The letters of reference we write for students are important tools in admission decisions. There have been multiple times when one of my students got an acceptance notification right after I submitted my letter of reference. Coincidence? It’s happened often enough where I don’t think so!

Did you know that studies have shown that people tend to write letters of reference differently for male and female students? For instance, letters of reference for women are often shorter, and praise the woman’s hard-work rather than her achievement. Letters like these are not perceived as positively as longer letters and letters that praise ability.  This is a universal trend, both women and men are just as likely to include bias in their letters.  Although it is not intentional on our part, we need to be intentional to change it.

Here are some ways that bias is introduced, and what you can do about it.  You can also use these same tips to remove any racial bias from your letters.

• Length of letters – longer letters provide more assurance that the applicant is qualified. Women tend to receive shorter letters than men do.
• Use of gender should be avoided. Pronouns are fine, but describing someone as an intelligent woman, or hard-working man should be avoided. Use the term student or person instead.
• Doubt-raisers – avoid terms that might raise doubt in someone’s mind, for instance, “She appears to be intelligent” or “He seems to have a firm grasp on the material.”  Doubt-raisers are used more often in letters describing women.
• Watch the Stereotypes: Men are more often referred to as high-achieving, and woman as compassionate.  Although there is obviously nothing wrong with being compassionate, the stereotypical male traits are often valued more than the stereotypical female traits.  
• Grindstone Language that focuses on female applicants as hard-working but portrays men as having more ability can also hurt women’s chances.

More Information

Here is a great one-page summary by University of Arizona on gender bias and how to avoid it in your letters. 

Here is a similar one to eliminate racial bias in letters.

Good descriptions and examples of what I’ve summarized above from RIT.

Best practices and more information from Lehigh University

The DEISJ Committee urges you to read a bit about this so we can all work to eliminate subconscious bias from our reference letters.

Brought to you by the DEISJ Committee, written by Karen Helgers, submitted on 4/28/2023

Tips for Teaching Non-Native Speakers

Students whose first language is not English face particular challenges in college.  The numbers of English Language Learners (ELL) are increasing, and many of them are attending community colleges.  How can we help these students to succeed?

Erika and Karen talked to a number of UCCC ELL students about what works to help them learn, and a few things that have been detrimental to their learning.  Here’s a summary of what they shared with us:

• Use clear language.
• Don’t talk too fast.  It’s difficult to understand when someone is talking fast with their accents. Yes, we do have accents too!
• Don’t use American-specific vernacular, slang or expressions that students who didn’t grow up here might not understand.
• No sarcasm. It’s not well understood, and let’s face it – it’s a very negative way to communicate to everyone.
• Don’t assume that students are not capable of college-work.  And if you are guilty of making those assumptions, certainly do not communicate them with students. This is very demotivating.
• It is helpful for some students to have extra time to go over material with you during office hours or before/after class.
• When a teacher is disorganized and the class doesn’t follow a logical path, it is very challenging to understand a lesson.
• Being able to record lectures is very helpful so that students can review class lessons later at their own pace.
• Starting class with a short review session helps jog memories of the previous lesson.
• Allowing students to record the screen that’s up or taking picture of graphics on the board helps.
• Supporting materials online (for example, recorded lectures or outside resources) can be very helpful. 
• Providing YouTube videos for viewing at home helps because students can view them at their own pace, and can also have the material explained in another way. This reinforces what’s done in class.
• Providing students with copies of instructor notes helps them have all the information they need on the topic, and gives them something to take their own notes on.
• Providing printouts of material allows students to write on them. Writing helps to digest and understand information.
• Students have to think about the class material in English when it’s being presented in English, then go home and translate it into their native language, then translate it back into English.  Obviously this takes a lot of time!  Accommodations (such as extra time on exams) and flexibility are extremely helpful.

Here are two articles to read with more information.

The first gives teaching tips for classrooms at all levels. It is geared toward K-12, but the tips are general enough for us to use as well.

The second is a more scholarly article that discusses the needs of ELL students in higher education. There is information here about institutional policies that will help, and also some information that teachers can use.

