Tag: active learning

  • Revolutionizing the classroom: Embracing diverse teaching strategies for impactful learning

    By Md Atikur Rahman, doctoral student, OSU College of Health Having examined the chapter on instructional methods and strategies in An Evidence-based Guide to College and University Teaching, I am fascinated by the various ways that might greatly improve teaching and learning experiences. This contemplation has motivated me to explore a wide range of approaches for…

  • Lessons about optimizing learning

    By Patrick Conraads, doctoral student, OSU College of Liberal Arts “Optimizing Learning in College: Tips from Cognitive Psychology,” (Putnam et al.,2016) explores the reasons why some students are unsuccessful in college by using psychological analyses to make recommendations for students to be successful. The article discusses time management techniques, identifies some of the common mistakes…

  • Sparked by a Sparkshop: Rethinking Think-Pair-Share

    By Kara Clevinger Think-Pair-Share is an inclusive learning strategy that has evolved quite a bit since Frank Lyman first introduced it in 1981. Lyman’s approach was originally presented as Listen-Think-Pair-Share: students listen to a question posed by the instructor, take some time to think about it, pair up with a peer to discuss their answers,…

  • Distance Learning is Hard – Here’s How to Make it Easier for Students

    About the Author: Madeline Nichols is a doctoral student in the College of Public Health and Human Studies at Oregon State University. Studying in the Human Development and Family Studies program, her research broadly focuses on how older adults and adults in midlife understand, process, and regulate their emotions, and how those emotional competencies intersect…

  • Transparency in Learning and Teaching: Begin with SMARTE and SMARTER Student Learning Objectives

    In my work as an instructional consultant in CTL, I often discuss with faculty how to adjust the wording of course student learning objectives (SLOs) to exemplify measurable SLOs. This served as the initial impetus for creating an infographic to disseminate best practices for constructing student-centered and action-oriented SLOs. However, there is a lot more…

  • A Framework for Engaging Students in Synchronous Class Sessions: Interactive Lecture

    A Framework for Engaging Students in Synchronous Class Sessions: Interactive Lecture There is a plethora of strategies and activities for engaging students in the remote learning modality (Amobi 2020, Chick, Friberg & Bessette 2020; Martin & Bollinger, 2018). In a national survey of faculty during the spring COVID-19 pivot, 63% of participants identified student engagement…

  • Elevating Student Engagement in Breakout Rooms

    Students want to interact with each other. In fact, they learn better when they do. In a national survey of undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic, 65% of participants identified the opportunity to collaborate with other students as one of the aspects of their learning that suffered from the shift to remote instruction. How can…

  • Four Strategies for Facilitating Group Activities in Remote and Hybrid/Blended Classes

    One of the biggest pedagogical shifts in moving in-person classes to remote learning involves modifying active learning activities. Online courses which are designed from the ground up without face-to-face meetings have many ways to engage students (Forbes, 2020). The challenge is to make our remote teaching also be more active. Facilitating active learning assumes greater…

  • Should You Require Students To Turn On Their Zoom Cameras?

    Getting students actively engaged in learning is the desired goal of instruction in all modalities. The pivot to remote teaching has rekindled productive inquiry about evidence-based strategies for fostering student-instructor, student-content, and student-student forms of interaction in the virtual classroom. This was the focusing theme of a recent High-Contact Strategies session of the College of…

  • Pedagogical Boosters

    Last week, Cub Kahn posted a blog titled, Practical Solutions to Remote Learning Issues. In that issue, an infographic on remote learning issues, along with practical, evidence-based solutions were shared. This week, the Center for Teaching and Learning is sharing a second infographic, Pedagogical Boosters. But don’t worry, while we often may feel a pinch…