Homework Assignments Research Articles

Prompts to Promote Success: Evaluating Utility Value and Growth Mindset Interventions on General Chemistry Students’ Attitude and Academic Performance

Some students struggle with chemistry because they do not find the relevance between chemistry content and their lives or they perceive their intelligence as fixed. Social-psychological interventions (SPIs), brief interventions that target students’ subjective experiences, were developed to address these issues. As a result, SPIs have been associated with gains in students’ academic performance, attitude, and persistence in various instructional settings; however, only a limited number of studies have explored SPIs within a chemistry context. This study evaluated the effectiveness of two SPIs, a growth mindset intervention (GMI) and a utility value intervention (UVI), on promoting students’ academic performance and attitude in a general chemistry course with a large class size. This study also explored a theoretical explanation for the relationship among SPIs, attitude, and academic performance. Each SPI was designed to facilitate instructional adoption and was implemented by posting three prompts incorporated into homework assignments. The results show that the UVI led to a consistent improvement in student achievement, and among students who begin the course with lower attitudes toward chemistry, the UVI led to an improvement in students’ emotional satisfaction and utility value. The UVI’s improvement in academic performance was also observed with a group of students who have been underrepresented in the sciences, although a smaller sample size prevented finding statistical significance. The GMI improved academic performance relative to a comparison group but not to the extent observed with the UVI. The cost-to-benefit ratio associated with adopting SPIs within chemistry instruction seems highly favorable and thus warrants strong consideration among chemistry instructors.

Skills-homework completion and phone coaching as predictors of therapeutic change and outcomes in completers of a DBT intensive outpatient programme.

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) emphasizes generalization of skills to the patient's real-world context as a primary mechanism of change in treatment. To promote generalization, DBT includes weekly skills-focused homework assignments and as-needed phone coaching. Despite this central function of generalization in DBT, research on these treatment components is limited. The current study addresses this research gap by assessing the association of homework and phone coaching to DBT treatment outcomes. A longitudinal study design explored the extent to which (a) completion of skills homework and (b) frequency of phone coaching were associated with therapeutic changes and treatment outcomes in a DBT intensive outpatient programme (DBT-IOP). Medical records and diary cards of 56 patients who had completed a four-month treatment cycle of DBT-IOP were reviewed and coded for proportion of skills homework completed, frequency of phone coaching calls, and reported urges for and engagement in suicide, non-suicidal self-injury, illicit or non-prescribed substance use, and alcohol use behaviours. Completion of skills homework and frequency of phone coaching were significantly associated with (a) reduced urges for suicide, non-suicidal self-injury, illicit or non-prescribed substance use, and alcohol use from the beginning to end of treatment and (b) a lower likelihood of engaging in any of these behaviours during the final month of treatment. Results suggest that within a DBT programme modified for an intensive outpatient setting, skills homework and phone coaching may enhance therapeutic change and outcomes in target behaviours. These generalization methods appear to be important ingredients of DBT effectiveness. In dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), therapeutic skills homework and phone coaching are specifically designed to promote generalization of skills from the therapeutic context to the patient's real-world contexts. In a DBT intensive outpatient programme, patient engagement with therapeutic homework and phone coaching were associated with favourable therapeutic change and outcomes in target urges and behaviours. Clinicians may consider a patient's lack of homework completion and/or phone coaching to be early warning signs of poor therapeutic progress within dialectical behaviour therapy.

The experiences of classroom teachers on the homework process in teaching mathematics: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

This phenomenological study aimed to explore a group of classroom teachers’ experiences with homework assignment in teaching mathematics. The participants of the study were 27 classroom teachers who were selected using the criterion-based sampling technique. The research data were collected with a semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers and subjected to interpretive phenomenological analysis. The results showed that the teachers plan the homework they would assign the evening before the class and use resources available on the internet while planning it. It was also revealed that they assign mathematics homework for various purposes such as ensuring comprehension of the subjects, knowledge retention and use of the learned subjects in daily life. They reported that they check and provide feedback on the assigned homework during the classes that the assigned homework is sometimes done by the family members of the students and that both preparing and checking the homework take an extensive amount of time. As a solution to these problems, they suggested communicating and negotiating with the parents, getting support from school counselors and reducing the number of the themes in the primary mathematics curriculum.

