Jill Vettrus, a Mathematics Instructor at Southeast Technical College in South Dakota, assigns students to upload a quote that is important to them and explain why it is important in 2-4 sentences. She uses this assignment in the first week of all of her math classes, including Math Applications through College Algebra.
There are two main goals with this assignment:
- It allows students to practice uploading a document within the LMS in a low stakes way prior to needing to do it for an actual graded assignment.
- It allows Vettrus to get to know students in a powerful way and for them to learn about their instructor.
When Vettrus introduces herself to students, she shares a couple of favorite quotes along with the reasons they are important to her and how she uses them in her teaching and life. Her favorite quotes are both from Maya Angelou:
- “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
- “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Jill Vettrus finds that sharing her own favorite quotes helps to create a welcoming environment from day one as she is being transparent about who she is and what she uses to guide her personal and professional life. Vettrus also has posters of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant in her classroom, so she shares a quote by each of them on how failures helped them lead to their success and Kobe’s Mamba Mentality.
Digital Resources
LMS
By completing this favorite quote activity at the beginning of the semester, Vettrus is able to make sure students know how to properly upload a file or assignment using the university LMS. Often, students will use “pages” to upload their quote, and Vettrus is not able to open those files, so this allows her to catch this disconnect early before students need to upload anything for a graded assignment.
Vettrus reads and responds digitally to each quote students submit during the first week or two of class. Responding through the LMS creates an immediate connection and a deeper talking point with a student she has just meet. Reading student quotes and responding is one of Vettrus’s favorite things to do each term. She loves reading what guides students and is amazed at how open they are at sharing their why.
Digital Enablement
In addition to fostering a sense of belonging through an inclusive learning environment, this assignment allows students to practice uploading a document within the Learning Management System in a low stakes way prior to needing to upload something for an actual graded assignment. Responding to students through the LMS has the added benefit of making sure students are able to access instructor feedback and comments through the LMS. Vettrus is supporting instructional transparency, ensuring that students know what is required of them and how to succeed in the class.
Vettrus has found that sharing quotes has really helped her connect with students from day one and gain a little insight into them as both a person and a student. As an additional benefit, student quotes and explanations have given her a glimpse into other cultures. Vettrus recommends keeping this as a private assignment, not a forum post. This builds a personal connection between students and the instructor.