海角社区

Desautels instructor Paola Perez-Aleman engages undergraduate students as discussion leaders responsible for organizing in-class activities. Students take charge of designing and leading class discussions, often incorporating learning technologies (e.g.,听) to support peer participation. Grading criteria emphasize听thoughtful questions and controversial topics raised by the discussion leaders. This approach has resulted in deeper course content understanding, enhanced leadership skills, and fostered meaningful collaboration among peers.

Recognizing the vital role of community in the learning process, the Computer Programming for Life Sciences Course taught by instructor David Camilo Becerra adopts an in-person flipped classroom model. This approach prioritizes group work and collaboration, effectively reducing student isolation while learning to code. The course is organized around weekly routines, in-class exercises, and a variety of instructional strategies and activities designed to promote teamwork, accountability, and self-assessment. As a result, students experience enhanced well-being through a supportive learning environment that underscores the collaborative nature of problem-solving in programming.

Discover how in-class activities can boost attendance, critical thinking, and peer discussions in large classrooms. Geography instructor Mette Bendixen uses , an online, visual platform, for collaborative in-class assignments to foster visible and shareable learning. Practical grading strategies, including pass/fail options, will also be discussed to help simplify assessment and encourage participation.

Music instructor Jerry Cain explores an effective strategy for fostering student interaction in large courses. Assigning students to small groups of 4-5 encourages meaningful discussions through a structured online forum and is further supported by an in-class discussion of the material after the online activity has concluded. Students engage with provocative readings on music appreciation, contributing thoughtful responses and engaging in peer feedback. Initially developed during COVID-19, this strategy has been well-received for increasing participation, enhancing learning, and encouraging respectful dialogue among diverse voices.

Social work instructor, Syndie David shares a semester-long classroom activity designed to foster reflection and critical thinking. Students engage in structured, in-class reflective practices to connect emotional responses to content and uncover biases, culminating in a creative final project such as essays or podcasts. Iterative reflection, paired with instructor feedback, enhances emotional and cognitive engagement and self-awareness. Although developed in a social work course, this strategy is applicable across disciplines, promoting deeper learning for all students. This assignment was developed in collaboration with students who had previously taken the class and who participated in TLS鈥檚 Students as Partners program.

How can students' note-taking skills be leveraged and evolved into a valuable lifelong learning tool? Education instructor Justin Feng fosters engagement with students by shifting from note-taking to note-making, transforming a common experience into a formative assessment opportunity. Through this approach, students learn to synthesize information, recall and build on prior knowledge, and connect content beyond the course.

How can you boost students' class attendance, participation, and sense of belonging? Desautels instructor Lamoureux Gauvin has implemented an "Introductory Meeting with Students" activity in all her courses. This strategy has successfully enhanced student engagement, increased attendance in both class and office hours, and fostered a culture of support and connection.

By incorporating gamified group problem-solving and recurrent peer feedback, Mechanical Engineering instructor Mathias Legrand fosters collaboration and social interaction among students. Activities are integrated after each chapter completion, with bonus points incentivizing individual and team performance. Students report improved course content understanding and engagement with peers. These activities provide instructors with valuable insights into student progress and content mastery, even in large classes with limited resources.

Group work is central to student learning in instructor Peter McMahan鈥檚 undergraduate sociology course. After a 20-minute discussion on daily readings, students work in self-formed groups to respond to prompts, rotating roles (e.g., facilitator, notetaker). TAs provide feedback and midterm peer assessments enhance collaboration and work dynamics. This approach helps students connect readings, see the bigger picture and foster social engagement.

Nursing instructor Alisha Michalovic describes an activity that integrates and to enhance collaborative learning in her online courses. Students are assigned to dialogue groups where they review and annotate a clinical case scenario in Perusall, engaging in discussions by commenting and replying to peers. Each student then selects a topic for which they conduct a short research post on. Small groups create concept maps on Mural, collaboratively synthesizing insights from the case study and their research post findings. Grading emphasizes the quality of contributions and active participation. This strategy consolidates learning, equipping students with evidence-based clinical decision-making skills.

Materials Engineering instructor Sidney Omelon believes that forming and providing feedback to teams for team skills development is essential across disciplines. By using survey data and tools such as in her courses, teams can be created with fairness and purpose, considering factors such as schedules, interests, EDI, and other time commitments. Considerate team formation, followed by self and peer reflections with a guided professional structure equips students with vital perspectives and teamwork skills. CATME also enables efficient insights into team dynamics to instructors, enabling timely interventions and meaningful discussions.

Nutrition instructor Patrick Owen has his students explore herbal remedies through a two-part activity combining personal storytelling and scientific research. Students reflect on family traditions, learn the cultural importance of these remedies, and critically evaluate scientific evidence supporting or challenging their effectiveness. By integrating personal narratives with a literature review, this assignment bridges tradition and science, encouraging deeper understanding and thoughtful analysis.

Civil engineering instructor Yi Shao鈥檚 voluntary weekly summary activity encourages students to consolidate knowledge, organize key concepts, and engage with course material. By recognizing outstanding submissions in class, featuring an 鈥淗onorable Mention鈥� slide, this strategy fosters cognitive engagement, emotional connection, and a sense of agency, promoting deeper learning and student pride in their academic contributions.

