My favorite Faculty Advisor activity is “Ask an Expert.” I love that Pearson directly connects Faculty Advisors to our colleagues’ questions about Mastering. Pooling all of the experience of the Faculty Advisors provides a rich source of expertise that not only benefits those that write in with questions, but also creates learning opportunities for each of the Faculty Advisors on the email list. I have passed on tips and advice that I have picked up from the “Ask an Expert” emails to other faculty in our department on many occasions!
In her own words, MasteringBiology Faculty Advisor Rebecca Orr sums up her favorite part of being a part of Pearson’s Faculty Advisor program. Orr uses MasteringBiology in her majors course as a companion for what students learn and do in class. Worth 20% of the students’ lecture grade, Orr utilizes three areas within MasteringBiology to assist students in concept comprehension. Students start by taking Reading Quizzes which feed into their homework grade. These quizzes help students asses their initial comprehension of a concept. Orr then combines tutorials, activities, BioFlix, and misconception questions into homework. All of the assignments Orr gives as homework allow students to request hints. Orr wants her students to have multiple chances to get the question right. Finally, students take required quizzes in MasteringBiology in order to get ready for their exams. Although taken within the Mastering platform, all of the quiz questions are written and imported into Mastering by Orr herself so they more closely mirror the question types students will see on their exams.
Each area Orr utilizes for her students aids her in generating a more complete picture of how her students are doing in the course. Using MasteringBiology in this way allows Orr to evaluate student progress in-depth. She is able to see what concepts students mastered, where they required lots of hints, and the overall time spent by each student on each assignment. This information comes in especially handy when students come to Orr wondering why they got a certain grade on an exam. There’s nothing like empirical evidence to show students the benefit of getting their homework done.
Initially, Orr was worried about introducing MasteringBiology into her course since it would require students to complete homework they’d never had to do in the past. As a precaution, Orr didn’t require MasteringBiology initially, but rather she presented it as an optional tool to use outside of class. “I was surprised at the enthusiasm with which Mastering was received by most of my students,” says Orr when initial student feedback for Mastering came back asking her to require it. “Students enjoy the flexibility Mastering provides,” cites Orr as a primary reason why students had no objection when she made MasteringBiology a mandatory component in her course. Students like being able to work in Mastering anywhere (with their computer) at any time. Another perk for students using MasteringBiology is that they can see their own success. “Students like to be rewarded for the amount of effort they put forth,” and, according to Orr, MasteringBiology does just that by showing them the benefit of their work outside of the classroom.
Orr’s motto as a Faculty Advisor is “listen and learn!” She advises other Faculty Advisors to not spread themselves too thin. “Become active in the areas in which you are most passionate,” Orr says while reminding new Faculty Advisors that they don’t have to do it all. Where you participate as a Faculty Advisor changes as your usage of Mastering changes, she says, so what you focus on doing and learning within the Faculty Advisor community will change over time.
The experience Orr has had already as a Faculty Advisor has left a very positive mark on her. “Being a Faculty Advisor is a fantastic avenue for personal and professional development, connecting you to colleagues all over the country.”
Spring semester is in full swing - what activities/events are you looking forward to this semester? What Faculty Advisor appearances, etc do you already have scheduled?
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