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The Transform your Teaching podcast is a service of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio. Join Dr. Rob McDole and Dr. Jared Pyles as they seek to inspire higher education faculty to adopt innovative teaching and learning practices.
Hello, Transform your Teaching listeners. It's Jared. As you know, we have a survey going on, and if you participate in the survey, you can opt in for a drawing for a copy of Uncommon Sense Teaching. Our first drawing has just happened, so congratulations to Lynn McCool. Lynn, you have won a copy of Uncommon Sense Teaching.
Jared:It's not too late to participate in this drawing. We have plenty of copies to give away, So make sure you click that link in our show notes, take the survey, and then opt in for the book drawing. Thanks.
Narrator:This is the Transform Your Teaching Pod cast. The Transform Your Teaching Podcast is a service of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio.
Ryan:Hello, and welcome to this episode of Transform Your Teaching. In today's episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Dr. Jared Pyles continue our conversation with Lauren and Daniel about their perspectives on things like tech integration and real world application of their learning. Thanks for joining us.
Rob:Alright. Well, the next one is up your alley.
Jared:It is technology integration. Research shows that learning management systems, like Canvas, interactive apps, and digital engagement methods can enhance the learning process. From your perspective, which technologies have made the most difference in your courses and why?
Rob:Can add a caveat to that question?
Rob:Yes, I can. I do wanna understand. Do you think technology matters at all? Sure. Do you think it enhances the learning process?
Daniel:Yeah. I think so.
Lauren:Yes. Yeah. I do. I I specifically think Canvas is helpful. My high school also used Canvas, so I've been used to it, so that helps.
Lauren:But I've used other, forms of similar things like Google Classroom or Blackboard. I don't know if you've heard of Blackboard. I hated that one.
Jared:Oh, yeah. We
Lauren:Thought it was very disorganized.
Jared:Oh, yes.
Lauren:I think Canvas is helpful because you can see everything in one place. Mhmm. And it's helpful I'm generally a slightly disorganized person, So it's helpful for me to be able to go into each class and see, okay, this is exactly what I have. So, yeah, I mean, I don't yeah. Think it's important.
Jared:Okay. Do you think it's important, Daniel?
Daniel:I think it definitely does impact learning.
Jared:Positively or negatively? Because impact can go either way.
Daniel:Well, for like Canvas, I think it does positively impact learning just because it does keep things organized. Like I am able to access my courses, the syllabus as well without having to have printed off syllabi, which could probably have been annoying. I know my dad was telling me the other day about when he asked to print off his syllabus
Rob:and Yep.
Daniel:Yep. One of the pages didn't print, he didn't get an assignment done. So he almost failed that class.
Jared:Yeah. It's
Daniel:true. And so I do think it is helpful to have those things in those in a place where I can easily access and like go back and look at wherever I go. Like I can have Canvas on my phone. And it also has like a to do list, which is helpful. Mhmm.
Daniel:So I can, like, double check to make sure that I'm getting everything done on time. Let's talk outside of Canvas, like stuff used in the classroom.
Jared:Give me examples and do you think they're useful?
Lauren:My teachers don't use a lot of technology. I don't think, honestly. And a lot of my teachers are actually very old school. I've been given several paper work sheets to fill out and return to class.
Rob:So just to be clear, that is technology. It just happens to be an old technology.
Lauren:Well, okay. Yeah. You're right. But I also think PowerPoints are helpful in the sense that it's really nice to, like, see the screen. And I have had professors that actually write on whiteboards instead of having a PowerPoint.
Lauren:The PowerPoint is way better. However, it is hard because a lot of times teachers put their PowerPoint on Canvas, which is helpful. And I know a lot of students that use that the the way that they're supposed to. I personally do not, full disclosure. I just kind of say, well, it's on Canvas so I don't really have to take great notes.
Jared:Yeah, I can see that, because I struggled with that too when I was a student six million years ago. But my thing was I had to write and hear at the same time for me to make the connection.
Lauren:I do too.
Jared:With the whole procedural and declarative memory, I had to write it as I heard it because I could make the connections better. But yeah, but it's so tempting to be like, I don't want to take notes. It's on the it's on Canvas. I can just look at it later.
