Latest Posts

Go from Lecturing to Learning
When you lecture your class, does it sometimes feel like you’re just not getting through? Unfortunately, your instinct may be right. This is why nobel laureate Carl Wiemen has tossed traditional college lectures to the curb: “You give people lectures, and [some students] go away and learn the stuff. But it wasn’t that they learned →

Effective feedback – timely and targeted
Feedback is extremely important for the learning process. After all, one can only learn from their mistakes if they know they are making them. Feedback also should be timely to be most effective. As a result, it’s incredibly important to not only give your students feedback throughout the semester, but to also get feedback from →

Test Beyond the Facts
We all know it’s important to test more than factual knowledge. We must help students develop critical thinking, reasoning and communication skills to articulate their ideas and thoughts. Appropriate test questions can be difficult to formulate. Essay questions seem like the go-to to test higher-level thinking, but are time-consuming to grade. Instead, tweak your your multiple →

How to avoid 4 Flipped Classroom Mistakes
By making the lecture homework and the practice classwork, students benefit from peer collaboration and learn more actively. Not only does this make class more fun and save you from vocal strain during the day, but it’s effective! Ready to jump right into the world of flipped classrooms? Awesome–here’s what to avoid so that you →

From Teacher-Centered to Student-Centered
Class is for the students, so is your classroom student-centered? Most classes feature a teacher at front doing most of the talking. In the traditional model, students have little control over their classroom experience, so it’s no wonder some students feel lost. Here are a few steps to reorient your classroom toward your students. Give →

5 ways to boost classroom participation
Do your students seem sleepy? Bored? Otherwise disengaged? They’re lack of engagement could be a sign that students aren’t learning. Stop this behavior in its tracks with these 5 tips: Create a safe space for participation – Every teacher has experienced crickets after asking a question. Why didn’t anyone answer? It certainly can’t be →

3 Ways to Turn Students into Reflective Learners
Touching on controversial topics is certainly tough. Some teachers may even dread touchy subjects. Yet, students stand to gain from discussing these topics–tough discussions help students think critically, pick apart and strengthen their logic, separate emotions from facts, and improve their own opinions. It can be tricky to approach these subjects, but highly rewarding to →

4 reasons to start class with a question
Do your students seem lethargic when they come to class? If so, try motivating them with a pre-class question? If done right, a low stakes inquiry can be just the thing to reel in students’ attention before class even starts Make students comfortable with a silly poll: A comforting, but irrelevant question may be just →

Spruce up your Humanities Course with nClass
We’re sure you’ve already heard active learning is revolutionizing education, but don’t let STEM monopolize the discussion. Active learning works great for the Humanities as well. Don’t know where to start? Check out a few of our ideas: Concept Mapping – If you’re covering a nuanced poem, a difficult philosophical thesis or dense chapter, your →

Peer Instruction—no clickers needed
The trend of technology in the classroom is growing. Whether you are already running a flipped classroom or just interested in new teaching strategies, peer instruction may be worth a try. How does it work? Simply put, students teach each other during class. How? First, students come to class prepared with new knowledge on a →
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