A Statistician Teaches Deep Learning

Deep learning (DL) has gained much attention and become increasingly popular in modern data science. Computer scientists led the way in developing deep learning techniques, so the ideas and perspectives can seem alien to statisticians. Nonetheless, it is important that statisticians become involved—many of our students need this expertise for their careers. In this paper, developed as part of a program on DL held at the Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute, we address this culture gap and provide tips on how to teach deep learning to statistics graduate students. After some background, we list ways in which DL and statistical perspectives differ, provide a recommended syllabus that evolved from teaching two iterations of a DL graduate course, offer examples of suggested homework assignments, give an annotated list of teaching resources, and discuss DL in the context of two research areas.

A Commentary on the Science and Practice of Homework in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

This article discusses the concept of homework in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and reviews the articles in this special issue of Cognitive Therapy and Research. The article underscores the pivotal role of between- session activities and demonstrates that this role has been recognized for many years. This article reviews the articles from this special issue and uses them as a springboard to review other research and then discuss potential directions for future theory and research. The initial research in this area focused on documenting the magnitude of the relationship between homework adherence and outcome in CBT. Research has now advanced to incorporate studies that examine issues such as homework competence, the complicated relationship between homework and other aspects of CBT such as the therapeutic relationship, and the use of technology to try to enhance homework completion and clinical outcomes. The use of homework assignments in CBT remains a critical issue for development. Limitations of the literature are addressed, and directions for future research in the field are provided.

Teacher and Parent Perspectives on NGSS Alignment Following Teacher Professional Development

Abstract: This study examined United States K-12 science teacher interactions with parents during Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) reform following teachers’ professional development (PD) participation, as well as parent accounts of understanding and support for NGSS. Fourteen teachers and fifteen parents completed an online surveys and phone interviews. Themes, based on coded data, were constructed to represent relationships between teachers and parents during NGSS classroom implementation post-PD. We found that parents were generally unaware of NGSS and not well-informed about the changes the new standards brought to their child’s science classrooms. Despite parents’ lack of NGSS understanding, parents generally gave positive feedback about teachers’ science instruction. However, parents expressed concern about their child’s ability to transition between grade levels and subjects, the lack of an aligned textbook and homework assignments, and confusion with how to help their children at home in preparation for assessments. The results of this study suggest that it is important for school districts to inform parents adequately about the new NGSS curriculum and its implementation. While this study took place in the United States and pertains to NGSS, the findings are broadly applicable to teacher development and communications with parents during standards reform, regardless of country.

Internet-Administered Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy for Somatic Symptom Disorder With Centralized Symptoms: A Preliminary Efficacy Trial.

Background: There is growing evidence that trauma, psychosocial conflict, and difficulties with emotional processing contribute to centralized somatic symptoms. Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) was developed to address these factors and reduce symptoms, and EAET has shown efficacy in face-to-face formats. No trial of an internet-delivered EAET (I-EAET) exists, however, so we developed such an intervention and conducted an uncontrolled feasibility and potential efficacy trial of I-EAET for patients with Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) with centralized symptoms (SSD-CS).Method: After screening potential participants, a sample of 52 patients (50 women, two men; age M = 49.6, SD = 11.9) diagnosed with SSD-CS initiated treatment. I-EAET consisted of nine weekly modules focused on psychoeducation, emotional awareness and exposure, and anxiety regulation with self-compassion. Therapists communicated with each patient by email for about 20 min per week during treatment, answering questions and giving feedback on homework assignments. Patients completed measures of somatic symptoms, depression, anxiety, trauma-related symptoms, and functional disability before treatment and again at post-treatment and 4-month follow-up.Results: A large reduction in somatic symptoms (PHQ-15) occurred pre-to post-treatment (d = 1.13; 95% CI: 0.84–1.47) which was fully maintained at 4-month follow-up (d = 1.19; 95% CI: 0.88–1.56). Twenty-three percent of the patients at post-treatment and 27% at follow-up achieved a 50% or greater reduction in somatic symptoms, and about 70% achieved a minimally important clinical difference. In addition, at post-treatment, there were small to medium reductions (d's from 0.33 to 0.72) in anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), trauma-related symptoms (PCL-5), and functional disability (Sheehan Disability Scale). For all of these secondary outcomes, improvements were slightly to substantially larger at follow-up than at post-treatment (d's from 0.46 to 0.80).Conclusion: I-EAET appears to be a feasible treatment for adults with SSD and centralized symptoms, resulting in substantial and durable improvement not only in somatic symptoms but in other psychiatric symptoms and functioning. Controlled trials are needed determine the effects of I-EAET specifically and how this approach compares to face-to-face EAET and to other internet-delivered treatments, such as cognitive-behavioral interventions. Research should also identify treatment responders and mechanisms of change in EAET.Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT04122846.

