Part 2 of a For Faculty by Faculty workshop. Intended for those who attended the first part. See previous slides.

1. JUST IN TIME TEACHING
FOR FACULTY, BY FACULTY
Name
School
Department
PART 2 – MAKING IT WORK
OCTOBER 15TH, 2014
JEFF LOATS
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS

2. OVERVIEW
1. Your questions
2. Writing good questions
3. Best tools
4. The “sales pitch”
5. Closing the loop

3. Consider a typical day in your class. What fraction
of students did their preparatory work before
coming to class?
Previous anonymous poll results (compiled):
28%
33%
21%
14%
N = 206
5%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
0-20% 20-40% 40-60% 60-80% 80-100%

4. JUST-IN-TIME TEACHING
Learne
Online pre-class assignments
r
called WarmUps
First half - Students
• Conceptual questions, answered in sentences
• Graded on thoughtful effort
Second half - Instructor
• Responses are read “just in time”
• Instructor modifies that day’s plan accordingly.
• Aggregate and individual (anonymous) responses
are displayed in class.
Teacher

5. JUST-IN-TIME TEACHING
A different student role:
• Actively prepare for class
(not just reading/watching)
Learne
r
• Actively engage in class
• Compare your progress & plan accordingly
A different instructor role:
• Actively prepare for class with you
(not just going over last year’s notes )
• Modify class accordingly
• Create interactive engagement opportunities
Teacher

6. WARM-UP: JITT QUESTIONS
Either from your memory of the workshop, or from
reviewing the slides (above), what is your biggest
question/concern about Just-in-Time Teaching?
But first… Consider what a teacher/facilitator
“should” do with responses to a question like this.

7. WARM-UP: JITT QUESTIONS
Topics already on the docket:
“How to use the technology to implement.”
“What kind of hardware and software will I need
to implement JiTT in my class(es)?”
“My biggest concern is being able to construct
thoughtful and beneficial warm up questions.”
“drafting meaningful questions which are not
burdensome to the students.”

8. WARM-UP: JITT QUESTIONS
“I'm curious about the nature of the questions
asked prior to class and how those questions
relate to (1) how you prepare your lesson plans,
and (2) what do you do in classes without
textbooks (it sounds like jitt may be independent
of a text)”

9. WARM-UP: JITT QUESTIONS
“My biggest concern regards the conception of the role
of the teacher. Standing in front of students is belittled
as being some sort of "sage on the stage" in this
philosophy. I would argue there is a crying need for
leadership and guidance in the classroom demonstrating
connections between concepts, encouraging the students
to explain why they think their answer is correct.
Overall, my concern is that a guide on the side is simply
an abdication of authority and responsibility. If the
students are supposed to figure this out all on their own
then perhaps full-time faculty would agree to a
commensurate cut in their salary.”

10. WARM-UP: JITT QUESTIONS
“My main concern is about the underlying
paradigms of JiTT:
Paradigm 1. A teacher must use the latest
teaching methods.e.g., Dr. Loats said he would
not be treated by a phsician who uses ‘old
fashioned’ treatments. Would Dr. Loats be treated
by a physician who says: ‘I use the latest cutting-edge
treatment, even though it does not really
make sense to me’?”
“cutting edge” vs. “well established”

11. WARM-UP: JITT QUESTIONS
“Paradigm 2.Students must be prepared for class
(ahead of time). Doesn't it ruin the edge? i.e., the
element of prompting new ideas during the class?
(e.g., isn't it like watching a football game when
you already know the final score?)”
Would we say learning requires experiencing the
joy of discovery?
I would argue the arrow goes the other way…
(Plus, a good show can’t replace best practices)

12. WARM-UP: JITT QUESTIONS
“When 90% are correct and 10% are not
incorrect; what keeps the 'incorrect' students from
being turned off or feeling hopelessly excluded?”
“My biggest concern is that the additional
workload for the student might not be worth the
reward/gains in learning the material.”
Concrete results: More time-on-task, less
cramming, better study “habits”.

