Open AccessAll in with Google Slides: Virtual engagement and formative assessment in introductory sign language linguistics
Author(s) -
Leah C. Geer
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the linguistic society of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2473-8689
DOI - 10.3765/plsa.v6i2.5103
Subject(s) - formative assessment , class (philosophy) , presentation (obstetrics) , style (visual arts) , sign (mathematics) , mathematics education , transition (genetics) , computer science , pedagogy , psychology , visual arts , artificial intelligence , art , mathematical analysis , biochemistry , chemistry , mathematics , gene , radiology , medicine
My goals as an instructor are to be transparent and approachable and to cultivate a community of learners. The transition to virtual instruction in Sign Language Structure and Usage presented significant challenges. I wondered how students could engage effectively with me, with each other, and with course content; how students could identify what they understood and on what they needed further instruction. To address these questions, I went all in with Google Slides to build engaging, searchable, self-paced slide presentations with built-in formative assessments. COVID-19 inspired this shift in slide creation, but I envision using these slides going forward because they are more equitable and more inclusive. If studentsare not able to come to class for any reason, they can review videos and complete selfassessments, just as they would in class. Anecdotal remarks suggest this approach appeals to a wider range of students and learning styles, but further study should explicitly examine student perceptions of this slide format. Other faculty in my college have recently expressed interest in adopting this style of presentation in their owncourses.