory. Students need to opportunity to show their talents and learn in
ways that work for them. Then they can be pushed to learning in new ways that
do not come so easily.
SOURCE: Chickering, A.W., and Gamson, Z.F. (1991). Applying the Seven
Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. Number 47, Fall 1991.
1 Good practice encourages student faculty contact
BYU
*Encourage students to drop by your office just to visit
*Share past experiences, attitudes and values with students
*Advise students about career opportunities in their major/field of study
*Attend events sponsored by student groups
*Work with student affairs staff on issues related to student
extracurricular life and life outside of school
*Know you students by name within the first two weeks of the term
*Mae special efforts to be available to students of culture or race
different from your own
*Serve as a mentor or informal advisor to students
*Take students to professional meetings or other events in your field
*Whenever there is a conflict on campus involving students, try to help its
resolution
NECC
*Use email to communicate with your students
*Send a letter to your advisees inviting them to visit you informally or for
registration
*Send a welcome letter to your students prior to class each semester
*Hold student conferences during the semester
*Talk to students individually during and after class and labs
*Ask student how they are doing from time to time
*Treat students like human beings with full real lives
*Hold convenient office hours
*Have the student introduce themselves to the class or use other warmup techniques
*Use free standing furniture to reconfigure the class for accessibility
*Bring humor to the classroom
*Encourage students to come for extra help to your office or learning labs
*ask student opinions about what is being presented or class procedures
*Encourage students to come in for feedback and evaluations on their exams
*Advise and participate in clubs and teams
*Devise activities for social interactions in and out of class
*Walk between classes with students
*Hold out of class review sessions
*Student orientations with faculty, academic and social
SI
*Because SI leaders attend class and hold 3 or more SI sessions per week,
there are many hours available
for student-to-SI leader contact
outside of class
*SI leaders model college level learning and success skills in SI sessions
*SI leaders often communicate values about education and strategies for
success in college
*Information on using valuable campus services is commonly discussed
*Other behaviors modeled by SI leaders are to visit instructors and
professors when there are questions or
concerns about course materials
*SI participants are encouraged to attend problem sessions with graduate
assistants and instructors
*SI leaders encourage students to join clubs and organizations in one's
major and where there are faculty
advisors and faculty
participation
TECHNOLOGY
*Communication technologies that increase access to faculty members, help
them share useful resources,
and provide for joint problem
solving and shared learning can usefully augment face-to-face contact in
and outside of class meetings.
*By putting in place a more “distant” source of information and guidance for
students, such technologies can
strengthen faculty interactions
with all students, but especially with shy students who are reluctant to
ask questions or
challenge the teacher directly.
*It is often easier to discuss values and personal concerns in writing than
orally, since inadvertent or
ambiguous nonverbal signals are
not so dominant.
*As the number of commuting part-time students and adult learners increases,
technologies provide
opportunities for interaction not
possible when students come to class and leave soon afterward to meet
work or family
responsibilities.
*The biggest success story in this realm has been that of time-delayed
(asynchronous) communication.
Traditionally, time-delayed communication took place in education through the exchange of homework, either in class or by mail (for more distant learners). Such time-delayed exchange was often a rather impoverished form of conversation, typically limited to three conversational turns:
1.The instructor poses a question
(a task).
2.The student responds (with
homework).
3.The instructor responds some time
later with comments and a grade.
The conversation often ends there; by the time the grade or comment is received, the course and student are off on new topics.
*Now, however, electronic mail, computer conferencing, and the World Wide
Web increase opportunities for
students and faculty to converse
and exchange work much more speedily than before, and more
thoughtfully and “safely” than
when confronting each other in a classroom or faculty office.
*Total communication increases and, for many students, the result seems more
intimate, protected, and
convenient
than the more intimidating demands of face-to-face communication with
faculty.
*Communication also is eased when student or instructor (or both) is not a
native speaker of English; each
party can take a bit more time to
interpret what has been said and compose a response.
*With the new media, participation and contribution from diverse students
become more equitable and
widespread.
EXAMPLES
*Freshmen seminars on important topics, taught by
senior faculty members, establish an early connection
between students and faculty for
many colleges and universities.
*The tenured faculty member who acts as a -master learner" in
SUNY-Stony Brook's Federated Learning
Communities becomes a role model
for undergraduates.
*In the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, three
out of four undergraduates join
three-quarters of the faculty as junior research colleagues.
SURVEY
*Once students confront a knowledge survey and understand its use, students
can more clearly see
their need to seek help.
*A pre-course survey can also reveal which students have the most confidence
with the material and
which do not
*Such insights permit faculty to know something about each student and make
them aware of each
student’s
possible needs for extra assistance before the class is even underway.
*Knowledge surveys also indicate which individual students really have the
prerequisites needed to
engage the challenges forthcoming
in the course.
KING
Regular Classroom
*Post office hours, open-door policy (with family's approval, publish home
phone number)
*Personalize feedback on student assignment -Ask questions
*Solicit information from student
*Create campus "visibility"
*Use e-mail access
*Help students network with other faculty -Let them know of options,
research, etc. of other faculty
*Require student to visit instructor
*Have regular hours, but vary within week -Have regular telephone hours
*Teacher can attend student events
*Stick around for after class conversations
*Learn students names
*Encourage frequent contacts
*Teacher: be early, stay after classes (if possible), maintain office hours,
be immediate with your students,
know students names and a little about them (if possible)
*Student: ask questions, meet with teacher during office hours -Depends on
size of class, but go to faculty
office -Meet with student one-on-one basis at least once out of the
classroom
*Mentoring Program?
