Engage Learners
Engaging learners can be both an art and a science. Studies indicate that engaging learners increases student learning and recall.
Whether you are teaching an online, hybrid, or face-to-face (on campus) course, there are various ways to engage learners. Here are some practical tips that have demonstrated success in college classrooms.
- Make it relevant. Connect your course content with real life. The information is more meaningful and students better recall that information.
- Authentic learning. Teaching and assessing student learning through authentic means increases student learning, e.g. develop an advertisement for their personal business.
- Use visual representations. This goes beyond slides. Use graphs, photos, illustrations, or concept maps to illustrate difficult concepts.
- Self-reflection. Studies indicate that students will think more deeply and develop cognitive skills when they are required to consider how the concepts apply to them or others.
- Flip the classroom. Have students read material before class. Provide lectures within Canvas before they come to class. Use class time to discuss what they’ve read, work on critical/difficult concepts, or apply the information in some manner.
- Active learning. Make your course content something students are actively involved in, not just passively listening to. Give them a problem to solve, have them teach each other, or share a new idea with the class or the person sitting next to them.
- Technology in the classroom. Use online or mobile tech tools to provide instant feedback and quickly assess student learning. You can tailor your instruction on the fly.
In sum, students better recall information when they are involved in their learning. Think of ways they can problem-solve, calculate, watch, analyze, and interact with other students and the class material to maximize learning time.
Tips were gleaned from TopHat, 19 Student Engagement Strategies to Start with in Your Course