Tag: active learning

Focus on Teaching and Learning Highlights Active Learning

Several members of the Distance Learning Team at Northwestern’s School of Professional Studies attended Loyola’s Focus on Teaching and Learning (FOTL), a one day conference on January 10, 2018 at Schreiber Hall in Chicago. The Keynote address, delivered by Dr. Therese Hutton of Seattle University, was entitled, “If I Could Only Fit in More Learning:” Making the Most of Your Classroom Time. According to Dr. Hutton, teaching is akin to storytelling in many ways, and the traditional lecture, whether online or on-ground, is often more storytelling than lecture. In fact, according to Hutton, lectures have been making something of a


Active Learning Strategies for the Online Classroom

Dr. Ray Schroeder recently gave a presentation on active learning strategies for NUIT’s Teachxpert Speaker Series. He describes active learning not as a theory, but as “a teaching method that supports learning. The method uses techniques…that promote analysis, synthesis and evaluation that guide students towards achieving learning objectives” (Active Blending for Engagement). Think about the last time you learned something. What was it? How did you learn it? The last time I learned something, I received direct instruction from a peer where I watched a process being done while it was explained, and then I went off on my own


Using Technology To Develop Students’ Critical Thinking Skills

What Is Critical Thinking? Critical thinking is a higher-order cognitive skill that is indispensable to students, readying them to respond to a variety of complex problems that are sure to arise in their personal and professional lives. The  cognitive skills at the foundation of critical thinking are  analysis, interpretation, evaluation, explanation, inference, and self-regulation.  When students think critically, they actively engage in these processes: Communication Analysis Synthesis Problem-solving Evaluation Reflection To create environments that engage students in these processes, instructors need to ask questions, encourage the expression of diverse opinions, and involve students in a variety of hands-on activities that


The Importance of Icebreakers In Online Classes

If you read the Chronicle Of Higher Education or follow coverage about online learning in popular media, a persistent question emerges: How can teachers build community in online courses? These publications frequently cite the importance of creating community in online courses. But, as instructors and designers, how do we do that? How do we create a supportive, friendly, intellectually stimulating learning environment among adult learners who may never see each other in person? One way to create this sense of community is through the use of icebreakers. Icebreakers are interactive activities that help students and instructors get to know each