Increasing Student Participation

I recently attended the Teaching Professor Conference in Washington, DC. Attending an interdisciplinary conference devoted to teaching and learning was both fun and informative. Some of the best presentations were from faculty members offering practical solutions to various difficulties we sometimes face in the classroom. One of the best presentations I attended was from Dr. Ken Alford of Brigham Young University who discussed QuizShow, a free, quiz-format software program that can be used to foster student participation. It can sometimes be a struggle to actively engage students in class and promote the type of participation that will ultimately aid their learning. Dr. Alford showed many different ways to use this Jeopardy-style game in the classroom to structure in-class activities and actively involve students in reviewing concepts. I invite you to visit the QuizShow web site and learn more about how this teaching tool may be able to help increase student participation.

The Summer 2009 Blitz Program, sponsored by CTLT, is just around the corner (July 22nd and 29th, 2009) and will focus on various aspects of Blended Learning. It turns out that tools such as QuizShow can be an important part of a blended learning strategy that balances content delivery and student activities in online and face-to-face environments. If interested, please call x-2535 to register for one of the Blitz sessions.