Bringing TOPkit Digest to You
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Contents of this Digest:
- Video Tip: Active Learning and Equity in a Hyflex Course
- Announcement: TOPkit Workshop 2021
- Top Tips: Increase Online Interaction with Active Learning Games
- From the Community: Active Learning Strategies for the Discussion Board
- Top Community Topics
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VIDEO TIP
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Promoting Active Learning and Equity in a Hyflex Course
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Dr. Sebastian Binnewies discusses the development of a practical course in HyFlex format, allowing students to complete any part of the course in online and/or face-to-face mode. Implemented active learning strategies included a learning journal, group work across modes, and peer reviews.
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MUST-READ ANNOUNCEMENT
- Hold the date for the interactive, engaging TOPkit Workshop 2021 to occur on Thursday, March 25 and Friday, March 26.
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TOP TIPS
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Increase Online Interaction with Active Learning Games
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As a response to COVID-19, numerous schools are continuing to conduct courses remotely. Your faculty may want to incorporate synchronous activities using video conferencing technology such as Zoom. Synchronous class time can be an opportunity to foster community, create social presence, and actively participate in learning. Whether you are meeting with your colleagues or guiding your faculty in course design, incorporating games and ice breakers into your video conferencing session is a great way to increase interaction with and between participants. Some ideas for your faculty include:
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#1 - Hangman or Guess the Phrase. Use the conference Whiteboard feature to play a game of Hangman or Guess the Phrase (along the lines of Wheel of Fortune).
Session host draws lines for all the characters of a word or phrase. Participants take turns guessing a letter and trying to solve the puzzle. Faculty could use vocabulary words or key phrases as content reviews.
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#2 - Where in the World is …? Ask everyone to use the gallery view in the conference room. As you call on participants to answer questions, ask ‘where in the world is [person's name]’. Everyone responds by pointing in the direction where the participant is located in the gallery on their screen.
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#3 - Pictionary. Use the conference Whiteboard feature, draw clues for a key word or phrase. Participants take turns guessing the answer. | |
#4 - What’s in the Box? Place an item in a non-transparent box; could also be a virtual ‘box’. Participants take turns asking questions with "yes" or "no" answers until someone can guess ‘what’s in the box’. #5 - Name that Tune. Interrupt your session by playing a short clip of a song. Have participants guess the name of the song in the chat feature.
#6 - Emoji Check In. Have participants post an emoji (or type a word) that describes how they are feeling right then. The request can be modified to reflect how participants are feeling about the topic at hand, project they are working on, upcoming exam, etc.
Many great ideas for engaging video conference games can be found online. Include one in your next team meeting.
Beth Nettles, Ph.D., Manager, Learning Content Development - Center for Distributed Learning; Adjunct Faculty - Department of Computer Science; University of Central Florida
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FROM THE COMMUNITY
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Active Learning Strategies for the Discussion Board
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The discussion board is standard fare in online learning. It is used to facilitate debates, collaboration, and discussion about course content, generally in an asynchronous format. The instructor provides a prompt, then students are expected to thoughtfully respond to the prompt and, frequently, to other students’ replies. Unfortunately, too often the discussion board becomes a boring activity students have to endure and the instructor has to laboriously grade.
Riggs and Linder, in their article “Actively Engaging Students in Asynchronous Online Classes”, insist “a well-designed and well-facilitated discussion board can be a rich space for active learning.”...
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Content Coordinator and Contributor
Beth Nettles, Ph.D., Manager, Learning Content Development - Center for Distributed Learning; Adjunct Faculty - Department of Computer Science; University of Central Florida
Editor
Bren Bedford, MNM, Web Project Analyst, Center for Distributed Learning, University of Central Florida
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