Daniel:I liked having the PowerPoints so that I could just write what they have and it gives me something to do while I'm listening, which I think is helpful instead of like, I can't write out my own thoughts and listen at the same time. So, like, taking notes Okay. On, like, something I just hear is a lot harder because then I'm just gonna stop listening and then I have to like catch myself back up. So like having a PowerPoint, I'm able to just kind of look at it and write things out and still listen at the same time.
Lauren:You a visual person?
Daniel:I don't really know. I think there's a mix of I like to see things
Rob:Mhmm.
Daniel:Hear things and like do things at the same time. Sure. So there's I don't know exactly what category I'd fit into the most. Okay.
Rob:Details would always trip me up.
Lauren:Yeah.
Rob:So if a misspelling was on the slide or there was just way too much on the slide, then I would go into critical mode, which isn't hard for me. Yeah. I'm just being honest. Yep. I'm just being honest.
Rob:You know this. And I see things, and then I see it. I can't unsee it. And then it's just there. And it's like, you know, it's not literally screaming, but it is screaming to me.
Rob:Like, I don't belong here. What are you doing? And I'm sitting there thinking to myself, did they not care enough to proofread their own slide? Well, no. They probably just copied and paste all this stuff on here in bullet points.
Rob:It's like 500 words on a bullet, you know, on a page and I called it page puke because that's what it looked like to
Rob:me. Mhmm.
Rob:And so by that time, I don't even know what the content is because I'm so, like, somewhere else. Right? Sure. So any of you listeners where you just listen and that's how you
Rob:get it?
Lauren:Yeah. I I would actually say, now that I'm thinking about it, a lot of times PowerPoints are hard for me because I will just copy everything they say. And if I'm copying, I'm not thinking about it or understanding. I can do the same thing when I read.
Lauren:I can read pages of things and have no idea what it meant. So for me to actually understand something, I almost have to take my own notes. So then if they have especially if they have a lot on the slides.
Rob:Mhmm.
Lauren:Then I'm focusing on trying to get everything there that are on the slides. Whereas if I just listen, I almost do better because then I have to pay attention. I have to like recreate my own ways of saying things that help me make the connections better. But I'm also more of an auditory person than
Jared:It's lot old note taking strategies that people don't really Mhmm. Teach anymore, where it's like, okay. Because I I struggled with that because I'd see so much on a slide, I'd go into fast mode, And then or not thinking about you forget anything. If you forget something or you don't get anything up there, you're like, oh, great. Well, I have to make some space and go back and do it later and fill it in.
Jared:But if I just listened, I would freak out and write everything down. My notes would be just almost a transcript of what the person was saying. Mhmm. So I was like like you, Daniel, I was kind of a mix where I was like, I'm not sure if this works or not. But it sounds like it's the same current students now.
Rob:Sounds like you're ready to go. You've got a system, Daniel. Do you need the PowerPoint or do you just have notes?
Daniel:I like to look at the PowerPoint and just copy the some of the ideas that they have on the on the PowerPoint.
Rob:So you don't necessarily have the PowerPoint in printed form in front
Daniel:of No. I just look at what they have on the screen.
Rob:So you look on the screen, something catches your attention between seeing it and hearing it, and it triggers something and you write a note. Is that
Daniel:Yeah. I mean, I just a lot of times I will write out most of what they have on the PowerPoint, but I think doing something helps me listen. Because if I'm just listening, then a lot of times I find myself zoning out. Okay. So having something to do with my hands is helpful.
Jared:Gotcha. So, okay, we've talked about presentation of content. We've talked about assessment through Canvas and just using Canvas as a resource or whatever. But I have to ask, because again, this is my wheelhouse, is there any other uses of technology that like doing stuff like finishing projects or doing projects or finishing assignments using technology, be it, you know, discussion or videos or even using something like Canva. Have you found any usage in those tools and if have they been used effectively or or is it literally just go to Canvas for my resources and to turn in your assignments and I'm using PowerPoint to deliver content?
Jared:Is there any other I don't know. Yeah. News. Or
Lauren:yeah. Love ChatGPT.
Jared:But is it being used in your class?
Lauren:No. No. Actually, yes. I have several teachers that tell us to use it. Especially because in the education sense, it's actually really helpful.
Lauren:You can say, help me write a lesson for this, this, and this. Or even give me activities for a third grader learning states a matter.
Rob:Or oh. The fact that she actually remembers that.
