PEDAGOGICAL OBJECTIVEs
- Model creativity using visual timelines as a method for presenting political analysis
- Design a timeline learning activity using Google Slides
- Foster collaborative learning through peer discussions on the deck of slides
- Rapidly get students up to speed on historical background, so they can pivot to focus on contemporary topics
ACADEMIC TECHNOLOGY TOOL
- Google Slides
Featured Faculty
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Kerry Ratigan
Course: Health Policy in China, ALSC/POSC-431, January 2021, intensive four-week course
Description
This intensive January term course examined health policy and related politics in China from 1949 to the present COVID era. Professor Ratigan faced the unusual challenge of teaching a remote course on an extremely compressed timeframe of four weeks. Due to the short timeframe, Ratigan needed a way for the students to quickly explore the history of Chinese health policy and politics, so that they could then place contemporary events in their proper context.
In a normal full semester, Ratigan would likely have developed a longer-term project-based assignment to meet this requirement. This year, Ratigan opted to have the students collectively build a digital timeline exploring Chinese health policy. Assessment of this project was limited to formative feedback with no official grades given.
Professor Ratigan, in collaboration with ATS, chose to use Google Slides for this project, based on its simplicity and the likelihood that students would already be familiar with the platform. Since there was no time for specialized technology training, ease of use was paramount. Students all worked in a single shared Google Slides document, adding points to the main timeline template slide, as well as links to individual slides providing more detail about their additions.
Observations about Student Learning
Since students in this course self-selected into a 400-level January term course, there was a high level of motivation, and students were fairly experienced with research and critical analysis. The transparent, collaborative nature of the assignment allowed students to see, and build upon, each other’s work.
(click image to enlarge)
For each historical point on the timeline, students selected a representative image and provided a brief narrative description as well as an image citation. Professor Ratigan worked with Kelly Dagan of the Library to guide students to relevant sources, and due to the quick turnaround needed, Ratigan advised them to spend no more than 90 minutes researching and selecting an image. The first slide in the Google Slides desk presents the timeline in its entirety, as collectively built by the students, and the subsequent slides offer expanded space for each student’s individual contribution.
The class made great use of Google’s commenting features to engage in asynchronous conversation about the content. Students asked pertinent questions about peer posts, often validating each other’s questions and discussing the material. Ratigan often replied with clarifications, relevant references, or simple words of encouragement.
Demonstration of Critical Analysis
Each post from the student seemed like a snapshot of historical fact, but the analysis could be seen in the way students selected a visual element that was a representation in the historical arc of China’s healthcare policy.
Students raised good questions in response to their classmates' work. For example, one student writes: “One question which immediately pops into my head reading this is what side effects did pesticide use- if potent enough- have on the health of the nation?"
Student comment: "Once the virus is contained worldwide and we begin to look for answers, I wonder where Wuhan will fit into the puzzle..." This comment was validated by another classmate via a peer comment and the discussion was extended further.
Student comment: "I always find it very intriguing when government projects set goals/deadlines for large-scale projects." This student connects the slide's content to prior class readings.
Accessibility Bonus
- There are several strategies to make the visual timeline (or any Google Slides deck) more accessible, such as adding alt-text to images. Check out these guidelines from Google.
How To Resources
- Create a shared Google Slides deck or Shared Drive for your class
- Example timeline templates (Google Slides, this link will create a copy for your personal perusall and use)
- Frost Library research guide on researching and citing images
Readings and References
- Agostinho, S. (2011). The use of a visual learning design representation to support the design process of teaching in higher education. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 27(6).
Published Fall 2021 by Academic Technology Services