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Guest Speakers in the Classroom

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During the last few years, I’ve invited advanced graduate students, former students, and colleagues to give presentations in my classes. And, for the most part this has worked well. It’s good to give the graduate students an opportunity to present their research in a relatively small, safe space. They get a line on their CV and I can write a letter of support. Having community members come in is also instructive, since most students become insulated in the campus community and at times forget about the vibrant larger community that the campus is only one part of.

Having colleagues in the classroom is also useful to demonstrate to the students that there is a community of scholars on campus or in the region. This might widen their understanding of the materials or at the very least impart this sense that the instructor is part of a community. The other reason to invite a guest is to have someone else come in and speak to their particular areas of interest and expertise that are usually different from you own. The students get a different perspective on course material. Now, I’m venturing into a different point, but it does fit.

On a related note, I explain to the students that there are approximately one dozen Political Scientists outside of the Political Science department at #UVIC. The only way they might know this is by this announcement. They might realize that they will find other Political Scientists in Women’s Studies, Environmental Studies, Education, and Indigenous Governance to name a few at #UVIC. Likewise, I will announce these colleagues upcoming courses, so that students in the department can take more upper division courses outside of the department. They need to take the courses anyway–so why not share information? Why not make suggestions?

The guest speaker can also pique students’ curiosity to learn more about the information. Maybe this is a form of intellectual networking for the speaker, but for the student it is an educational moment for them to learn more.

Managing the Classroom: Teaching Race and Gender

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It is a constant struggle to teach diversity in the classroom. I am finding that as soon as I think that the rules of engagement are understood, I get reminded that they are not. In a perfect situation the classroom environment will include trust, respect, and an understanding that knee jerk opinions are not part of intellectual discussion. However, I find that occasionally I get “schooled” by some comments that give me pause.

This term I am teaching a Youth Politics seminar with less than two dozen third through fifth years and Gender and International Relations with less than sixty students. I am also managing and co-teaching a course with 225 students and will speak to situations that I have encountered. To protect my students and myself, these scenarios will be reflective of the last year and not necessarily this particular term.

When I am teaching touchy subjects like gender and race, I find that I have to be ready for different types of reactions. There are the students who feel validated by the reading and other students who feel challenged, sceptical or even angry. I lead my classes in a lecture and discussion format, so I engage with the students and their comments lots. I am a strong believer that they are part of the learning team in the classroom: texts, lectures, current events, and student discussion. There are costs to not lecturing and leaving the classroom. I engage the students more and because of this—they have more opportunity to participate. I will not change this, as I find that this is how I teach.

Lately, I have been most challenged with the responses to students’ reaction and use of language. I strongly adhere to the idea that language is powerful and certain words are “loaded” in the same way that certain topics are value-laden. This is not a shared sentiment by all students. I need to check myself and remember that I am also there to facilitate discussion, engage student interest, and, oh yes, teach materials. There is usually a student or two has an “anything” goes sort of attitude and I have to balance all the students’ needs and my own politics. This presents a challenge.

I find that the one thing that I have no patience for is overt racism. Even typing up this sentence reminds me that I have issues with covert racism, too. Oh, choosing our battles in the classroom is tricky. I can easily engage with discussions of gender, but race. I find that the overt racism can make my heart skip a beat. I cannot explain if this is because of the fact that I am a Latina teaching a mostly homogenous student population or if it’s more. Whatever it is, it is compounded by the fact that so many of the Canadian students seem to think that racism is a thing of the past or something that only Americans are guilty of—and in the South, for that matter. And, my friends, these are statements and beliefs that I have heard in my classroom.

Some days it is quite easy, I am at the front of the class walking back and forth juggling ideas, course material, student comments, and student reaction. My love of teaching  keeps me in check and I enjoy seeing the ways in which some students are really excited about the materials. Then, there are other days when one student is out of line or that presents me with a teachable moment. It might be that I need to remind the student about decorum, collegiality, or boundaries. Occasionally I have been known to call a student out and just say, “What you just said was offensive.” Of course, the next thing I do is contextualize the statement and then move on to the next point in the lesson plan or lecture.

