Digitally-Enabled, Evidence-Based Teaching Practice: Fostering a Sense of Belonging

  • Testing Probabilistic Intuition Using Thousands of Trials in a Digital Environment

    Students are directly engaged through hands-on coding and experimentation in R, rather than passively receiving information. They create simulations, run trials, visualize outcomes, and dynamically explore probabilistic concepts, thus becoming deeply embedded in their own learning process.

  • Learning About Students Through an Introductory Online Survey

    In recent years, Latulippe has begun using a brief online introductory survey to get to know a little bit more about students in her courses. She uses Microsoft Forms, but there are many other digital survey tools available including Qualtrics, Google Forms, Survey Monkey, or a quiz built into your LMS or online homework system.

  • Confirming Our Worth as Human Beings via an Online Discussion Board

    Precalculus students listen to and discuss a talk which communicates to students that they have an inherent dignity apart from their grades. This message is foundational to creating a sense of belonging both in the classroom and in STEM fields.

  • Leveraging Student Interests and Experiences Through Gamified Digital Assessment

    Michele Hampton, a professor of economics, uses Kahoot! to recap lectures and award students extra credit points if they make it into the top three of the class. Content can be tailored to student interests, and easily adjusted in real-time. Professor Hampton also incorporates celebratory music videos into her Kahoot! quizzes, adding an element of engagement and…

  • Digital Workspaces that Allow Students and Professors to Build Social Connections While Learning

    HollyAnne Lee, a professor of Mathematics and Statistics Education, and Professor Edray Goins use Slack and Discord workspaces to communicate with students. The ability to create separate channels for things like announcements and assignment reminders, alongside social connection channels like sharing life updates or photos of pets, creates a community that can help students better…

  • Digital Assignments and Tools that Foster Inclusive Practices and Norms

    One of Professor Neil Garg’s assignments asks students to identify a problem in STEM education to solve through a digital solution. QR Chem, a mobile-device compatible digital molecular model tool, was created through this assignment to provide a free, more accessible alternative to physical molecular model kits, which are required for many chemistry courses.

  • Culturally and Socially Relevant Virtual Labs

    Kimberly Jackson, a professor of biochemistry, has developed culturally and socially relevant labs that create opportunities for students to share and draw from their cultural identities. She sets the cultural context for their organic chemistry lab, for example by having students read Audre Lorde’s book Journey, about her struggle as a queer black woman dealing…

  • Creating Digital Curriculum that Features Positive Representations of Students’ Identities

    BACON, led by Neil Garg, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry, is an online organic chemistry tutorial that draws connections to human health and pop culture. BACON includes “Sizzling Scientists,” which features scientists from underrepresented backgrounds and their contributions to the field.

  • Assessing Interests and Experiences with Digital Survey Tools

    Maria Tackett, a professor of statistical science, uses digital surveys in Qualtrics at the beginning of her statistics course to assess student experience and interests. These survey responses inform both course subject matter, for example types of data sets they might look at, as well as how Dr. Tackett groups students into project groups based on…