Effects of the Attention Training Technique on Brain Activity in Healthy University Students Assessed by EEG Source Imaging.

This study aimed to investigate the neurocognitive effects of the Attention Training Technique (ATT) on brain activity in healthy participants. The participants included 20 university students who were asked to practice ATT as a homework assignment for 20 days. The intracerebral source localization of their electroencephalogram during rest and the ATT task, which comprised selective attention, attention switching, and divided attention conditions, was evaluated by standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography. Brain activity during rest was subtracted from that during the ATT task, and that was compared before and after the homework assignment. The results for the divided attention condition indicated significantly decreased alpha 1 frequency band power in the left orbital frontal cortex (OFC) and alpha 2 power in the right inferior temporal cortex. Further, decreased alpha 1 power in the left OFC correlated with reduced subjective difficulty during the divided attention condition. One possibility is that the brain activity changed as the effect of ATT practice, although this study cannot confirm causality. Further studies are required which include a control group that would complete similar training without the ATT task.

Discovering Common Elements of Empirically Supported Self-Help Interventions for Depression in Primary Care: a Systematic Review.

Although the efficacy of self-help cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression has been well established, its feasibility in primary care settings is limited because of time and resource constraints. The goal of this study was to identify common elements of empirically supported (i.e., proven effective in controlled research) self-help CBTs and frameworks for effective use in practice. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for self-help CBTs for depression in primary care were systematically identified in Pubmed, PsycINFO, and CENTRAL. The distillation and matching model approach was used to abstract commonly used self-help techniques (practice elements). Study contexts associated with unique combinations of intervention elements were explored, including total human support dose (total face-to-face, telephone, and personalized email contact time recommended by the protocol), effective symptom domain (depression vs. general psychological distress), and severity of depression targeted by the study. Relative contribution to intervention success was estimated for individual elements and human support by conditional probability (CP, proportion of the number of times each element appeared in a successful intervention to the number of times it was used in the interventions identified by the review). Twenty-one interventions (12 successful) in 20 RCTs and 21 practice elements were identified. Cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation, and homework assignment were elements appearing in > 80% of successful interventions. The dose of human support was positively associated with the proportion of interventions that were successful in a significant linear fashion (CPs: interventions with no support, 0.20; 1-119 min of support, 0.60; 120 min of support, 0.83; p = 0.042). In addition, human support increased the probability of success for most of the extracted elements. Only social support activation, homework assignment, and interpersonal skills were highly successful (CPs ≥ 0.60) when minimal support was provided. These findings suggest that human support is an important component in creating an evidence-informed brief self-help program compatible with primary care settings.

Hybrid and Online Synchronous Delivery of Environmental Engineering During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Study on Perception, Attitude, and Assessment

Hybrid and online synchronous delivery of courses is a time-demanding approach to teaching and learning systems that is designed to engage students in investigations of authentic concepts or problems without coming to the pre-assigned classrooms two or three times a week. This study presents perceptions and attitudes of students that attended a hybrid course in environmental engineering that suddenly converted to an online synchronous delivery due to COVID-19. It also presents an assessment of the hybrid and online synchronous delivery approach on the final exam scores as well as the final grades of the same course. The course, ‘Introduction to Environmental Engineering’, was developed as an online course for Civil and Environmental Engineering program students and delivered with hybrid and online synchronous options due to COVID-19 pandemic for several semesters to test the concept. In the hybrid delivery set up, all the quizzes and homework assignments were online while the midterm and final exams were in-class. For spring 2020 the final exam was online and for summer 2020 both the midterm and final exams were online due to COVID-19 adjustment. At the very end of the semesters, an online anonymous survey was conducted with five questions to understand the students’ perception and attitude on exam taking options and learning environment. Students’ perceptions and attitudes about online synchronous delivery approach compared to hybrid delivery approach, as well as the learning outcomes, appeared at face value not to be favorable. However, statistical analysis revealed that differences between online synchronous delivery and the Pre-COVID-19 hybrid delivery were not significant, indicating that, at least for these engineering students, online synchronous delivery is a justifiable option.

Underuse of Behavioral Treatments for Headache: a Narrative Review Examining Societal and Cultural Factors.

