Who's in class form
You can design a more inclusive learning environment when they are interested in their students by reading more about their backgrounds, interests, and motivations for learning (Addy et al., 2021). Your students come to the classroom with a broad range of pre-existing knowledge, skills, beliefs, and attitudes, influencing how they attend, interpret and organize information. Since new knowledge and skill depend on pre-existing knowledge and skill, knowing what students know and can do when they enter the classroom or before they begin a new topic of study can help us craft instructional activities that build off of student strengths and acknowledge and address their weaknesses.
Questions for getting to know your students
Adapt and administer these questions (listed below) in an anonymous online survey (Qualtrics, etc.) for students to complete voluntarily at the start of the semester. Then, view the results in aggregate and use focused steps to make your course more inclusive.
This form allows you to share aspects of life that can help your instructor know how to support overall learning in this course better. Please be aware that you are not obligated to complete this form. The information collected will be aggregated, held anonymous, and used to help foster an inclusive and equitable classroom.
As a reminder, there is no obligation for you to answer any of the questions. This questionnaire aims to help me understand who is in class so that I can support your success.
- For what reason did you sign up for this class?
- How does this course fit into your academic plans/career goals?
- What are you most looking forward to in this class?
- Do you have any concerns?
- How can I help you be successful in this course?
- Related to the Principles of Community, this one resonates _____ with me.
- My expectations for inclusivity (an equitable, welcoming environment) in this course are:
- Other factors that may impact my experiences in this class are: ____
There are several different methods to assess pre-existing knowledge and skills in students. Some are direct measures, such as tests, concept maps, portfolios, auditions, etc., and others are more indirect, such as self-reports, inventory of prior courses and experiences, etc.
- Concept inventories are multiple-choice or short-answer tests that target fundamental concepts within a domain. These tests are designed to uncover systematic misconceptions.
- Concept maps reveal the underlying structure or organization of a student’s knowledge of a concept or constellation of concepts. These are very helpful when the kinds of causal theories and relations among ideas are critical to their understanding of the course materials.
- Self-assessment probes are indirect methods of assessment that ask students to reflect and comment on their level of knowledge and skill across a range of items. These items can include knowledge and skills that are prerequisites for the course and items you will address.
- What is your availability for help sessions or student office hours? (includes a link to a scheduling poll or an open-ended essay question)
- What structure of help sessions or student office hours would be most helpful to you? (e.g., Q&A, coffee and conversation, discussions about study skills, etc.)
- I will contact you about my Notification Letter from Student Accessibility Services requesting reasonable accommodations. (Yes/No)
- I may be late or have to leave early because……
- I work on or off-campus. The number of hours that I work per week is ____.
- I have a mobile/smart device with WIFI capability. (Yes/No)
- I have a laptop or desktop computer that I can use for classwork. (Yes/No)
- I can access all of the materials needed for this class. (Yes/No)
Resources
- Addy, M.T., Dube, D., Mitchell, K. A., & SoRelle, M. (2021). What inclusive instructors do: Principles and practices for excellence in college teaching. Stylus Publishing
- Addy, M.T., Dube, D. & Mitchell, K. A. (2020, Aug. 5). Fostering an inclusive classroom. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2020/08/05/small-steps-instructors-can-take-build-more-inclusive-classrooms-opinion
The Who’s in your class form by the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) at Iowa State University, is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0. This work, Who’s in your class form is a derivative of the Who’s in Class? Form from Stylus Publishing (permission received by LaFayette College). The form is included in the book What Inclusive Instructors Do Principles and Practices from Excellence in College Teaching.
The Assess Prior Knowledge and Skills section by the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) at Iowa State University, is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0. This work, Assess Prior Knowledge and Skills section is a derivative of the Assessing Prior Knowledge developed by Carnegie Mellon University Eberly Center Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation (retrieved on July 5, 2022) from https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/priorknowledge.html