IU SBC Fellows: Good Practices

Good Practice from Portia K. Maultsby, IU Bloomington

Title	Supplementing Lecture with Music Examples and Illustrative Materials Online
Course or Project	F389 Hip-Hop Music and Culture
Audience	Experienced undergraduates
Active	1997, still ongoing
Background Information	The instructional Web site on Hip-Hop Music and Culture is intended to be used in conjunction with traditional teaching methods.
Teaching Challenge	I wanted to shift from a primarily lecture format to more classroom discussions that included group activities. I also wanted to create assignments that would inspire students to better prepare for class and think critically about the readings and other class materials. On the first day of classes, I orientate students to various issues on hip-hop music and culture by having them critique responses of hip-hop artists to the question, “What is Hip-Hop/What Is Rap?” included on the Web site. The Web site also includes a page entitled, “What Do I Need To Know For Class?,” which poses questions based on the lecture notes and assigned readings using musical and video clips, song lyrics, and graphics. Weekly class discussions draw from these and other questions.
Good Practice	I worked with the Teaching and Learning Technologies Centers staff to create an instructional Web site that would allow me to package the wide-range of instructional materials—music and video clips, song lyrics, photographs, maps, charts, and other images as well as lecture notes and discussion questions. Rather than present lecture notes in class (students must complete these readings in advance), I conceptually or theoretically frame the information as the basis for discussion. The students and I draw materials from the Web site to illustrate points made during discussions. Various images and multimedia examples included on the Web site also provide the basis for some exam questions designed to develop critical thinking skills.
Impact	Students are better prepared for discussions and are willing to debate positions. They probe the readings more deeply and relate concepts to the visual and audio materials as well as song lyrics; they explore other Web sites for information, which they present in class and; they have become more proficient using computers.
Assessment	Student evaluations using an instrument developed by the Teaching and Learning Technologies Centers
Keywords	Motivating student participation, multicultural content, visualizing concepts, problem-based learning, critical thinking skills
Technical Format	Customized Web site
Relevant URLs	http://www.indiana.edu/~folklore/

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