What about letting students make some choices about learning the content in our courses? Most of us already do at least a bit of that. We let them decide on paper topics, what they want to create or perform, or whether they will do optional
The research methods being used to study active learning are improving. They are looking at outcomes beyond a single course at one institution. Here’s a summary of a study that explored some larger impacts.
Organizing and writing ideas and building presentations can be a taxing and complicated process for students. Writing requires multitasking. When some of these tasks are challenging, they can become overwhelming and can often disrupt the creative flow of ideas. One way to help students focus
I have some concerns about flipping courses. Maybe I’m just hung up on the name—flipping is what we do with pancakes. It’s a quick, fluid motion and looks easy to those of us waiting at the breakfast table. I’m not sure those connotations are good
When making classroom decisions, too often our main focus is the standards, learning objectives, and/or discipline competencies that must be addressed by the end of the course. Instead, we should focus on the students who sit in our classrooms and how we can best help
Publishers are quickly moving into the etext business. Technology makes it possible to provide much more than written descriptions of course content. The authors of an exploration of etexts identify the positive aspects of these technology-enhanced texts: convenience, portability, and currency. But as these authors
This particular list was compiled from the responses of more than 700 first-year college students taking courses enrolling 150 or more students. They were asked to answer this prompt: “In your opinion, what is the biggest mistake college instructors make in the classroom?” There aren’t
To learn more about how students learn, I conducted a test of a core subject that I teach. It’s titled “The American Experience,” and it’s a required course for juniors and seniors at LaGrange College. I’ve taught the course using in-class presentation of the material
Do grades motivate students? The answer is yes, but it’s not an unqualified yes. Below are highlights from a couple of first-rate studies that illustrate those qualifications, and they aren’t the only studies to do so.
To reach the “selfie” generation enrolled in my Freshman Seminar class, I have used their tendency toward narcissism to help them discover how they spend their time and what part social media plays in their college experience. Drawing on the work of Nonis, Philhours, and
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