It’s these occasional moments, though, that I reply over and over in my mind for the next few hours. I am thinking aloud here and being ever so careful—since this is the blogosphere and any one of my students could google me and find this post. I welcome other educators to give advice about those thorny moments in the classroom.

This post was originally posted on Equality 101, which is now defunct.

Fri Facts

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This list of tid-bits is about convocation/graduation.

1. I enjoy attending to celebrate the students’ success

2. It’s nice to meet siblings, parents, and other loved ones

3. It’s also great to get that last photo of the grad

4. I’ve teared up at the last two ceremonies

5. As the student walks by I remember her/his work in the class and wish the student luck (silently)

6. Attending the ceremony is one of the best parts of my job each year

7. Did I mention that I also love my University of California regalia? The robes are beautiful

8. Two days a year (Nov and June) #UVIC looks like Hogwarts

9. This year I brought my phone and took some photos

10. I also tweeted from the ceremony, but only a few times

For Profit Education

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This post was posted originally on Equality 101, which is now defunct. My thoughts have not changed much on the topic of for profit education institutions.

I was catching up on the  Los Angeles Times and came across an article about higher education in the Business section. Reporter Michael Hiltzik’s article covers the intersection between education and profit. Essentially, neoliberalization’s claws have grabbed further into higher education. The article discusses how the state governments are outsourcing services in order to save money. However, the costs are going to be placed squarely on the shoulders of the students and their parents. This situation is not unique to California, as one can pore through The Chronicle of Higher Education to read about similar situations in other states.

What is California doing? The state of California is in financial straits and the higher education sector is feeling the pinch. The community college system is now going to outsource college courses to Kaplan University, who offers their courses online. Kaplan’s courses will be convenient, as they are online. However, even with a 42% discount for the community college student, the Kaplan course will be almost $600 more than a commensurate course at the community college.  One Kaplan course can cost almost as a year’s worth of courses at a California community college! I guess that one can argue that the market (students/learners) are willing to pay for this service (education).

Students will be hard pressed to find another option, yet if they are under pressure to enter a four year university for the next term, they will have few options. Who benefits? Kaplan. And, if we look at the high cost of education across the United States, we also will see that the majority of students at the community college are students who are trying to save money during those first few years at university. The most vulnerable are going to be charged these extra fees, when they have no other options. I don’t like this one bit, as I think it is a marked difference for a student to attempt to pick up other credits.  But, having the community college outsource to Kaplan for services (courses) that they should be providing really makes my blood boil.

Certainly, California can do better for the less than two million students enrolled in the system. With the four-year university tuitions going up 10-30% across the state, more students will enroll in the community college system. It is no surprise that this decision was just announced during the time when most students are working, so that they cannot mobilize a mass protest. With these sorts of neoliberal policies, the states’ responsibility and investment in higher education shrinks. But, lower middle-class families, and working class families will pay for this. In my opinion it is shameful to make higher education harder for more students to pursue.

This also means that the student will have to enroll in an online course and this will not work for all students. Some students need the face-to-face experience in order to get as much out of the class and interact with an instructor and classmates. I am an undergraduate advisor at my institution, and I have found that more than 50% of the students in my office state that their online course experience was dreadful. The very motivated student will usually find that an online course worked for them. This is from their anecdotal comments, but worth noting.

Another related issue is that this agreement makes it easier to layoff faculty at the community colleges, as well. This issue includes more than the students and money. It includes faculty and pedagogy. To be sure, I do not have a problem with a student opting to take an occasional online course in order to graduate on time or a blended-learning class, but this current arrangement does not sound like it is really for the students’ benefit.

Accommodating Students’ Disabilities

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The university where I work at has a Resource Center for Students with a Disability (RCSD). I am usually in contact with the RCSD several times a term and I have had ample opportunity to get to know some of the staff there well. I jokingly referred to the RCSD as an “academic first responders” and a colleague at the office appreciated my acknowledgement of the office’s work. I think it fits, as for some of my students the RCSD is really the first place they need to go to get help with their education. I have students who test out for various reasons: require a distraction free environment, need 1.5 more time for the exam due to dyslexia,  might need access to voice activated software or might have recently been in a car accident and might need more time for their back and or neck comfort.