Biology instructor Fiona Soper helps students in large classes see the big picture by using interactive case studies every other week to connect seemingly unrelated concepts and highlight nuanced content such as dealing with scientific uncertainty. She fosters understanding by encouraging students to transfer knowledge across contexts, building meaningful connections and practice applying their learning effectively throughout the course.

French language instructor 脡lisabeth Veilleux integrates in her courses, enhancing students鈥� oral communication skills. Enabling students to submit video responses fosters deeper engagement with course material and interaction with the instructor. It also provides opportunities for demonstrating understanding of course content. This session will highlight best practices for creating, managing, and evaluating video-based assignments, as well as their impact on learning outcomes.

In a biology course, TA Tony Wang uses the tool , to enhance critical thinking and peer interactions. Based on social learning principles, the platform engages students in cognitive tasks that include written self-explanation, comparison and evaluation of explanations produced by peers, and reflection. It supports peer instruction through multiple-choice conceptual questions, fostering active learning and deeper understanding across various subjects.

Did you know 鈥� that when we are happy, we tend to choose more words with the "i" or "ee" sound, which makes us smile. In this session, music instructor Liliana Ara煤jo shares an assignment exploring emotions and music where students uncover fun facts and support them with evidence, an approach that is now inspiring STEM courses!

Music instructor Isabelle Cossette uses a five-step needs assessment process to make undergraduates鈥� music practice and performance healthier and more sustainable. Students use a variety of self-reflection strategies to identify strengths and challenges, set goals, and create action plans aligned with identified needs. This session will highlight insights learned from this strategy, its impact on learning, performance, and potential application across disciplines.

French Language instructor Samantha Damay uses Copilot to support grammar learning by guiding students through error correction without immediate feedback. Students write short texts, review errors flagged by , and later seek explanations, fostering active engagement with grammar rules. Additionally, Copilot offers insights for personalized learning strategies that help students develop their writing skills by enriching their grammar structures and vocabulary. Insights on how GenAI empowers reflective and predictive language mastery will be discussed.

Civil engineering instructor Dominic Frigon enhances active listening through structured peer feedback on oral presentations. Using and guiding prompts, students provide constructive comments, fostering cognitive and social engagement. Peer feedback informs grading, helping the instructor identify performance patterns and nuances. Insights demonstrate how this approach deepens learning, promotes interaction, and aligns instructors鈥� and TA鈥檚 grading with peer perspectives.

Giving/receiving feedback is a crucial skill, but students often find it challenging due to the relational and emotional dynamics involved. Dr. Siara Isaac helps students develop emotional management strategies with an experiential activity. This offers a low-stakes opportunity to practice these skills when both giving and receiving feedback.

Political Science instructor Amy Janzwood introduces a dynamic classroom assignment where students take on the roles of global leaders, NGOs, journalists, and other stakeholders to respond to a call from world leaders urging the UN Summit of the Future to tackle the driver of the climate crisis 鈥� fossil fuel production. In this two-class simulation, students negotiated a realistic climate treaty, navigating the complex intersection of socio-economic, environmental, and political challenges. Undergraduate student Arwen Low will join the presentation as a student partner whose insights and contributions were instrumental in shaping this active learning experience in global climate diplomacy.

Chemical engineering instructor Anne-Marie Kietzig leverages to enhance student peer interactions. The platform enables students to share sketches, videos, and images, which facilitates both virtual and in-class discussions. By making students' thinking visible, it promotes collaborative learning and critical thinking while uncovering struggles or misconceptions in course content. Throughout the term, students participate in team-based activities that encourage both critical and creative thinking.

Electrical and Computer Engineering instructor Andrew Kirk will share his approach to enhancing undergraduate students鈥� responsibility for their learning. His strategy emphasizes the importance of empowering students as active participants in their education through self-assessment of course learning outcomes. This tool helps students identify their strengths and gaps in mastering course content, fostering self-awareness and ownership while providing instructors with valuable insights to better support student progress and success.

Education instructor Nikki Lobczowski uses innovative strategies to enhance student engagement and collaboration in a large undergraduate course. Key features include table discussions, interactive participation tools (e.g., 鈥淲heel of Names鈥�), and , a social annotation tool used outside of class to transform readings into dynamic, peer-driven discussions. Scaffolded activities, such as group presentations that incorporate comments from other students further deepen connections between individual insights and group work.

Teaching an engineering course with a large number of students often presents unique challenges, especially when exams require handwritten answers. Electrical and Computer Engineering instructor Brett Meyer uses , an online collaborative grading platform to address these challenges. facilitates the distribution and collection of student work, whether assessments are conducted in-person or online. The online grading interface allows for efficient grading and the delivery of detailed feedback to students.

Midterm course feedback provides valuable information that allows instructors to assess student understanding, adjust teaching strategies, and identify potential challenges early in the term. By addressing concerns promptly, Mechanical Engineering instructor Jovan Nedic enhances learning experiences, improves student engagement, and ensures better academic outcomes. These feedback sessions also foster a collaborative learning environment, encouraging students to actively contribute to course improvement.