Distance Education
* "Chat time" online with faculty (at various times, scheduled
weekly)
*Listservs for student to student contact
*phone bridge
*Picture of faculty/other students
*On site support person
*Telephone access if necessary
*Group work at distance site
*Call individuals by name
*Visit the distance sites
*Maintain eye contact with camera and local students
*Go to sight of distance students
*Question/answer period - periodically throughout class
*Site visit by faculty member once per semester
*e-mail (1 on 1 contact)
CODDE
- I make a point to talk with my students on a personal level and learn about their educational and career goals.
- I seek out my students who seem to be having problems with the course or miss class frequently.
- I advise my students about career opportunities in their major field.
- I share my past experiences, attitudes, and values with students.
- I know my students by name.
- I make special efforts to be available to students of a culture or race different from my own.
- I serve as a mentor and informal advisor to students.
2. Good practice encourages cooperation among students
BYU
*Ask students to tell each other about their interests and backgrounds
*Encourage students to prepare together for classes or exams
*Encourage studnets to do projects together
*Ask students to evaluate each other's work
*Ask students to explain difficult ideas to each other
*Encourage students to praise each other for their accomplishments
*Ask students to discuss key concepts with other students whose backgrounds
and viewpoints are
different from their own
*Create "learning communities", study groups. or
project teams within your courses
*Encourage students to join at least one campus organization
*Distribute performance criteria to students so that each person's grade is
independent of those achieved by others
NECC
*Use peer critique and editing
*Have students refer to each other by name
*Use small group discussions to prepare students for whole group discussions
*Use collaborative projects in and out of class
*Peer evaluations/student comment sheets
*Group assignments for grades (extra credit, partial credit, quiz points)
*Rotate students when working in pairs or small groups
*Encourage the use of tutoring centers and peer tutoring
*Group presentations
*Case study analysis by groups followed by group presentations
SI
*A key component of SI is the promotion of cooperation and collaboration
among students to master course
content
*Students in SI sessions exchange information on building complete and
accurate textbook and lecture
notes.
*Under the guidance of the SI leader, they also formulate potential exam
questions and answers
*They build complete and accurate solutions to problems in quantitative
classes
*They learn how to self-test to identify what has been learned and
what has not been learned before an
exam is given when they can still
do something about it.
*SI leaders are trained to create a climate in SI sessions wherein students
feel safe and free to attempt
answers
to questions or solutions to problems and then draw upon the knowledge
of peer attendees to
evaluate and check the
accuracy and completeness of those attempts.
*Peers model thinking, reasoning, analyzing, organization, and problem
solving skills upon which others may
draw to increase understanding of
subject matter and how to think about and learn that subject matter.
*SI leaders teach what students have to learn to learn what faculty has to
teach.
TECHNOLOGY
*The increased opportunities for interaction with
faculty noted above apply equally to communication with
fellow students.
*Study groups, collaborative learning, group problem solving, and discussion
of assignments can all be
dramatically strengthened through
communication tools that facilitate such activity.
*The extent to which computer-based tools encourage spontaneous student
collaboration was one of the
earliest surprises about
computers.
*A clear advantage of email for today’s busy
commuting students is that it opens up communication
among classmates even when they
are not physically together.
EXAMPLES
*Even in large lecture classes, students can learn from one another.
*Learning groups are a common practice. Students are assigned to a
group of five to seven other students,
who meet regularly during class
time throughout the term to solve problems set by the instructor.
*Learning communities are another popular way of getting students to work
together. At
students take several courses
together. The courses, on topics related to a common theme like science,
technology and human values, are
from different disciplines.
* Faculty teaching the courses coordinate with one another, and another
faculty member called a -master
learner" takes the courses
with the students.
*Under the direction of the master learner, students run a seminar which
helps them integrate ideas from
the separate courses.
*Many colleges use peer tutors for students who need special help.
SURVEY
*Knowledge surveys help to impart several of the five basic elements
of cooperative learning
*Individual accountability includes the critical ability of
individuals to be able to accurately assess their
own level of preparedness or lack
thereof.
*When a course has detailed disclosure, students more readily know
when they have deficiencies,
making them more receptive to
engaging in positive interdependence, promotive
interaction
and group processing to overcome
deficiencies
*Pre-course knowledge survey results provide the information needed to
form heterogeneous cooperative
groups composed of members with
known, varied abilities.
KING
Regular Classroom
*Break up into small groups
*Leave hands-on activities
*Have discussions (small groups, pairs, ect.)
*Do creative things to show what was learned
skits
discussions
activities
games (Jeopardy?)
*Keep people moving around from group to group/person to person
*Have activities and projects outside the classroom for group participation
*Have students share book reports or other class papers with each other
*Be "constructivist"
Develop teams
Use group activity
Grade on a criteria
based system (use a curve)
Ask students to
respond to other students' work
Have students write
together, group speeches, too!
Peer tutoring
Encourage students to
study together
*Be open to another faculty person suggestions
*Teachers can model group process activities. Effective collaborative group
work that helps students
increase
their understanding is not something they do automatically.
*Model:
asking questions
listening behaviors
model exchange
processes
*Sharing ideas can increase learning due to exchanging of ideas
*The instructor can encourage students to answer
each other's questions instead of answering them
him/herself
*To implement this instructors can use group activities for collaborative
learning
Distance Education
*Set up teams to interact via e-mail or phone bridges with enough people at
each site
(Each
site could be a group)
*Post papers, ect...on Internet-students could
respond to each other's work
*Work on group projects via phone/e-mail
*Team-teach courses
*Make it out to each distance sight and do some group activities so they are
able to have direct contact
with
instructor as well
*Teleconferences for idea sharing
*Problem solving in groups (via e-mail, ect.)
*Visit with instructor to sites
*Have question and answer time
*Encourage site reports/activities to be shared
*Encourage activities/discussion (chat rooms)
*List serves/e-mail
*Have e-mail groups
*Have joint projects for students from different sites or from same sites
*Offer opportunities for student to interact with other students
*Offer students opportunities to express their own ideas
*If students are close enough geographically, sponsor a fair at the end of
the semester where all the students could come to demonstrate
their project.