 

Brought to you by DEISJ Committee, written by Erika Finch and Karen Helgers on 4/18/23

What are they?

A visual representation of information and ideas.  The Science Education Resource Center calls them “Making Thinking Visible.” You have probably used these in elementary and secondary school. Examples include Venn Diagrams, Hierarchy Charts, Flow Charts, and even outlines.

Why use them?

This is active learning! This tool that helps students at all levels:

• organize their thoughts about a topic
• review information that’s already been covered
• show relationships and connections between concepts
• show the hierarchy between concepts
• show the steps in a process
• synthesize information

How to Use Them:

• Give students a map/organizer to fill out. This can be partially completed ahead of time. For example, you can fill out major concepts and leave details to the students.
• Give students questions to answer using a completed concept map.
• Give students sticky notes to organize into a concept map on a white board.
• Use them for assessment.

Erika: “I use Graphic Organizers in my Spreadsheets and Computer Applications classes to introduce broad topics such as how an Excel spreadsheet can be used to solve a business problem. Students can then use these Graphic Organizers to take notes on the steps we use in Excel to solve the problem. I find that it helps students to better understand the connection between the business problem and the tool used to solve it.”

Karen: “I have used these in Planet Earth to help students organize and review the information we’ve covered on a topic. I hand draw them.  From this starting point, students draw more lines outward with information about each sub-topic.”

You don’t have to rely on hand drawing! Erika has taped a short video on “How to create a Graphic Organizer in Microsoft Office.”

Here are the written instructions: In Microsoft Office, Graphic Organizers are called SmartArt graphics. And just like traditional Graphic Organizers, they serve as a visual representation of information and ideas. They can be easily created in Word, PowerPoint, and even Excel.

1. Go to the Insert tab.

2. Click on SmartArt in the Illustrations group.

3. Select a layout that best reflects your information and then click okay.

4. To add and edit use the text pane that appears to the left of your SmartArt graphic.

5. To add shapes, promote/demote shapes, and delete shapes, go to the Design tab and use the Create Graphic group.

To learn more about SmartArt Graphics

More Links:

Developing Concept Maps, by SERC Carleton. Mostly for Earth Science instructors, but general information is included too.

Concept Mapping guide for students, by Cornell University. Lots of good general information for teachers too.

Brought to you by DEISJ, written by Erika Finch and Karen Helgers, 4/4/2023

Lore Rasmussen (1886-1921) was a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany who became an American civil rights activist and pioneer in mathematics education. Born Lore May in Lampertheim-am-Rhein, Germany, in 1920; she escaped to the United States in 1938. She completed her college education at the University of Illinois on a scholarship from the Hillel Foundation. 

Like many Jewish scholar refugees of the time, Rasmussen were unwelcome at the majority of academic institutions.  However, the historically all-Black colleges embraced the opportunity to add great talent to their faculty. Beginning in 1942, Ms. Rasmussen taught at Talladega College, a historically African American school. Known as a pioneer in mathematics education, she also became an activist for the rights of African Americans. 

During her tenure at Talladega, Rasmussen received a fine of $28 and spent the night in jail for sitting with a black acquaintance at a Birmingham, Alabama café.  

Rasmussen’s children worked at a black-owned co-operative store.  The AAREG (African American Registry, April 2022) quotes her as saying, “Some of the local people asked, ‘Are these white boys?’ and somebody said, ‘No, these are Jew boys.’ ‘What are Jews?’ ‘Well, they are some sort of colored folks.’”

The Jewish News of Northern California

AAREG (African American Registry)

Bernice (Bunny) Sandler (1928 – 2019) was an educator and activist. Her extensive research and work with U.S. legislators led to the passage of Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. 

After graduating from the University of Maryland with a Ph. D in counseling and personnel services in 1969, Sandler’s many institutions denied her a faculty position.  One of her professors reportedly confided in her that, “…let’s face it,” he told her, “you come on too strong for a woman” (Jewish Women’s Archives, June 2021).

After the passage and implementation of Title IX, she continued her groundbreaking work, becoming a nationally renowned speaker and expert on sex and gender equity during the 1980s. She was instrumental in exposing sex disparities in campus sexual violence. Her work helped lead to the passage of the Clery Act of 1990, which forced schools to report incidents of gender-based crimes to their campus communities and prospective students.

