Tammy Rahhal is a 2022-2023 Chancellor’s Leadership Fellow working on UMass Flex initiatives and the Associate Chair of Teaching and Advising in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. In this faculty success, she describes how she incorporates flexible assessment practices into her psychology course to provide students with multiple ways to demonstrate their learning.

What motivated your interest in flexible teaching and learning?

When the university went remote in the Spring of 2020, I was very hesitant about teaching online as I had no experience with this type of teaching. I taught remotely for the 2020-21 academic year, and I found that there were some students who really benefitted from this mode of instruction for reasons not connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, working students and students who had to care for family members appreciated the ability to attend class remotely. Other students felt less distracted when attending a class from a quiet room rather than sitting in a large lecture hall. When we returned to in-person learning in Fall 2021, I was excited to be back in the classroom, but wanted students who benefited from remote learning to still be able to access the class that way. I was lucky to be selected to pilot my large (470 students!) Introductory Psychology course as a FLEX course, which meant I would be teaching my class both in-person and remotely through Zoom, at the same time. Based on my conversations with students during the pandemic shutdown, my goal was to allow students the opportunity to learn in the way that was best for each of them, individually.

What does flexibility in assessment mean to you?

Flexibility in assessment means a few things for me. First of all, I think it is important for students to have multiple ways to show their understanding of course content. I provide several different ways for students to do this. We do have traditional exams, but I also incorporate many short writing assignments, weekly online activities and assessments, and participation in the student response system iClicker. Consequently, students who may be anxious test takers can show their learning in these other ways. Secondly, I recognize that students have busy, complicated lives. So, I allow students to drop one of every type of assignment across the semester. This allows students more flexibility with respect to missed work. They don’t have to schedule make-up work or receive a deduction in their grade because ‘life got in the way’. Finally, I have moved all of my assessments to an online format. Students have multiple days to complete these assessments, rather than completing them during a specific class period. This flexibility in due dates frees students to complete their work when it is most appropriate for them.

What have students said about these changes in your classroom?

Students have overwhelmingly appreciated these changes to my course. I will be honest. Sometimes the classroom technology fails. Sometimes, Moodle crashes when a student is completing an assignment. Still, students are incredibly understanding of these problems because they like the flexibility of the course structure so much. I ask for feedback on the flex learning practices I employ both midway and at the end of every semester. I have been surprised at how much students want this type of instruction, despite the tech issues. Students will say things like “I would have had to miss class today because of -insert life experience- but because I could attend online, I didn’t have to” or “Taking an exam in a crowded room always stressed me out but taking it online in my dorm has really helped me

to focus.” Perhaps the most humbling feedback I received was from a student who told me that he had to work two jobs because his parents were both laid off during the pandemic. The only way he could take my class was by attending remotely from a room at his workplace. It was the last course he needed to graduate. If he couldn’t take this class remotely, he would have had to stay an extra semester which was a large financial burden for his family. That student’s feedback alone is reason for me to continue offering flexible courses.

What is one thing instructors can do when considering flexible teaching?

I think the best approach to flexible teaching is to make small changes each semester rather than try to redesign everything you do in your course all at once. For me, I started with using zoom during my lectures so students who desired to attend remotely, could do so. The following semester, I moved my assessments online. Next, I added student response systems that could be used in the classroom or remotely. Each semester, I tried one new thing and it felt manageable rather than overwhelming. I could assess and fix the issues surrounding that one change before adding another change. I often hear from other faculty that moving to a flexible teaching environment will be too much work. It really isn’t. We are so lucky to have folks at the CTL and IDEAS that will help you every step of the way. My ultimate goal is student success. Students are different than they were, even 5 years ago. They have different expectations, needs and experiences. If there are ways I can change my teaching to better fit these changing needs so that more students have an opportunity to succeed, then it is totally worth it.