13. FEATURES OF A GOOD QUESTION
14
What would a “good” response look like?
– A paragraph? (too long)
– One word? (too short)
Make sure the reading is needed to respond (but a
sentence straight out of the book shouldn’t work).
Make sure a beginner can take a crack at the question
Be concrete:
– “Explain in 2-3 sentences.”
– “Give two brief examples.”
– “Explain how you got your estimate.”
“Game out” their responses a bit.

14. WRITE A QUESTION AND SHARE...
15
Imagine an introductory course in your discipline.
Imagine a topic you discuss early in that course.
Pick one type, write one question:
– A “low level” question (remember, understand):
Terms: “Define, repeat” or “describe, explain”
– A “higher level” question (apply, analyze,
evaluate)
Terms: “Sketch, use” or “compare, estimate”
Write for a few minutes, then to trade and answer
your neighbor’s.

15. FEATURES OF A GOOD JITT TOOL
16
All student responses on one webpage
Auto-grading: 2/2 for anything by default.
Click to email students from the response page.
“Frequently sent responses” a bit automated.
List of responses is either randomized or tracked
to distribute instructor attention.
Other “modern” web amenities, like autosave,
time warnings, etc.

16. SMALL ASIDE: TEXT EXPANDER
17
Every professor should have this!
You define a short text string, such as “ttyl”
When typed instantly replaced: “Talk to you later!”
Best FREE tools for Windows:
– Texter (simple with some advanced tools)
– AutoHotKey (advanced and can do much more)
Best tools for Mac:
– TypeIt4Me (30 days free, $5 after that. Worth it)

17. WHAT TOOLS TO USE?
18
• CMS/LMS (Blackboard, D2L, Moodle, etc.)
Ready to use, tools range from ok to awful
• Free service from JiTTDL.org.
Designed just for JiTT, but extra login, and the
site has not been improved in ~5 years
• Students email responses
Easy! Usually overwhelming and awful
• Blogging tools (WordPress)?
• New tools (TopHat, Learning Catalytics)?

18. WARM-UP: WHICH CLASS &
WHY?
If you did implement JiTT, what class would you
implement it in?
Finite math or college algebra
Intro. to statistics
Intro. to nutrition
Technical communication
Conducting and/or music appreciation. Orchestra?
Public speaking, electronic media and society, writing for
broadcast journalism.
American sign language

19. WARM-UP: WHICH CLASS &
WHY?
… and what is the benefit you would most be
hoping for?
~58% → Better student preparation
~25% → More student engagement/motivation
~8% → More student participation during class
~17% → Free up time for activities/application
~17% → More learning
~8% → Faster learning
~8% → Review past material for class

20. WARM-UP: WHICH CLASS &
WHY?
“I think it could be implemented in any of my
classes because I think it would encourage
additional engagement in class regardless of the
subject matter. I'd probably choose to try it in a
more advanced (smaller) class first where there is
less risk involved as I learn how to incorporate
the warm-ups effectively, etc.
However, I think it would be most useful in
general studies courses where the students are
often less engaged in the material when they
come in.”

21. THE SALES PITCH
The way we talk to our students impacts
• How they approach the assignments
• How they feel about the work they do

22. OVERARCHING MESSAGE
Communicating with your students (humans)
• Message (explicit statements)
• Attitude (subtext, body language, etc.)
Consistent subtext:
"I am here to help you learn, and I have thought
about your learning trajectory carefully."
Consistent attitude:
I am comfortable and relaxed about my part of
this partnership.

23. DAY 1 – GENERAL
Describe components of the course
• How each one is graded, and why.
• How each one is important for learning and/or
assessment.
Keep justifications short and succinct
Be honest:
"This is my first time using this method, and
there is a lot of data on how and why this is
effective and what the best practices are."

24. DAY 1 – JITT
When discussing JiTT:
“Today is going to feel pretty ‘normal.’ You’ll get
to see how this works starting next time, after
you’ve done your first warm-up.”
It isn’t “more assignments = more work,” but
rather “working in smaller chunks is more
effective and more efficient.”

