​This is the million dollar question.  Research on the national level indicates that on any given day, only about 30% of college students complete the readings, leading to the common lament from professors feel they can’t break away from power points and lectures because they don’t trust that students have read the material.  The brighter side of the research, however, indicates that the number one strongest influence for getting students to complete their reading is – YOU!
                So…what should we be doing?  Last fall, CLC engaged in a reading climate survey and directly asked students that very question.  I will be sharing instructional strategies throughout the school year, based on student response.  Here are the top three responses to the question “What strategies can professors use to support your learning of the assigned readings?”
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1.Tell us what is important in the text before we read.

• A simple oral preview of what you consider important in the assigned reading during the last five minutes of class can accomplish this.
• Study guides can also be a good tool – and don’t have to be overly complicated.  They can be as simple as a list of subjects that will be important to a test, lecture or project.

2.Open book/Open Notes tests/quizzes.  This really incentivizes students to read.  They know they will be applying it to something.  If you are worried that they won’t read because they can use the book, don’t be.  Students quickly learn they don’t have enough time to read the chapter AND complete the quiz.  Giving only open notes quizzes is also an option, and ensures they have to read to take good notes.
3.Discuss how the reading connects to what we are doing in class.  In other words, make references to the reading – explain how it connects to the lecture, lab or problem based activity.
A little more good news.  Our research indicates that you don’t have to do a follow up activity every class.  Having a follow-up reading activity for about half reading assignments seems to be enough to boost reading completion.

(Source:  Kelly Black, Reading faculty)

“Student-Faculty interaction has a stronger relationship to student satisfaction with the college experience than any other involvement variable, or indeed, any other student or institutional characteristic.” Alexander Astin
 
 
Faculty interactions with students can have the most impact on student retention.
 
 
What can faculty members do? 
 
Connect with students:

• Conduct individual, in-person meetings with each student at some point in the semester.
• Ask students to pick up quizzes, tests, or assignments from your office instead of in class. This creates a chance to speak with students one-on-one and informally.
• Contact students if they miss class and see if you can help them get back on track.
• Talk with students about their planned career path and offer information about your career path.

 
Help students succeed:

• Provide meaningful feedback to students.
• Make certain students know about help that is available for your course and for studying in general. (Tutoring Center, Open Labs, Study Zones, etc).
• Get to know campus resources both for extracurricular opportunities and for needed referrals.
• Seek feedback from your students.

 
Identify students in trouble and reach out to them:

• Reach out to students who are doing poorly.
• Contact Academic Success or Counseling for advice or assistance.

 
Encourage and acknowledge successful students:

• Add to student ideas instead of dismissing them out of hand.
• Give respectful answers to all questions and provide positive reinforcement whenever possible.
• Make time for students and let them know you care about their success.

Source:  Tanya Woltmann, Dean of Library, Testing, and Academic Success

​Open licensing of instructional materials such as textbooks, videos, and other related resources makes possible free sharing and remixing which reduces cost barriers for students.  Creative Commons provides the legal infrastructure for easily sharing creative works including instructional materials but how do the different licenses indicate a resource can be re-used.

​In the OER world, all material is Creative Commons licensed.  However, you should note that there are varying levels to which you can use or adapt open resources.  This site will explain the differences:  https://www.cccoer.org/learn/open-licensing/

So, why is this important to faculty members who are interested in using open textbooks?  1) You can look for the license to identify that material is indeed "open." 2) You can interpret the license so that you know what you are able to do when you utilize the open material and 3) You can make a determination how you would like to share the material back out if you end up making changes or adaptations.  

Please utilize the TLETC to help if you have questions about Creative Commons licensing!

These are not just for Department Chairs!  Many faculty are familiar with classroom assessment and with institutional assessment data, but what do we need to think about when it comes to DEPARTMENT level assessment?

The CLC Assessment of Student Learning Committee will be offering a series of 4 workshops throughout the spring semester on the topic of Department Level Assessment.  

• Thursday, Feb. 2nd, afternoon, 90 minutes, Department Level Assessment 101 – The Foundation
• Thursday, Mar. 2nd, afternoon, 60 minutes, Building Solid Department Level Learning Outcomes
• Thursday, Apr. 6th, afternoon, 60 minutes, Identifying Department Level Assessment Methods and Tools
• Thursday, May 4th, afternoon, 60 minutes, Analyzing Department Level Assessment Data and Putting it into Action

Visit the TLETC website at http://tletc.clcillinois.edu for detailed descriptions or to register.