Teaching Tips – December

Teaching Tips aims to share creative practices that Furman instructors are implementing in and out of the classroom. In this month’s story, Mary Craig shares her unique role-play assessment that she implements for the final exam. Her approach aligns well with our topic of last month’s newsletter feature about Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The UDL framework hinges on three core principles: (1) multiple means of representation, (2) multiple avenues for action and expression, and (3) multiple means of engagement. As Mary describes her final exam approach below, you’ll notice the way she offers students varying ways to demonstrate their knowledge (UDL principle #2).  

“For all my courses, I ensure that the final exam embodies my goals for the course in both content and form. In teaching political theory, I stress to my students that the theories we read are not simply words on a page or thought experiments to engage in, but are ideas that continuously shape our lives inside and outside the classroom and that engaging in communal political projects is a joyous experience. My final exams push students to apply course material to contemporary political issues in a deeply collaborative manner. For example, in my Introduction to Political Thought class, I divide students into groups and assign each group several philosophers we’ve read and a contemporary political issue related to class discussions. The students then create skits in which their philosophers discuss this particular issue and attempt to arrive at a solution for it. I give students the final two class sessions to work on their skits so that I can answer whatever questions they have as they create their scripts and so that the groups all build enthusiasm for one another’s skits. Not only do these students need to demonstrate knowledge of course material and how to apply it to contemporary politics, they do so in community with others, thereby developing the interpersonal skills that are essential for a political life. Moreover, a collaborative, performative final exam generates tremendous enthusiasm and buy-in at a point in the semester when we’re all counting down the minutes until winter break.” 

Interested in learning more about UDL? Join us later in Spring semester for a UDL workshop. You can register in advance for spring events and influence our program planning by completing a short survey. Of course, don’t hesitate to reach out to the FDC if you’d like to discuss your teaching strategies one-on-one. We’re here to help!