Migraine affects over 40 million Americans and is the world’s second most disabling condition. As the majority of medical care for migraine occurs in primary care settings, not in neurology nor headache subspecialty practices, healthcare system interventions should focus on primary care. Though there is grade A evidence for behavioral treatment (e.g., biofeedback, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and relaxation techniques) for migraine, these treatments are underutilized. Behavioral treatments may be a valuable alternative to opioids, which remain widely used for migraine, despite the US opioid epidemic and guidelines that recommend against them. Identifying and removing barriers to the use of headache behavioral therapy could help reduce the disability as well as the personal and social costs of migraine. These techniques will have their greatest impact if offered in primary care settings to the lower socioeconomic status groups at greatest risk for migraine. We review the societal and cultural challenges that impose barriers to optimal use of non-pharmacological treatment services. These barriers include insufficient knowledge of migraine/headache behavioral treatments and insufficient availability of clinicians trained in non-pharmacological treatment delivery; limited access in underserved communities; financial burden; and stigma associated with both headache and mental health diagnoses and treatment. For each barrier, we discuss potential approaches to minimizing its effect and thus enhancing non-pharmacological treatment utilization.Case ExampleA 25-year-old graduate student with a prior history of headaches in college is attending school in the evenings while working a full-time job. Now, his headaches have significant nausea and photophobia. They are twice weekly and are disabling enough that he is unable to complete homework assignments. He does not understand why the headaches occur on Saturdays when he pushes through all week to get through his examinations that take place on Friday evenings. He tried two different migraine preventive medications, but neither led to the 50% reduction in headache days his doctor had hoped for. His doctor had suggested cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) before initiating the medications, but he had been too busy to attend the appointments, and the challenges in finding an in-network provider proved difficult. Now with the worsening headaches, he opted for the CBT and by the fifth week had already noted improvements in his headache frequency and intensity.

Accelerating Early Language and Literacy Skills Through a Preschool-Home Partnership Using Dialogic Reading: a Randomized Trial

This study tested a preschool-home partnership intervention, in which early childhood teachers encouraged the parents/caregivers of preschoolers to engage in dialogic reading at home. This was an experimental test of Bronfenbrenner’s hypothesis that parental involvement in early care and education programs should promote child development, as well as a test of a train-the-trainer approach to the dialogic reading intervention. The current study focuses on testing the causality of parent involvement: (1) homework assigned to parents/caregivers will improve the early language and literacy skills of their 2 ~ 3-year-old children; (2) gains by children in the intervention group with low pre-test language and literacy score, low family literacy score, and high parents/caregivers’ extent of using dialogic reading strategies at home will show larger gains in literacy scores than their counterparts. A sample of 12 early care and education programs, 18 early childhood teachers, 87 two–to three-year-old children and their parents/caregivers were followed for 18 ~ 20 weeks after assignment to the intervention group or the control group. The impacts of the six-week parent involvement intervention continued to grow during the six-week follow-up phase, and represented substantial gains of the intervention group in four aspects of early language and literacy skills. This study provides evidence that a simple homework assignment intervention can be an effective tool to promote child development when parents/caregivers are engaged. The intervention also had ongoing influence on children’s early language and literacy skills, even after the intervention period had ended.

“Come and See for Yourself”: Exploration of Mindfulness Practice by First-Year College Students

This grounded theory study aims at explaining how college freshmen develop and stay engaged with a regular mindfulness practice, and the benefits they experience. The authors investigated an intentional effort to integrate mindfulness practices in the curriculum of a First-Year Seminar and English Composition course. The results presented here support existing findings concerning the integration of mindfulness practice in higher education settings. This study also advances unique findings relative to utilizing classroom settings to introduce first-year students to the practice, as a long as the course follows a regular structure (i.e., attendance, homework assignments). The substantive theory presented describes how students developed a practice routine and made the practice relevant for their academic and personal lives. Recommendations for practice and future research are included.

