Pre-Course Survey

One way to improve engagement with your students is to learn more about them. A precourse survey is one way to help develop a connection with your students, and get to know them beyond what is shared in an introduction discussion.

What do you want to know about them?

Diligent student in college with classmates, taking notes of teacher lecture.

A survey can help you conduct a needs assessment about where your students are at in terms of prior knowledge, demographics, mindset, learning preferences, goals, content confidence level, preferred feedback style, and/or access to technology.  Because this takes place “behind the scenes” and is only shared with the instructor, rather than in a public discussion forum, you may be more likely to receive candid responses.

What strategies and skills will students need and/or develop in your course?

These kinds of questions can help students flex metacognitive skills and become more aware of their learning habits. As an instructor, this can help you provide more specific feedback on student work, suggesting similar strategies and stretch goals.

• Reflection on Strategies: Metacognitive reflection questions ask how students get things done. Do you take marginal notes or highlight as you read? What conditions do you need to do your best work?

• Planning Ahead: Beyond what has worked for students in the past, you might ask about strategies they will use specifically in this class. What times each week do you have earmarked to work on this course?

• Setting Goals:You might ask them to review the learning objectives, asking what they will commit to accomplishing. And beyond the learning objectives for the course, are there other skills or competencies they plan to work on in the course? Do they have any suggestions for the instructor about strategies for helping meet those goals?

During the first week of your course

Providing students with an opportunity to quiz themselves not on the course topic but on the course itself–how to get started in the course, how to navigate the course, what the course should help students accomplish, and how the course is structured–can help instructors send fewer emails saying, “It’s in the syllabus!”

Given multiple choice or true/false question types, these kinds of pre-course surveys can be automatically scored. Don’t forget to compose feedback for incorrect responses and allow multiple attempts!

What tools are available?

IU supports the Qualtrics survey tool and Canvas includes a dashboard feature that allows instructors to create a type of quiz called ‘ungraded’ that can be used as a survey. In Canvas, once the survey, or ‘ungraded quiz,’ is published online, students can login to their Canvas course page and participate. IU also has access to Google Forms and Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Forms are Available in the Channel and Chat features) for quick survey and quiz creation.

If you’d like support implementing a pre-course survey or questionnaire in your online class, or in any other aspects of teaching and learning, please contact me at your earliest convenience with your availability.

Grant Writing Resources

After writing a couple of small grants successfully, I decided to take a few grant writing courses to learn more about the types of grants available and the resources related to grant writing for a wider variety of contexts. I recently worked with Candace Marcotte and Kyle Shack to develop content for a mini workshop aimed at helping K-12 STEM educators locate funding for classroom tools and projects. The workshop was presented to fellows in the WIPRO MSU Urban STEM program. Below are a few tips and resources we shared with the teachers. Feel free to comment below with feedback on how this list can be expanded: 

1. Find out the protocol for soliciting funding via your school/district.
2. Locate Sources: Visit your regional funding library to get a first list of potential foundation, corporate, and government funders.
3. Network with Potential Partners: 
   1. community members
   2. community groups
   3. service organizations
   4. local businesses
   5. corporations
   6. individuals with resources
   7. VIPs
   8. local politicians
   9. government officials
   10. foundation program directors and program officers
   11. corporate contributions representatives
4. Language: Read application guidelines carefully, you will learn the language, or buzzwords, that they use to express their mission and programs. The way that you tell a funder that you share the same goals and objectives is to include their key language or buzzwords in your proposal.
5. Needs Statement: Develop a set of  goals and measurable objectives you wish to achieve with the funding. If you can, construct an elevator pitch that can convey the essence of your needs in 90 seconds or less.
6. Contact: Make introductory phone calls to verify and clarify the funders' application guidelines (some funders will expect e-mail communications).
7. What to say:  When speaking with a representative of a funding agency, share:
   1. Your name and your position within the organization.
   2. Your organization's name and mission.
   3. A one-sentence statement about the problem that your organization is working to solve, with one or two relevant statistics.
   4. One or two recent major accomplishments that relate to this problem.
   5. A one-sentence statement about the programs that need support.
   6. At the end of the conversation,  thank you for your time
8. What to ask:
   1. Is the funder interested in supporting your organization or program?
   2. What programs are they specifically interested in supporting?
   3. Which areas of the proposed program are they most interested in funding?
   4. What is the appropriate amount to request?
   5. What are the next steps to take in requesting support?
9. Follow Funders Guidelines EXACTLY.
10. Remember to tell a story when writing the proposed program paragraphs.