August 22, 2024Improving Instructor Training to Reduce DFW Grades in First-Year Seminarsby Ryan W. Erck, Kara Alves, and Benjamin FlournoyThe first-year experience (FYE) encompasses various programmatic initiatives designed to introduce students to campus culture, assist with the transition from high school, and improve retention. At many colleges and universities, this is partially operationalized through the high-impact practice of first-year…
August 1, 2024Applying Lessons Learned about Student Use of Generative AI in Academicsby Aaron TrockiIn previous blog posts, I shared the results of a focus group interview about students’ perceptions of using generative AI in their academics. The focus group interview took place at the end of fall semester 2023 after my students completed an…
July 30, 2024Lining It All Up: Creating Alignment Between Learning Objectives and Assignments in Internship Courseworkby CJ Eubanks FlemingI have been partnering recently with Elon’s Center for Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL) as well as the Student Professional Development Center (SPDC) to focus on the pedagogy of internships, and specifically best practices for writing and assessing learning…
May 14, 2024Student-Reported Benefits and Tensions about Generative AI in Academics: Part 2by Aaron TrockiIn part one of this two-part blog post, I shared some findings from a focus group interview conducted at the end of last semester. In the first part of the focus group interview, students provided their reactions to the Artificial…
April 23, 2024Student-Reported Benefits and Tensions about Generative AI in Academics: Part 1by Aaron TrockiMy ongoing exploration of how generative AI might be used in assessment practices has revealed some benefits to teaching and learning, some drawbacks, and some tensions. Sharing this exploration through these blog posts and having numerous discussions about higher education…
March 12, 2024Utilizing a Framework for Artificial Intelligence-Supported Assessments: Part 2by Aaron TrockiIn December I introduced a framework to support faculty with the complexities of incorporating generative AI into their assessments. One feature of this framework encourages the consideration of separating assessment components into AI-active and AI-inactive sections to better articulate expectations…
February 27, 2024Keep It Simple: Strategies for Adopting Alternative Grading Practices to Enhance Student Learningby Eric Hall and Kristina MeinkingClark, David and Robert Talbert. 2023. Grading for Growth: A Guide to Alternative Grading Practices That Promote Authentic Learning and Student Engagement in Higher Education. New York: Routledge. Grades and grading have long plagued students and instructors alike. Faculty frequently…
February 20, 2024Utilizing a Framework for Artificial Intelligence-Supported Assessments: Part 1by Aaron TrockiIn my previous blog post, I introduced a framework developed to assist faculty with incorporating generative AI, such as ChatGPT, in their assessments. I also shared an artificial intelligence-supported assessment (AI-SA) and some of my thinking underlying its structure and…
December 5, 2023A Preliminary Framework for Artificial Intelligence–Supported Assessments: Models of Assessment and Feedbackby Aaron TrockiSince interviewing Rachel Forsyth a couple months ago, I have been writing and piloting assessments that incorporate artificial intelligence platforms like ChatGPT. My work was in response to her consideration of how AI could be used to help students and…
November 14, 2023Traditional and Alternative Approaches to Grading: Models of Assessment and Feedback by Aaron TrockiRecently, a colleague and I reconnected at a professional conference and discussed my efforts in writing this blog series. We have known each other for about seven years and have always enjoyed talking shop and joking around. In an effort…