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GEOG 100: Themes in World Geography

Geography, Effective Feedback, Revision Opportunities

Reflection on Instructional Change:

After taking this ACUE course, one feedback-related instructional practice I implemented was to provide students with actionable (focused and specific) feedback on their writing assignments and opportunities to revise. I assigned two sequential essay assignments. I returned the first essay within two weeks of submission, providing students with nearly four weeks to revise and add more content for the second essay. When providing feedback, I focused on clear and specific actions students could take to improve the first essay and their writing in general. I also limited the feedback to 3-5 major suggestions.

Actionable feedback emphasizes a growth mindset and hopefully this will also help students understand that more effort is likely to lead to better learning and higher grades. Students seem to appreciate the sequential and constructive aspects of these two assignments.

The Implementation Resources and "Observe and Analyze" synchronous zoom session most influenced the changes in my instruction. I found the downloadable reference PDFs handy because multiple teaching strategies are explained. I've saved these resources on my personal hard drive and have accessed them for ideas during the semester. The "observe and analyze" group session was also influential because I received constructive feedback on ways to improve the assignments and revision opportunities.

"Observe and Analyze" session was very helpful. Peers identified potential improvements to the assignment that I will experiment with next semester. Since many of the students enrolled in this course are training to be K-12 educators, one suggestion was to integrate teaching by asking students to create a short lesson plan or presentation on their paper topic. Another helpful suggestion is to share a past assignment with students as an example.

Evidence of Instructional Change

Instructions for Paper 1.

Example of actionable feedback for Paper 1. Students are expected to revise Paper 1 and submit as a part of Paper 2.

ACUE Creating an Inclusive and Supportive Learning Environment microcredential badge.

Practice and Reflect on: Providing Useful Feedback

Course Syllabus

Faculty Bio

Jasmine Arpagian

I started teaching in the Department of Geography at CSUS in August 2021. Courses in my teaching portfolio include GEOG 100 (Themes in World Geography), GEOG 148 (Intro to Urban Planning), GEOG 128 (European Geography) and GEOG 193A (Field Geography: Urban).

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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