Q: In your classes, which subject do you
plan for the most?

Vol. 10

A: I try to spend an equal amount of time
preparing for SSAW and Introduction to Peer

EDLSC Associate ProfessorPeter ROUX

・Research Field:

Educational Technology・Subjects:

Study Skills and Academic Writing
Introduction to Peer Leader Taining
Peer Leader Taining Ⅰ
Interview date: May, 2021

Tips
1. Stay informed and updated when preparing
course content and material.

2. Use a variety of learning activities and online
applications to create a stimulatingand engaging environment.

3. Keep a dialogue with learners before, duringand after classes to ensure that the course
contents are understood.

Leadership courses. For Peer Leadership Training,problem-solving skills, while imparting knowledge
which will also help them to improve their current
skills?

Q: In your classes, what do you do toincrease the quality of student learning?

which focuses on teamwork, I think a lot about thedevelopment and growth of the students.

A: A great place to start is by thinking about why

Therefore, the focus of setting up this course lies instudents join the course, as the reason they enroll

getting students involved, engaged, andin the first place means that they have some kind ofcommunicating through preparing to facilitate

motivation to join. I'm always happy to see many

the process of teamwork. In SSAW, which

eager and curious students in my courses because it

focuses on the development of academic writing

means that they started from a place inside theirskills, I also try to facilitate teamwork, but for thehearts and minds regarding what skills andspecific purpose of developing those skills.

knowledge they want to develop in themselves.

Therefore, in this course I have to prepare for

Therefore, to ensure this development and thelearning goals with specific outcomes. For

quality of student education, considering student

example, what skills do I want students to learn

motivation for the respective course is a good placeand how do I get them to improve their writing andto start. Furthermore, as my courses focus on

student development through teamwork, each classthink preparation is a mindset for improvement.

results in its own character and learning journey.

During the class, I ask students to reflect on each

I'm always excited when I start to see this uniquelesson, its learning contents, and what contents

learning journey develop because the needs forthey would like to study further. If I follow thateach class will be slightly different and therefore

path each week, I get a very good sense of student

the purpose of the class itself also develops overneeds and development.

time.
Furthermore, there are two sides to the classrelationship, the teacher and the student. As ateacher, I always demand of myself that I stay
updated on new knowledge and the state of theeducational world and its developments. Therefore,
when I prepare to create classes, I always try to
update the classes and improve the quality. Iconfirm what students would like to hear, what
they are discussing, and what they areinterested in so that I can connect those interests
and themes to the class content. Therefore, I

Q: In your classes, what do you do toincrease student motivation forlearning?
A: As a former student, I have been in the positionof having signed up for a class which begins towear me down. In this situation, I suggest thatstudents ask themselves why they originallyenrolled, and what their original feelings and goals
were. They can also question how they will facepotential disappointment or continue to strive forthose goals: perhaps the disappointment itself will

reveal a life lesson. The wise words of the Persian
writer Rumi describe the human soul like a house,and every emotion, every experience that comes in
to it, should be treated like a guest in your house,
while remembering that it's a guest and it will leavesoon. I've always come back to this concept withany difficult experience in my life, and I advise mystudents to treat each of their experiences as guests
in this way to maintain motivation during their ups
and downs.
I also try to design activities in which the students
have the opportunity to think about their everyday
experiences and integrate these experiences into thecourse material. Then, each week in my Peer
Leadership class, we will have a different topic andclass activities conducted during breakout sessions
based on that topic. These activities are usuallybased on different types of personal competencies.

For instance, if the theme of the week is time
management, students in the breakout rooms are
expected to make a schedule for the week and thenanalyze how they manage their time together with
their peers.

Q: Classes were moved online in theSpring Semester of 2020. What sorts ofchanges have you made for your online
classes?
A: It is a real challenge to have online classes as weare used to in-person style teaching which gives us
the opportunity to communicate easily. In theclassroom setting, students are accessible and it iseasier to converse with them and exchange
information. The challenge for online learning has
been the correct setup. Technical support systems
such as Zoom, WebEx, and online learning
management systems such as manaba have become

was without the review being monotonous,

the new bridges for communication. However,improving their motivation to pay attention inthese bridges take time and effort to build andonline classes. I always try to end these activities

maintain to prevent communication from breaking

with a 10-15 minute reflection on what was learned

down with unstable internet connection or theduring that class to further confirm studentdifferent time zones students are in. It is also crucial

understanding.