Lauren:Because that's what I did.
Rob:Yeah.
Lauren:For her. Yeah. See?
Rob:Boom. The next area kind of dovetails with this and and honestly, with the assessment methods and to some degree, and that is flexibility in learning. And so literature on teaching practices, it it tells us increasingly that flexibility, whether through blended learning, asynchronous materials, movable deadlines, or adaptable deadlines, have impact on your educational experience in a positive way. At least that's what we're seeing. Question is, do flexible deadlines let's talk about deadlines for a second.
Rob:Do flexible deadlines or modular course structures, do they help you manage your workload better?
Daniel:I don't know if I've ever had a flexible deadline.
Rob:So that answers that question.
Jared:Yeah. Alright.
Daniel:I don't know if that would be helpful for me anyways because I I'm I'm motivated by deadlines. Okay. Like, I like to have someone tell me when I need to get something done by. But I guess I have taken, like, an online class where you just, get everything done by the end of the semester. Mhmm.
Daniel:So I guess that's a flexible deadline.
Rob:Yes.
Daniel:And so I just got it all done in a day whenever I had time.
Rob:A day. Okay. An entire day. I love it.
Rob:I just took a day and Or just
Daniel:a couple days depending on how
Rob:much works for us. So much better.
Jared:That's funny. Lauren?
Lauren:Yeah. I don't think they're helpful, and I have had them. I think they just kind of encourage you to be a bad student.
Jared:And we still wait till the last minute.
Lauren:Yeah. I've also had professors that say something's due at a certain time, and then they're like, actually, we're gonna move it to two weeks from now. And it's helpful because then I don't have to do it when I originally did.
Jared:Gotcha.
Lauren:But I also think it's super unhelpful if they say that you're gonna have I had a professor do this like last week. We're supposed to have a quiz on a certain day and then he moved it that day. He was like, oh, we're actually gonna do it Thursday. Then that's unhelpful because, well, maybe it's because of the way I studied because I was like, well, now I know it and now I have to read.
Daniel:I'm gonna have to redo it
Lauren:Wednesday night, four, Thursday. Are you
Rob:kidding me? I just crammed for this.
Lauren:But I also like the structure and I think we need to have some level of structure and deadlines. So if
Rob:I may, off of this, have either of you kinda come to a self realization that you should be creating your own structure?
Lauren:Yeah.
Rob:What's that look like for you?
Lauren:Like what specifically? With like studying or just in general?
Rob:So instead of having other people tell you when you need to have things done, you tell you when you need to have things done. You control your calendar. You take ownership of it.
Lauren:I feel like that's a really interesting question because I don't think academically I've ever had to do that because there are always some level of deadlines in place. So I can start to do that if I want to get things done early, But a lot of times, it just doesn't end up happening.
Rob:K.
Jared:I don't
Lauren:know if I'm just not disciplined enough or if I just know I don't need to because there's another deadline in place.
Daniel:I think I've been really trying to work on that this year specifically. One of the classes I'm taking right now, he just has a due date for us to have a book read by. He doesn't have like checkpoints of reading chapters on certain weeks.
Jared:Okay.
Daniel:And so the project we complete is actually related to the book, and then we have to say how much of the book you read. Okay. And so I think that's also forced me to create my own deadline, so I'm not just reading a book in a couple days. And so I was I was actually trying to work out on pacing myself for those things. Mhmm.
Daniel:Which I think has been helpful. Okay. Because I do I do see the benefit of trying to be responsible in creating my own deadline. But it can also be hard as a college student as well with there's a lot of other things outside of my classes. Right.
Daniel:And so I'm focused on how can I get the next thing done a lot of times instead of thinking about how can I add on to what I already have? And so I think that's why a lot of times I do end up having to do things near the last minute because I just have to get the next thing done before it's due. If it wasn't due, then I had other things that I could be doing instead. Mhmm. If that makes sense.
Daniel:That's not related necessarily to doing classwork. It could be getting coffee with another person or being involved in a particular church ministry or getting meals. And so those things kind of add up. But Right. If I have those assignments due, then I'll limit myself to the amount of coffees or meals that I can have with other people so I can make sure I have enough time to get my assignments done.
Daniel:Does that make sense?
Rob:It does. It does. It makes sense. So You have to
Jared:free up your social calendar.
