Engage Your Students

Overview

Per faculty surveys, Increasing student engagement is one of our faculty's top priorities! These resources help faculty engage students even more effectively.

Don't miss out on the tech-oriented engagement solutions at the bottom of the page!

Active Learning Strategies

These range from Think-Pair-Share and concept mapping to role playing and experiments. Often easy to use, they engage students and improve their recall of information, conceptual understanding, critical thinking, teamwork, interpersonal relationships, self-esteem, and retention in academic programs.

Active Learning Classrooms

These include reconfigurable tables and seating, multiple displays, numerous whiteboards, and interactive technology to promote active learning. These short videos introduce you to these classrooms along with faculty and student perspectives on how they facilitate active and deep learning.

Collaborative Learning

This is a flexible way of engaging students and a high-impact practice. Collaborative learning can range in duration from a quick Think-Pair-Share to a jigsaw session to extended work with case studies. It builds higher-level thinking skills, appreciation of diverse perspectives, and the ability to deal with real-life situations.

CSUF's Active Learning Classrooms

Our active learning classrooms are in Mihaylo Hall (SGMH-2505) and the Faculty Commons (PLS-240). For more guidance on effective pedagogy in these spaces, use the resources here, sign up for a corresponding FDC workshop, or arrange an individual consultation with FDC Faculty Coordinator Dr. Andrea Guillaume.

Preparing and Helping Your Students

Students benefit from an explanation of why you are using particular active learning strategies. Even so, some students may still feel confused or need additional guidance. The resources below will help you guide these students and quickly assess their learning to adjust your approach if needed.

Is This Relevant To Your Discipline

Yes! Active learning strategies and active learning spaces are relevant to all disciplines. Numerous studies have made clear that active learning significantly improves students’ learning and retention across disciplines. Browse a small sample of studies and recommended strategies for various disciplines.

Problem-Based Learning

Students work in groups to solve realistic problems based on course material. Emphasizing depth of content, PBL improves students’ ability to reason and solve complex problems. As the instructor, you create problems, contextualize them through mini-lectures, and facilitate problem-solving.

Clickers and Related Apps

Clickers and app-based student response systems promote student engagement in many ways. They stimulate discussion and spark new questions. They help you understand when and why students are confused or disengaged and how to fix the problem. The resources here offer both pedagogical and technical support.

Team-Based Learning

This highly structured form of small-group learning requires students to prepare before class and work in teams during class to apply their knowledge to solve significant problems. The process emphasizes reflection, self-evaluation, and peer-evaluation. Mini-lectures target student misconceptions prior to team problem-solving.

Other Technology Tools

Select technologies that support effective teaching by following Chickering and Gamson’s time-tested 7 Principles for Good Practice opens in a new window PDF file type. Tools should foster principles like active learning, timely and meaningful feedback, and time on task to help students achieve your learning objectives and outcomes.

Tools for Collaboration opens in a new window PDF file type

Tech-Oriented Engagement Solutions

The FDC brings you enrichment tools for teaching. Integrating technology into your curriculum is a highly effective way to improve the learning experience of your students. Explore the different applications and resources available to all CSUF faculty members to add new elements to your class and engage your students during the learning process.

Whether you want to introduce yourself to your students, dynamically engage with them, or add interest to your class, CSUF has the tool for you.

Camtasia

Camtasia is a screen-recording program available to all CSUF faculty members for free. With Camtasia you can create videos by recording your screen, yourself, and mix in slides, video, pictures, graphics, and audio. You can partner with one of the instructional designers to work on your project.

Spark Video

Spark Video* is a web-based application that you do not need to download to your computer. You can use Spark to create interactive webpage presentations. If you want to use Spark on your devices, you will need to download the free app. *Adobe is still working on making Spark accessible for people with disabilities.

Canvas Studio

Explore the activities in Canvas and Canvas Studio to promote interaction between students and instructors and to create responsive learning experiences.

Zoom

Zoom is a video-conferencing application that connects multiple people synchronously while sharing the desktop, slide presentations, and internet pages during the session. You can record and store meetings for future viewing.

VoiceThread

VoiceThread (VT) is an online discussion enabler centered around slide show presentations. VT is integrated into Canvas and will help enhance student engagement.

H5P

H5P is open-source software for creating multimedia learning elements such as interactive presentations, videos with embedded quizzes, games, puzzles, branching scenarios, interactive books, etc. It is integrated into Canvas.

Photoshop

Photoshop is a graphics application available to all CSUF faculty members for free as part of the Adobe Suite. With this program you can create powerful graphics to to enhance your class. If you want to modify pictures or create impressive visuals, follow any of the Photoshop tutorials produced by Adobe.

Use Tools To...

Introduce Yourself

Personal interaction with your class should start from the first time that students access your course. It is essential to welcome your students, introduce yourself, and share some personal experiences to establish good rapport. It is also beneficial to present key information about your class, your expectations, your teaching style, the learning objectives of the course, and how you plan to have students achieve them. A video is a good way to communicate with students because it engages two of our five senses (hearing and sight). Pedagogically, videos can inspire and engage, facilitate thinking and problem solving, assist with mastery learning, and provide authentic learning opportunities.

Tools Used: Camtasia, Zoom, Spark Video

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Encourage Students to Interact

Engage your students and make them active participants of the learning experience by capturing their attention, stimulating their analytical thinking, and incentivizing their discovery.

Tools Used: Camtasia, H5P, VoiceThread, Canvas Studio

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Impress Your Students

Step out your comfort zone to create fun and exciting instructional materials for your class. Producing a hands-on activity is a great way to make learning fun. Give students a brain break with a game. Create or ask your student to create a field trip using a mobile device. Provide review activities that stimulate participation and content integration.

Tools Used: H5P, Photoshop

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