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COMS 004: Public Speaking (Hybrid) Teacher Training & COMS 100B: Rhetoric & Social Influence

Supportive, Transparent, Engaged

Reflection on Instructional Change:

I implemented the transparent assignment guidelines in COMS 100B because in the past, I’ve had some students express frustration over not knowing exactly what to do for an assignment. Updating my assignments to be transparent involved including a purpose statement (that I linked back to the course learning outcomes), list of tasks (which I have already incorporated for some of my assignments, but could be broken down more) and grading criteria. I updated my existing rubrics to reflect the tasks listed in the transparent rubric, provided examples of past student work, and included resources students should use when working on the assignment.

This practice resulted in students feeling more confident in their ability to complete the course assignments. Because COMS 100B is a writing intensive class, the assignments are very involved. Using transparent assignment guidelines meant that students were able to not only read the requirements, but also see how those requirements would be weighted for each part of their grade. Additionally, I was able to provide annotated examples of past student assignments. Students reported that the annotated assignments were especially helpful for understanding what their assignment could look like. Because I provided multiple examples for each assignment, students were also able to see the diversity of ways it was possible to approach the assignment (in this case, a rhetorical analysis paper).

I found the implementation resources and the "observe and analyze" discussion boards to be most helpful because I was able to continuously come back to the implementation resources as I assessed how well they were working in my class. Additionally, the "observe and analyze" discussion boards provided an interactive space to apply the concepts we learned and to see the different ways that other faculty used that information. We consistently built off of each other's ideas to come to a deeper understanding of ways to use the different ACUE practices.

I also found our own "observe and analyze" synchronous zoom session with my colleagues to be helpful. For my own practice, I was able to get feedback from a sample class session from my peers. This year, I started a position as the coordinator for my department's Public Speaking hybrid course, where graduate students run lab-style sessions once a week. After providing a training session at the beginning of the semester, I realized that the ACUE practices would be useful as a modeling tool for the graduate teaching assistants. In the "observe and analyze" session, my peers were able to identify ways to make my use of the "syllabus reconnaissance" tool even more effective for use in both COMS 100B and my training session for new graduate student instructors. It was incredible to see how the different ACUE tools were being used in different disciplines, from music, to physics, to English. It struck me during this session that the way we use the practices is largely determined by the goals we have for our students and the level of complexity in the content we are teaching. For example, I got to see how a colleague who teaches violin lessons used targeted feedback to help her students understand how to approach a particularly difficult passage with a short video lesson. Her use of the video, common mistakes, and targeted feedback worked together seamlessly in a way I never would have imagined.

Evidence of Instructional Change

During the observe and analyze synchronous session, I was able to get feedback on teaching graduate student teachers the "syllabus reconnaissance" technique. After role playing the technique, I posed reflection questions, asking the graduate students how the syllabus reconnaissance activity affected their knowledge and feelings about the syllabus they would be expected to use during the semester.

sample transparent assignment for COMS 100B, including clear step-by-step instructions with links to resources, strategies for success, and an annotated sample student paper

This sample transparent assignment shows the clear, step-by step instructions, strategies for success (based on common errors in past papers), a sample outline, sample student paper, and links to resources to help students succeed.

The 7 badges and microcredential earned. badges: ensuring equitable access to learning, providing useful feedback, promoting a civil learning environment, helping students persist in their studies, embracing diversity in your classroom, leading the first day of class, checking for student understanding. Microcredential: creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment.

The badges and microcredential earned during this faculty learning community.

Practice and Reflect on: Checking for Student Understanding

Criteria	Grading Guide	Your Reflection
What practice(s) do you plan to implement?	Meets: Identify the practice(s) that you are planning to implement and either explain how you are planning to implement them or share why they were selected	Adjust instruction using student responses: I chose this practice because last semester I started using an end-of-class free-write for attendance. It makes good sense to adjust the attendance free-write so that I can collect information that will help me to adjust my next class.
What practice(s) do you plan to implement?	*Exceeds:* Add both an explanation of why you selected the practice(s) and* thoroughly describe the steps you will take to implement the practice(s)*	I will adjust the attendance free-write to include a “clearest point” and “muddiest point” so that I can see what concepts students are grasping and what needs the most work. Following each class period, I will review the provided information so that I can adjust the next class period to address any unclear information.
How do expect the use of the practice(s) to impact students?	Meets: Share how the use of the practice(s) is expected to impact students	I expect this practice to make students feel more confident in their mastery of the material, as I will be making sure to review concepts that are unclear.
	*Exceeds:* Share why this impact is expected to take place	Optional
What other steps you will take to continue to refine your use of the practices shared in this module?	Meets: Share the steps that will be taken	I will continue to solicit this feedback from students throughout the semester and will include a question on the midterm and final course survey that asks students how confident they feel in the course materials, as well as what practices I used that contributed to their understanding. I will also be comparing assessment results from this course to that of previous semesters.

Course Syllabus

100B Syllabus and Course Schedule.docx

Faculty Bio

photo of Andrea Terry with the New York City skyline in the background. Andrea is a white cis-gender woman with long brown hair, black framed glasses, a big smile, and pearl earrings. She is wearing a blue and gray t-shirt.

Andrea Terry (PhD, Texas A&M University) is an Assistant Professor of Rhetoric in the Communication Studies Department, where she coordinates the COMS 4 hybrid course and teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in rhetorical criticism, communication theory, gender ideology & communication, and political communication. She is a CTL Faculty Associate and Campus Coordinator for the Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$) initiative. This is Andrea's third ACUE course and she is excited to complete more ACUE courses with the goal of completing a full ACUE credential. Andrea's research is on the confluence of Christianity and politics, especially as they involve issues of gender, social justice engagement, and the presidency. She is currently writing a book on the rhetoric of spiritual advisors to the US presidency. Feel free to contact Andrea with questions or insights at andrea.terry@csus.edu.

This work was supported by:

National Science Foundation Hispanic Serving Institution Project STEM Zone DUE 1832335

CSU Office of the Chancellor Academic Affairs grant for Faculty Professional Development

US Department of Education Hispanic Serving Institution Project STEM4Equity P031C210012

*Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the US Department of Education.

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