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HOW DO UNDERGRADS FEEL ABOUT OPEN PEDAGOGY PROJECTS?

New Insights from an Interdisciplinary Study

Denise Hattwig, Alyssa Berger, & Chelsea Nesvig

University of Washington Bothell / Cascadia College Library

“How do undergrads feel about open pedagogy projects?: New insights from an interdisciplinary study” 2023 by Denise Hattwig, Alyssa Berger, and Chelsea Nesvig is licensed under CC BY 4.0

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Denise Hattwig (she/her)

Head of Digital Scholarship

University of Washington Bothell / Cascadia College Library

Alyssa Berger (she/they)

Science, Math, & Education Librarian University of Washington Bothell / Cascadia College Library

Chelsea Nesvig (she/her)

Global & Policy Studies Librarian

University of Washington Bothell / Cascadia College Library

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SESSION OUTLINE

Introduction and Framing
Open Student Work and Informed Open Participation
Teaching and Research Methods
Community Conversation
Questions
Resources and Thank Yous

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INTRODUCTION & FRAMING

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CAMPUS CONTEXT: UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON BOTHELL CAMPUS LIBRARY

Tri-campus University of Washington and UW Libraries system

UW Bothell is Minority Serving Institution-qualified

Campus culture of engaged and transformative pedagogy

Teaching library with robust faculty collaborations

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OPEN PEDAGOGY CONTEXT: UNDERGRADUATE DIGITAL SCHOLARSHIP

Developed out of library digital scholarship program

Students use digital scholarship tools and methods

Often intertwined with faculty scholarship and open publishing

Projects co-developed through library/faculty collaborations

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OPEN PEDAGOGY IS...

co-creating open digital projects with students as part of their learning experience.

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SOME STUDENT PROJECTS…

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BADASS WOMXN ZINES

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BECOMING A LEARNER

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TOOLKIT FOR STUDENT SUCCESS

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FEMINIST ARCHIVE EXHIBITS

The Feminist Archive Exhibits project is a collection of student-curated exhibits in Omeka that highlight artifacts in feminist archives. A core component of the 300-level class is feminist knowledge production and the importance of sharing the history and knowledge of women and LGBTQ+ people. The course themes of open archives and feminist knowledge production created synergy with students learning about open as a social justice practice and seeing themselves as creators of open knowledge.

It’s important to note that these student projects were not part of a programmatic approach to open pedagogy via academic departments. Rather, projects were closely tied to particular courses and faculty members, all of whom were deeply committed to not only course content, but also the impact of open student work and the process of engaging students with digital scholarship to create something meaningful for those students to carry forward. So, for instance, if a faculty member no longer teaches a class, that open project or assignment is likely to no longer be offered. As librarians, we collaborate on assignment design and instruction, but it is our faculty partners who initiate projects and create these opportunities for open student work.

Now I’ll turn it over to Chelsea

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OPEN STUDENT WORK +

INFORMED OPEN PARTICIPATION

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OPEN STUDENT WORK...

shifts language to center students and their work

acknowledges student creation, labor, and products

foregrounds student perspectives, agency, and ownership over their own education and scholarship

is any contribution a student makes to an open scholarship project or as a participant in an open pedagogy environment

varies but always includes commonalities of open environments and student participation

is inclusive of process and product

“Open student work” is the language we use to center students and their work in open pedagogy environments. This language shifts the focus from our praxis of “open pedagogy” to instead be about the student experience. Open student work acknowledges student creation, labor, and products, and foregrounds student perspectives, agency, and ownership over their own educations and scholarship.

So, open student work is any contribution a student makes to an open scholarship project or as a participant in an open pedagogy environment. Open student work can look very different from course to course, but includes the commonalities of an open environment and student participation. Open student work is inclusive of both the process (i.e., the learning and creation process), and the product of students’ participation in open digital projects.

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WHY OPEN STUDENT WORK?

highlights students as creators of information, now and into their post-college lives

enables students to engage in public discourse and contribute their knowledge and experience

encourages students to critique and counteract information privilege

provides tools for students to move toward open access models and participate as open creators

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INFORMED OPEN PARTICIPATION

relies on a foundational approach of intentionally and deliberately teaching open concepts

facilitates students seeing themselves as creators of new knowledge and participants in scholarly and public conversations

connects open concepts to other aspects of course content and social justice/anti-oppression practices

deepens student investment and engagement in projects

supports students in making informed choices about sharing their work openly

Student learning and agency is the foundation of our facilitation of open assignments. In order for students to be able to participate in an open assignment, students first need a solid introduction to what it means to work and share in the open. This understanding of open concepts facilitates students seeing themselves as creators of new knowledge and participants in scholarly and public conversations.

We also intentionally connect open concepts to other aspects of course content and social justice and anti-oppression practices, which enhances the meaning and significance of the project for students. Students become invested not only in fulfilling course requirements for a grade, but also contributing to information justice.

