Michael,
I like your idea of modifying my course to consist of 6 units, 6 RATs and a test every other unit. At first I was excited about the idea of using the team format for those interim tests. I imagined the high energy atmosphere. Then I remembered that I had heard of this before somewhere, and that I had rejected the strategy because I don’t believe my students will have enough time to complete the test. It’s impossible to know unless I try it, but based on past RATs I don’t think it will work.
That’s OK, though. Paring down the total number of tests means more class time for group activities, including the culminating project idea that Dee Fink suggested.
As for the confounding transition between an interim test and the next RATs, I’ve found another possibility. I’m currently reading Bonnie Wood’s excellent book, Lecture-Free Teaching. She describes a technique by Crouch and Mazur, cited below, to motivate students to do an assigned reading. They had students answer 3 questions before class: 2 on the topic and 1 asking what is the most confusing concept or the most interesting concept.
My new thought is to have an activity planned for the first day of the new unit, and to write homework questions that point to the most critical part of the reading needed to start that activity. I could also offer to answer any initial questions they have and do a mini-lecture, if needed, but only in response to their specific questions. Then we would have the RATs on the second day.
In a previous post I described that what I do now is assign a few simple homework questions, and then lecture the first day of the unit. I think the new plan is a significant improvement because: 1) the 2 questions will be tailored to some critical component of the activity, 2) the 2 questions will require brainpower, not just copying an answer out of the text, and, most importantly, 3) I will not spend the class period lecturing, which is misleading to students and is counter to my course goals.
Alternatively, I could plan the culiminating project for that transition day.
Or do both.
Disclaimer: Decisions described here are not final and are subject to change up until I run the syllabus through the copier.
Thanks to everyone for your excellent suggestions and for helping me sort things through!
Crouch, C.H. and E. Mazur. 2001. Peer Instruction: Ten years of experience and results. American Journal of Physics 69 (9): 970-977.
Dianne York
Lecturer (not), Biology
Lincoln University, PA
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