by Nathan Loewen, Department of Religious Studies What is this? Have you tried using a basic computer web camera to capture conversations in a classroom? Prof. Loewen has experimented with dozens of methods since 2009. With the arrival of the REL digital lab at UA’s Department of Religious Studies in 2021, things have changed. Among
Category: Active Learning
Rethinking How We Teach Pathophysiology: Bringing Games and Simulations into the Classroom
by Megan Lippe, Capstone College of Nursing Which sounds like a more exciting way to learn about the functions of the immune system: listening to an instructor lecture for three hours or playing a game of Risk: The Game of Strategic Conquest? I would imagine most individuals would prefer the board game option. That is
Marshmallow Launchers Spur Student Writing
by Donna Branyon, Department of English For the final project in EN 102 (freshman composition) and EN 319 (technical writing), we do versions of the marshmallow launcher project. Students are presented with an imaginary rhetorical situation: The UA Writing Center provides snacks for clients and consultants. They would like to be known as the most
Increasing Student Participation
Teach students to collaborate before expecting success. Doing group work, peer review, and other collaborative activities without prior training can lead to confusion and dead time in class. For maximum success, teach collaboration skills before starting group projects. ONE IDEA: Introduce peer review workshops at the beginning of the semester using a Fish Bowl approach.
Overview of Flipped Learning
by Jessica Porter, Office of Educational Technology (eTech) Flipped learning is a blended learning model that reverses the typical order of content dispersal and acquisition. In a traditional, lecture-based class, the instructor delivers the basic material in class, and students practice new concepts on their own time. In the flipped model, students encounter new material
Overview of Active Learning
by Jessica Porter, Office of Educational Technology (eTech) Active learning requires students to participate in class rather than sitting and listening to lectures. Techniques include, but are not limited to, discussions, brief question-and-answer sessions, writing and reading assignments, hands-on activities, and peer instruction. In other words, active learning promotes a deeper, more engaging learning experience,
Students Create a Cathedral on the Quad
by Jennifer Feltman, Department of Art & Art History Last week, students from my Late Medieval and Gothic Cathedrals courses worked together to lay out the plan of a cathedral on the Quad using only simple tools: wooden stakes, mallets, string, and a straight edge. After about 3 hours of work, they had the outlines
Do You Kahoot?
by Michael J. Altman, Department of Religious Studies Games are fun. Quizzes are not. But games can make quizzes more fun. That’s what I have learned by experimenting with the Kahoot, an interactive learning game, in my REL 130: Religion, Politics, and Law course. I discovered Kahoot during the Teaching Professor Technology Conference a few
Pecha Kucha A Perfect Complement to Writing Courses
by Jessica Fordham Kidd, Department of English My favorite presentation from The Teaching Professor Technology Conference 2016 was Dr. Gloria Niles’s presentation “Pecha Kucha: Multimedia Alternative to Term Papers for Digitial Natives.” Prior to this session, I was familiar with the term Pecha Kucha, but I had never given much thought to how it might
Pecha Kucha or the Art of Live Research Narratives
by Marie-Eve Monette, Department of Modern Languages and Classics It is the beginning of class, and two students are getting ready to give their presentation. I know that they will probably talk for the 12-15 minute assigned time, some referring to their notes, others more at ease with speaking spontaneously. One slide after the other