Issue link: http://ncumarketing.uberflip.com/i/856990
Mindi Mull, PhD Associate Director of Faculty Support and Development, SSBS Danielle shared some great strategies for tracking student progress in order to more effectively engage with students, and using some of the new tools in NCUOne as another way to increase engagement. I agree that the new video feedback tool is a great option for a few reasons. As Danielle points out, students really appreciate receiving feedback in this form. It is very engaging for students to see and hear their instructor deliver feedback, rather than simply reading it. So many more cues are avail- able to students through this modality (e.g., facial expression, tone of voice), which can more effectively convey warmth and encouragement. I think this may be especially helpful when students are struggling. Additionally, I think the video feedback option can make the process of provid- ing feedback more efficient for faculty. For example, when a student is struggling to understand a complex idea or concept, recording a brief video where you explain the concept is likely to be much faster than sitting down to type out an explanation. And frankly, I think it is more enjoyable to provide feedback like this because, for me, it feels more like teaching than typing out a paragraph (just my opinion, of course). Because the video/audio feedback tool in NCUOne has the potential to not only increase faculty-student engagement, but to also increase efficiency for faculty, you will be hearing much more about it! Thank you, Danielle, for sharing your experience with this new tool! Elizabeth brings up a very important issue – the mindset of students. I think all faculty would agree it is more important for students to focus on their academic/professional growth rather than proving their current knowledge or skills. Students with a growth mindset certainly want to understand their current shortcomings, not so they can improve by four percentage points, but because they know their knowl- edge and skills can always improve or grow, and they want to understand what they can do to grow. On the other hand, students with a fixed mindset tend to focus on proving to their instructor that they have already achieved the necessary academic goals (which is why they deserve those additional four points). Having a fixed mindset often prevents students from focusing on their future growth. Elizabeth shared some ideas for what faculty can say to students to try to shift their mindset from fixed to growth, and I think it is great that she is having these conversations with her students (these aren't always easy conversations to have). There is a great deal of research on the impact that mindset has on both faculty and students, and this is definitely a topic worthy of further exploration. What are some of your ideas for how we could shift the mindset of students? Thank you, Danielle and Elizabeth, for sharing your strategies and approach! Do you have an approach, strategy, or suggestion you think others would find useful? Please share! You can send your ideas to me (mmull@ncu.edu) and I would be happy to include them in an upcoming faculty newsletter. Thanks!