Reciprocal Questioning is a strategy that promotes critical thinking while increasing student engagement with one another and with the course material. Students work in small groups to discuss course material, or a portion of the course material, like a video. They discuss where they need further clarification or more information. Then a group representative shares the questions with the instructor and the instructor's Docsanswers benefit the entire class.
Video-based asynchronous discussions are an excellent alternative, or addition to, text-based discussions. Video-based asynchronous discussions utilize an app to create a group discussion or sharing opportunity where students record short videos of themselves and respond to their peers' posts via video. Video discussions are very effective at creating social and teaching presence and increased collaboration.
Communicate respect for your students by learning the correct pronunciations and preferred versions of their names and by allowing space for pronoun sharing. Avoid mispronouncing student names in class, which usually results in discomfort for everyone involved. This is especially important because research has shown that students who are uncomfortable are less likely to perform well.
Engaging students in class discussions and activities is always a challenging endeavor for instructors because there is no one-size-fits-all approach that will work to draw in everyone. Students will have varying degrees of interest in the topic, and not everyone will be able to find the same degree of relevance in the concepts presented.
Have you ever heard these words: “Will this be on the test?” or “When am I ever going to use this?” It could be that students are really asking for help in seeking the connection between course content and their perceived value of the course. In other words, though it is usually clear to faculty that certain content and activities are important, students are trying to figure out for themselves if an activity or concept is worth their time and effort. Bundick et al.
Credit: ScreenFlow, under license agreement by Jane Sutterlin
Whether for a resident course or online, cultivating a human-centered classroom community takes time and effort. Discussion forums can help. Content-delivery discussion forums help students interact when considering content-related questions and topics, but other kinds of discussions can help create an interactive community of learners who share and get to know each other outside of the realm of course content. Consider the following:
Research shows that faculty presence and perceived connection in an asynchronous, online course can increase student satisfaction, motivation, and retention and reduce student feelings of isolation and confusion. Including weekly video announcements and/or lesson introductions is one way to accomplish this.