Homework Compliance and Quality in Cognitive Behavioral Therapies for Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Homework assignments are an integral part of cognitive behavioral therapy, providing patients with opportunities to practice skills between sessions. Generally, greater homework compliance is associated with better treatment outcomes. However, fewer studies have examined the effect of homework quality on treatment outcomes. This study examined homework compliance and quality as predictors of outcome and attrition across five CBT protocols. A sample of 179 individuals with principal diagnoses of generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder were randomized to receive a transdiagnostic CBT protocol (the Unified Protocol) or a single-diagnosis CBT protocol corresponding to their principal diagnosis. The Unified Protocol had a lower homework burden than the majority of the single-diagnosis protocols, which varied in degree of assigned homework. Despite this, there were no differences in average homework compliance or quality across principal diagnosis, treatment condition, or their interaction. Homework quality was significantly related to all symptom outcomes (self-reported and clinician-rated anxiety and depressive symptoms, clinician-rated clinical severity). Homework compliance was significantly related to clinician-rated anxiety symptom outcomes. Additionally, greater homework quality and compliance were both significantly associated with increased odds of completing treatment, suggesting homework variables can be useful and easily obtainable predictors of treatment retention.

Finnish Adolescent Girls’ Activity Patterns and The Effects of an Activity-Based Homework Intervention on Their Physical Activity

Purpose: The insufficient physical activity (PA) of adolescents is a global challenge, and there is a need to find opportunities to engage youth in active lifestyles. The majority of adolescents do not meet the recommended guidelines of physical activity, and especially females have low levels of activity as they approach adolescence. The goal of this study was to obtain insight into Finnish adolescent girls’ objectively measured physical activity by evaluating the effects of an activity-based homework intervention on low, medium, and high-active girls during after-school hours. Method: A physical activity homework intervention was put into place for female adolescent girls. Physical activity was measured by accelerometers and a self-reported diary from 87 girls aged 13 to 15 years. Results: Results indicated that high-active girls maintained their activity until the last measurement hour (10 pm), while the moderate- and low-active girls’ activity declined towards the evening hours. The high-active girls participated the most frequently in organized sports activities, and the low-active girls were the most active in participating in household chores. The PE homework intervention increased girls’ activity time an average of 34 minutes per week. Conclusion: This study offers a picture of the diverse nature of the physical activity that adolescent girls engage in during after-school hours and shows the potential of PE homework assignments to reduce sedentary time and thereby increase physically active time during after-school hours.

On the Use of Writing Prompts in Entry-Level Mathematics Courses

In introductory level math classes, writing prompts can be used as part of weekly homework assignments to encourage students to think more deeply about the subject at hand. These writing prompts present scenarios related to recently learned material in a new context and require students to submit a short written response online. Writing prompts complement more computational exercise-based homework, as they allow students to develop their communication and logical reasoning skills while providing additional motivation for the concepts being discussed. By creating a detailed rubric and providing it to students ahead of time, student responses can also be graded without a significant time commitment on the part of the instructor. A sample rubric is provided, along with examples of some writing prompts and evaluated student responses.

The effect of the flipped classroom model on Iranian English foreign language learners: Engagement and motivation in English language grammar

Flipped Learning is a rather new approach to teaching. In this approach, the place of teacher’s lectures in the classroom and homework assignments are exchanged to enhance active learning, engageme...

Exploring the Lytic and Lysogenic Life Cycles of Bacteriophages

The goal of this lesson is to introduce students to the lytic and lysogenic cycles of T4 and lambda bacteriophages, respectively, using student-centered pedagogies. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria and are either virulent or temperate; virulent phages can only undergo the lytic cycle, which results in death of the host cell, while temperate phages can undergo either the lytic or lysogenic cycle, the latter of which results in the long-term association between host and virus. Bacteriophages significantly affect bacterial population in nature and are even attractive therapeutic interventions for some bacterial infections in humans. Therefore, this lesson was designed to educate students about the structure and function of bacteriophages and how viral infections can impact bacterial populations. The learning goals of this lesson are to understand how the lytic and lysogenic cycles of bacteriophages vary, affect bacterial growth, and are dictated by their unique genomes. To this end, the lesson incorporates a homework assignment for students before class, a series of in-class activities and critical thinking scenarios, and a homework assignment after class. This lesson was successfully employed in an upper-level undergraduate virology course for biology majors. Students were enthusiastic and expressed thoughtful and educated ideas during class discussion and through answers to open-ended questions. Taken together, this lesson provides an interactive and student-centered approach to studying the form and function of bacteriophages, the most abundant organisms in the biosphere. <em>Primary image:&nbsp;</em>Bacteriophage invasion: Image portrays a bacteriophage infecting a host bacterium as the first step of its replication cycle.

