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Presented at the 3rd Liberal Arts Conference, American University of Kuwait, Salmiya, State of Kuwait May 11, 2008 SELF-EXPRESSION ASSIGNMENT (SEA) AS A NOVEL TEACHING APPROACH IN A LIBERAL ARTS-TYPE ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT Farouk El-Sabban Department of Family Sciences, College for Women, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969 - Safat 13060, State of Kuwait |
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INTRODUCTION (1) Educational processes at institutions of higher learning are dynamic
Educators strive to excel in their chosen profession
Traditional teaching methods are sound and practiced satisfactorily
However, there is a need to develop new approaches |
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Academic programs make some courses compulsory
Such courses are most likely introductory in nature
Students may feel that these courses are irrelevant or a burden
This feeling may not make students develop a real interest in them
Educators take initiatives in developing new teaching approaches to fulfill the learning objectives INTRODUCTION (2) |
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The self-expression assignment (SEA) is a new teaching approach
It is more suited for introductory-type courses – some of which are compulsory
SEA could enhance interest of students in these courses
INTRODUCTION (3) |
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Developed based on circumstances at the College for Women (CFW), Kuwait University
The SEA allows students to exercise freedom in learning
Students choose topics among those covered in a course
Students produce their finished projects within a set deadline
The SEA is carried out with minimal involvement from the course instructor
THE IDEA OF SEA |
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DEVELOPMENT OF THE SEA
The idea of SEA was conceived and developed based on several factors:
The overall college environment
Students - as recipients of teaching
The nature and level of courses being taught |
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THE COLLEGE ENVIRONMENT (1)
The College for Women (CFW) is new among all colleges of Kuwait University
It started offering courses in September 2003 and consisted of 4 departments at that time
Currently, CFW consists of 5 diverse departments:
Department of Arts and Design
Department of Communication Disorders and Languages
Department of Environment Technology Management
Department of Family Sciences
Department of Information Science |
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THE COLLEGE ENVIRONMENT (2)
Students currently receive undergraduate education only
They can major in any of the diverse disciplines at CFW
The curricula at CFW follow the outcome-based learning system
The language of instruction at CFW is English |
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STUDENTS AND CLASSES Students at CFW are all females - most are high school graduates
Governmental pre-college educational system in Kuwait is done in Arabic
Some students may have had previous exposure to instruction in English
Upon admission, students must pass a number of English language courses
On average, students start this stage of their education at about 18 years of age |
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OFFERED COURSES A wide spectrum of courses is offered at CFW
All courses at the 100 level are known as the General College Education Domain
These courses are at the introductory level
Average class size is 20, but is increasing over time
Some classes have 30 students in some compulsory courses |
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IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SEA
The SEA has been implemented in 3 courses:
FSC 104 (The Human Body - basic human anatomy and physiology)
FSC 110 (Introduction to Human Nutrition and Food Science)
CFW 104 (Biology)
Total number of student enrollment in these 3 courses was 119
All of the above courses were taught by one instructor, the presenter of this paper |
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THE SEA WRITEUP (1)
A write up about the SEA was incorporated in each course syllabus
Each student was provided with a list of relevant topics – to choose one only
Students were informed that this assignment is of a self-expression style, in which students produce a variety of work, for example:
Make a model
Prepare a poster
Produce an educational material for the public…etc. |
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THE SEA WRITEUP (2) Students were told that this SEA is for each to interact freely with the chosen topic
Deadlines were given for informing the instructor of the chosen topics and for the submission of their completed assignments
Students were informed of the percentage weight of their SEA marks towards the final grade for the course - usually 20%
It was also conveyed to students that it is possible to exhibit their finished projects in a special event at CFW |
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THE SEA TOPIC LISTS
An extensive list of topics was given in each of the 3 courses
Topics were relevant to the course being taught
Topics were broad – to report on a particular aspect
Students were invited to suggest topics of their own
Some students contributed to existing topics
Once topics are chosen by students, everyone is committed |
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PRODUCTS OF THE SEA (1) Students have varied academic interests, personal talents and ambition
It is not surprising that most students excelled in producing their finished projects
A beautiful array of projects resulted from the SEA’S
It was felt that students handed in their completed work with a sense of pride |
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PRODUCTS OF THE SEA (2) Completed projects included:
Traditional written reports
Models - some with moving and flashing lights
Posters
Oil paintings
Video clips
PowerPoint and oral presentations
Computer-generated designs
Educational leaflets and booklets for children
Information leaflets for the public
Hand drawings |
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HANDLING OF PROJECTS (1- Display)