Later on, Sandler served as a senior scholar at the Women’s Research and Education Institute in Washington, D.C.

Jewish Women's Archive

Brought to you by DEISJ, written by Harriet Koral on 3/28/23

There is a lot of talk about “representation” in education. Students who don’t see others who look like them in a field of study often can’t picture themselves in that field.  Exposure to diverse professionals can alleviate this. A diverse faculty is one way to increase students’ sense of belonging in academia and in various fields of study. 

In institutions or departments without much diversity, how can we increase representation?  Most of us like it here and are not planning to quit to make way for a more diverse faculty to take our place! So, what to do? One way to increase representation is to show students diversity in the professional field they are studying.  This is what I have done in my Planet Earth class (ESC 102). 

Geosciences have the reputation of being dominated by white men (beard-wearing, beer-drinking white men in flannel shirts and hiking boots, to be more specific).  There has been significant progress for women over the past decades (especially if they wear hiking boots and drink beer – talk about lack of diversity!).  However, the field remains overwhelmingly white. While Chemistry, Physics, and Biology have become more diverse, Geology is a stubborn outlier.

My choices in class are to ignore this and just teach the science, or to address it.  In order to ensure that students know about the diversity that does exist, I have chosen to address it.  I want all my students to be able to visualize themselves working in my discipline. 

To accomplish this, I developed a discussion that can be used online or revised for a face to face class. First, I explain how the geosciences are not very diverse, but that there is some diversity. I discuss why diversity is advantageous to a field of study. Then I direct them to this blog about European geoscientists, highlighting "exceptional researchers in geodynamics and adjacent disciplines who do amazing research as PhDs, postdocs, professors and professionals and who just happen to be black." I ask students to choose someone with a job they find interesting and to describe what the person does. I also point them to supplemental resources where they can learn more about those fields of study.  In this way, they are exposed to diverse geoscientists and to the many roles that a geoscientist can play.

This activity is published on the National Association of Geoscience Teachers Teach the Earth portal to Earth Education Resources. Here is the link.  

The Faculty DEISJ committee urges you to consider including a few examples of diverse professionals into your courses.

Are you already doing something in your classes that exposes students to diverse professionals? Or something else to help your diverse student body succeed? If so, we’d like to hear about it! We might highlight you for a future edition of Tuesday Tips.  Contact me, Karen Helgers, or any of the other DEISJ committee members.

 

 

“Dr. Marguerite Thomas Williams was the first African-American to earn a PhD in geology. She enrolled in the Miner Teachers College and earned a certification and a scholarship to Howard University..… She became a full-time professor at Miner Teachers College and taught evening classes at Howard, dedicating her life to education and making geology a more inclusive field.”

Source: Association for Women in Science

Learn more at blogs.egu.eu

Brought to you by DEISJ, written by Karen Helgers on 3/21/23

Students who feel like they belong in college tend to do better in college. It is possible to make simple changes to your syllabi in order to make students feel more welcome and more like they belong in your class.

How can you do this?

Here are three simple suggestions.

1. Change the language to be less formal and more friendly. The syllabus is how you introduce your course to your students. It doesn't have to read like a catalog description.

2. Explain what an office hour is. Many students have no idea that these are times that are set up for them. Consider renaming them "Student Office Hours."

3. Consider including a statement on diversity and inclusion. Here is one example:

"I want my classroom, whether virtual or face-to-face to be a welcoming and comfortable place for all my students. I want my students to have opportunities to learn in a supportive, positive, respectful environment, and maybe even to have a little fun while doing it. I commit to creating and maintaining this type of environment through open communication, mutual respect, and promoting equity and inclusion while rejecting racism, ableism, homophobia, sexism and transphobia. Part of this process includes acknowledging and embracing the differences among us in order to establish and reinforce that each one of us matters. I appreciate your suggestions about how best to ensure this classroom is a community of respect and belonging."

Brought to you by DEISJ, written by Karen Helgers

WHY do active learning in your classroom?