CODDE
- Beginning with the first class, I have students participate in activities that encourages them to get to know each other.
- I use collaborative teaching and learning techniques.
- I encourage students to participate in groups when preparing for exams and working on assignments.
- I encourage students from different races and cultures to share their viewpoints on topics discussed in class.
- I create "learning communities," study groups, and project teams within my courses.
- I encourage students to join at least one organization on campus.
- I distribute performance criteria to students so that each person's grade is independent of those achieved by others.
3. Good practice encourages active learning
BYU
*Ask students to present their work to the class
*Ask students to summarize similarities and differences among different
theorists, research findings,
or artistic works
*Ask students to relate outside events or activities to the subjects in the
course
*ask students to undertake research or independent study
*Encourage students to challenge your ideas, the ideas of other students, or
those presented in readings
or other materials
*Give students concrete, real life situations to analyze
*Use simulations, role playing, or labs in your classes
*Encourage students to suggest new readings, research projects, field trips,
or other activities
*Arrange field trips, volunteer activities, or internships related to the
course with your students
*Carry out research projects with your students
NECC
*Use lab work and clinical opportunities
*Use in class free writing
*
*Make use of bullitin board discussions and email
*Have students use journals on assignments and for communicating with the
teacher
*Ask students to demonstrate problem solving strategies during class
*Encourage Q&A
*Inclass editing and writing
*Produce a class newspaper
SI
*This is another strength of SI. SI leaders
do not relecture, ask, or answer content questions
whereby
students could passively sit and
*Students in SI sessions determine what is covered in these sessions.
*When a student poses a question or problem, SI leaders are trained to
elicit attempts at answers and
solutions from those present in
the session.
*SI leaders will model this information on the board in a well-organized
format as it is given.
*Students are encouraged to discuss and compose answers and solutions
between themselves using, as a
baseline, the information given
in lectures and textbook assignments.
*SI leaders may then pose situations that require application of this
knowledge to real life, subject-related
situations.
*SI leaders also elicit analogies from similar situations or actual life
experiences to help with application,
understanding, relevancy, and to
enhance later recall
TECHNOLOGY
*The range of technologies that encourage active
learning is staggering. Many fall into one of three categories:
tools and resources for learning
by doing, time-delayed exchange, and real-time conversation. Today, all
three usually can be supported
with “worldware,” i.e.,
software (such as word processors) originally
developed for other purposes but
now used for instruction, too.
*Apprentice-like learning has been supported by many traditional
technologies: research libraries,
laboratories, art and
architectural studios, athletic fields.
*Newer technologies now can enrich and expand these opportunities.
EXAMPLES
*Active learning is encouraged in classes which use structured exercises,
challenging discussions, team
projects, and peer critiques.
*Active learning can also occur outside the classroom. There are thousands
of internships, independent
study and cooperative job
programs across the country in all kinds of colleges and universities, in all
kinds of fields, for all kinds of
students.
*Students also can help design and teach courses or parts of courses. At
and students design new courses
on contemporary issues and universal themes; the students then help
the professor as teaching
assistants.
*At the
small groups to design lab
procedures rather than repeat pre-structured exercises.
*At the
long term original research
project in the social sciences.
SURVEY
*Surveys can be a powerful prompt for addressing high-level thinking. When
students receive both
good example items and a copy of Bloom’s taxonomy, they can make up their own new test
questions for a unit
*Such questions will address the material and
appropriately high Bloom levels.
*A simple assignment could be: “You already have seven questions on this
unit in your knowledge
survey. Address the material in
the unit, use Bloom’s taxonomy, and see if you can
produce
seven good questions that are
even more challenging.
*When students know the important concepts and outcomes desired in a unit
lesson, groups can
become resources, thus
structuring peer teaching into a course while assuring quality outcomes.
KING
Regular Classroom
*Set up problem solving activities in small groups and have each group
discuss with class
*Use some of the same problems solving activities outside of the classroom
and have students summarize
experiences and solutions
*Journaling (reflective process)
*Assign projects with real life application for them to solve
Distance Education
*Interactive web page
*Debate on-line
*Application: observation/reflection/ journal
*Writing: discussion group via e-mail, chat rooms
*Journaling could be sent via e-mail
*Group like problem solving (e-mail)
*Utilize home/local experiences in teaching content to make subject matter
relevant and something the
student
interacts with more often
*To "talk" about what students are learning, need to create
communication/learning groups via e-mail,
telephone, chat room, conferencing....weekly activity
CODDE
4.Good practice gives prompt feedback
BYU
*Give frequest quizzes and homework assignments to
help student monitor their progress
*Prepare classroom exercises and problems which give student immediate
feedback on how well they do.
*Return examinations and papers within a week if not sooner
*Give students detailed evaluations of their work early in the term
*Ask students to schedule conferences with you to discuss their progress
*Give students written comments on their strengths and weaknesses on exams
and papers
*Give students a pretest at the beginning of each course
*Ask students to keep logs or records of their progress
*be available to discuss the results of the final exam with your students at
the end of the semester
*Call or write a note or email students who miss classes
NECC
*Verbal feedback during and after class
*Email students about various aspects of the class
*Daily reading and quizzes
*Feedback and review right after an exam
*Have students work problems together
*Self evaluations
*midterm assessment
*Updates on current averages in class
*Individualized work
*In class editing
*Students defend ideas in class
*Encourage drafts of writing
*Many exercises or problems
SI
*Because students collaborate in SI to pool knowledge on course content and
ways to understand, learn, and
remember that content, there is
constant self-assessment and feedback on one’s
understanding of
subject matter and the learning
skills essential for mastering that subject matter.
*On a regular basis, SI leaders may give sample tests over material that
could appear on a future exam. *Sometimes SI leaders make up questions
but even better is having SI participants do the
thinking,
reasoning, analyzing, and
organizing to formulate potential exam questions.