As long as the student is registered and completes the proper paper work, this is never a problem. What becomes tricky for me as someone without any training in learning disability assessment, is when students do not make use of the RCSD, but can or should be based on their own admission. As faculty, I can encourage student learning in many ways. I use different types of technology for the different learners. I have also suggested the RCSD to some students.

My suggestion of the RCSD to students has been more problematic. There is still a stigma with the term “disability” and some students have taken umbrage with my suggestion. This school year, I had a student leave my office angry with my suggestion that he get assessed at the RCSD, even though he shared how his learning disability was a problem. He did not want to be labelled and I understand this, but I was sad to see him later drop the course.

The policy on campus is that students who have registered and been assessed have access to the RCSD policies and protected rights. A student who is not registered will not be able to have the same accommodations. For instance, some students might have an open-ended note on their assessment letter that is sent to faculty: student might require leniency with due dates. In these situations, we negotiate deadlines. However, without registration at the RCSD deadlines and late penalty assessments are a completely different story.

My point is that I wish students did not feel embarrassed about a learning disability and that more would use the services on campus available to them. Until more do so, their complete needs will not be met on campus and more importantly their grades will reflect this. Ultimately, the forms and grading of an additional exam or two the next day is worth it to accommodate my students and help them be successful in my courses.

I have also had to accommodate students who cannot regularly come to class and this requires more patience, but again the goal is to help a student complete her/his coursework. In these situations, more communication is necessary.

This post originally ran on Equality 101, which is now defunct. It’s an oldie, but a goodie!

Teaching Peer Reviews

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This last week I had my second set of Peer Review for my third year appointment process. I’ve thought about the review process and then read one set of the reviews and have come to a few thoughts about my teaching.

The first thing that I’m thinking about is how important it is to come into the classroom feeling comfortable with your abilities and the material that you’re going to teach. I know that I’ve taught courses that were outside of my major areas of training and the classes have gone well. Likewise, I’ve taught courses in my major area and for whatever reason that particular course was mediocre at times. Many things can make a class successful or weak, however, in my experience the instructor’s attitude is extremely important to the class environment.

The second thing that I’m struck with is my readiness with examples for the students. I find that some days I won’t refer to the extra examples that I have up my sleeve for discussion and other times we’ll review all of them. I’ve taught the same class back to back, but different sections (or groups of students) and the classes are markedly different based on the students. A mentor once told me that she used to come to class with a planned joke. I never tried that—I find that if I have a joke to say it will come to me and there are times when the unplanned joke bombs. This is OK. They usually still laugh, but it’s a kind laugh at me and not the joke. I use American pronunciation for words and at times the Canadian students have laughed or asked for me to repeat a word—this is fine. I’ve never taken offense.

The third thing that might sound arbitrary in some ways, but many students today really expect most instructors to use some sort of technology. When you don’t use any technology or slides, it can come off as endearing or that you are out of touch with their learning needs. Now, whether or not you make the slides, outlines or technology available to them is another conversation! I have mixed feelings about this and will save my comments about this for a different blog post.

In my conversation with students, I have also found that they are not at ease with the instructor who only relies on notes and doesn’t walk around the room some. As a matter of fact, I noticed in my Peer Review that my apparent lack of use of notes was noted. Well, I did have a skeleton outline, but I didn’t really refer to it. I like to walk around the classroom and have heard this “tactic” keeps students awake (!) or focused. I get excited about the material at times and I just need to walk and talk.

As I’ve noted previously on this blog, I also learn from each class and look forward to my continued ruminations about my teaching. My teaching is a work in progress and I’m the first one to admit this.

Teaching Evaluations

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I have just reviewed the Course Experience Surveys (CES) for my courses. These are the evaluations and I am pleased with the numbers. I’ll need to ask the admin to see the written comments, which are usually fun to read. We all know that the students who really liked you or didn’t really like you are the ones to leave comments.

