Teaching with LASER

LASER scholars participated in daily activities during the Summer Institute and ongoing activities throughout the year to help them design a customized instructional plan. This plan is implemented during the academic year at their home institutions or other contexts. As part of these activities, the project team collaborates with participants to choose relevant topics, modules and activities, effective teaching methods (pedagogy), and suitable technology from our training resources that meet the needs of their learners.

The LASER BEAM team will also work with participants in aligning the chosen learning analytics topics, pedagogy, and technology with scholars’ context to ensure the modules are tailored to address the unique needs and preferences of their learners.

Design sessions will also provide opportunities for scholars to collaborate and plan with other participants to support developing their practice of teaching. After the Summer Institute, scholars will participate in monthly virtual check-ins to finalize plans that they will implement in the academic year.

SHARK Goals

If you’ve seen the movie Austin Powers, you’ll remember that Dr. Evil famously demanded “to have sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads!” Based on this ridiculous idea, our initial logo shown above included a shark above the program name, but our final design shown on the title page is (slightly) more subtle.

We also carried this idea through for our version of SMART goals, i.e., SHARK Goals, which is an instructional goal that you will establish during the Summer Workshop. Specifically, scholars will participate in Pedagogy and Design Sessions that will help them create an instructional plan for teaching colleagues or students within or beyond their home institution.

The first step in designing an instructional plan is to develop a SHARK Goal, which includes identifying learning analytics topics and/or techniques and LASER materials that support teaching these topics, approaches and techniques. The SHARK Goal should address the following components:

  • Specific. Identify specific learning analytics topics and/or techniques to teach others; 

  • How To. Develop a plan for how to incorporate LASER materials into this instructional experience;

  • Attainable. Ensure the plan is attainable during the academic year, preferably fall semester; 

  • Relevant. Make sure the plan is relevant to their professional goals; and,

  • Keep Track. Help to keep track of feedback, information, and insights gained to help improve the curriculum. 

Instructional Formats

In addition to developing a SHARK Goal, scholars select the format for their instruction. Formats will vary based on scholars’ SHARK Goal, which may include, but is not limited to, courses, webinars, and workshops. Scholars are encouraged to select formats that are appropriate for their institutional roles, contexts, expertise, professional goals and interests. For example, some scholars may want to incorporate LASER materials into an entire course that they currently teach or plan to teach. Other scholars may choose a format where the instructional plan will be implemented in one to four hours of instruction.

  • Courses. Curriculum materials can be adopted and adapted by scholars to provide a 1-3 credit course at their home institutions.

  • Lessons or Units. In addition, modules activities can be embedded as individual lessons or short units of instruction within existing courses or programs.

  • Workshop. Others may wish to design professional development for faculty and/or other colleagues at their home institution that they implement in the form of a workshop. Another possibility is designing a presentation or workshop that is implemented at a professional conference.

  • Webinar. Yet others may want to create professional development for colleagues at and beyond their home institution in the form of a virtual webinar.

To assist scholars in developing and implementing their instruction plans, scholars are provided a range of resources such as example course syllabi and webinar and workshop templates.

Plan Development

Based on their SHARK goal and selected format, scholars design a customized instructional plan for teaching colleagues or students within or beyond their home institution. This aspect of the program provides an opportunity for scholars to apply their pedagogical knowledge and skills related to learning analytics using LASER materials. Instructional plans will be implemented during the academic year, preferably in the fall semester. 

Scholars participate in daily Pedagogy and Design Sessions during the that will support them in creating an instructional plan. During the Summer Institute, templates will be provided to scholars to guide their planning. Scholars will use one of the following planning guides based on their SHARK Goal and selected format for implementation:

During the academic year, scholars will continue planning, refining and finalizing instructional plans that will be implemented during the academic year, preferably in the fall. Scholars will participate in monthly check-ins with the LASER BEAM team to finalize plans and implementation of instruction.