By Yinghao Liu and Zhiyi Chen*
Daniel Weissglass, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, teaches ETHLDR 201, PHIL 205, and GLHLTH 201 at Duke Kunshan University (DKU). In his teaching, he has adopted two new strategies to help students succeed: research-led teaching and oral exams. He finds these strategies especially helpful in DKU’s 7-week term structure, allowing students to explore module contents in greater depth.
As an educator, Weissglass takes a student-centered approach which allows students to engage with him in diagnostic conversations, seek for knowledge themselves, and to master the academic material. In addition, Weissglass strives to build a deeper connection with his students and prepare them to become critical thinkers and lifelong learners.
Research-led Teaching
By actively engaging students in the research process, research-led teaching adheres to McCabe and O’Connor’s (2014) student-centric learning approach, which emphasizes giving learners greater responsibility for their learning. As part of this educational approach, the curriculum content is primarily shaped by the research interests of faculty members, and its application is extended to shape students’ abilities. Specifically, through integrating current research projects, case studies, and primary literature into the teaching process, students learn about the latest findings, theories, and methodologies from ongoing research (Healey, 2005).
As part of his Global Health 201 course, Weissglass employed a research-led teaching strategy that actively engaged students in the research process and achieved “spectacular” results. This method is structured as follows:
- Week one: An introduction to ethical thinking frameworks.
- Week two: Review empirical background of the class topic.
- Week three: Examine the ethical implications of the topic in general.
- Week four (+): Three groups research based on students’ selection of subtopics.
In their last project, for instance, students discussed the ethical implications of nudging Alzheimer’s disease, the ethical dilemmas associated with end-of-life decisions for Alzheimer’s patients, as well as the ethical importance of social connections for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. During the discussion, they examined how these connections can or should be maintained in the context of care. In order to better master the content, Weissglass encourages student groups to present their work on a weekly basis. Through this process, students gain experience being part of a research team and develop research and collaboration skills alongside mastery of course content.
According to Weissglass, instructors who wish to implement research-led teaching should select topics that revolve around a core issue, allowing students to explore and branch out from it. An effective central problem should contain all of the important aspects of the course and avoid any topics which require more background than the students can be expected to acquire during the course or its prerequisites. By building the course around a ‘live’ topic of this kind, instructors can join their teaching and research interests – and already one paper resulting from this course is under review at a leading journal, witH another two being prepared for the same.
Oral Exams
Besides the research-led approach that drives his overall course design, Weissglass also experimented with oral exams to help students realize their learning objectives. According to Nuckles (2000), student-centered teaching is a holistic approach that focuses on the learner’s needs and promotes self-actualization through humanistic educational philosophy. In Weissglass’s case, this approach can be revealed by how he used oral exams as an effective assessment to evaluate students’ learning.
Three models of oral examinations have been developed by Weissglass to evaluate students’ progress:
- Students received one question from Weissglass with 10 minutes research time and 20 minutes response time.
- A list of questions would be provided to students to prepare, and additional questions would be asked based on the students’ responses to the original questions.
- Choosing a position and providing the counterarguments for that position.
It is interesting to note that the second model is the most favored. In this way, Weissglass is able to frame questions in such a manner as to efficiently gauge the level of preparedness of the learners. This is also appreciated by the students due to the flexibility of oral exams that enable them to refine their answers in real-time as they converse.
Furthermore, Weissglass employed a self-assessment process in order to assist students in improving their performance on oral examinations:
- Weissglass works with students to create a rubric.
- Students have a conversation with Weissglass to reflect their performance based on the created rubric.
- Weissglass assesses the students’ assessments to develop learners’ self-assessment skills.
This process benefits both the learners and the instructor. From the learner’s perspective, they are encouraged to be more active in their learning process. There are more opportunities for instructors to interact with and effectively assist students in identifying their weaknesses on time. In this way, students are able to supplement their shortcomings on the second oral test.
Challenges
Both strategies are limited by the time and effort required. In the case of oral exams, 18 students undergo three half-hour oral examinations, requiring 27 hours of intense evaluation for this assessment process. Moreover, developing the self-assessment rubrics with students also takes up a significant amount of time, as well as the preparation for research-informed teaching. Although there are challenges, it is still significant to implement these two strategies as students are cultivated more academically and develop more skills.
Looking Forward with Teaching and Learning in AI
Regarding artificial intelligence (AI), Weissglass stated that each individual must acquire new skills and knowledge throughout their lives. It is an exciting opportunity for education practitioners to leverage AI technology to enhance their teaching methods and to create a more personalized learning environment. Weissglass has expressed particular interest in the potential applications of AI mentors. In his opinion, technology has the potential to enable teachers to form stronger relationships with their students.
ETHLDR 201, for instance, is designed as a conversational course in which students of various backgrounds can share their perspectives on ethical dilemma. During this process, AI serves as a guide to assist students in gaining a deeper understanding of module content through simulated dialogue. Instructors can act as facilitators to refine and revise the weakness of AI. AI, according to Weissglass’s expectation, will relieve faculty members of low-level and relatively easy teaching tasks, allowing them to devote more time to mentoring learners as young scholars.
References
Healey, M. (2005). Linking Research and Teaching to Benefit Student Learning. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 29(2), 183–201. doi: 10.1080/03098260500130387
McCabe, A., & O’Connor, U. (2014). Student-centered learning: the role and responsibility of the lecturer. Teaching in Higher Education, 19(4), 350-359. doi: 10.1080/13562517.2013.860111.
Nuckles, C. (2000). Student-Centered Teaching: Making It Work. Adult Learning, 11(4), 5-6. doi: 10.1177/104515959901100403.
*About the authors
Yinghao Liu: Yinghao Liu is a former intern with CTL. He is a graduate student in English Translation at Southeast University. During his internship at DKU, he explored various AI tools and their applications to improve work efficiency.
Zhiyi Chen: Zhiyi Chen, a 2024 graduate of the University of Birmingham (UK), majored in Education. She is interested in the field of education and therefore be continuing her postgraduate study (MA Education) in September 2024 at University College London (UK). Prior to her internship at CTL, she was involved in a number of internships in the education sector, including teaching Chinese at Birmingham Chinese School in the UK and English at international schools in China. After joining CTL to learn more about teaching and learning, she found her interests in students’ engagement and motivation.