Culturally Responsive Teaching Fall 23-Spring 24

CHAD 190: Capstone in Child and Adolescent Development

Attendance Policy / Late Policy / Utility Value

Reflection on Instructional Change:

I implemented instructional changes in my CHAD 190 Capstone course. The students in the course are undergraduate seniors who are 1-2 semesters away from finishing their baccalaureate degree. The main goals of my course redesign were to:

Make my course more welcoming/supportive and reduce behavioral control.
Increase flexibility in accepting late work.

To address these goals, I modified my course attendance and late work policies:

Attendance policy: I used to have very punitive language in my policy. Specifically, if students missed more than two classes, their final grade would be lowered by one full letter grade. I never applied the deduction, and hoped it would support regular attendance. However, the language is punitive and demotivating. Also, it was a form of behavioral control rather than did anything to increase student success. Therefore, for the current semester, the element of threats/behavioral control is removed while centering the attainment value of attending class meetings (i.e., I will scaffold their assignments to help increase efficacy in completing the work).
Late work policy: Previously, the deadline I set for assignments was on Fridays at 8pm and the assignments usually lock at that time. The 8pm deadline was to support wellness – I wanted students to reserve evenings and weekends for their personal time. However, students have requested allowing submissions until midnight. I also provided a bit more flexibility to have a 24-hour window for late submissions without penalty. Recognizing many of our students work during the week and need time on the weekends for schoolwork, this 24-hour extension would allow them the opportunity to complete the work for credit. While a 24-hour extension is not a lot, the deadlines are set to help me have sufficient time to grade and return work with feedback in a timely matter (usually before our next class meeting).

**Evidence of Instructional Change**
Image 1 - Modifications to the attendance policy in my course syllabus.	Image 2 - Modifications to the late work policy in my course syllabus.

Course Syllabus

I recently participated in the CTL Midsemster Assessment Process. A trained facilitator engaged my students in a guided reflection activity to help identify ways I could improve my teaching. The feedback does not address the specific course elements I modified, but reflects many elements of what we learned through the ESCALA modules and the Grading for Equity book. Students appreciate the thorough and feedback I provide and the organization of my course. They appreciate my flexibility with assignments – their comment highlights my ability to increase situational value of the coursework. Overall, I am approachable and can create a welcoming and safe space to learn – which were big takeaways from this FLC. The class discussions also allow students to contribute in culturally-relevant ways.

**Faculty Bio**
	Dr. Patrick Pieng (he/him) I am an Associate Professor in the Child and Adolescent Development Program. I teach courses in quantitative research methods, cognitive development, social emotional development, and capstone (with fieldwork). I currently serve as the Fieldwork Coordinator for Social and Community Settings. Outside of teaching, I am a CTL mentor and Faculty Associate.

This work was supported by:
	Grant funding from Sacramento State Division of Inclusive Excellence *Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sacramento State.