Portfolio-Michael Wright | Biology | Community | Equity

BIO 131: Systemic Physiology (84466)

Reflection on Instructional Change:

Overall, the most important component of my re-design was to be able to build community because, unlike Spring, when the students knew each other, they wouldn’t now. To address this (and reduce zoom fatigue) I used Discord. Discord is a chat service that supports many of the same features that zoom does but is done on a much lighter footprint. By creating channels for the students to engage with each other, I have seen a great community begin to grow.

Another way I built community was to use a Google Slide Deck (Image 1 Below) to have the students introduce themselves to each other. I had students make a slide about themselves, then asked them to introduce themselves to 5 other people. To earn credit, they completed a Canvas assignment where they told me who they introduced themselves to and that persons favorite dessert. In this way, the students did some meaningful collaboration and some intentional “listening” to discover something about their teammates.

Prior to the semester, I polled my students to see what levels of internet service they had access to (Image 3 below.) Nearly 30% said their only internet access was via a cellular plan. This suggested to me that constant Zoom meetings with video would put them at either a 1) speed or 2) data disadvantage. Discord was also helpful in bridging that equity gap because it allowed students to participate in a meaningful way with their phones, and not just with a computer.

 

Getting to know you exercise

Newly added virtual EMG Lab Exercise

Pie graph showing % of students reporting different types of internet access

Post Side Car - Syllabus and Schedule Download Post Side Car - Syllabus and Schedule

Pre Side Car - Syllabus and Schedule Download Pre Side Car - Syllabus and Schedule

Faculty Biography

I am originally from South Bend, Indiana, but am happy to call the West Coast home! When I am not working (very rare, indeed) I usually can be found watching some sport - be it football, football, golf, or rugby - if it's a sport, I'll watch it.

Prior to coming to Sacramento State, I was an undergraduate at another CSU: San Marcos. From there, I moved to Atlanta for graduate school at Emory University, where I studied Neuroscience. Still having the itch to be back on the West Coast, I completed a post-doc at UC Davis, prior to coming to Sacramento State!

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation NSF Hispanic Serving Institution Award 1832335.  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 the National Science Foundation.