*When SI attendees finish a sample test, complete and accurate answers are
built on the board along with
where in the lecture or the
textbook the information came from.
*Effective and ineffective study skills are identified and the ineffective
ones discussed and replaced using
information from SI leaders or
other SI attendees. This activity provides early and regular assessment
on competence with learning skills
and mastery of course content. I
*In addition, SI leaders may model a technique or distribute a handout and
discuss methods whereby
students can identify what it is
they have learned and not yet learned before a test when they may still
do something about it. This
proactive feedback technique is called the Self-testing Concept.
*Another practice where SI gives early feedback on content mastery and
effective skills for learning is via
a post-test survey. After a
test is returned, SI leaders are trained to go over an exam with students to
identify which answers were
correct and connect this with study skills that worked.
*However, it is even more important to identify answers that were partially
or completely incorrect and
connect them with study skills
that obviously did not work so that they may be modified or replaced with
more effective study skills.
*This reflection focuses on assessing skills for learning at a time when
these skills may be modified and
refine in preparation for the
next exam.
*SI leaders are trained to have SI attendees exchange information on
personal study skills that worked and
did not work along with reasons
why.
TECHNOLOGY
*The use of email for supporting person-to-person
feedback, for example, and the feedback inherent
in simulations.
*Computers also have a growing role in recording and analyzing personal and
professional performances.
*Teachers can use technology to provide critical observations for an
apprentice; for example, video to help
a novice teacher, actor, or
athlete critique his or her own performance.
*Faculty (or other students) can react to a writer’s
draft using the “hidden text” option available in word
processors: Turned on, the “hidden”
comments spring up; turned off, the comments recede and
the writer’s
prized work is again free of “red ink.”
*As we move toward portfolio evaluation strategies, computers can provide
rich storage and easy access to
student products and
performances.
*Computers can keep track of early efforts, so instructors and students can
see the extent to which later
efforts demonstrate gains in
knowledge, competence, or other valued outcomes.
*Performances that are time-consuming and expensive to record and evaluate —
such as leadership skills,
group process management, or
multicultural interactions — can be elicited and stored, not only for
ongoing critique but also as a
record of growing capacity.
EXAMPLES
*No feedback can occur without assessment. But assessment without timely
feedback contributes little to
learning.
*Colleges assess students as they enter in order to guide them in planning
their studies.
*In addition to the feedback they receive from course instructors, students
in many colleges and universities
receive counseling periodically
in their progress and future plans.
*
as analytic abilities and
communication skills. Performance is assessed and then discussed with students
at each level for
each ability in a variety of ways and by a variety of assessors.
*In writing courses across the country, students are learning through
detailed feedback from instructors and
fellow students to revise and
rewrite drafts. They learn, in the process, that feedback is central to
learnin
and improving performance.
SURVEY
*When a detailed knowledge survey is furnished, it allows students to
monitor their progress through
the course.
*One of the first signs that an instructor has produced a survey of good
quality is a query from a
student: “Will I really be able
to learn all these new things?”
*Prompt feedback delivered by a survey is the students’ own continuous
tracking of knowledge gains
as the course unfolds.
*When students can create their original test questions that address the
material at a respectable
level of thinking, they have
reached what probably constitutes adequate preparation and understanding.
*If any student must be absent, the survey immediately discloses the
material missed and reveals to
an extent the work required to
master it.
KING
Regular Classroom
*Personal needs assessment by student and faculty person
*Provide constructive criticism when necessary, but provide praise/input as
often as possible.
*Provide ways to competency validate through testing, and discussion. Use
hands-on techniques and some
group
work as necessary
*Vary assessment techniques (writing, speaking.....)
*Journaling exercise
*Question and answer sessions
*Small groups sharing
*Exams
*Evaluation at start and end
*Reports/Assignments (daily?)
*Relating to life experiences
Distance Education
*Chat group with office hours where the instructor is present
*A student chat group could be used for various assignments or
collaborations Have some kind of testing
activity
on the class info page
*Feedback forms on web site
*E-mail
*Small group sessions
*Exams
*Question and answer groups
*Use of e-mail for sharing/discussing
*Telephone conferences for discussion
*Evaluating/Assessments
*Could use journals -not on weekly basis perhaps
*Exams
*Needs assessment pre-class and post-class assessments
CODDE
- I give students immediate feedback on class activities.
- I return exams and papers within one week.
- I give students evaluations of their work throughout the semester.
- I give my students written comments on their strengths and weaknesses on class assignments.
- I discuss the results of class assignments and exams with students and the class.
5. Good practice emphasizes time on task
BYU
*Expect your students to complete their assignments promptly
*Clearly communicate to your students the minimum amount of time they should
spend preparing for classes
*Make clear to your students the amount of time that is required to
understand complex material
*Help students set challenging goals for their own learning
*When oral reparts or class presentations are
called for, encourage students to rehearse in advance
*Underscore the importance of regular work, steady application, sound
self-pacing, and scheduling
*Explain to your students the consequences of non-attendance
*Make it clear that full time study is a full time job that requires forty
or more hours a week
*Meet with your students who fall behind to discuss their study habits,
schedules, and other commitments
*If studnets miss your classes, require them to
make up the work
NECC
*Use timed writing in class
*Have inclass timed discussions
*Start and end class on time
*Try to keep class and clinical as productive as possible
*Take home exams and assignments have a set due date
*Work with students on time management
*Have students discuss their linitatiioins on time
in small groups and with the whole class
*Stress homework
SI
*SI provides an excellent vehicle for helping students realize the
significant commitment in time that they
must invest to be successful in
college.
*SI leaders are successful students who must meet a GPA criteria of 3.0 and
have earned a grade of A or B
in the class for which they are
leading SI sessions. Therefore, SI leaders are a resource for how much
time they spend on learning tasks
and are trained how model personal learning skills and success
techniques when asked or when it
seems appropriate and helpful to students.
