How Do You Engage Students?

It went so quickly.

This is my 24-year teaching. I taught 1987-93, 1999-2001, 2009-2024. I have been in and out of teaching, and students have changed greatly in 37 years. I never had pedagogy, QM courses, learned about course mapping, or learning outcomes until half my career was over. I was never taught constructivism, connectivism, or cognitive load theory in my classroom. This "mature" instructor had to get with the program to be successful with her students.

I learned innately that if I was passionate about my topic students responded. I also found that being clear with learning objectives helped my students to be safe and know what to expect. I also found that fostering a classroom environment that was a safe place for students meant I had to build trust and community.

As a young teacher, I needed to use the big Latin words I learned in my PhD program. Further, I thought case studies and fictitious scenarios were appropriate ways to engage students. It wasn’t until years later that I stumbled across the idea that students want to have assignments they can apply. By connecting the assignments to their world with applications it made learning feel more immediate. This is motivated by the Expectancy-Value Theory. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/expectancy-value-theory

Getting students to engage with the material can be challenging, but here are some effective strategies you can try:

1. Incorporate Technology: I use software they will need in life, #LinkedIn, LinkTr.ee, #WIX, #Wikipedia, #Canva, #YouTube, etc. By using interactive software and adding tools to your Blackboard (LMS) like polls, quizzes, or discussion boards you are engaging them in active learning. Platforms like #Kahoot! or #Padlet can make learning fun and interactive.

2. Incorporate Gamification: Use game elements like points, levels, or competitions to motivate students. This can make learning more enjoyable and engaging. I use #Stukent and they have anonymous scoring of activities. Students can see where they are in comparison to the class, on Quizzes, and in Simternships (certifications for social media and digital marketing).

3. Encourage Collaboration: Promote group work or peer-to-peer teaching. Students often engage more when they can share ideas and learn from each other. We have group work, share and pair, and impromptu problem-solving teams. For example, we do a personal sorter (#Keirsey Temperament Sorter, KTS) and students use that quiz as a basis for establishing groups. They like learning about themselves, how they learn, how they prefer to work, and how they feel about working with others.

4. Use Varied Teaching Methods: I once had a colleague who only did "close readings" in her class. It did not go well for her students. She refused to change her teaching method. By mixing up your teaching style—incorporating lectures ("sage from the stage" is passive learning), discussions, multimedia, and hands-on activities, you can keep them engaged. Students often say, “We never know what you are going to do today.” I love to hear that.

5. Ask Open-Ended Questions: Encourage critical thinking by posing open-ended questions that require more than yes/no answers. This can lead to deeper discussions. This takes time. When I was new at teaching, I worried about covering the entire book, all the chapters, all the exercises, and all the content. Refocus on the learning outcomes, and how you want to cover those outcomes... that is what is important. Then decide what types of discussion might interest your audience. I can relate topics to my #BizComm learning outcomes of ethical communication, or reflective listening, so students feel they are being seen, and heard and have deeper discussions on learning outcomes. P. S. I do not give my opinions about much in class. Rather I encourage students to explore what they think, and their ideas.

6. Solicit Feedback: If you have established a classroom where students are encouraged and rewarded for interactions, I suggest asking for regular student feedback on the material and teaching methods. When I was new at this, I feared evaluations. I now do anonymous forms every five weeks, or if ambitious, after every unit/assignment. This can help you adjust your approach and show students that their input matters. Many of my finals have a section where I ask students to rewrite the course. Over the years my best assessment changes have been directly from student suggestions. Don’t wait until the end of class to do better. Do better today.

7. Reflective Practices: In the age of generative AI, I have been using reflection increasingly. I encourage students to reflect on what they’ve learned and how it connects to their experiences. While I am not a fan of journals ---however, they can facilitate this process as well.

8. Utilize Guest Speakers: I usually do a speaker series, and it helps. I had my friend from Harvard, and the students were initially intimidated. By the end, they were considering applying to graduate school (they have a very generous scholarship program). Bringing in professionals related to the subject matter can provide fresh perspectives and real-world insights, sparking interest. A successful magazine CEO came in and was so impressed with the students, that she hired one to be her assistant, and that person is still working at the magazine and moving up in the company. Experiment with these strategies to see which resonates most with your students and be open to adapting based on their responses!

I hope it goes as quickly for you and is as much fun as I have had especially in my last year at Fairmont State University. #engagement #students #lovewhatyoudo #dowhatyoulove