to adapt the class content to this online format For
example, I believe in learning through classroom
games, and in my classes I do an activity in which
students as a group choose an aspect of leadershipsuch as responsibility or inclusivity, and design amini-lecture to teach their classmates about theirchosen subject. I then encourage the presenting
group to use game formats such as Kahoot, Zoom
Poll, or PowerPoint to test and challenge theirclassmates’ and their own understanding of thetopic. I believe this presentation activity involving
games will enable students to recall what they havelearned and what the purpose of the presentation

Q: When improving the contents of yourclasses, what steps do you take towards
improvement?
A: In the SSAW course, we have created arepository of model essays for students to accessand see examples of writing expectations in essays.
I also try to motivate students to write essays
through a specific set of topics rooted in real-world
problems. For example, the faculty in charge ofSSAW have chosen to use the seventeen United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs,

which cover a broad range of topics on current

summarized their analysis which could be later

global issues, and this method of choosing broadreferenced in the course.

and relevant topics has been successful so far. We
are also developing a system in which students
choose their own topics of interest. Through thismethod, everybody who participates can find their
passion somewhere within these topics.
As for classes such as Peer Leadership Training, I
try to come up with activities in which students canlearn through doing. For example, in one of theclasses we explored power relations in leadership
through a movie analysis, in which groups ofstudents chose a movie to watch from a list and,based on a comprehensive leadership worksheet
provided in class, analyzed the movie in terms of
the power relationships depicted in the storyline
and through the characters. After this analysis,
students designed an information graph and

Q: What do you think is important in
the process of education?

Professor Peter ROUX with his Peer Leader Training Students

A: Speaking from my experiences as a learner, oneof the most important aspects during the process ofeducation is attitude. Attitude in any aspect of life
will shape the experience and what is learned fromit. If the mind is open to that concept, there is avery good chance to achieve positive results.
However, if the experience is approached with amindset such as: “I feel tired and I’ m not sure I
can do this” or “I feel a little bit low,” then thismindset will create a stumbling block for learning.
Education is not only about learning from classes,
but learning from experiences in life.

Q: What do you expect from thestudents who take your classes?
A: I think having that good attitude is a good place
to start. My other hope is for students to stay
curious. If students feel that they doubt themselves
or are losing interest, this response is an acceptablepart of the ups and downs we go through in oureducation. I suggest talking with peers, professors,friends, and family, and to keep communicating.
Staying engaged is very important, and for shy
students who don’ t open up easily, writing downthoughts and emotions may be one strategy for thiskind of communication. I do not expect mystudents to be perfect or great achievers, but I thinkthat achievement will reach each person in theirown way at a point in their lives. However, having
an open mind and staying engaged through facing
both ups and downs during the learning experience

will make all the difference.

Interviewer Impressions
Having taken Peer Leadership Training 2 last semester, it was interesting
to know the behind-the-scenes preparation that takes place for classes
like Peer Leadership Training, where the outcome depends on thestudents taking initiative to get the most out of the course. Interviewing
Professor Roux made me realize how in-depth preparation is needed forthese classes, and the mere preparation of materials is not enough.
Rather, there is a need to create an active learning environment in which
students can challenge themselves and create connections with people
as well as gain the required skills promised through that course.

What is [Q]?

At APU there are many professors who put together wonderful classes, and if
we could get to know how these classes are planned, it would contribute tothe improvement of other professors’ classes. For that purpose, we havebegun doing interviews in order to learn about class planning. These articles
have been entitled [Q], comprising a variety of meanings such as: increasing
the [Q]uality of classes, answering [Q]uestions to increase quality, andforming a [Q]ueue, or line, of class improvements. We would be very happy
if these articles could contribute to the [Q]uest of APU professors’ class quality
improvement.

Interviewer

Name: BANERJEE Sulagna
College: APS (CSM)
Country: India
Message: Hello! I am Sulagna, class of FA
2022, majoring in Culture, Media andSociety. My hobbies are watching animeand reading manga. I have been part ofALRCS and Project Q since Fall 2019 andworking for Project Q has given me abetter under standing and newfoundappreciation towards our teaching facultyin APU. Our professors put a lot of effort
into creating the course material for theirstudents. Therefore, I hope that our articles
help out our students and APU teachingfaculty to improve the overall quality oflearning in APU.