The student voice is often missing from conversations about student success.  Come hear stories from 50 students attending various colleges and universities across the nation about what professors can do to motivate and engage students.  Discover the research evidence behind the strategies suggested by students and walk away with an action plan to increase student engagement. During this session, we’ll cover a lot of ground- from first day of class activities to the power of relationships and teaching strategies and learning tasks.

During this highly interactive session, the student voice on how assignments can engage and motivate will take center stage. You will get to hear examples from students from across the country who share how their instructors engaged them through authentic, creative assignments and by building choice into the curriculum. Research-based support for these student-endorsed strategies will also be reviewed. Instructors will be encouraged to reflect on their positionality and to revise their assignments.

Don’t stop lecturing!  Research shows that lecturing is one of the best ways to teach novice learners (also known as first-year students).   Come explore how to maximize the effectiveness of your lecture by activating prior knowledge, zooming in on the most important concepts, integrating brief opportunities to reflect and process information, effectively using multi-media, and incorporating retrieval practice opportunities.  You’ll walk away with several easy-to-implement strategies designed to increase learning.

During this engaging presentation, participants will learn what the research says about the purpose and power of the syllabus.  Specifically, we'll focus on how the syllabus can be used as a motivational tool.  Research-based ideas on how to construct an effective syllabus will be shared.  For instance, there will be a discussion about what type of information and what level of detail to include on the syllabus.  Participants will walk away inspired to make the most of this important document and will have several practical ideas about how to do so.

Feedback is one of the most powerful ways to learn, yet students are not offered enough opportunities to benefit from feedback.  During this workshop, we'll explore the value of feedback and several strategies to increase feedback opportunities for students while not overly taxing instructor time.  Specifically, we'll discuss linked assignments, finding opportunities for verbal feedback, and strategies to increase the effectiveness of peer feedback.

Active learning is a “buzz” word we frequently hear in education but what really works?  This extremely interactive workshop will get you involved and engaged with research on active learning and group strategies. The emphasis will be on putting research into practice and applying findings to your educational setting.   Roll up your sleeves and get ready to mix it up with many group activities you can bring back to your classroom!