Particular to this last school year, I changed a few things and the numbers demonstrated an improvement. One question refers to the assignments and another to fairness with the grading. These two questions really allow the students to comment on the syllabus and the grading performance. Of course, part of this is that the students can blame the instructor for their mark in the class, but that is a different blog post.

The first thing that I’ll admit to is that by and large my CES or evaluations for my courses are normally good to great. But, like any educator focused on teaching and learning, I want to improve my statistics. My enrolments are strong in my courses and I usually have long waitlists for my courses, so I’m doing lots of things right. I won’t rest on my laurels and not try to work on things. And, I’m cognizant that I teach most of the gender courses and other controversial topics, so this influences the evaluations to some degree.

What did I do different you might wonder?  I made special care to talk more about the assignments in class and dedicated more time to do so. I also increased the explanation time when reviewing the syllabus and the assignment.  I joke with colleagues that some students need to hear the explanation three times in order for it to sink in and this might not really be a joke! I did this with all six classes this last year—from first year to seminar.

In some of my classes, I actually included a sample topic sentence outline from the previous term. In other classes, I shared a successful blog. I also shared information about assessment and continued to use my grading grid in the courses. The extra time and the examples made a positive difference with those two questions. Now, I need to think about what I want to work on for next year…

Summer School Tips

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Summer School sounds like such a great idea—get through some units quickly! Who wouldn’t like that? Well, the reality is that once the sun comes out Summer school no longer seems like such a good idea. Allow me to give you some words of advice.

Go to class! Yes, this is so old school of me, but actually coming to class can help you with your understanding of the material, get to hear what the instructor has to say, and you also have the opportunity to hear the discussion between the instructor and your classmates.

Do the reading! Oh, I know that this is tedious. The materials are assigned for a good reason. You can read them on the beach, whilst you dip your toes in the warm sand or right before you retire for the evening. Just make sure that you review the course materials. If you have a book assigned—always read the preface or introduction, even if it’s not assigned. The pre-matter helps set up the book and it might offer you the epiphany you need prior to reading the longer chapters.

Go to office hours! Yes, this is not merely for the student who does not understand the material or wants to endear him/herself to the instructor. Office hours is a great place to get to know your instructor better and for the instructor to get to know you and your learning style better. This can make a difference.

Study. I already suggested reading the course materials, but studying is something entirely different. If the class has exams or papers, the instructor assumes that you have done more than a skim of the materials. You need to understand the materials and demonstrated comprehension about them. And, here is where studying comes into play. This might include you reviewing the questions at the end of the chapter or looking at the “for future reference” materials or websites.

This last suggestion was really useful for me in graduate school—look through the index. Notice the sorts of words/concepts that are indexed and choose some to re-read again. This can cement the ideas—oh, like a splinter into your mind that you will pull out during the most opportune time. (I just had to throw in a Matrix reference there).

The last thing—care. Seriously. You don’t have to earn an A or shoot for the A, but treat the entire course experience like it matters and you will most likely be more successful. Remember that going to college is a privilege. You might already be keenly aware of this, but in case you’re not—remember that someone would love to trade spots with you and sit in a classroom, read books and articles and write assignments.

Mentors: Part I

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A good mentor can make your education easier. We all know how isolating the college experience is and how this is exacerbated for first generation college students. Entertaining graduate school is probably one of the scariest things that most college students will do. The process seems mired in the unknown and one of the best ways to navigate this journey is with a good mentor or two.

Your mentor might be a peer mentor—someone who is a year or a few years ahead of you. You might not even realize that you’re getting mentored and the friendship or working mentor/mentee relationship might work well. You might also find mentors among your professors or co-workers. And, these relationships might spawn naturally from the classroom environment, office hours, and other meetings at the university.

Sometimes students will actively seek a mentor and other times the faculty member might pay attention to you and offer her/his mentorship. Either way it is born—try and nourish it. A healthy mentor/mentee relationship is going to mean that you keep in contact with your mentor. This might be the occasional email or appointment. You’ll need to see what works for the two of you.

