Staying Relevant with Today’s Learners: Second Meeting of the Instructional Innovation Fellowship (IIF)

Anne-Marie teaches at the Residential Academic Programs (RAP), where she brings first-year and transfer students together in living-learning communities. To create a more engaging environment for students in her Health Sciences RAP course, Anne-Marie looked to modernize and transform a traditional form of argumentative dialogue, the Socratic Debate.

While the Socratic Debate helps students develop critical thinking, public speaking, and active listening skills, Anne-Marie noticed a significant drop in participation - only 5 out of 30 students showed up for the final debate. She identified potential reasons: Fear of public speaking, discomfort with fast-paced responses, and the anxiety of providing no definitive answers.

Her Solution: Meme Wars!

Anne-Marie incorporated memes into the debate structure to make the debate format more relatable to today’s social media-savvy students. Students divided into teams and used Google Docs to prepare arguments on a debatable topic. During the debate, they projected memes on classroom screens to inject humor and flag key points.

The Result:

Full participation. All 30 students attended, and the debate became a lively, respectful exchange where students practiced public speaking and critical thinking while building a stronger community through shared humor.

For Alejandro, the challenge lies in getting students to read and engage with texts in his 100-level College Writing and GenEd English classes. With students often disinterested in reading and the rise of A.I. tools that do the thinking for them, Alejandro faced a critical question: How much should college students read, and how much do they actually understand?

Alejandro designed his class to address long-standing concerns about students’ reading comprehension and writing skills. Surveys revealed that many students disliked reading, and, as a result, engagement was often low. On average, his students read 15-20 pages per class, but most struggled to respond meaningfully to the material.

His Solution: Creative Read-and-Response Activities

Alejandro introduced a series of creative read-and-response activities that helped students discover what method worked best for them. These practices included:

• Skimming for connections
• Individual annotations
• Group and individual thought mapping
• Color-coding poetry

Throughout the semester, students practiced these methods both individually and collectively. One particularly effective activity was the group mind map, where students visualized major plot points and character developments. The mind map was drawn on the board and Google Docs, updated after every class, and shared on Canvas for easy reference.

The Result:

These practices significantly improved student participation and reading comprehension. Students appreciated hearing others’ thoughts before speaking, which gave them time to process and reflect. The activities also boosted their writing skills, though Alejandro still encountered challenges with students who resisted completing reading assignments.

Kevin teaches an Introduction to Logic course to over 100 students, many of whom are apprehensive about math. With no TAs to assist him, Kevin realized that students needed more individualized feedback and interactive learning tools.

His Solution: The creation of LogicPenguin

The LogicPenguin is a custom-designed software that provides interactive, individualized feedback for students in large courses. It helps students work through problems at their own pace, offering hints and feedback that guide them toward correct answers. The software is integrated with Canvas, which makes it easier for students to receive timely support without overwhelming the instructor.

Key Features of LogicPenguin:

• Scaffolding:  LogicPenguin is designed with a gradual release of responsibility where students are guided, initially, by the software with examples and hints and, finally, toward complete independence.
• Instant Feedback: Students receive feedback as they work through problems, allowing them to correct mistakes in real time.
• Redo Options: Students can redo assignments before submission, helping them learn from their errors without the pressure of grades.
• Grading Assistance: The software lightens the grading load by automating feedback, allowing Kevin time to focus on more meaningful interactions with students.

The Result:

Early results have been promising, with students responding positively to the interactive nature of the software. However, Kevin is still fine-tuning the project and exploring ways to make LogicPenguin more accessible and prevent potential cheating. He also invites collaborators to develop the platform as an open educational resource (OER).