Stats course: real world data and infographics
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This course explicitly engages the student in the process of defining their learning outcomes, by involving them in designing the performance rubric. The students are involved in the process of learning, and reflect on the means and quality of their learning by means of peer review, group project building, and by having a course blog. Working together to build a project and being able to see and discuss the projects proposed by their peers helped them be more engaged in their learning, and also encouraged collaboration.
This course appears to have aspects of the five characteristics of learner-centered teaching put forward by Welmer (2012):
- How does it engage students in the hard, messy work of learning? [Students help create the rubrics]
- In what ways is explicit skill instruction included? ["Suggestions for finding and using Creative Commons images"]
- What opportunities do students have to reflect on what they are learning and how they are learning it? [Peer review and assessment require some reflection on learning]
- How does it tap into student motivation by giving them some control over the learning processes? [Students know that they will be applying the grading rubric they helped create, so (hopefully) they have a better grounding in the objectives behind the rubric]
- How does it encourage collaboration? [Students appear to work in groups and give feedback to other groups]
Having students contribute to the development of the rubric is an interesting way of introducing an assignment. I wonder if the instructor notices a difference in the way students approach the assignment after having this discussion or if there are differences in the way the engage with feedback.