Engaged Online Language Learning with How-To Videos

Engaged Online Language Learning with How-To Videos Audra Merfeld-Langston A crucial component of effective online learning in any discipline is keeping learners actively engaged with the course material, with their classmates, and with their teacher. It is also advantageous to break up learning into manageable components rather than create long lessons or lectures that require marathon attention spans. When teaching language courses, we need to find ways to activate all four skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) while also integrating the 5 Cs (Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities). One way to address some or all of these learning components is to incorporate lessons based on instructional or "how-to" (do or make things) videos. Examples related to numerous topics are easy to find online, including in French, and can work well for any age group or proficiency level. Integrating these into language courses can be a small piece of a lesson for a specific topic—such as a video on soccer techniques to accompany a unit on sports—or a multi-day or multi-week endeavor focused, for example, on how to give and follow instructions. In any of these situations, appropriately scaffolding the activity provides important support for students to successfully navigate the video(s) and related assignments. Providing a clear roadmap will help students know what to expect in terms of required tasks and learning objectives. Thus, prior to the viewing, instruction might include textbook readings, practice assignments, brief videos by the instructor, or brainstorming together in class to activate prior knowledge of the subject and/or of the grammar and vocabulary involved. In some cases, it might be helpful to direct the students to other websites with relevant information for the lesson. With the stage set, students can watch the videos as homework. As many demonstrations are brief (five to ten minutes), watching the videos multiple times is feasible and perhaps preferable. Guiding questions for during or after the viewing can help students make sense of what they are seeing and hearing, and post-video questions can expand discussions and promote critical thinking about the content. In the class following the homework assignment, instructors might wish to play selected clips, which allows for highlighting specific features, engaging students with questions about what they see and hear, or sending students to [End Page 103] breakout rooms to discuss among themselves (and thereby ensure speaking time for each student). To find videos that align with course or lesson goals, launch a Google search with prompts such as "Comment jouer," "Comment faire," or "Comment dessiner." Suggestions will automatically populate the search window, such as "Comment jouer à Fortnite," "Comment jouer de la guitare," "Comment faire du slime avec de l'eau et sans colle," or "Comment dessiner Pikachu." Many of these will likely be hosted on YouTube. Preview a few videos for language, content, and appropriateness for your lesson goals. For boosting students' motivation to engage with the material, teachers can tailor the content to their students' interests. Is there a simple skill they are excited about trying in French? This might involve art, cooking, skateboarding, video game walk-throughs, yoga, or hairstyling. Focus Areas Two rich content areas (though not the only ones) to consider when planning lessons with how-to videos are language and culture. First, language: at the forefront of each lesson is the fact that the students will be hearing authentic French. Since how-to videos are generally aimed at native speakers, students will hear "real" language in context. As an added benefit, many videos on YouTube allow for adjusting the playback speed to a slower rate of speech. While there will never be enough time to cover every aspect of the language used in a video, the following are ideas for linguistic focal points: • Grammar: Lessons could address one or more of any grammatical structures the speaker uses in the video, depending on the students' proficiency and on course or unit goals. In particular, though, how-to videos lend themselves really well to zeroing in on the imperative and the subjunctive. • Vocabulary: Specialized vocabulary related to a specific hobby or craft often dominates how-to videos. For an art or construction project, what...

What can we learn from “pandemic teaching”? A progress report

Background Like almost all courses at higher education institutions in Germany, family medicine teaching had to be switched to online learning formats from the summer semester of 2020 on due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. At Lubeck University, these formats consisted of web-seminars, digital learning material, home-work assignments and, from the winter semester of 2020/21 on, practice seminars in very small groups. These formats are now evaluated and adjusted for the following, still pandemic-influenced, semesters. We aim to provide adequate family medicine teaching under special circumstances. Methods Via the semester evaluations of both semesters, supplemented by questions regarding the digital teaching, we collected feedback from the students and analyzed it. Additionally, we analyzed field reports from the teachers (collected in team meetings) and data on the usage behavior of students on a family medicine knowledge platform. Results Teachers reported a mostly trouble-free realization of digital teaching. The overall rating of the semester evaluation remained unchanged when compared to the previous year’s figure. Most of the students perceived the digital teaching to be an adequate substitute for the traditional in-person teaching considering the circumstances. Practical aspects and personal interactions were missed the most in the summer semester of 2020 and were especially valued in the winter semester of 2020/21. The recommended knowledge platform was used actively by a high proportion of the students. Conclusions Parts of the family medicine syllabus could be taught digitally without significant problems. Recommended digital learning material was used specifically. For the teaching and assessment of higher-level learning objectives, inter alia, practical skills, the in-person teaching is still a necessary requirement.