Completed assignments were displayed in a visible area of the department for fellow students, faculty, visitors and passers-by to see
In most cases, comments made were very positive and some offered constructive criticism
These comments were made verbally
All comments were appreciated |
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HANDLING OF PROJECTS (2- Grading)
The course instructor graded the traditional written reports, according to a rubric that has been approved by CFW
Assessment of oral presentations was done by all students and the course instructor, according to another rubric approved by CFW
For all other types of assignments, a number of fellow colleagues (2-4) volunteered to be project evaluators
Scores from evaluators and of the course instructor were incorporated into the overall mark |
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HANDLING OF THE SEA PROJECTS (3- Grading)
Volunteers were briefed on the grading criteria, knowingly that a project was to reflect creativity and innovation in addition to its educational/scientific aspect
Volunteers were asked to be mindful that these young students have shown a serious commitment to their projects
A simple rubric was devised in which the following were included:
Creativity: 75%
Educational/scientific content: 15%
Quality of the finished product: 10%
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FATE OF THE SEA PROJECTS Students are informed that when grading of their projects is completed, each student may pick up her assignment – most students do so
Students may display their projects and discuss them with attendees during student-activity and College events
In all cases, projects were documented:
Written-type assignments were saved electronically
The rest (models, paintings, posters…etc.) were photographed
These records were incorporated in appropriate course files |
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STUDENT ASSESSMENT OF THE SEA (1- QUESTIONNAIRE)
A questionnaire containing 10 statements was devised
Complete responses were obtained from 109 students, out of a possible total of 119
All students who were located responded, i.e., 100% response rate
The main purpose of this survey was to learn about the level of acceptance of the SEA by students |
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STUDENT ASSESSMENT OF THE SEA (2- RESULTS) The overall assessment by students showed a favorable percentage rating of 87.1+7.0 – with 9.5+5.7 undecided and 3.4+2.9 disagreeing
Thus, it can be concluded that the majority of students has accepted the SEA
Students felt that it has stimulated their interest in subject matters and enhanced their learning in-depth about chosen topics |
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STUDENT COMMENTS ON THE SEA (1) A total of 27 comments were obtained, which represented 24.8% of total responses
Two comments praised the course instructor
Five comments of thanks
Raise the grade of the assignment (3 comments) |
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STUDENT COMMENTS ON THE SEA (2) Representative direct quotes of the remaining 17 comments were:
Every course must have like these assignments to make students have more knowledge and use their creativity
I have enjoyed doing this project and feel very proud of my work
I liked the idea of the assignment. It taught me to be a self-learner and convey my information in my own creative way
This assignment helped in bringing the artistic skill to meet the science and made it more fun to me
It was also interesting because it was not purely scientific. It involved imagination and self expression |
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ADVANTAGES OF IMPLEMENTING THE SEA (1) Expressed views about advantages of the SEA are those as perceived by the course instructor and as supported by the student assessment and comments
Advantages of the SEA are both:
Educational (knowledge gained)
Developmental (including creativity and commitment)
Both of the above are significant aspects of higher education |
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ADVANTAGES OF IMPLEMENTING THE SEA (2) Advantages of the SEA can be summarized as follows:
Freedom to choose a topic. This involves self-learning (introductory search for information) which aids in deciding on a topic
Stimulation of student’s thinking about the chosen topic and development of sense of responsibility to execute one’s own project
Learning more in-depth information about the chosen topic. Searching for information is essential to come up with an executable idea of the assignment in a creative and innovative fashion and it is a necessity to report the scientific content |
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ADVANTAGES OF IMPLEMENTING THE SEA (3) Freedom in producing a “finished product” of own. This may give the student the chance to “discover” talents that were not apparent or recognized earlier
Development of the sense of pride in handing in the completed assignment and when seen by fellow students or exhibited in college-wide events
Development of a sense of commitment through deciding on a topic, handling the assignment and submitting a finished product
For those who elect to make an oral presentation of their topics, it is a chance towards developing skills for public speaking
Having the opportunity to learn from finished projects of other students |
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CONCLUDING REMARKS The overall response to this method of teaching and in motivating students to learn has been very positive
Students felt comfortable about this assignment, felt that they had the opportunity to learn about chosen topics on their own and at their own pace
The level of motivation and willingness to be a self-learner on the part of students has been very satisfactory
The magnitude of commitment exhibited by students is a great benefit towards their personal and professional development
The SEA component is very suitable and compatible with introductory-level courses
The SEA may be implemented in courses of different disciplines |
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SELF-EXPRESSION ASSIGNMENT Thanks for Listening
Any Questions?
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