I used evidence-based teaching strategies as a lecturer in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma when students did not have easy access to their financial aid or textbooks.

1. USING EVIDENCE-BASED TEACHING
STRATEGIES TO CONTRIBUTE TO
QUALITY AND AFFORDABILITY OF
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR NON-
TRADITIONAL STUDENTS AT CCGA
PAVLA HARRIS, PHD
LECTURER, COLLEGE OF COASTAL GEORGIA
BRUNSWICK, GA

2. INTRODUCTION
In the spring semester of 2017 one sociology faculty member
passed away, and another was let go, and I came aboard on a
short notice for the fall. (and later, for spring, as well). I have
taught intro-level classes before, but I was not fully prepared for
the following:
1. I could not pick my own books, and I did not get the
actual books till about a week before the start of classes.
2. There was going to be a HURRICANE!!! (For me that
meant literally and figuratively…)
3. Students waiting for financial aid did not have access to
the free e-book on D2L.

3. WHAT TO DO???
• In the beginning most of what I did was intuitive, based on my experience. Later I
searched to validate the way I taught.
• My “experience-based” approach made me think of evidence-based medicine; why not
the same in teaching?That is how I discovered evidence-based teaching.
• Criteria: resources for teaching had to be free, readily available and accessible, and
not overused (= NOT Facebook memes orYouTube soundbites).And, of course, in my
case they had to be related to sociology. In general, similar resources exist for almost
any discipline.They also had to have been proven in some way to work, by research or
empirical studies.

4. WHAT IS EVIDENCE-BASEDTEACHING?
Adapted from Killian (2015):
• Supported by research
• Has higher effect on student results than other teaching strategies
• Needs to be able to be used on a wide-range of different subjects
There are many evidence-based teaching strategies, but some are more successful than others,
and not all are appropriate for college teaching, but some are.
How do we know what works? Previous research, i.e., Hattie effect size research (1999, 2016)
that is geared towards K-12, and Eddy, Converse, and Wenderoth (2015) for the college level.
Good resource is the Australian site: www.evidencebasedteaching.org.au.

5. TOP TEN EVIDENCE-BASEDTEACHING STRATEGIES
(KILLIAN 2015)
1. Clear Lesson Goals
2. Show andTell
3. Questioning to Check for Understanding
4. Summarize New Learning in A GraphicalWay
5. Plenty of Practice
6. Feedback!
7. Flexibility about How Long ItTakes to Learn
8. Productive GroupWork
9.Teach Strategies, Not Just Content
10. Nurture Meta-Cognition

6. STRATEGIES IWILL DISCUSSTODAY
(USED OFTEN,WORKEDWELL, NO COSTTO STUDENTS)
SHOW ANDTELL
PRODUCTIVE GROUP WORK
TEACHING STRATEGIES, NOT JUST CONTENT

7. SHOW ANDTELL
Criteria:
The material to be shown had to have robust educational content, be age appropriate, and fit in
with the learning objectives in the syllabus. It also had to be something that was not commonly
known, and unlikely to have been shown in local high schools.
EXAMPLE 1 - DOCUMENTARY MOVIES: Our Spirits Don’t Speak English
- Not usually shown
- Suitable for multiple classes and topics: history, anthropology, sociology, cultural studies,
linguistics, government, ecology, economics, law, psychology, collective memory and trauma,
and race and ethnicity.

8. OUR SPIRITS DON’T SPEAK ENGLISH: INDIAN BOARDING
SCHOOL
“Our Spirits Don’t Speak English: Indian Boarding School is a Native American
perspective on Indian Boarding Schools.This DVD produced by Rich-Heape Films, Inc.
uncovers the dark history of U.S. Government policy which took Indian children from their
homes, forced them into boarding schools and enacted a policy of educating them in the
ways of Western Society.This DVD gives a voice to the countless Indian children forced
through a system designed to strip them of their Native American culture, heritage and
traditions.”
https://www.richheape.com/boarding-school.htm

9. SHOW ANDTELL,
CONTINUED
EXAMPLE 2: CHARTS AND
FIGURES
Media Bias Chart

10. PRODUCTIVE GROUPWORK
IN-CLASS DISCUSSIONS
• Used in both semesters, usually as a follow up to the SHOW & TELL
• Students know they have to watch the documentary and take notes (instead of sleeping)
• Main points from documentaries and group discussions are always on the exams
GROUP PROJECTS AS TERM PROJECTS
• Self-explanatory, but also fulfills #10 from the list: NURTURING META-COGNITION
• Using as a new strategy this semester, and the projects include mandatory class presentations

11. TEACHING STRATEGIES, NOT JUST
CONTENT
EXAMPLE:
Pavla’s Five Points on How to
Approach Sociology to
ALWAYS BE SUCCESSFUL!

12. Pavla’s Five Points on How to Approach Sociology to
ALWAYS BE SUCCESSFUL!
Remember:
 Family is the primary agency of socialization
 Soc. Imagination: micro/macro
 Power differentials
 Who benefits? (Often: follow the $$$!)
 Real-life examples…

13. CONCLUSION
• Evidence-based teaching strategies can be successfully used in college classroom,
especially with dual-enrollment / nontraditional students.
• Many evidence-based teaching strategies are low- or no-cost to students and can either
consistently save funds, or be used in times of need – emergencies or when financial aid
is delayed.
• More research is needed with regard to how effective each of the strategies is, because
large-scale studies have been done mostly on K-12 students to date.
~ REFERENCES UPON REQUEST~