A 2-page summary by Ashley Welsh of responses that senior UBC undergraduate science students gave when she asked them to provide advice for incoming students regarding how to be successful in the sciences.
This document briefly describes the process and benefits of writing learning goals. (2 pages)
We and others have written about how to implement active learning in the university classroom, but we have noticed some practices by well-meaning instructors that we feel should be avoided. (2 pages)
An activity to establish norms for group discussions in class. This is done on the first day of class and serves two different beneficial purposes. First, it is a good first-group-activity, as the answer is nontrivial, and it is something where everyone feels equally qualified to contribute. Second and most importantly, it has the class establish norms for behavior in group work. (1 page)
This guide was created by Carl Wieman to facilitate the observation of classes incorporating active learning. The observer(s) might be other faculty, postdocs, or graduate students with the purpose of learning about implementation of active learning, or to provide feedback to the instructor. It can also serve as a guide for instructors on their design and implementation of active learning activities. It is intended to apply to modest size class, 6 to 80 or so, where students can work in groups with the instructor circulating around them, often with TA helping.
Recommendations for Instructors on establishing the course environment early in the Term. (2 pages - updated January 2014)
Things to think about while designing in-class group activities and practical tips on their design, implementation, and follow-up. (2 pages)
A 2-pager by Carl Wieman with tips on keeping students engaged in the classroom, particularly in large lecture theatres.
For many years, I used to spend a lecture or two going over material I expected most students would have previously seen, but likely had forgotten to some extent. Then I actually collected data on the effectiveness of this approach and was surprised to find out that it was less than useless. I subsequently found a much better method for reviewing. (1 page; September 2016)
This 2-pager gives tips on how to create effective homework problems. The essential features for making homework a major contributor to student learning are: (1) there is challenging and prolonged practice of the components of expert thinking the student is to learn, (2) the student is motivated to invest the necessary time and effort, and (3) the student gets feedback on their practice that gives them guidance as to how they can improve. (2 pages; updated August 2016)