25. ALLOW TIME
They (probably) won’t “buy it all” on Day 1
Emphasize that you will be consistent and they
will get to see its value over time
“This class is different, and I will say that to you,
but it really is something you will get to
see/experience every day.”

26. DAY 2 – JITT
Discuss their first experience with warm-ups
Share how many did them
Remind them of structure:
Release/due times, course value, grading
Remind them of the purpose of warm-ups:
–Student preparation
–Instructor preparation
(“Which I’ll show you now!”)

27. DAY 3 – JITT BITS
A different role for you:
• Actively prepare for class by engaging and
being reflective.
(not just reading/watching)
• Be ready to actively engage with the material
in class.
• Take regular “readings” on your experience
with the material compared to classmates.
Make plans accordingly.

28. DAY 3 – JITT BITS
A different role for me:
• I will actively prepare for class by engaging
and focusing on you.
(not just going over last year’s notes )
• I will modify the class plan based on what I
see in your preparatory work.
• I will consciously create chances for you to
grapple with the material in an active way.

29. STUDENTS: BUSY-WORK
DETECTORS
K-12 represents more than 13,000 hours of class
Students are experts at detecting what really
matters to an instructor:
• What does the instructor do with class time?
• What does the instructor talk about?
• Does the instructor push against the usual
“invisible contract” of the classroom?

30. DEMONSTRATING VALUE IN JITT
Ideas for demonstrating that you value JiTT
• Thank those who do them for giving you
insight into their learning.
• Bring at least one “difficult/interesting” item
from WarmUp to class each day.
• Give non-verbal cues that you value
discussing WarmUps as much (more) than
other course components.
• Be consistent!

31. CONSISTENCY
Be consistent with:
• Assignment releases
• Assignment due dates/times
• Follow-up in class
• Exam questions that build on WarmUps

32. JITT STRUCTURE & RESPONSE
RATES
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
College Physics I Intro. to Sociology
Response Rate by Day
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29
% Responsed
Class #
College Physics I, N =
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Response Rate by Day
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29
% Responsed
Class #
Intro. Sociology, N =
23
Worth 10% of final grade
Due 10 PM the night before class
Assignments available for prior 2-3 days
Worth 5% of final grade
Due 10 PM the night before class
Assignments available for prior 2-3 days

33. MY SUMMARY
From an evidence-based perspective, JiTT
addresses often-neglected areas.
The sales pitch, demonstrating value and
consistency can make the JiTT experience shine
for both you and the students.
MSU Denver is doing good work in supporting
innovative pedagogy, like JiTT. We have a solid
JiTT “User’s Group.”

34. YOUR SUMMARY
If you want to implement JiTT, what is the most
important next step?
Please… get in touch!
Email: Jeff.Loats@gmail.com
Twitter: @JeffLoats
Slides: www.slideshare.net/JeffLoats

35. ON-DEMAND SLIDES
JITT REFERENCES & RESOURCES
Simkins, Scott and Maier, Mark (Eds.) (2010) Just in Time Teaching: Across the Disciplines,
Across the Academy, Stylus Publishing.
Gregor M. Novak, Andrew Gavrini, Wolfgang Christian, Evelyn Patterson (1999) Just-in-Time
Teaching: Blending Active Learning with Web Technology. Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River NJ.
K. A. Marrs, and G. Novak. (2004). Just-in-Time Teaching in Biology: Creating an Active Learner
Classroom Using the Internet. Cell Biology Education, v. 3, p. 49-61.
Jay R. Howard (2004). Just-in-Time Teaching in Sociology or How I Convinced My Students to
Actually Read the Assignment. Teaching Sociology, Vol. 32 (No. 4 ). pp. 385-390. Published by:
American Sociological Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3649666
S. Linneman, T. Plake (2006). Searching for the Difference: A Controlled Test of Just-in-Time
Teaching for Large-Enrollment Introductory Geology Courses. Journal of Geoscience Education,
Vol. 54 (No. 1)
Stable URL:http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/jan06.html#v54p18