Designing a high-structure course to support students’ self-testing and metacognition

Goals

• Describe a high-structure course design model and why it leads to better learning outcomes for all students.  

• Identify ways that lesson-level learning objectives and study skills training can support underprepared students. 

• Connect different parts of the Codon Learning platform with the evidence-based practices they support, including high-structure course design and self-regulated learning strategies such as metacognition, spacing, and self-testing.

Agenda

Part 1 — High-Structure Course Design and Its Impact on Learning Outcomes, Scott Freeman, PhD (University of Washington)

Part 2 — Fostering Metacognition in the Classroom, Jaime Sabel, PhD (The Ohio State University)

Part 3 — Using Technology to Operationalize Lesson-Level Learning Objectives and Design a High-Structure Course, Ashley Rowland, PhD (Codon Learning)

Learn more and RSVP

Part of the Evidence-Based Teaching Series. A seminar with Jennifer Knight (University of Colorado Boulder), Jaime Sabel (The Ohio State University), and Alexa Clemmons (Codon Learning) on fostering metacognition with undergraduate biology students.

Join us at 2pm EASTERN (11am PT) on Friday, March 7th for a convo with Drs. Claire Meaders and Melinda Owens (both at UC San Diego): Effects of a Chemistry Learning Intervention on Biology Student Learning and Experience

Click here to learn more and register.

Join us at 1pm EASTERN on Tuesday, November 19th, for a convo with Dr. Lisa McDonnell (University of California San Diego) on insights into student study strategies and how they do self-testing.

Click here to learn more and register.

Join us at 1pm EASTERN on Thursday, October 31, for a convo with Jaime Sabel on her Majors Biology Metacognition project examining a new intervention to support undergraduate students’ development of metacognition and understanding of complex biological concepts.

Click here to learn more and register.

2:00 pm ET (11:00 am PT/12:00 pm MT/ 1:00 pm CT)

Part of the Evidence-Based Teaching Series. A seminar with Jennifer Knight (University of Colorado Boulder), Scott Freeman (University of Washington), and Alexa Clemmons (Codon Learning) on leveraging technology to help students succeed.

Register at the SABER events page here.

Join us at 1pm EASTERN on for a conversation with Scott Freeman (University of Washington) and Kelly Hennessey about the NSF consensus study Nationally endorsed learning objectives to improve course design in introductory biology.

Click here to learn more and register.

Join us at 4:00 PM EASTERN on Tuesday, August 13th, 2024 for a convo with Dr. Lisa Limeri (Texas Tech University).

Sign up to work alongside colleagues and Codon’s scientist-educators to build your high-structure course using the Codon Learning platform.

Meets from 1-4 pm EASTERN TIME on Monday 8/12 followed by an optional working hour from 4-5 pm ET.

Click here to learn more and register.

Sign up to work alongside colleagues and Codon’s scientist-educators to build your high-structure course using the Codon Learning platform.

Meets 2-3 pm EASTERN TIME on Monday 8/5, Wednesday 8/7, and Friday 8/9. Each session will be followed by an optional working hour from 3-4 pm ET

Click here to learn more and register.

Sign up to work alongside colleagues and Codon’s scientist-educators to build your high-structure course using the Codon Learning platform.

Meets 2-3 pm EASTERN TIME on Monday 7/29, Wednesday 7/31, and Friday 8/2. Each session will be followed by an optional working hour from 3-4 pm ET

Click here to learn more and register.

Join us as we dive into the research behind evidence-based teaching practices that improve learning outcomes and support student equity. You will collaborate with like-minded colleagues across institutions while building a course module in the Codon Learning platform. Facilitators include Dr. Kelsey Metzger (University of Minnesota Rochester), Dr. Alexa Clemmons (Codon Learning), and Dr. Ashley Rowland (Codon Learning). Click here to learn more and register for the event

Join us on Tuesday, June 25th, 2024 at 3:00 PM EASTERN time for a conversation with Dr. Kelsey Metzger (University of Minnesota).

Join us as we dive into the research behind evidence-based teaching practices that improve learning outcomes and support student equity. You will collaborate with like-minded colleagues across institutions while building a course module in the Codon Learning platform. Facilitators include Dr. Dina Newman (Rochester Institute of Technology), Dr. Ashley Rowland (Codon Learning), and Erin Vinson (Codon Learning). Click here to learn more and register for the event.

Join us on Friday, May 24th, 2024 at 12:00 PM EASTERN time for a conversation with Dr. Scott Freeman (University of Washington) and Alexa Clemmons (Codon Learning).

 This event is primarily intended for instructors that have used Codon Learning before. It is designed to help instructors level up their course design skills using Codon and share resources with fellow educators.

Thursday, May 23rd at 2:00 -3:30 PM EASTERN TIME

Click here to learn more and register.

Sign up to work alongside colleagues and Codon’s scientist-educators to build your high-structure course using the Codon Learning platform.

