{"id":207,"date":"2023-07-06T16:46:28","date_gmt":"2023-07-06T16:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogschapman.wpenginepowered.com\/cetl\/2023\/07\/06\/teaching-tip-for-the-week-of-july-10-2023\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T20:16:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T20:16:34","slug":"teaching-tip-for-the-week-of-july-10-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/cetl\/2023\/07\/06\/teaching-tip-for-the-week-of-july-10-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching Tip for the Week of July 10, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

This summer, the CETL will be presenting <\/span>one tip per week<\/span><\/b>, to provide a more in-depth discussion of evidence-based teaching practices. If there are specific topics you would like to see CETL explore, please <\/span>let us know<\/span><\/a>! We also welcome guest posts from faculty who have a teaching tip they would like to share with their colleagues.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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High-Structure Courses Support Inclusion<\/span><\/b> and Success
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In their book, <\/span>Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom <\/span><\/i>(2022), Kelly Hogan and Viji Sathy note that instructors can easily assume that underperformance is due to a lack of motivation, but the real issue may be that underperforming students lack knowing what, how, or even when to apply various <\/span>learning<\/span><\/i> strategies<\/span><\/i> needed to be successful.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In college, students are typically assigned readings and asked to demonstrate their learning through various formative and summative assessments. Instructors often assume that college students understand how to prepare for different types of assessments. But, while students know they need to study, they do not always know <\/span>how<\/span><\/i><\/b> to study<\/span><\/i><\/b> effectively.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

N<\/span>ot<\/span> all<\/span> students <\/span>have the privilege of attending<\/span> high schools that <\/span>have a consistent instructor all year, <\/span>provide<\/span> AP course work<\/span> and<\/span> college preparation<\/span> services<\/span>,<\/span> or <\/span>have <\/span>college-educated <\/span>parents who can <\/span>help them <\/span>navigat<\/span>e<\/span> through the transition and demands of college<\/span>. <\/span>So, w<\/span>hat can <\/span>WE<\/span> do to ensure that <\/span><\/span>all<\/span><\/span><\/em> students succeed<\/span> here at Chapman<\/span>?\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Through her research, Hogan found that learning environment<\/span>s<\/span> that <\/span>are<\/span> <\/span>highly structured<\/span><\/span><\/strong> can <\/span>reduce the impact of institutionalized inequities<\/span>, build <\/span>a sense of belonging<\/span>, and promote student success<\/span> <\/span>(<\/span>Supiano, 2018<\/span><\/a>). Putting more structure in place <\/span>will not<\/span> harm students who already <\/span>possess<\/span> and <\/span>apply<\/span> effective learning strategies<\/span>. But <\/span>research suggests that <\/span>more structure<\/span> is critical<\/span> for the students who have not yet developed <\/span>effective study strategies, metacognition, and time management<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

A<\/span>s we work to remove identified inequities, providing students with more instructional scaffolding<\/span> and <\/span>required<\/span> practice based on how students learn can help close existing achievement gaps.<\/span> In a high-structure course, scaffolded practice<\/em> combined with continual and timely feedback<\/em> equates to all students having a clearer road map for meeting expectations. <\/span><\/p>\n

For more ideas on how to add structure, see <\/span>High Structure Active Learning, 2023<\/span><\/a>. You might also c<\/span>onsider these suggestions from Hogan & Sathy (2022):\u00a0 <\/span>
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