Latest Posts

Aug 8

Why interactive quizzing is the new “homework”?

adm2 / Interactive classroom

Testing after each unit is standard–but should it be? Traditionally, students come into tests nervous, knowing that it is a make or break moment. After all, it’s the culmination of their hard work. Instead, what if students were tested as the material is being discussed? Can Interactive Quizzing replace homework in it’s traditional sense? Think formative →

Apr 5

nclass students engaged using tablets smartphones

Is the traditional form of lecture obsolete?

adm2 / Active learning, peer instruction, Student Engagement

Is it possible that the most common class format is ineffective? Recent research points suggests it might be. In fact, students in traditional lectures are 1.5 times more likely to fail than those in active learning classes. Where lectures fail: Participation is inherently optional. Unfortunately, this means your students tend to zone out after →

Sep 23

Enhance Student Learning

adm2 / Active learning, exit tickets

Studies have found that traditional lectures may be ineffective at teaching students, so it is time to revisit the long passive lecture format? It’s the mental equivalent of sitting all day–bad for you, but deeply entrenched. It’s time to stop teaching material the wrong way. Instead, try swapping bad lecture habits with cutting-edge active learning →

active learning comprehension student centered learning

Sep 14

4 ways to break the start-of-semester ice

adm2 / classroom games

At the beginning of every new class, it’s normal to hear your students’ names, get a fact or two about them and just move on. The games can be fun, but the new knowledge tends to fade after class. Instead, use nClass to instantly get to know your students and record their information for future →

anonymous classroom participation classroom engagement icebreakers polling

Aug 25

4 ways to implement BYOD better

adm2 / byod, Student Engagement

Allow students to bring phones to class? Sounds chaotic! Yet, it doesn’t have to be. Instead, your students can benefit from innovative edtech, while saving some money for your district if students can bring their own devices. Not to mention, most students fear losing their phone more than their clicker, so you’ll worry less about →

BYOD byod implementation student engagement

Apr 23

BYOD: Bring your own device to class (without chaos)

adm2 / byod, ipads in the classroom

There was a time tech was not allowed in the classrooms, and then institutions started providing laptops for the students. Why buy every student a laptop or clicker when they can use the technology they already have: their smartphones/tablets? BYOD (bring your own device) in the classroom can enhance learning while saving your school and/or →

BYOD byod implementation classroom engagement edtech

Apr 20

4 ways to increase corporate training ROI

adm2 / Employee Training, Learning and Development

Follow up up with trainees – Often, employees lose 90% of their new skills after a year if left unassessed. To effectively keep employees trained, assess your employees periodically and offer refresher seminars. Set up channels for feedback – Many firms make this fatal flaw: mismatching training with the reality of the job. How do →

assessment corporate training employee training student feedback

Apr 11

Creativity and Critical Thinking through one-word answers

adm2 / Class Participation, Multiple Choice Questions, Quizzing

Multiple choice, short answer and true/false may be the main ways to test students but isn’t something missing? Something that requires more creativity than multiple choice or true/false but takes less time than short answer? One word answers. We think this flexible item type should make it into your next assessment. Have students…. Fill in →

assessment class class discussion class participation classroom quizzing

Apr 7

5 Likert Scale questions to ask in the classroom

adm2 / Active learning, Student Engagement, Student Feedback

While Likert scales may be ubiquitous in the survey world, they seem come into the classroom around review time. Yet, the likert scale is a power tool to assess your students and your own teaching, so why not incorporate it all year? Need inspiration? We’ve put together 5 questions to ask your students using this →

active learning Peer Instruction student feedback

Mar 5

3 Ways to Turn Memorizers into Inquirers

adm2 / Active learning, peer instruction, Smartphones in Classroom

3 Ways to Turn Memorizers into Inquirers It can be tempting to rely on traditional lecture methods, especially when your students seem to be doing well on their exams. But are your students really learning, or are they simply memorizing? It happens to the best of us. In fact, Harvard Professor Eric Mazur describes when →

active learning class participation classroom participation critical thinking exit tickets inquiry socratic methods