Engaging to Empower: Leveraging adaptive learning and open educational resources to address student anxiety

This presentation tackles the difficult topic of student anxiety and confidence during the first-year experience. Case studies will be presented in the areas of Math and English to demonstrate the variety of techniques being used by CTU faculty to acknowledge and address student anxiety, build student confidence and empower students to become their own advocates in the learning process. In particular, this presentation focuses on how adaptive technology and open educational resources (OER) can be used to engage students in these courses and, further, how this engagement can be harnessed and directed to support student empowerment and increase student investment in course and program outcomes.

Math anxiety is an issue that exists at almost every level from elementary to higher education.  For some, this anxiety is rooted in negative experiences such as poor performance or even disparagement from teachers and peers. For others, the anxiety is related to that math is something that is unrelated to their focus, discipline or area of expertise. This presentation illustrates how adaptive learning technology can be used to engage first year students and help alleviate this anxiety. By allowing each student to start their mathematical journey at a place that is appropriate for them, they do not immediately feel overwhelmed. Instead, by starting each student at a level that is within their comfort zone, they can cautiously begin to take ownership of their learning. Those who have a better grasp on the material are encouraged to proceed at their own pace, while others who struggle are given the structure and support they need to succeed.   Being able to spend as much time as they need on one topic allows them to really grasp the subject before moving on. However, the success of adaptive learning as a tool to support those experiencing math anxiety is only successful when faculty are trained in how to track student progress and when to intervene. Through our adaptive learning, instructors can see exactly where each student is having difficulties and which topics and/or concepts are giving most of the students’ problems. By seeing this, instructors can provide resources and give aid when and where it is needed.  Our goal is not to develop students into mathematicians, but to empower them to see the usefulness in the subject and to find that they are not so bad in math after all!

Adaptive learning is used within the Composition sequence as well to level the playing field and provide students with a comfortable space to familiarize themselves with the elements of writing before they are asked to engage in the essay-writing portion of the class. However, we find that, for many, their anxiety about moving from practice to performance prevents them from engaging in the written assignments that exist outside of the adaptive learning tool in a timely and effective manner. This is due, in part, to the fact that many students coming into First-year Composition carry with them a wide range of negative perceptions about the writing process, the value of writing as well as their own abilities in the areas of professional and academic expression. At CTU, faculty work hard to acknowledge and address student anxiety related to written expression from day one by providing students with resources to demystify the writing process in addition to resources that demonstrate the value of effective writing in a variety of contexts. As with mathematics, adaptive learning creates a comfortable environment for the first-year student to begin learning composition. This gives them the confidence to move forward in this journey. Also, the inclusion of OER, both within the classroom, and outside, as part of each course’s Beyond the Book guide, allows faculty to meet these emerging needs in real-time, demonstrating CTU’s commitment to providing just-in-time support to students at all levels. Students who visit the OER resources associated with their particular courses, find information arranged in an inquiry-based manner, removing the need for students to be conversant in the jargon of Writing pedagogy. They can easily navigate various linked menus and stand-alone items to access information that covers topics at all levels, from the basic overview to the nuances of usage in discipline-specific contexts. Students engage with the material at the level they deem appropriate to meet their needs at the time, knowing that more information is always available should they need additional guidance. Student engagement with these materials empowers students to create their own portfolios of resources. They bookmark links, follow pages linked from our OER offerings and, by doing so, are initiated into the world of academic resource material available to students of writing. These early interventions build student confidence, not only in themselves and their own writing, but also in their ability to get help when they need it, whenever the need arises. Beyond this, perhaps most importantly, we promote OER resources that address the anxiety that students have over their readiness to meet the expectations of writing required of them as students and professionals. Our Beyond the Book guides provide TED Talks and other curated video content tailored to speak to these common concerns directly. Although our OER catalog is always evolving to meet student need, we currently house OER offerings that address the importance of adopting a growth mindset, the role soft-skills play in academic success, as well as the importance of metacognition and code-switching to promote the transferability of writing skills from the academic to the professional context. Whatever the need, OER provides CTU faculty with effective avenues to engage and empower our developing writers.

This presentation will provide the audience the opportunity to participate in an activity that will demonstrate the importance of integrating engagement practices into courses to ensure the best possible outcome for first-year students. Audience members will be encouraged to identify areas of student anxiety within their own courses and programs and learn how adaptive technology and open educational resources (OER) can be leveraged to increase student engagement, support student empowerment and establish student investment in course and program outcomes.