How Does Providing Choices Impact Students’ Stress, Motivation, and Perception of Course Rigor?

Presenters:  Anna Marie LaChance (Chemical Engineering), Andrew Spracklen, Andrea Ayvazian (Community Health Education), Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation), Shirley Shmerling (Operations and Information Management)

Format: Hybrid (Presenters will be in person). Email Colleen Kuusinen for the event link at [email protected].

Many instructors offer students choices when completing course assignments; for example, students may choose the topic of their term project, and sometimes they may choose the format through which they would like to be assessed (e.g., submit as a paper or a presentation). What are students looking for when they make choices on the topic or submission format of their assignments? What types of choices make them feel more motivated or more stressed, and how can we support them in these choices? Finally, how do students perceive the academic rigor of courses with assignment choices? 

The CTL Collaborative SoTL Scholars will present the results of their multi-disciplinary inquiry project that was developed, implemented, and analyzed collaboratively across 5 different UMass courses. We will provide and discuss tangible takeaways for instructors who want to give students more agency in the classroom.

The SoTL Working Group is open to all UMass instructors with an interest in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Drop in to any meeting.