We have seen that this approach overall deepens student engagement with open pedagogy projects. It also supports students in making informed choices about sharing their coursework openly.

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TEACHING APPROACH

Open Student Work Activity is primary teaching tool for introducing students to open concepts

Deliberately asynchronous so students have time to think through the concepts and respond thoughtfully and independently

We often pair the online activity with review and discussion to reinforce open concepts and connect with course content, share student responses, and follow up on questions

Our primary teaching tool for introducing students to open concepts is our Open Student Work Activity. This activity includes introductory and contextual information about open concepts and Creative Commons, and provides opportunities for students to reflect on their understanding of and feelings around open work. As part of the activity, students indicate whether or not they would like to contribute to the open project, and if and how they want to be identified.

This activity is deliberately asynchronous so students have time to think through the concepts and respond thoughtfully and independently. The activity is completed in course Canvas sites, so it is in the LMS space that students are already using. We often pair this online activity with review and discussion to reinforce open concepts and further connect open with course content. We build in class time to share student responses and follow up on questions.

I’ll turn it over to Denise for more about our research.

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RESEARCH METHODS

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RESEARCH SUMMARY

Research has grown out of student responses to Open Student Work Activity

Research data from student responses

Chose not ask research survey questions so we didn’t add a time or energy burden for students

Our research has grown out of the rich responses we’ve seen from students as they’ve engaged with open concepts through our Open Student Work Activity. As we heard from students, we saw an opportunity to probe more deeply into what matters to them, and how we can build on their excitement and engagement, while also addressing concerns.

Our research data is drawn from these student responses. Because we deliberately designed the activity as a learning tool for students, we did not ask specific survey-type questions that would have been useful for us, but would not necessarily have been a good use of students’ time and energy. But because students’ responses to the activity were robust, they nevertheless did present an opportunity for us to systematically analyze their expressed feelings and documented choices.

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OPEN STUDENT WORK ACTIVITY

Four sections:

What is Open and Why Does it Matter?

Open Student Work

Creative Commons

Student Agreement and Identification

Our Open Student Work Activity includes four sections:

The first section is What is Open and Why Does it Matter?, which teaches students about Open concepts and asks students to reflect and share what is new about Open and their questions.

The Open Student Work section, gives students more information about their opportunities, rights, and responsibilities, and asks students how they feel about open work, how this project could be useful, and why it is important this project is open.

Creative Commons, which describes Creative Commons and the license applied to the project, and gives students another opportunity to ask questions about Creative Commons and Open.

And the final section is Student Agreement and Identification, which informs students that they can choose whether or not to include their work in an open project, and asks students to indicate whether or not they want their work to be open, and what name or pseudonym they would like to use, or if they would like to be anonymous.

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Scope

12 classes over three years
Four different types of class projects
400+ student responses

Methods

Anonymized student responses
Cleared processes with UW Libraries Assessment /IRB
Quantitative and qualitative analysis of each question

Challenges

complex nature of qualitative data
volume of student responses
limited time for research as librarians

RESEARCH SCOPE, METHODS, AND CHALLENGES

We'd now like to share the specific scope, methods, and challenges of our research.

We have integrated the open student work activity into 12 classes over three years, with four different types of class projects, giving us over 400 student responses as our dataset.

To analyze the data, we of course started with anonymizing student responses and clearing our research with the UW Libraries Office of Assessment, which advises UW Libraries staff on Institutional Review Board policies. We are now working on both quantitative and qualitative analysis of responses.

The activity asks students to both articulate their conceptual understanding of open work, and reflect on the affective nature of this work - that is, how participating in open projects makes them feel. The complex nature and volume of the qualitative data in these responses presents both opportunities and challenges from a research perspective. As librarians, we are also limited in the time we have for research in the context of our other duties.

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INITIAL QUANTITATIVE RESULTS

91% of students chose to share their work openly

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INITIAL QUANTITATIVE RESULTS

“open” was a new concept to 67% of students

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INITIAL QUANTITATIVE RESULTS

75% of students who shared their work openly chose to be identified with a version of their name (with 15% choosing a pseudonym and 8% choosing “anonymous”)

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Robust responses and high level of student engagement with open concepts

Interest in information privilege and contributing to information equity and diversity in new knowledge

Care about connecting to community

Note how LMS can isolate them from classmates and limit the audience and usefulness of their assignments

Concerns about new types of assignments and producing quality work, while also being invested in the project goals

INITIAL QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IMPRESSIONS

Looking more closely at qualitative results, we’re starting to see some common themes..

Students have typically provided robust responses and thoughtful reflections, and we’ve consistently seen a high level of student engagement with open concepts.

We frequently see that students feel compelled by the concept of information privilege, and are motivated to work in the open as a way to contribute to diversity in new knowledge and increase information equity.

