Renton Technical College April 2003
Office of Instructional Improvement Volume 9 No. 8
Here’s What Worked for Me… Mindmapping Tool
If you use mindmaps for brainstorming or organizing information in your class, you will be interested in this web-based tool recommended by Donna Maher. She has used Mindjet to develop mindmaps for teaching math. There is a free trial version at the website http://www.mindjet.com/ Thank you Donna!
All Learners Learn Differently…
An old idea, but with today’s new technologies and brain research, this old idea has new implications. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a new paradigm for dealing with different learning styles and abilities. UDL looks at how the brain actually processes information and the “networks” that are involved in learning and information extraction. This information is used to help instructors create a curriculum that is accessible and inclusive. Information on brain research and UDL can be found at http://www.cast.org/udl/TheoryResearch2.cfm.
While helpful for all learners, UDL is particularly helpful for students who have extreme learning style preferences or learning disabilities. The tenants of UDL originated in architecture and product development where it is important to build products that work with as many users as possible. More information on UDL can be found at http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/univ_design/ud.htm.
The new Department of Education Grant will be utilizing UDL as it helps instructors find new ways to help students learn. If you are already using UDL or something similar and have time to give a little feedback, please contact Cathy Jenner (5639) in the Office of Instructional Improvement.
The Faculty Room
Q. Several instructors have asked us about test banks. What are they, and where can you find them?
A. You might already store test questions in a word processing file to draw from each time you make up a test or a quiz. Test banks store test questions in a database. The advantage is the ease with which you can choose questions from the bank to vary tests from quarter to quarter, or to make up several versions of the same test to deter cheating. Some textbooks include text banks on an accompanying CD-ROM or a password protected website. Another source of questions are specialized cooperative on the web that provide test questions. This site, http://richtech.ca/testbank/ will let you write and store questions.
For a commercial test-banking software check out Microtest at http://www.chariot.com/microtest_III.html. You can find test banks for your field on the web with a Google search http://www.google.com/. If you want help locating a test bank for your program, or know of good ones we haven’t mentioned, contact Faculty Focus mailto:
Test Anxiety
Many of you report that your students dread tests and get unaccountably anxious in a testing situation, which affects their performance on the test. This handout, prepared for the Teaching Study Skills workshop is ready to duplicate and distribute. It contains helpful hints for conquering test anxiety. If you missed the workshop in March, it will be offered again in Spring Quarter. Check the workshop schedule.
Successful Job Search Skills
This 10-point cover letter checklist is a straightforward aide to use with your students when they are preparing job search materials. This MSN site (in cooperation with Monster Board) also has other tips for preparing resumes and interviewing which your students will find helpful. http://editorial.careers.msn.com/articles/refresher You might create a research activity for students to log on to the monster board site, register, find a suitable opening and prepare a “practice” cover letter following the guidelines. http://www.monsterboard.com/. There are also clearly written job search tips at Monsterboard.
Coping with negative people
Want to deal more effectively with negative people and situations? These tips, compiled by Michael Weber, a K-12 superintendent, from Port Washington, Wisconsin, are useful for dealing with negative people in all areas of life. Negative people can’t be changed, they have to decide to change themselves, and so, with patience and tenacity, you can set the environment for them to want to change. Know someone like this? Check out the article in School Administrator. http://www.aasa.org/publications/sa/2003_02/weber.htm
Lost in Cyberspace
No matter how carefully we set up an exercise on the web, we sometimes wind up with links that no longer work. Sites may be erased by their owners, or moved to a different online address, leaving your students with a “Not found 404” or “NDS” error. Apparently the phenomenon of “link rot” is widespread. If you got the link from a search engine like Google, one strategy to tell your students is to look at the cached pages. This short article discusses the problem and some other solutions. http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/tm_printstory.cfm?slug=06tech.h14
Compliance Magazine
Many of your CBE’s have a focus on workplace safety in virtually every course in a program. Our students need to know how to maintain a safe working environment. Our office received a copy of Compliance Magazine, a free publication that includes timely access to the latest government regulations, translating hard-to-follow government legalese into practical, no-nonsense language that's easy to understand and put into practice. A community of experts shares the latest regulatory information and management techniques for safety, health and environmental managers. Each issue of Compliance Magazine provides practical resources and information can use every day on the job. This is a good resource for you or your students to search online. To order a free subscription, or to search the site point your browser to: http://www.compliancemag.com/
Quotable
"Common sense is the measure of the possible; it is composed of experience and prevision; it is calculation applied to life." ~Henri-Frederic Amiel
The mission of the Office of Instructional Improvement is to advance educational strategies, seek to improve the quality of learning environments, and support RTC staff as they prepare a diverse student population for work.