Meets 2-3 pm EASTERN TIME on Monday 5/20, Tuesday 5/21, and Wednesday 5/22. Each session will be followed by an optional working hour from 3-4 pm ET

Click here to learn more and register.

Join us on Tuesday, May 14th, 2024 at 2:00 PM EASTERN time for a conversation with Dr. Dina Newman (RIT) and Dr. Crystal Uminski (RIT).

Join us as we dive into the research behind evidence-based teaching practices that improve learning outcomes and support student equity. You will collaborate with like-minded colleagues across institutions while building a course module in the Codon Learning platform. Facilitators include Dr. Scott Freeman (University of Washington), Dr. Alexa Clemmons (Codon Learning), and Dr. Kelly Hennessey (Codon Learning). Click here to learn more and register for the event.

Biology faculty in the Mile High City and its environs! Join us as we dive into the research behind evidence-based teaching practices that improve learning outcomes and support student equity. You will collaborate with like-minded colleagues across institutions while building a course module in the Codon Learning platform. Facilitators include Prof. Paul Le (University of Colorado, Denver), Prof. Warren Sconiers (University of Colorado, Boulder), Dr. Ashley Rowland (Codon Learning), Prof. Kevin Thirouin (Red Rocks Community College), and Prof. Kelly Worden (Red Rocks Community College). Click here to learn more and register for the event. 

Join us on Tuesday, April 2nd, 2024 at 4:00 PM EASTERN time for a conversation with Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire, Professor Emerita of Chemistry and Director Emerita of the Center for Academic Success at Louisiana State University, and author of the best-selling Teach Students How to Learn book.

Biology faculty in Boston and its environs! Join us as we dive into the research behind evidence-based teaching practices that improve learning outcomes and support student equity. You will collaborate with like-minded colleagues across institutions while building a course module in the Codon Learning platform. Facilitators include Dr. Scott Freeman (University of Washington), Dr. Laura Hake (Boston College), Dr. Heather Olins (Boston College), and Erin Vinson (Codon Learning). Click here to learn more and register for the event.

Join us as we dive into the research behind evidence-based teaching practices that improve learning outcomes and support student equity. You will collaborate with like-minded colleagues across institutions while building a course module in the Codon Learning platform. Facilitated by Dr. Jenny Knight (University of Colorado Boulder) and Dr. Ashley Rowland (Codon Learning). Click here to learn more and register for the event.

Biology faculty in New York City and its environs! Join us as we dive into the research behind evidence-based teaching practices that improve learning outcomes and support student equity. You will collaborate with like-minded colleagues across institutions while building a course module in the Codon Learning platform. Facilitators include Dr. Scott Freeman (University of Washington), Dr. Jessica Santangelo (Hofstra University), Dr. Katie Sieverman (Codon Learning), and Dr. Heather Thieringer (Princeton University). Click here to learn more and register for the event.

The Importance of Failure in STEM Education with Dr. Jo Handelsman.

Click here to learn more and register for the event.

Dr. Jo Handelsman is the director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID) and a Vilas Research Professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Inventors and received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring from President Obama in 2011. In this Codon Convo Dr. Handelsman will lead a discussion on how teaching practices, a welcoming classroom environment, and content relevant to historically excluded communities can create an inclusive STEM college classroom. Click here to learn more and register to join.

Biology education researchers seek to improve biology education, particularly at the introductory level, yet there is little documentation about what is actually happening in introductory biology. Dr. Brickman will share findings from a project that sought to characterize the landscape of learning expectations for introductory biology at a diverse range of U.S. universities. Click here to learn more and register to join.

Join us on May 18th at 4 p.m. EASTERN TIME for a Convo with Dr. Jenny Knight. Jenny asked how Codon Learning usage impacts student performance and self-regulation. Self-regulated learning is the active participation in and control of one's learning. It contributes to early academic success and long-term persistence, transfer of learning to new settings, and improved performance. Professor Knight will lead a discussion on how components of self-regulated learning are supported in Codon, and the effect of using these components on student success. Click here to learn more and register to join.

Justin Shaffer presented his research on student advice for success in high-structure courses which involved qualitative analysis of 838 students’ responses  across four STEM disciplines and two universities. Following Justin's presentation, we had a fantastic discussion about how students receive advice in courses taught by the instructors in attendance. Some instructors felt that advice from peers or "near-peers" such as Learning Assistants is more impactful and that students are more receptive to advice following an early low-stakes challenge, such as a quiz.
Click here to learn more and request to view the recording.

Scott Freeman, Lecturer Emeritus at the University of Washington, textbook author, and education researcher, shared findings from an NSF-sponsored project to develop lesson-level learning objectives for majors and nonmajors introductory biology. We discussed how this project may impact the way we think about course design and the Codon team demonstrated how the Codon Learning courseware platform is designed to operationalize learning objectives to support student success. Click here for details or to view the Convo recording.