Improving Teaching Effectiveness with a Short Students’ Reflection Tool

Grant program: Teaching and Learning Development Grant (TLDG)

Grant recipient: Tun Myint, Faculty of Health Sciences

Project team: Vishal Jain, research assistant

Timeframe: November 2015 to September 2016

Funding: $5,000

Course addressed: HSCI 481 – Senior Seminar in Social Health Sciences: Introduction to Health Program Planning and Evaluation in Global Health Settings

Final report: View Tun Myint's final report Short Version (PDF) and Long Version (PDF)

Description: The purpose of this TLDG project is to investigate and assess how student reflection and feedback can enhance students’ learning and improve teaching. I have been using a half-page learning reflection form for my students to complete at the end of each weekly class. Students have responded to the learning reflection tool positively, and the feedback has guided content change, format of the content, class room/student activities, and teaching style. I would like to continue using the form, but modify it to focus on the concepts which students struggle with the most. In addition, I will be developing other tools to gather data from students about their effective learning.

Questions addressed:

• Is the quality of my teaching improving?
  • Is my in-class communication with the students improving?
  • Is the content of the course, specifically depth, scope and sequence, appropriate?
• Am I effectively supporting students’ learning?
  • With what concepts do students struggle?
  • Does re-teaching on the “muddiest points” improve students’ understanding?

Knowledge sharing: The findings are to be shared at DEMOFest 2016, FHS research seminars, or Teaching and Learning research seminars / education conferences.

Myint, T. (2016, July). Improving teaching effectiveness with a short students’ learning self-reflection tool. Poster session presented at Celebrating 10 years of Teaching and Learning Research at Simon Fraser University, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC.

Myint, T., & Berry, B. (2017, May). Reflection and action: Using formative assessments to enhance student learning and reflective teaching in undergraduate health sciences. Presentation at the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) conference: Facing Forward, Innovation, Action, and Reflection. Vancouver, BC.

Keywords: reflection tool; in-class communication; muddiest point