Student Engagement Strategies

A wonderful resource to begin thinking about student engagement is Learning That Matters, co-authored by Caralyn Zehnder, Senior Lecturer in Biology.  You can access a digital copy of the book from the UMass Libraries or you can listen to an interview with Caralyn and her co-authors on a Tea for Teaching Podcast.

Some strategies for increasing student engagement in the classroom include using classroom response systems ("clickers"), encouraging classroom discussions via "think-pair-share," small-group, or large-group discussions, and providing students with opportunities to present to their classmates.  

Classroom Response Systems (CRS)

Classroom Response Systems (CRS) are sometimes called “clickers” due to the original design, but many of today’s technologies can utilize students’ smartphones, tablets or laptops.  Examples include iClickers, Poll Everywhere, Slido and Vevox, among many others. These technologies can be used in the physical classroom but can also support online interactions so that students who are participating synchronously remotely can also participate and engage. 

There are a number of best practices for using CRS technologies for teaching:

  1. If you choose to use it, make frequently use of it in each class session. This provides important formative feedback to both students and the instructor.  Be prepared to adjust your plan based on results you see, if very few students are understanding the concepts.
  2. REQUIRE CRS use, and combine grading for participation and for correctness, such as 50% credit for answering and 100% for answering correctly.  This ensures that students are benefitting from the learning experience.
  3. Use a poll-discuss-repoll strategy, which is a CRS-supported version of the “Think-Pair-Share” approach.  The benefit of the CRS-supported approach is that students can see from the initial polling results that many people may have misconceptions, which can help to reduce their own anxiety.  The initial poll responses can also help to prompt richer discussions during the “pair” segment of the activity.

To learn more about using polling or a CRS in your classes contact the Instructional Design, Engagement and Support (IDEAS) team. 

Class Discussions

You can help students learn to speak out in class through a variety of different techniques. letting them write their answers on a notecard then doing a series of card swaps with neighbors (right and left and forward and back).  After the swaps, have people anonymously share the answer that is on the notecard they are holding.  (An electronic backchannel is also an option for posing questions anonymously.)

If you are giving students time to have a discussion, announce the amount of time you will give and stick to that amount of time – even if you need to cut off an important point.  You may want to make use of a planned signal that you will use to end the discussion period, such as raising your hand or clapping twice.

When you pose a question to the whole group, be sure to provide sufficient wait-time after your question that a certain number of hands go up before you call on someone to answer.  You can tell students at the start of the semester what your target number of hands is and be sure to wait – even if it feels awkward initially. Sticking to a timeline or target number is inclusive because it creates room for more voices to be heard.

 

Presentation Techniques

Other good practices during your lecturing that will support inclusivity have to do with presentation techniques.

If there is a microphone available, use it.  Students who need hearing assistance or students whose first language is not English may need the additional clarity that a microphone can provide.  (And asking “can everyone hear me” in an elevated voice puts people in a position to need to “out” themselves, which does not foster a sense of belonging.)

If you use slides or other visuals as part of the lecture, check that they are visible from every area of the classroom (sides and back of the room) by looking at them from those places before you use them in your teaching. 

View your slides in grayscale to ensure there is enough contrast for someone with color blindness and/or use color palettes that are optimized for color blindness,  or use the features within certain programs (such as PowerPoint*) that allow you to check for accessibility.

Certain fonts and text spacing are best for people with reading difficulties such as dyslexia (8).  Avoid large blocks of text on slides and stick with evenly spaced sans serif fonts such as Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, Century Gothic, etc.

Remember that learning happens when we are pushing the envelope of what we know – therefore, making mistakes is part of the learning process.  Be prepared, as an instructor, for how you will respond to incorrect answers so that you can convey a growth mindset and continued support for learning.  Everyone in the class will learn by exploring the reasons behind a wrong answer or misconception.

References:

  1. Hogan, Kelly A. and Sathy, Viji. (2022). Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom. West Virginia University Press: Morgantown, WV.
  2. Eddy, S. L., Brownell, S. E., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Gender gaps in achievement and participation in multiple introductory biology classrooms.  CBE-Life Sciences Education. 13(3), 478-92..
  3. Eddy, S. L., Brownell, S. E., et al., (2015). Caution, student experience may vary: Social identities impact a student’s experience in peer discussions. CBE-Life Sciences Education. 14(4), Article 45..
  4. Steele, Claude. (2010). Whistling Vivaldi: And other clues to how stereotypes affect us. New York: W.W. Norton & Company,
  5. Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative. (n.d.) Clickers/Personal Response Systems.
  6. Mazur, E. (1997). Peer Instruction: A User's Manual, Prentice Hall. 
  7. Jone, O. K. (2019). Accessibility in PowerPoint: Presentations for people with colour blindness.
  8. Buckland, K. (2017). Accessibility in PowerPoint: Presentations and dyslexia.