*SI leaders may distribute a handout on time management detailing the time
commitment needed to do the
job as a college student.
This often prompts mutual self-help exchanges of time organization techniques
among SI attendees
*SI leaders may also have access to a learning skills library for more
information on time management and
college level study skills.
*Many campus have a learning skills professional
available from whom SI leaders could get more learning
skills information or to use as a
referral resource for students to acquire assistance on effective
time organization in college.
TECHNOLOGY
*Technology also can increase time on task by making studying more
efficient.
*Teaching strategies that help students learn at home or work can save hours
otherwise spent commuting to
and from campus, finding parking
places, and so on.
*Time efficiency also increases when interactions between teacher and
students, and among students, fit
busy work
and home schedules.
*Students and faculty alike make better use of time when they can get access
to important resources for
learninG
without trudging to the library, flipping through card files, scanning microfilm
and microfiche,
and scrounging the reference
room.
*For faculty members interested in classroom research, computers can record
student participation and
interaction and help document
student time on task, especially as related to student performance.
EXAMPLES
*Mastery learning, contract learning, and computer assisted instruction
require that students spend
adequate amounts of time on
learning.
*Extended periods of preparation for college also give students more time on
task.
*
curriculum taught jointly by
faculty at
*Providing students with opportunities to integrate their studies into the
rest of their lives helps them
use time well.
*Workshops, intensive residential programs, combinations of televised
instruction, correspondence study,
and learning centers are all
being used in a variety of institutions, especially those with many part-time
students.
*Weekend colleges and summer residential programs, courses offered at work
sites and community centers,
clusters of courses on related
topics taught in the same time block, and double-credit courses make
more time for learning.
*At Empire State College, for example, students design degree Programs
organized in manageable time
blocks; students may take courses
in nearby institutions, pursue independent studies, or work with
faculty and other students at
SURVEY
*Full disclosure at the start of a course allows timely planning and study.
*A review sheet given out before an exam will not reveal to students what
they do not know in a
timely manner, and it will
promote mere cramming rather than planned learning.
*Faculty who plan courses well and disclose them at
the detail of a knowledge survey, quickly discover
that the survey keeps them
honest.
*When a class inadvertently strays off track, knowledge surveys reveal
whether straying resulted in
any important omissions.
*Surveys also require students to engage material repeatedly. Some of the
earliest research on
cognition deduced the benefits of
time spent in repetition to learning. The use of knowledge
surveys ensures at least two
additional structured engagements with the entire course material.
KING
Regular Classroom
*List the job expectations of the instructor so that person can view what is
expected of them.
*Assign what you think are realistic time values for each item. -If the
total time equals greater than the
time you have, adjust accordingly
*Be careful that time or task is real learning not busy work
*Do not use technology for technology's sake, it must be relevant to topic
and useful
*Progressive deadlines for project/assignments
*Many instructions establish "rules" -1 hour of lecture equals 2
hours of outside homework
*As an aspect of instruction, teach time management -With good organization
of subject materials,
assignments to be completed more timely and more completely
*Realistic expectations means you don't expect10 papers in 10 weeks
Distance Education
*Proper planning means pretty good performance! -Make sure you know what
your goals are and that the
learners
understand them as well.
*Understand that there will be problems with the distance and technology
along the way
*Each distance class should involve some sort of time-achievement
expectation that is laid out at the
beginning
of the course -Assign some content for out of class
*Consider both in and out of class time
*Encourage learners to participate in the time issue... Ask: we have 10/20
minutes left, what do you want to
do with
it?
*Use help...facilitator, technician, decision.
Consider team approach and give up illusion of "doing it all,"
as one
might in regular classroom
*Identify key concepts and how those will be taught. Given set amount of
time, what can realistically be
covered?
*In creating inter-active learning environment it can be overwhelming to
both the students and the teacher
if the
types of interaction required are too time consuming. Keep it realistic!
*Vary the types of interaction!
CODDE
- I expect my students to complete their assignments promptly.
- I clearly communicate to my students the minimum amount of time they should spend preparing for class and working on assignments.
- I help students set challenging goals for their own learning.
- I encourage students to prepare in advance for oral presentations.
- I explain to my students the consequences of non-attendance.
- I meet with students who fall behind to discuss their study habits, schedules, and other commitments.
- If students miss my class, I require them to make up lost work.
6. Good practice communicates high expectations
BYU
*Tell your students you expect them to work hard in your classes
*Emphasize the importance of holding high standards for academic achievement
*Make clear your expectations orally and in writing and the beginning of
each course
*Help students set challenging goals for their own learning
*Explain to students what will happen if they do not complete their work on
time
*Suggest extra reading or writing tasks
*Encourage students to write a lot
*Publicly call attention to excellent performance by your studnets
*Revise your courses
*Periodically discuss how well the class is doing during the course of the
semester
NECC
*Expect students to be on time
*Demonstrate a can do attitude
*Require revision of writing
*Clarify the course objective on your syllabus
*Set personal expectations high and give your students examples
*Give many problems worth small amounts each
*Constantly encourage students to try to do better (without exceeding their
abilities)
*Don't take no for an answer
*Set up study guidelines
*Use of a mastery approach with a high minimum
SI
*A major focus an SI program is, while enabling, facilitating collaboration,
and modeling effective study
behaviors, SI leaders expect
students to refine their abilities to understand, learn, remember, and
apply knowledge from courses.
*A major goal of SI is to help students rise to meet and exceed the
expectations of professors.
*Expectations for student behavior in SI sessions are high, also.
Students are expected to attend SI session
prepared by having read textbook
assignments, attempted homework, and formulated questions that
address individual needs for
study skills and course content information.