Many studies support the use of active learning in the classroom. Why is this an issue for a committee focused on diversity, equity, social justice and inclusion? Colleges very often show achievement and learning gaps between student demographic groups. Not only can active learning improve academic success for all students,

EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT ACTIVE LEARNING REDUCES THESE ACHIEVEMENT GAPS!

Active learning is EQUITY in action!

Check out these links:

Active learning narrows achievement gaps for underrepresented students in undergraduate STEM

Where's the evidence that active learning works?

Does Active Learning Work? A Review of the Research

WHAT is active learning?

Active learning is any student-centered interaction with the class material.

This definition comes from Cornell's Center for Teaching Innovation: "Active learning methods ask students to engage in their learning by thinking, discussing, investigating, and creating. In class, students practice skills, solve problems, struggle with complex questions, make decisions, propose solutions, and explain ideas in their own words through writing and discussion."

Active learning improves student outcomes!

If you want to incorporate more active learning into your class, there are many techniques you can try. A few are described below. Try the following links for additional ideas and more details.

Science Education Resource Center

UC Berkeley

As a relatively new convert to active learning, I am very excited about the activities I have incorporated into my classes. Please contact me if you'd like to see some of my examples or discuss ideas further.

Brought to you by DEISJ, written by Karen Helgers

Divide the class in groups. Each group analyses a different set of data, or reads a different article or case study. In new groups, members share their new knowledge with other members. The new groups answer questions or solve a problem that can only be done by combining the knowledge from each of the original groups.

Advantages: Encourages self-teaching, peer-teaching, fosters discussion and supports participation by all. Nothing to grade.

Disadvantages: Takes longer than a professor telling students a list of facts.

Challenges: Prep time involved in teachers finding materials and compiling activity. Works best when students don't need to know details from every article/data set.

How I use the technique: I assign articles on different aspects of a topic (for example, different types of air pollution). I have a set of questions that the second groups need to answer (i.e., comparing the severity of the different pollutants and developing a plan to combat air pollution). Students then report back to the class as a whole.

This link contains a great description.

This page shows some examples of jigsaw activities in science

Brought to you by DEISJ, written by Karen Helgers

Students are given a problem. They think about it individually and then pair up with another student to compare their thoughts. Instructor then asks for students to share answers with rest of class.

Advantages: Encourages engagement and critical thinking. Simple to do, can be done on the fly or with prepared worksheets. I have found that students are usually more comfortable sharing answers with class after vetting them with each other. Doesn't take much time. Nothing to grade. Easy way to incorporate more active learning. Breaks lectures up and makes them more interactive.

Disadvantages and Challenges: Not too many disadvantages. In some classes, it can be like pulling teeth to get students to talk to each other. Some students may still be reluctant to share even after discussing with neighbor.

How I use the technique: Sometimes I will have worksheets made ahead of time. Other times I will use this technique in the middle of a lecture when a question arises.

This link contains a great description.

This page shows some examples of think-pair-share in science.

Stations with problems or open-ended questions are set up throughout the classroom. Students move in groups from station to station. Can be used to assess student knowledge before covering a topic, to expand upon a topic, to encourage critical thinking, etc.

Advantages: Promotes engagement and critical thinking, acts as formative assessment. Encourages team building. Flexible - can be used for simple questions or higher-level questions. Nothing to grade. Students get to physically move.

Disadvantages: Takes more time than lecture.

Challenges: Sometimes difficult to find enough appropriate questions. Pacing - some groups are quicker than others. Sometimes hard to get students to think beyond basics. Instructor walking around the room helps students think beyond basics.

How I use this technique: This is one of my favorite techniques. I have a mix of questions -some are topic review, some are thinking about new material, some are problem solving (i.e., "you're the water manager for a town. How do you use the scientific method to protect the water supply?"). Some stations involve writing ideas and answers; some involve putting items in categories (i.e., factors that increase temperature vs. factors that decrease temperature). After the groups complete the activity, I will lecture from the stations.

This link contains a great description.

This page shows some examples of gallery walks in science

Brought to you by DEISJ, written by Karen Helgers