A second session, focusing on how to make the technique really work in the classroom. Topics: JiTT recap, participant questions, what tool to use, getting student buy-in and writing good questions. This presentation focuses less on what JiTT is and the evidence for its effectiveness..

1. Name
School
Department
JUST IN TIME TEACHING
MAKING IT SHINE!
(PART 2)
@ COLTT 2015
DR. JEFF LOATS
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS

2. OVERVIEW
1. Recap of JiTT with an example
2. Best tools for JiTT
3. The “sales pitch”
4. Closing the loop
5. Writing good questions

3. THE EVIDENCE STANDARD
Teachers can feel bombarded…
I strive to be a scholarly teacher …
• Apply the rigor we bring to our academic
disciplines to the discipline of teaching.
• Choose teaching methods that are strongly
informed by the best empirical evidence
available.
Contrast teaching your subject with treating a
medical condition like diabetes

4. PHYSICS EDUCATION REVOLUTION
Eric Mazur, Physicist at Harvard:

5. “ALL SIMILARLY (IN)EFFECTIVE…”

6. 29%
31%
20%
14%
5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
0-20% 20-40% 40-60% 60-80% 80-100%
Consider a typical day in your class. What fraction
of students did their preparatory work before
coming to class?
Previous anonymous poll results (compiled):
N = 232

7. JUST-IN-TIME TEACHING
Online pre-class assignments
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.
Learne
r
Teacher

8. JUST-IN-TIME TEACHING
A different student role:
• Actively prepare for class
(not just reading/watching)
• 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
Learne
r
Teacher

9. Students have developed a robot dog
and a robot cat, both of which can
run at 8 mph and walk at 4 mph.
A the end of the term, there is a race!
The robot cat must run for half of its
racing time, then walk.
The robot dog must run for half the
race distance, then walk.
A) The cat wins B) The dog wins C) They tie
9

10. WARM-UP: ROBODOG VS.
ROBOCAT
Predict which one will win the race, and explain
why you think so.
From last night:
~33% → Robocat!
~50% → Robodog!
~0% → They tie!
~17% → Can’t tell!
From a previous set:
~33% → Good math
~16% →Bad math
~33% → Good reasoning
~16% → Bad reasoning
~33% → Invalid arguments

11. WARM-UP: ROBODOG VS.
ROBOCAT
Invalid arguments:
“Cats rule - dogs drool!”
“Robot dog. Because dogs naturally walk more
thaan cats. ”

12. WARM-UP: ROBODOG VS.
ROBOCAT
“Assuming the dog and cat both run at the exact
same speed and walk at the exact same speed, the
cat will win the race. Why? The total time to
walk half the distance is greater than the total
time to run half the distance. So if the cat spends
a full half of its time running, it will get further
than halfway at the high speed, running right by
the dog, who started walking at the halfway
mark. Also, the cat wins because cats are better
than dogs.”

13. MAZUR AFTER 1 YEAR

14. ELSEWHERE?
My Physics I
Summer
2015 (45,26)
Gain: 0.51

15. 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… think about what a teacher/facilitator
“should” do with responses to a question like this.

16. WARM-UP: JITT QUESTIONS
Topics already on the docket:
Managing your (instructor) time commitment
“I'm concerned about the time it will take to
come up with questions.”
Questions for a quick discussion now:
“Students' work/life schedules that makes them
want to do homework just in time for class, not
for my JiTT assignment”

17. WARM-UP: JITT QUESTIONS
Questions for lunch or later:
“I'm also a little concerned about whether I will end
up spending a lot of time talking about things in
class that are "tangents" because I get excited about
the topic, and then I don't have a record of it to use
for making questions for the exam.”
“How to best translate the JiTT technique into the
online environment?”
Why did 10% of students think WarmUps were
“harmful” to their preparation, engagement, and
learning?”

18. 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.”

19. 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”

20. 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)

21. 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”.

