Student Engagement

Facilitating Conversation around Divisive Topics

Mar 7, 2024, 2:00 – 3:00 PM

Conflict in the classroom risks suppressing dialogue and sustained engagement. This is especially true in an era when contentious socio-political issues arise frequently. Instructors engaging students in classroom discussion around these issues are challenged with navigating intersecting identities and diverse political perspectives. Discomfort can be compounded if instructors feel unprepared to facilitate constructive conversations due to lack of perceived expertise, fear of poor evaluations, or simply from being caught off guard.

Incorporating Virtual Reality in your Classroom

May 13, 2024, 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Participants will have the opportunity to use MetaQuest headsets to explore virtual reality (VR) applications for the classroom. The session will introduce VR and allow time for both assignment brainstorming and experimentation with the headsets’ capabilities.

Designing a Syllabus Students Will Actually Read

Apr 23, 2024, 12:30 – 1:30 PM

How many times have you said, “That’s in the syllabus”? Students are often overwhelmed by the syllabi they receive at the beginning of each semester, but there are some small changes instructors can implement that will make a huge difference for students. This session will introduce faculty and instructors to some visual design techniques and executive functioning supports that will make your syllabus more approachable for your students.

Exploring Digital Whiteboard Apps: Find your Alternative to Jamboard

Mar 7, 2024, 2:00 – 3:00 PM

Digital whiteboard applications are widely used instructional tools that support student engagement and active learning. This workshop will acquaint participants with digital whiteboards with special attention to options that replace Google Jamboard. Google announced that Jamboard will be phased out by the end of 2024 but there are many other free options available. Session attendees will explore a variety of these tools and applications to enhance student participation and meaning-making in their classes.

Exploring the Pedagogy of Play

Apr 30, 2024, 2:00 – 3:30 PM

This in-person workshop will introduce participants to the benefits of incorporating play as a strategy for teaching and learning into the classroom. Participants will learn from peer examples of playful pedagogy, explore through play, and brainstorm ways that play could be incorporated into current and future courses. Tentatively located in the Cornerstone Innovation Space.

Setting Boundaries and Clear Expectations to Support Learning

Jan 24, 2024, 2:00 – 3:00 PM

Maintaining effective boundaries supports instructors’ wellbeing and ability to teach, and ultimately facilitates their ability to support meaningful student learning. This virtual session will focus on how instructors can develop, communicate, and follow through with boundaries as they relate to teaching practices.

Space-age classroom with students working in groups

Strategies for Student Motivation and Engagement

Jan 16, 2024, 2:00 – 3:00 PM

Instructors continue to observe variations in student engagement and motivation. With those observations in mind, this virtual session will explore several research-based practices for increasing student engagement and motivation in both in-person and online teaching environments.

Illustration of a white paper document against a soft blue backdrop. The document showcases brief text snippets.

Co-Creating Learning Opportunities in Your Classroom

Jan 31, 2024, 2:00 – 3:00 PM

This virtual session will introduce possibilities for instructor-student collaboration at varying levels of course design. Participants will learn about the benefits of co-creating learning for both students and instructors, and explore ways they can work with students to enhance their current assignments and courses.

Enhancing Academic Reading with Perusall

Nov 28, 2023, 12:00 – 1:00 PM

This virtual session will introduce Perusall, a platform that can transform traditional reading assignments into interactive, collaborative learning experiences. Participants will learn about features of Perusall and explore examples of how it can be used in both online and in-person learning. Click here to register. Facilitator:

three people working on a project design

Ignite Learning: Feedback for Learning

Feb 23, 2023, 3:00 – 3:45 PM

At the heart of the matter, learning requires instructors to provide feedback. Yet, instructors often struggle with figuring out when to give feedback, what types of feedback work best in different situations/settings, and how best to frame feedback so students are more likely to take action to improve their learning and/or the quality of their deliverable. In this Zoom session, we explore these areas with the dual purpose of leveraging the valuable time of instructors in ways that will likely lead to learning. Format: 30 minute info Session followed by an optional Q+A session

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