Some words of advice for grad students:

If you are in the process of writing a thesis, project, or dissertation, you need to keep in contact with the Chair of your committee. This is a common faux pas that graduate students will make. Usually your Chair really wants you to finish and be successful. Most faculty are over-extended when it comes to sitting on students’ committees and the most successful students are the ones who finish. And, these students tend to keep the lines of communication open. This might mean admitting that you’re suffering from writer’s block, imposter syndrome, working a “regular” job, stress or family life is the priority. Just be honest.

Some words of advice for undergraduates:

If you’re in a department that offers graduate degrees, most faculty view the graduate students as the students who have the priority for mentoring. These are the students we can ask to complete research work with, co-author with and get more “service” credit with for our mentoring. Yes, faculty get credit when they Chair a committee or fund graduate students. There is usually an understanding that mentoring graduate students takes more time and work. What this might sound like is that there is a hierarchy—faculty might want to mentor graduate students more. Well, this just might be the case at your institution. If you’re at a small liberal arts college and few graduate degrees are offered, then you are in luck. The faculty will definitely have a mandate to work with and mentor undergraduate students.

Another word of advice for the undergraduates, sometimes the mentoring/mentee relationship just doesn’t work. It might be that you and your tentative mentor don’t click or that your mentor is not good at mentoring. Walk away and don’t give up. There is bound to be another person who will want to listen to you and help you as needed. This is not the rule. I am merely speaking from my 13 years of teaching and even more years as an undergraduate and then graduate student through my four degrees in university.

I’ve found that one of the first steps with mentoring undergrads or graduate students is listening. And, then offering my advice to the student as needed. I’ve also found that occasionally a student is not interested in getting mentored. Some students realize a year or two later that they could use my assistance and others a year after graduation. That is fine. I’m an email or office appointment away.

Make the Most Out of An Academic Conference

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An academic conference provides the more than the venue to present your work and hear other presentations. It also is a great place to network and make connections, as well as learn from colleagues in the field. This post makes suggestions for a successful conference appearance.

If you are presenting and need technology (a video data projector), do make a point of making sure that your needs are met. Likewise, always have a Plan B if the technology does not work. This means copies of your slides for you to refer to and handouts of any pertinent slides or related matter is also copied (introduction, findings and conclusion) for distribution.

For graduate students, you should come with some business cards in hand. The standard in my areas of familiarity (Women’s Studies and Political Sciences) are that you can use the university crest and get cards printed. Please note that when you are writing, you are a candidate (for instance MA Candidate). When you have defended your prospectus for you dissertation, you are a Phd Candidate. You cannot put PhD on your card until you have defended or have your PhD in hand. I see that a few people have PhD on their Twitter profiles or blogs and they do not have this degree earned yet. This is misleading and unprofessional to do—don’t do it!

Practice your presentation in front of a mirror or a friendly audience. There is nothing harder to do than to sit by and pay to attention to a terrible or wooden presentation. Don’t stare at your computer. If you must, place phrases in your document that read: scan the room, breathe, smile, look up, etc. This will help you add some semblance of connection with your audience. Speaking of which you could present to one person or have no one in your audience, but this still counts as a presentation for your vitae.

Make sure that you take time to attend some of the receptions. This is a good place to network or catch up with others. Make sure that you are available to attend some of these events. The conference is not a vacation, but a working series of meetings. Take some time off, but your main job is to use the conference experience to help you share your research and meet people in your discipline.

Before your trip you also want to peruse the conference program well so that you can organize your daily itinerary of what you have to do. If your advisor , mentor or other faculty in the department are attending the conference, go to some of their talks. Ask them to introduce you to some people at an event. A good committee member or mentor, will do this naturally, but some people need the little nudge to do so. Also, try and meet other graduate students. These people will provide the cohort of scholars you will see at the conferences.

The next few things are obvious: have fun, eat, sleep and exercise. Conferences are often 12 hour days and you want to make the most of them, but not work too hard that you return home exhausted or sick.

Remember that your first academic conference might appear a daunting experience, but it is not if you plan well and take the time to network and attend conference events.

For the established academic, all of the above is obvious. But, let me add that we need to remember to make time to mentor. I try and take grad students out for a drink, coffee or a meal to chat with them about their progress. These brief meetings make a difference. I know that they did when I was a grad student.