22. WHAT TOOLS TO USE?
The crucial part:
Daily reading, grading & using responses
• Automatic full credit for any response
• View all responses to a question together
• Grade responses on the same page with
minimal clicks
Wishlist:
Easy (quick!) individual feedback

23. SMALL ASIDE: TEXT EXPANDER
23
Every professor should have this!
You define a snippet like “ttyl” which instantly
gets replaced by “Talk to you later!”
Windows:
– Texter, PhraseExpres
(FREE, some advanced features, some flaws)
– Breevey ($40, worth it if you hit problems)
– AutoHotKey (FREE advanced automation tool)
Mac:
– TypeIt4Me, TextExpander, Typinator
(All cost $20-$30. Generally worth it!)

24. WHAT TOOLS TO USE?
• CMS/LMS (Blackboard, D2L, Moodle, etc.)
Ready to use, tools… imperfect  awful
• Free service from JiTTDL.org.
Designed just for JiTT. Additional website, not
very “shiny” by 2015 standards.
• Students email responses
Easy… also overwhelming and awful
• Blogging tools (WordPress)?
• New tools (TopHat? Learning Catalytics?)

25. WARM-UP: WHICH CLASS &
WHY?
If you did implement JiTT, what class would you
implement it in?
Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, & Physical Assessment
General Chemistry
Beginning Spanish One
Suplemental Academiic Instruction
(corequisite to college algebra for students not fully ready)
Fluid Mechanics, Intro to Membrane Science and
Technology, Material and Energy Balances as well as Heat
Transfer

26. WARM-UP: WHICH CLASS &
WHY?
… and what is the benefit you would most be
hoping for?
~50% → Give instructors insight into student
understanding
~17% → Increased student excitement
~17% → Free up time for activities/application
~17% → More learning

27. WARM-UP: WHICH CLASS &
WHY?
“Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, & Physical
Assessment. There's lots to digest and memorize in
these classes. The real time, ongoing learner assessment
embedded in JiTT would provide valuable data for
instructors.”
“My hope would be to help get a better feel for where
the students are at and to help lead the discussions of
these classes.”
“What I would most be hoping for is improved learning
and retention by my students in these courses, as well as
renewed excitement in the student. Plus I just think it
would be more fun to teach this way.”

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

29. 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.

30. 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."

31. 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.”

32. 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.”

33. 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!”)

34. 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.

35. 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.

36. 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?

37. 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!

38. CONSISTENCY
Be consistent with:
• Assignment releases
• Assignment due dates/times
• Follow-up in class
• Summative assessments (e.g., exam questions)
that build on WarmUp questions.

39. FEATURES OF A GOOD QUESTION
39
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.

40. WRITE A QUESTION AND SHARE...
40
Consider an intro. course in your discipline.
Consider a topic you discuss early in that course.
Write one question… shoot for “higher level.”
Good starting words: apply, analyze, evaluate,
sketch, use, compare, estimate, etc.
Take 3 minutes… then trade questions with your
neighbor and do your best to answer theirs.

41. WARM-UP: JITT QUESTIONS
“What is the mininum amount of my evening time
(when I'm busy with family) or before class prep time
(when I'm busy organizing my thoughts generally) can I
spend on this and still be effective? I am teaching 250-
500 students each day - so that's a LOT of responses to
look through. And if I'm using analytics instead of
reading responses (online HW scores, for example), how
can I make that as useful as possible? For the record, I've
tried both methods with the big class, and just couldn't
keep up with it so far...”

42. A POSSIBLE PLAN
Choose one course you will teach next term.
A. Write two questions for each class meeting:
1. One lower-level (maybe multi-choice?).
One higher-level (sentences).
2. Give yourself 10 minutes to write each one
B. Write a standard (1st) metacognitive question
C. Discuss one question at the top of class, and
one in the middle. Use the metacognitive
responses as break points or highlights.

43. 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.
Real help is out there when you get stuck or
worried. Get in touch with JiTT users or others
doing innovative teaching.

44. YOUR SUMMARY
If you want to implement JiTT, what is your next
concrete action?
Anyone want to chat at lunch? Tell me!
Email: Jeff.Loats@gmail.com
Twitter: @JeffLoats
Slides: www.slideshare.net/JeffLoats

45. 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
ON-DEMAND SLIDES

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