*SI leaders expect students to want to do well in the SI course and their
other courses.
*Students are expected to do the thinking, reasoning, analyzing, organizing,
and applying of course
information within the bounds of
lecture and textbook information.
*Students in SI sessions see SI leaders as students like themselves who have
met high academic
expectations and succeeded.
The next logical though for student may be, “So then can I.”
TECHNOLOGY
*Significant real-life problems, conflicting perspectives, or paradoxical
data sets can set powerful learning
challenges that drive students to
not only acquire information but sharpen their cognitive skills of
analysis, synthesis, application,
and evaluation.
*Many faculty report that students feel stimulated by knowing their finished
work will be “published” on the
World Wide Web.
*With technology, criteria for evaluating products and performances can be
more clearly articulated by the
teacher, or generated
collaboratively with students. General criteria can be illustrated with samples
of
excellent, average, mediocre, and
faulty performance
EXAMPLES
*The University of Wisconsin -Parkside
communicates high expectations for under prepared high school
students by bringing them to the
university for workshops in academic subjects, study skills, test taking
and time - management
*In order to reinforce high expectations, the program involves parents and
high school counselors.
*The
minority students.
* Special programs like these help. But most important are the day-to-day,
week-in and week-out
expectations students and faculty
hold for themselves and for each other in all their classes.
SURVEY
*Students sometimes complain that instructors teach at one level and test at
a more challenging level.
Knowledge surveys offer the
opportunity to detail, in a timely manner, the level of challenge
that students should expect.
*The materials needed to build a rudimentary knowledge survey already reside
in most professors’
computers—in
the past examinations, quizzes, and review sheets they provided the last time
they
taught the course. The only work
required is to arrange items from these in the order of course
presentation.
*Students appreciate the focus that a knowledge survey brings to the study
process, and they will rise
to expectations conveyed in a
survey, particularly if instructors assert that some of the higher-level
items will likely appear on a
final exam.
KING
Regular Classroom
*Contract -outlining grading scheme
*Provide lots of variation and challenging aspects to content
*Be organized as an instructor; pay attention to
details
*Be energized and enthusiastic; interaction
*Range of testing questions
*Expect students participation -active learning, not passive, stressed
*Be prepared
Distance Education
*Clearly stated course syllabus
*Provide "stellar" examples (of past student project, for example)
for students to refer to
*Work on climate setting-role modeling
*Provide corrective feedback -state what you liked/didn't
*Ask student to comment on what they are doing
*Expect student to participate
*Celebrate in-class success -name student or group
*Suggest extra readings/ect. which
support key points
*Try to make the assignments interesting to create interest
CODDE
- I encourage students to excel at the work they do.
- I give students positive reinforcement for doing exemplary work.
- I encourage students to work hard in class.
- I tell students that everyone works at different levels and they should strive to put forth their best effort, regardless of what level that is.
- I help students set challenging goals for their own learning.
- I publicly call attention to excellent performance by students.
- I revise my courses to challenge students and encourage high performance.
- I work individually with students who are poor performers to encourage higher levels of performance.
- I encourage students not to focus on grades, but rather on putting for their best effort
7. good practice respects diverse talents and ways of learning
BYU
*Encourage students to speak up when they don't understand
*Discourage snide remarks, sarcasm, kidding and other class behaviors that
may embarrass students
*Use diverse teaching activities to address a broad spectrum of students
*Select reading and design activities that relate to the backgrouns
of your students
*Provide extra materials or exercises for students who lack essential
background knowledge or skills
*Integrate new knowledge about women and other under-represented populations
into your courses
*Make explicit provisions for studnets who wish to
carry out independent studies within your course as as
seperate
courses
*Develop mastery learning contracts or computer assisted learning
alternatives for your courses
*Encourage your students to design their own majors when their interests
warrant doing so
*Try to fins out about your students' learning styles, interests, or
backgrounds at the beginning of each course
NECC
*Use different activities in class- videos, discussion, lecture, groups,
pairs etc.
*Use mind mapping for visual presentations
*Full group discussion following small group discussion
*Use hands on activities such as work sheets
*Encourage the use of email or bulletin boards
*Value every answer and find some relevance to encourage participation
*Learning accomodations- visual, hearing aids etc.
*Use different assessment methods- written, oral, projetcs,
etc.
SI
*Students in SI sessions are free to participate according to their
individual assets such as previous
knowledge base, current state of
skills for learning, special methods and techniques for learning, talent
for innovations, and ability to
explain concepts and ideas well.
*No one is singled out and made to do something with which they would be
uncomfortable.
*Those willing to demonstrate talents such as convert information from
theory to practice or from practice to
theory are encouraged to
demonstrate these talents for others to see and benefit.
*This non-directive exposure to other ways of thinking and performing
learning tasks provide a virtual
cafeteria of ideas and skills
from which student may select new and better ways to learn and master
course content.
*In this manner students are not pushed or coerced to refine learning
abilities. Yet, the considerable SI
leader-to-student or student-to-student
power inherent in statements such as “this is what I do” is an
enormous and potentially
beneficial encouragement to experiment with new ways to refine existing skills
to master course content.
TECHNOLOGY
*Technological resources can ask for different methods of learning through
powerful visuals and
well-organized print; through
direct, vicarious, and virtual experiences; and through tasks requiring
analysis, synthesis, and
evaluation, with applications to real-life situations.
*They can encourage self-reflection and self-evaluation. They can drive
collaboration and group problem
solving. Technologies can help
students learn in ways they find most effective and broaden their
repertoire for learning.
*They can supply structure for students who need it and leave assignments
more open-ended for students
who don’t.
*Fast, bright students can move quickly through materials they master easily
and go on to more difficult
tasks; slower students can take
more time and get more feedback and direct help from teachers and
fellow students. *Aided by
technologies, students with similar motives and talents can work in cohort
study groups without constraints
of time and place.
