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1. Course structure as inclusive pedagogy
Research shows that highly-structured and active learning courses offer benefits to all students, but especially racially minoritized and first-generation college students. A highly-structured course helps illuminate some of the "hidden curriculum" of college by setting explicit expectations for the type of work students should put in, helps to scaffold essential academic skills that students may not have developed in high school, and gives students frequent opportunities to assess their own readiness for higher-stakes assessments.
References:
1. Eddy, S.L., Hogan, K.A. “Getting Under the Hood: How and for Whom Does Increasing Course Structure Work?” (2014) CBE-Life Sciences Education 13:453-468
2. Haak, D.C., HilleRisLambers, J., Pitre, E., Freeman, S. “Increased Structure and Active Learning Reduce the Achievement Gap in Introductory Biology.” (2011) Science 332:1213-1216
4. More inspiration from our K-12 colleagues
2. Why does course structure matter?
In the Chronicle of Higher Education, Viji Sathy and Kelly A. Hogan begin their “How to Make Your Teaching More Inclusive” Advice Guide by addressing a common skeptical question:
Are the tools of inclusive teaching just hand-holding? Shouldn’t students be expected to learn on their own?
Sathy and Hogan respond:
Instead of hand-holding, we prefer the word “structure.” Without structure in any situation, you leave it up to chance whether your goals are accomplished. For example, say you threw a party to bring together your single friends. They are far more likely to meet a variety of people if you plan icebreakers and activities (high structure) than if you simply provide space and time for the event (low structure). The same is true of learning: More structure means more students will engage and learn from you and their peers. … the extroverted party lover is going to mingle and meet people in either a low- or high-structure event. But the introverts (like us) who aren’t comfortable with random mingling won’t. Helping those who need the structure doesn’t harm those who don’t.
5. Additional Resources
Inclusive Teaching by Call Number: LC1200 .H64 2022
Wilton, M., Gonzalez-Nino, E., McPartlan, P., Terner, Z., Christoffersen, R., & Rothman, J. (2019, Nov 1). Improving academic performance, belonging, and retention through increasing structure of an introductory biology course. CBE - Life Sciences Education, 18(4), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.18-08-0155 .
Freeman, S., Pape-Lindstrom, P., Casper, A., & Eddy, S. (2020, May-June). Community college students rise to the challenge -- Meeting the time demands of highly structured courses. Journal of College Science Teaching, 49(5), 7-16 https://s3.amazonaws.com/nstacontent/JCST_MayJune20_p7-16TwoYearCommunity.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIMRSQAV7P6X4QIKQ&Expires=
1682523267&Signature=%2bWlJ6IcrncTZ4na8cf%2fBnDBcmvY%3d
Beck, E. & Roosa, K. (2020, Aug). Designing high structure courses to promote student engagement. Journal of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society, 24(2), 58-63. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1268125.pdf
3. Practical advice for adding structure
Sathy and Hogan go on to offer some concrete suggestions for creating structure in college courses, including:
· Design courses in which you speak less
· Give lots of low-stakes quizzes and assessment
· Incorporate TTQs - typical test questions
· Assess them before and after class, not just during.
· Reduce the stakes of major papers and tests.
· Set clear expectations.
They also offer suggestions for improving the in-class experience, including:
· Get comfortable with periods of silence in your classroom
· Add structure to small-group discussions
· Allow anonymous participation
See the full Advice Guide from Sathy and Hogan for excellent advice on how to quickly incorporate these techniques into a course: https://www-chronicle-com.ccbcmd.idm.oclc.org/article/how-to-make-your-teaching-more-inclusive/#4