Faculty-led Inquiry into Reflective and Scholarly Teaching (FIRST)
Date of this Version
2020
Document Type
Portfolio
Citation
Tippens, Julie A. "Critical Thinking, Perspective-Taking, and Cultural Humility in Global Refugee Health Studies: A Peer Review of Teaching Benchmark Portfolio" (2020). UNL Faculty Portfolios, 172. digitalcommons.unl.edu/prtunl/172.
Abstract
This portfolio examines the third iteration of a course I developed for the Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies: CYAF 493 – Global Case Studies in Refugee Health and Wellbeing. The primary goal of this course is for students to think critically about the social and structural determinants of refugee health and wellbeing. I have also integrated three core course values to guide instruction: critical thinking, perspective-taking, and cultural humility. Student learning and engagement was analyzed through four areas: (1) a baseline assessment of students’ perceptions of refugees, (2) weekly homework reflections, (3) a book review assignment, and (4) mid-semester course evaluations. The baseline assessment, homework reflections, and book review were analyzed using thematic analysis. The mid-semester course evaluations were used to identify students’ perceptions of what teaching strategies and course materials were most useful to them. Results indicated that weekly reflections and the book review assignment were instrumental in improving students’ learning. I plan to re-align the guiding values and learning objectives, remove one of the major assignments, and center instruction around the core values to foster student learning.