Transparency is essential in education to focus on what students actually know rather than what they think is expected of them. Providing reading guides or materials helps to streamline content and guide students by suggesting specific sections to focus on, but making the additional resources optional can prevent students from viewing it as just another task. This approach has been proven beneficial as students who engage with these supplementary materials tend to perform better. Balancing structured assignments with open-ended tasks in education can help students develop critical thinking and adaptability. While structure is crucial, incorporating elements of open-endedness can challenge students and prepare them for real-world problem-solving in fields like engineering.
Justin Shaffer shares how to use high structure course design to heighten student learning on episode 506 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.
Quotes from the episode
Some students might be doing just fine with the traditional, maybe unstructured class. But we know from evidence, lots of research now shows that this type of structure does help students.
-Justin Shaffer
The keyword through all 3 steps is alignment.
-Justin Shaffer
I don’t think the structure necessarily guarantees success because it’s the students ultimately have to put the work in to earn that grade, to earn that outcome.
-Justin Shaffer