EXAMPLES
*Individualized degree programs recognize different interests.
*Personalized systems of instruction and mastery learning let students work
at their own pace.
*Contract learning helps students define their own objectives, determine the
learning activities, define
the criteria and
methods of evaluation.
*At the
Massachusetts-Boston, incoming
students take an orientation course that encourages them to reflect
on their learning styles.
*At the
lecture-and-textbook course, a
computer-based version of the lecture-and-textbook course, or
a computer-based course based on
notes developed by the faculty which allow students to program
the computer.
*In both computer-based courses, students work on their
own and must pass mastery exams.
SURVEY
*One of the best ways to address diverse learners is to be certain to
present and engage materials
in a variety of ways, in
particular ways that make sense in terms of how the brain operates in
the learning process
*When one actually has a blueprint of content and levels of thinking that
one wants to present, it
quickly allows one to ask “What
is the best way to present this item, then the following item?”
Without such a plan, one can too
easily end up lecturing through the entire course, even when
the desired outcomes literally
scream for alternative methods.
*A detailed plan of outcomes will obviate a correlative plan for reaching
KING
Regular Classroom
*Utilize multimedia presentations
*Consider field trips -outside of the classroom activities
*Change delivery methods frequently
*Identify within each lesson; a variety of learning opportunities. Engage as
many ways of learning as
possible.
Visual, kinesthetic, auditory and so on
*Give students a problem to solve that has multiple solutions. -Provide
examples, clues....to guide them.
*Let them decide on a strategy that best fits how they learn.
Distance Education
*In a distance setting laboratory experiences can be provided by contracting
with local high schools or
community
colleges to provide a Saturday lab experience
*Some CD-Rom's that are available provide a simulated lab -such as anatomy,
Myers-Briggs type of
learning
style
*Balance classroom activities for all styles (some books, some hands on,
some visual)
*Explain theory from "practical approach" first, then add the
structural approach
CODDE
- I encourage students to speak up when they do not understand.
- I use diverse teaching activities and techniques to address a broad range of students.
- I select readings and design activities related to the background of my students.
- I provide extra material or activities for students who lack essential background knowledge or skills.
- I integrate new knowledge about women, minorities, and other under-represented populations into my courses.
- I have developed and use learning contracts and other activities to provide students with learning alternatives for my courses.
- I encourage students from different races and cultures to share their viewpoints on topics discussed in class.
- I use collaborative teaching and learning techniques and pair students with lesser abilities with students with greater abilities.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
Principle 1: Encourages
student-faculty contact. Student motivation and
involvement result from frequent student-faculty contact, in classes as well
as beyond the classroom walls. Faculty concern helps students get through
rough times so they can keep working toward their goals. Students who know a
few faculty members closely can enjoy increased intellectual commitment and
an enhanced opportunity to explore their values and future plans. Example: The Residential
College of WSU creates a living-and-learning environment beyond the
classroom. Instructors and students form a learning partnership in a
supportive atmosphere. Located at Lourdes Hall,
or the "West Campus," 12 blocks from the main campus in Winona, the
The academic mix of the
Residential College includes a freshman seminar, sophomore common reading
seminar, junior on-site volunteer coordination group, senior capstone
seminar, and an in-resident program with prominent scholars or artists
participating with students in an array of shared experiences. Studies are enhanced through
consistent use of forums, discussion groups, world forum dinners,
newsletters, tutors, seminar rooms, computer facilities, reading and study
rooms, field trips, guest scholars, and intensive advising from faculty as
well as peers. Principle 2: Encourages cooperation
among students. A team effort to learning
establishes a cooperative environment and increases student involvement in their own learning. Meaningful learning grows from
collaborative and social techniques, rather than competitive and isolated
ones. The sharing of ideas, and discussing them, creates the opportunity for
improved thinking and deepens understanding. Example: Establishing
effective group learning goes beyond "study groups." It must create
positive interdependence and demand individual accountability of students.
Self-evaluation methods as well as peer evaluations form a major component of
the "cooperative learning community" established in upper division
courses in the Students in these collaborative
learning groups work individually to learn concepts then teach it to others.
Each member of the group is responsible for his or her own learning, sharing
it with others, and learning what others are teaching. Group exams reflect
the combined effort of the entire group and one grade is given on selected
projects. While the opportunity
exists for personal creativity and accomplishment, the outcome depends on the
entire team doing well - - just as it would be in an actual setting for the
overall reputation and effectiveness of a school. Principle 3: Encourages active
learning. Learning must not be
treated like a spectator sport. Students learn more by going beyond taking
lecture notes and memorizing pre-packaged information to be regenerated on an
exam. They must talk about their learning, write about it, relate it to past
experiences and apply it to their daily lives. They must be able to make what
they learn an indispensable part of them to take valuable skills and
knowledge into the workplace and career pursuits. Example: Internships and
field work represent active learning as do the site-based experiences
required of all students in the These experiences put
student nurses where the patients are including their homes, hospitals, long
term care facilities and schools. Students work directly
with clients in a variety of age groups including infants, school age
children, adults and elderly. On-site settings include public health services
where student nurses gain practical knowledge, and elementary schools where
they conduct vision and hearing screenings. In some instances, clients
require in-home health care services. These site-based
educational experiences comprise a vital part of the student nurses’career preparation. Principle 4: Gives prompt feedback. Students need appropriate
and timely feedback on performance to get the maximum benefit from their
education. They need frequent opportunities to perform and receive suggestions
for improvement, and they need to learn how to assess and evaluate their own
learning and competency progress. Example: Students in
marketing classes in the This
system allows the students to complete work anytime their schedule permits
and turn
it in at the push of a button, even in the middle of the night, rather than
having to deliver hard copies to an office site by a prescribed time. It also
allows the instructor closer monitoring to track student work and measure
progress. Principle 5: Emphasizes time on task. The basis for high
performance lies in how an institution defines time expectations for
students, faculty, administrators and other professional staff. Allocating
realistic amounts of time builds effective learning for students and
effective teaching for faculty. Learning to use time
productively establishes time management skills - - a valuable tool for
students and professionals alike. Computer assisted
instruction, mastery learning, and contract learning are methods for
requiring additional time outside the classroom beyond note-taking and
textbook reading. Example: The Principle 6: Communicates high
expectations. Raising admission
standards at Expecting students to
perform well becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when teachers and
institutions hold high expectations of themselves
and make extra efforts. Setting appropriate goals contributes to successful
learning for the poorly prepared as well as for the bright and well
motivated. Faculty and students
alike must constantly focus on the importance of a high quality education
through continual high expectations. Example: The Honors
Program at Small class sizes in the
Honors Program increase learning through participation and discussion, as
well as integration of knowledge from multiple sources. Students complete
core courses, special seminars, designated "H" courses in their
majors, and a senior project. Some academic departments
at Principle 7: Respects diverse talents
and ways of learning. In addition to seeking
and celebrating cultural diversity, Students need the
opportunity to showcase their talents and learn in ways that work for them.
