The Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning

Inclusive Approaches to Support Student Assignments During Times of Disruption

Fortunately, for much of the time, Brown instructors and students are able to teach and learn as planned in the syllabus. However, in times of major disruption--whether due to factors such as global pandemics or weather--there are times when these plans need to be adjusted. This resource offers approaches to making these adjustments, through both lower and higher-tech means.

Recommendations from Brown's Office of Student Accessibility Services (SAS) are also offered to address accessibility.

In times of significant disruption, the key goal is to help students get the support they need to meet your most essential course objectives. Teaching in times of disruption may involve thinking creatively about how to build up students’ knowledge and skills in different formats to complete the same assignment. An example of this adjustment includes delivering a recorded lecture and then having students complete the original exam using the Quizzes tool in Canvas. Digital Learning and Design (Sheridan Center) has compiled guides for Digital Teaching that offer ideas and modifications for Online and Remote Accessible teaching and learning practices.

However, instructors may also wish to think creatively about the assignment itself, through an approach that may not be intensively digital. For the purposes of inclusion, it is important to be mindful that some students have limited access to laptops and data plans. An assessment that relies on face-to-face interaction (e.g., discussion, presentations, debates) might be completed in Zoom, or it could be substituted with an assignment in a different format that meets the same course objectives. One example of a "low tech" adjustment includes asking students to write a pro/con issue comparison memo, in lieu of participating in a classroom debate.

Here we describe the most frequently used assessments in Brown courses and offer low- and higher-tech options for helping students to complete them. If you are using an assignment type that is not detailed here, please contact sheridan_center@brown.edu to talk through options specific to your teaching context.

Creative Approaches to Help Students Complete Key Assignments

General Considerations for Assignment Re-Design

In making any significant adjustment during times of disruption, it is also helpful to consider four overarching questions:

Please contact the Sheridan Center (sheridan_center@brown.edu) to talk more about these or other options specific to your teaching context.

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This resource was authored by Dr. Mary Wright, Associate Provost for Teaching and Learning, Executive Director of Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning, and Professor (Research) in Sociology, with input from Sheridan Center colleagues.

References

Bean, J. (2011). Engaging ideas: The professor’s guide to integrating writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the classroom, 2nd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Gooblar, D. (2019). The missing course: Everything they never taught you about college teaching. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

LaVaque-Manty, M., & Evans, E. M. (2013). Implementing metacognitive interventions in disciplinary writing classes. In M. Kaplan, N. Silver, D. LaVaque-Manty, & D. Meizlish (Eds.), Using reflection and metacognition to improve student learning: Across the disciplines, across the academy (122-146). Stylus Publishing. 

Winkelmes, M., Bernacki, M., Butler, J., Zochowski, M., Golanics, J., & Weavil, K.H. (2016). A teaching intervention that increases underserved college students’ success. Peer Review, 18(1-2). Available: https://www.aacu.org/peerreview/2016/winter-spring/Winkelmes