Thirsty for a Strong Instructional Practice? Engaging a room full of students can be challenging. Simply asking “who can tell me … ?” or using one of its different forms – “does anyone know the answer?” – usually leads to the same result: the same few students raise their hands, and their responses serve as a …
Tag: student engagement
Permanent link to this article: https://sites.msudenver.edu/sips/10-14-student-response-systems/
Sep 19 2019
SIP 10.5 Making Small Talk with Students
Thirsty for a Strong Instructional Practice? Last week’s SIP (10.4) encouraged faculty to make the most of class arrival time by accommodating students’ staggered arrival times with learning activities that allow students to join in as they show up. One simple suggestion was to use the time to mingle with students and encourage the entire class …
Permanent link to this article: https://sites.msudenver.edu/sips/sip-10-5-making-small-talk-with-students/
Sep 12 2019
SIP 10.4 Making the Most of Class Arrival Time
Thirsty for a Strong Instructional Practice? The SIPsquad is excited to bring you this Throwback Thursday selection! Take a look at this gem from Year Three: Making the Most of Class Arrival Time As most faculty have experienced, many Metropolitan State University of Denver students arrive at class over the span of 15-20 minutes – …
Permanent link to this article: https://sites.msudenver.edu/sips/sip-10-4-making-the-most-of-class-arrival-time/
Apr 25 2019
SIP 9.13 Self-Directed Learning
Thirsty for a Strong Instructional Practice? The Partnership for 21st-Century Skills, a national advocacy organization that encourages schools, districts and states to infuse technology into education, lists Self-Directed Learning as one of the life and career skills necessary to prepare students for postsecondary education and the workforce. What is Self-Directed Learning? According to Malcolm Knowles, …
Permanent link to this article: https://sites.msudenver.edu/sips/sip-9-13-self-directed-learning/
Apr 11 2019
SIP 9.11 Creating a Human Component in Online Learning
Thirsty for a Strong Instructional Practice? If you spend any amount of time online, you’ve surely seen the common CAPTCHA phrase, “I’m not a robot” with a check box below confirming your humanity. But how about in our online classes? Are we robots or are we humans? Do students know there is an actual flesh-and-blood …
Permanent link to this article: https://sites.msudenver.edu/sips/sip_9-11-creating-a-human-component-in-online-learning/
Mar 07 2019
SIP 9.7 The 30-Second Deep Breathe
Thirsty for a Strong Instructional Practice? It started with an 8 am class. On a Monday. Following an icy, congested drive to campus and a classroom walk-run Hollywood style: cape-flying coat, computer bag slapping legs, mug sloshing coffee down sleeves. Out of breath, hand on the classroom door knob, lungs gulped an inhale and, involuntarily, …
Permanent link to this article: https://sites.msudenver.edu/sips/sip-9-7-the-30-second-deep-breathe/
Feb 22 2019
SIP 9.5 Gamification of the Curriculum
Thirsty for a Strong Instructional Practice? It seems like everyone is playing some sort of game these days—we collect points at the supermarket to use for discounts, we use our credit card more so we can earn early boarding or free drinks on the plane. Other, more “traditional” games have apparently invaded the virtual world—young …
Permanent link to this article: https://sites.msudenver.edu/sips/sip-9-5-gamification-of-the-curriculum/
Feb 21 2019
SIP 8.4 Peer Mentoring
Thirsty for a Strong Instructional Practice? We academics are a pretty smart bunch—but sometimes our students could care less about all the knowledge and wisdom we might be able to give them. Sometimes, students want to get the real “411” from their peers. Students share a common perspective and inherently trust the information shared with …
Permanent link to this article: https://sites.msudenver.edu/sips/sip-8-4-peer-mentoring/
May 03 2018
SIP 7.15 Skills-based Syllabi
Thirsty for a Strong Instructional Practice? Regardless of the topic or level of the course—intro-level general studies or upper-division requirement for the major—we have all heard our students ask, “Why do I have to take this class?” While this is a genuinely annoying question, the “translation” might inspire a bit of empathy: when students ask …
Permanent link to this article: https://sites.msudenver.edu/sips/sip-7-15-skills-based-syllabi/
Apr 26 2018
SIP 7.14 Exemplars
Thirsty for a Strong Instructional Practice? At this time in the semester students are often in a panic about what exactly professors want for an assignment, even though there are directions. Students know from prior experience that every professor has a few idiosyncrasies and preferences, which means directions can be open to some interpretation. Rather …
Permanent link to this article: https://sites.msudenver.edu/sips/sip-7-14-exemplars/