They also need to be nudged into learning new ways that might not come so
easily. This can be seen in the student who might be brilliant in the seminar
but all-thumbs in the lab or studio, and a student rich in hands-on
experience who struggles with theory. Both need to expand their learning
style inventory to include experimenting with different methods. Likewise, many educators
bring individual styles and methods for teaching and sharing. Everyone can learn from
each other by expanding horizons. enriching personal
experiences, and enhancing educational opportunities. Example: A widely-diverse
community such as a university presents abundant opportunities for cultural
and educational enrichment. Individualized degree
programs at Independent Study courses
allow students to explore new ways of learning and design their own journey
of knowledge. Adult Entry programs
allow non-traditional students the opportunity to receive credit for
professional experience that translates to actual course work. Extension courses expand
the boundaries of campus and provide outreach courses to students working
toward degrees as well as professionals seeking additional knowledge. Everyone bears (and
shares) the responsibility for principles While teachers and
students hold the main responsibility for quality in undergraduate education,
they cannot make it work by themselves. College and university leaders and
administrators, state and federal officials, and accrediting associations
must provide the power to help shape an environment for successful execution of
the Seven Principles. This environment needs to include these elements: a strong sense of shared
purposes, concrete support from
administration and faculty leaders for those purposes, adequate funding
appropriate for the purposes, policies and procedures
consistent with the purposes, and continuing examination of achieving
the purposes. Evidence abounds that an
environment such as this can be created effectively. Each of these crucial
elements depends on one inherent characteristic: the allocation of appropriate
resources. Adequate resources assure
faculty, administrators and students the opportunity to reflect and celebrate
on their shared purposes. Faculty receive support
and release time for appropriate professional development. Criteria for
hiring and promoting faculty, administration and staff support the purposes.
Advising becomes an important aspect of student development. Departments,
programs and class-size allow faculty and students to have a sense of
community, to experience the value of their contributions, and to confront
the consequences of their failures. The state and federal
governments as well as accrediting associations influence the proper
environment through financial support and appropriate funding. They can
influence the establishment of the Seven Principles by encouraging sound
planning, setting priorities, mandating standards, and reviewing and
approving programs. Regional and professional accrediting associations
require self-study and peer review in making judgments about programs and
institutions. These sources of support
and influence can encourage a supportive environment for the Seven Principles
by: setting policies
consistent with good practice in undergraduate education, holding high expectations
for institutional performance, keeping bureaucratic
regulations to a minimum while still satisfying public accountability, allocating adequate funds
for new undergraduate programs and faculty professional development,
administrators and staff, encouraging employment of
under-represented groups among administrators, faculty, and Students
professionals, providing support for programs,
facilities and financial aid necessary for achieving the Seven Principles. Using the Seven
Principles as a pedagogical model at WSU forms a solid basis for the
philosophies and activities leading to quality education. The principles help
drive the pursuit of the Mission of WSU while providing useful guidelines for
assessing and evaluating every aspect of work performed toward the goals set
for students, faculty, administration and staff. |
|
|
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Abstracted from:
The Knowledge Survey: A Tool for All Reasons
Edward Nuhfer, University of Colorado at Denver
Delores Knipp, United States Air Force Academy.
Knowledge surveys provide a means to assess changes in specific content learning and intellectual development. More importantly, they promote student learning by improving course organization and planning. For instructors, the tool establishes a high degree of instructional alignment, and, if properly used, can ensure employment of all seven “best practices” during the enactment of the course. Beyond increasing success of individual courses, knowledge surveys inform curriculum development to better achieve, improve and document program success.
A survey consists of course learning objectives framed as questions that test mastery of particular objectives. Students address the questions, not by providing actual answers, but instead by responding to a three-point rating of one’s own confidence to respond with competence to each query. Knowledge surveys differ from pre-test—post-test evaluations because tests, by their nature, can address only a limited sampling of a course. In contrast, knowledge surveys cover an entire course in depth. While no student could possibly allocate the time to answer all questions on a thorough knowledge survey in any single exam sitting, they can rate their confidence to provide answers to an extensive survey of items in a very short time span. Sequence of items in the survey follows the sequence in which the instructor presents the course material. Knowledge surveys pre-dispose a class to making use of all seven principles.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Does the course design fulfill the Seven
Principles of Good Practice?
The article Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate
Education was first published by the American Association for Higher Education
in 1987. The principles were derived from decades of research findings on the
undergraduate learning experience. Since then, several hundred thousand copies
of the principles have been distributed to campuses throughout
The article Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever discusses the principles in the context of distributed learning environments. The following questions are adapted from this article and may be used to evaluate the quality of the learning environment. Read over the questions to determine if your