Behavioral Engagement

I would like to implement more behavioral engagement in my teaching by helping students stay on track, make expectations clear, and enhance communication. I would be applying this to either an online or in person class for a basic biology course such as Biology 101. What I have seen with these introductory classes is that many people are required to take them when it is not their major/interest, or they are new to college and don’t know how to take college courses. Both of these factors can greatly hinder the students ability to learn the material effectively and pass with high grades. I would like to foster more behavioral engagement to ensure that students are involved with their learning and learning new skills on how to be a better student in general. To do this, I would use tools such as Canvas, AI, and surveys (like Google Forms).

Implementation plan:

Preferably, I would start my implementation at the start of the semester to ensure that students are behaviorally engaged from the beginning of the class. To keep students on track and communicate with them more, I would start the semester by creating all of the modules needed so that it is clear what will be covered in the class. In addition, I would set calendar reminders in Canvas so it is clear when key assignments/exams are due. Each week I would create an announcement that reminds everyone about upcoming deadlines and gives them an overview of what to expect for the week. I could use the schedule send feature in Canvas to ensure that each week the email/announcement gets sent out at the same time. As the semester continues and there are certain students who either are not completing assignments or doing poorly, I can use the bulk contact in Canvas to reach out to that specific group of students. I could suggest better study habits, meeting at office hours, or attending tutoring. Not only will these techniques help students stay behaviorally engaged, I hope they would feel seen and be learning how to stay on top of the class. I would also send out Google Form surveys before and after exams to gauge how students prepared and felt about taking the exam. This not only lets them feel that their opinions about assessment material is being heard and gives them a chance for reflection, it can also show me sticking points for the students and what I can change (either assessment or material wise) the next semester.

One of my biggest frustrations in classes is when expectations are not clear. I would ensure that deadlines are consistent and are very clear so that students know exactly what they need to do and when. When creating rubrics for assignments or exam questions, I would like to utilize AI. AI could help me ensure that rubrics are clear and consistent throughout the semester and give enough detailed information so that the assignment is clear. I plan on trying out AI Teaching Assistant Pro for helping create much of my course materials such as the rubrics, syllabus, and exam generation.

I am not expecting problems regarding accessibility since everything would be kept free and only require use of Canvas and google forms.

Assessment Plan:

Regarding assessment, one difference I could see is between my previous classes that did not encourage behavioral engagement, or the class taught by different professors. I could compare grades but also, I could possibly look at the course evaluations from each class to see what the critiques were. A better method of assessment would be to ask the students themselves. At three different points in the class (beginning, middle, and end) I would send out Google Forms that ask students about what they are liking or disliking in the class. This could include questions about if they find weekly announcements effective, if they are understanding assignments and the rubrics that go with them, and if the pre and post surveys help them prepare and reflect on their exam performance. Again, I could use AI to help me come up with these questions if need be. I would know if the students were finding these methods helpful if not only they tell me but also if their grades improve (either throughout the semester or compared to previous semesters without the implementation).

Example Weekly Announcement Message