Lauren:Yeah. That's something I'm not good at.
Rob:It sounds like you run by a calendar. Yes? No? Kind of?
Daniel:More so this year than in the past.
Rob:Okay. Alright. Do you find yourself, Lauren, running by a calendar at all?
Lauren:Yeah. I'm fairly structured. So I like to do I like to have the same schedule every day, but I'm definitely not as structured as Daniel. Like, I'm not very good at saying, okay. I have to do this thing on this day unless it's something I actually have to do, if that makes sense
Jared:Mhmm.
Lauren:In my mind.
Rob:Okay.
Lauren:I run on I can run on emergency pretty well when it comes to academics as well. So if I have to get something done in a short time span, I can do it. And I think the problem is I've kinda learned that pattern and now I'm trying to read.
Jared:Mhmm.
Rob:It's the tyranny of the urgent. Those things that drive you to complete something and you may or may not. Yeah. Actually obtain everything that you could from those topics or from that learning opportunity because you're pressed for the next thing and the things that motivate you.
Rob:Yeah. Yeah. That's interesting.
Jared:Alright. Here's the last one. Connecting theory to practice. Another key finding is that connecting theory to real world applications deepens learning. Do you feel like that's true, that connecting theory to practice or connecting what you're learning in class to real world applications is important?
Jared:And then I'll ask the follow-up. Daniel?
Daniel:I mean, you asking the question, my immediate response is yes. I'm trying to think about specific examples at the moment.
Jared:Okay.
Rob:But Well, you gave some earlier that you're you start studying and you're you're studying in such a way that you can teach it to other people because Yeah. I think you have some of those opportunities, right, where you're speaking in front of others. Correct?
Daniel:Yes. Okay. Yeah. I would say it's definitely helpful to move from just what we're learning conceptually to also being able to recognize, hey, this is actually helpful for other people or helpful for what I want to do in the future Mhmm. Rather than, here's a bunch of information.
Daniel:This is my Mhmm. Pet project, and so I want you to care about the things I care about.
Jared:Oh, that's interesting. Yeah. Lauren?
Lauren:I mean, yes, to answer the question. And I think one reason I love my major is because I think it does do this very well. Because I mean, we're learning how to be teachers. So if we never teach, then that's what what are we doing?
Jared:Right.
Lauren:And I think the whole education program is set up very well to help us to do that. But even in all my classes, I don't have a single education class that doesn't have a project where I have to teach the rest of my class. The hard part with that is then you get into the whole thing where, well, now I have to pretend like college students are fourth graders and they're gonna act different and things like that. But then that's why we have field experience and student teaching.
Rob:And Mhmm.
Lauren:Yeah. And it's even helpful like, I have I had two classes this semester where I had to get a certain amount of field experience.
Jared:Mhmm.
Lauren:And those classes weren't quite as hands on. They were like, one was teaching diverse learners. So you're kind of learning more about different students and like English language learners and things like that. But it was helpful because then I could go into the classroom and then the real world application was seeing how other teachers deal with those issues Mhmm. Which is also very helpful for me.
Lauren:But that's all very specific to my
Jared:Yeah. Makes my sense. Education.
Rob:Yeah. And it's really big. The education program is very big on hands on.
Lauren:Yes.
Daniel:Yeah. And the whole way the Bible program is set up too is near the beginning of the major it's very focused on like building knowledge on the Bible, but then the later courses are focused on practical ministry such as like preaching and teaching, counseling, and those types of hands on ministry. So taking what we're learning from the first couple years and actually applying it to real life ministry.
Jared:I think that's the only one that we've talked about that seems to be the closest to what actual research has said. Yeah. And it's a no brainer to me. It's just like the whole adage of people complaining about learning geometry in school and like, where am I ever gonna use this kind of a stuff. So I think it rings true here as well.
Jared:And especially when you get into higher education, you expect that what you're learning is applicable to what you want to do. And if there's not something like that there, then it's a problem. I think that's, I think that's it.
Rob:That does it.
Jared:Thank you both for coming in. We appreciate Thanks
Ryan:for listening to this episode of Transform Your Teaching. If you have any questions or comments about our chat with Lauren and Daniel today, feel free to reach out to us at CTLpodcast@Cedarville.edu. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn, on our LinkedIn page. And finally, don't forget to check out our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog. Thanks for listening.