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Building Student Accountability:�Practical Strategies to Empower Success

Jason Van Acker

Associate Lecturer, Business Administration�Wisconsin Lutheran College

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Image Source: Wisconsin Lutheran College

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Image Source: ESPN.com (11/7/2017)

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Image Source: Premium Beat (11/20/2015)

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Agenda

What is Student Accountability?

High vs. Low Accountability Learning Environments

Five Best Practices To Improve Student Accountability

Questions & Answers

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QUICK POLL

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Does This Sound Familiar?

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SOUND OFF!

Have you made any other adjustments in your classrooms?

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So, What is Student Accountability?

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Accountability involves students taking responsibility for their decisions and learning behaviors.

Franklin and Harrington (2019); Heilporn et al. (2021)

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High vs. Low Accountability

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High Environment�Accountability Resides with Students�

Low Environment�Accountability Resides with Faculty

  • Students are intrinsically motivated to perform

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  • Students assume ownership of their own learning and growth

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  • “Failure” is viewed as feedback

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  • Students are extrinsically motivated to perform

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  • Faculty assume ownership of their students’ learning and growth

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  • “Failure” is viewed as fatal

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�When Something Goes Wrong, �Who Feels The Pressure To Fix It?�

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SOUND OFF!

What are some potential advantages to fostering student accountability?

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“Involving students…improved their grades, reduced student passivity, and increased their self-confidence.”

Hood (2012)

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From “Fixer” to “Guide”

Faculty Mindset Shift

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�Our New Educational Focus:�Empower Students to Trust Themselves�

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Five Best Practice Strategies

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Set Clear Expectations

Best Practice #1

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Best Practice #1

  • Course Syllabi
  • Assignment Rubrics
  • Consistent Schedule
  • Share Examples of Previous Work
  • Revisit Expectations Regularly

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SOUND OFF!

Which of these has provided the best results for you?

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Design Structures To Promote Responsibility

Best Practice #2

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Best Practice #2

  • Project Milestones
  • Assignment Options
  • Collaborative Goal Setting
  • “Near Final” Peer Reviews
  • “Rapid Reflect” Self-Assessments

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Foster Resilience

Best Practice #3

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Best Practice #3

  • Normalize Struggle
  • Offer Encouragement, Not Enablement
  • Ask Questions Rather Than Only Fixing Errors
  • Celebrate Small Wins

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Incorporate Demanding & Meaningful Tasks

Best Practice #4

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Best Practice #4

  • “Real-World” Client Projects
  • Industry Feedback

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Authentically Partner with Students

Best Practice #5

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“With two-way interaction comes the realization on the part of students that they share responsibility for the learning process.”

O’Brien and Iannone (2018)

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Best Practice #5

  • “I’m here to help you succeed.”
  • “In your corner…”
  • Collaborate with Other Faculty
  • Seek and Implement Student Feedback

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SOUND OFF!

What is one new accountability practice you might try in the future?

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Recap

What is Student Accountability?

High vs. Low Accountability Learning Environments

Five Best Practices To Improve Student Accountability

Questions & Answers

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4

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LET’S CONNECT!

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Q & A

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Works Cited

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Franklin, H., & Harrington, I. (2019). A review into effective classroom management and strategies for student engagement: Teacher and student roles in today’s classrooms. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 7(12), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v7i12.4491

Heilporn, G., Lakhal, S., & Bélisle, M. (2021). An examination of teachers’ strategies to foster student engagement in blended learning in higher education. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 18(1), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-021-00260-3

Hood, A. (2012). Whose responsibility is it? Encouraging student engagement in the learning process. Music Education Research, 14(4), 457-478. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2012.703174

O’Brien, B., & Iannone, P. (2018). Students’ experiences of teaching at secondary school and university: Sharing responsibility for classroom engagement. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 42(7), 922-936. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2017.1332352

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