Many students mention the appeal of creating connections and community that working in the open allows.

Several have noted the limiting nature of the LMS and shared positive feelings about being able to collaborate with and learn from their classmates in more authentic ways.

Some students express concern or apprehension about new types of assignments and producing quality work, while simultaneously being invested in project goals.

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STUDENT FEELINGS ABOUT OPEN

“I feel empowered to contribute to an open project and put my work out there for other people to see... On the other hand I feel nervous putting my work out in the public on a subject matter I am just starting out in learning. Overall, I think an open project will push me further into my research experience.”

“Contributing to an open site helped with my confidence. It made me get out of my comfort zone which I think broke a barrier in a way. It made me realize I shouldn’t be afraid to express myself.”

“Originally I felt a little hesitant. I feel still that my knowledge is limited, and I guess I worry about publishing work that I may later disagree with. That said, thinking more about my goals and beliefs about the culture of education and university work, I hope that the work I do now will continue to spark self-reflection and that I can take an iterative approach to my development of ideas.”

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STUDENT FEELINGS ABOUT OPEN

“I can imagine my critical review of an educational improvement organization being useful to my learning experience as it will teach me how to take the ideas of others and use them to assist or challenge my thinking. Along with this I can see my own ideas transformed with new perspectives of others.”

“I was a little nervous just because the open site made it to where everyone could see your personal artifact submissions, but I actually thought that it was quite interesting to see what everyone else submitted and whether or not it was similar to what I thought of. The choice to use a pseudonym actually made me a lot more comfortable sharing personal artifacts.”

“I’m excited to be participating in a project that very intentionally seeks to disrupt oppressive power structures. I also think this project will hopefully help me become more comfortable with sharing my knowledge and scholarship publicly (which is something I’d like to get more comfortable with!)”

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Complete data analysis

Iterate teaching and research approaches

Explore new questions

NEXT STEPS FOR OUR RESEARCH

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COMMUNITY CONVERSATION:

SUPPORT STRATEGIES FOR OPEN STUDENT PROJECTS

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Faculty/library partnerships

Developing common understandings of open work
Collaborative assignment and syllabus design that includes teaching students about open concepts
Scaffolding course subject content with feedback opportunities so students are sharing their best work
Clarifying faculty and library roles, labor, and capacity

Technology

Defining student learning goals with technology
Platform hosting, setup, and support

MORE STRATEGIES WE USE...

Teaching students about open concepts is just one part of developing and supporting an open student project, of course.

From our experience, two key areas are faculty/library partnerships and technology support.

With faculty/library partnerships, developing a common understanding of open work is essential. Not all faculty or librarians have experience with open concepts, so it is important to build that knowledge together. Collaborative assignment and syllabus design is an opportunity to build in student instruction about open concepts. A whole-course view of an open project can also scaffold all related student work, including feedback opportunities, so students are able to share their best work in open environments. Conversations about faculty, library, and student roles, labor, and capacity are also key to a successful student experience.

Technology is another crucial piece of open work. You will have decisions to make around the learning goals related to technology, including whether you want students to engage with the technology (which is often new to them), focus simply on the open content, or a combination of both. Do you see value in students spending a lot of time and effort learning a new technology, or is it more important to smooth technology barriers to focus on other aspects of course content? You’ll also need to align your project content with the right platform and hosting environment. In the UW Libraries, we offer multiple digital scholarship hosting and open publishing platform options, so we are well-equipped to support open student projects. If this is not the case at your institution, you’ll need to spend some time evaluating options. Regardless, someone will need to set up project sites, train students and faculty to use and administer the sites, and provide timely help with questions and troubleshooting.

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What is new to you with our approach to teaching open student work?

What interests or surprises you about student responses about their feelings about open work?

Are there classes or assignments where you would like to incorporate open student work?

How have you or how would you think about supporting students in open pedagogy assignments?

Share how your classes or assignments elevate student experiences and knowledges, in contrast to standard knowledge production models (such as research papers)

YOUR IDEAS (padlet)

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QUESTIONS

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Teaching Resources

Student Projects

Badass Womxn in the Pacific Northwest Zines, V1 and V2
Feminist Archive Exhibits
Toolkit for Student Success
Becoming a Learner �

Community Conversation Padlet�
“How do Undergrads Feel…?” presentation recording

RESOURCES

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Faculty collaborators

Dr. Julie Shayne
Dr. Sarita Shukla
Deborah Hathaway

Library colleagues

Penelope Wood
Hannah Mendro
Mary Schibig
Kat Wyly

Technology

Alan Levine
Reclaim Hosting
PressbooksEDU

THANK YOUS

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THANK YOU!

“How do undergrads feel about open pedagogy projects?: New insights from an interdisciplinary study” 2023 by Denise Hattwig, Alyssa Berger, and Chelsea Nesvig is licensed under CC BY 4.0