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Create a Case Method Group Activity to Engage Students in Critical Thinking

September 30, 2019
The case method group activity is an instructional design strategy that involves faculty members providing one or more case studies to which groups of students respond. The case(s) could be a real-life case or simulation. It could be description of key concept(s) applied, a story or scenario, an actual case study, a problem or mystery,…

Use Google Educational Apps to Foster Online Collaborations

October 20, 2016
Description In the 21st century modern education is becoming increasingly complex due to the technological environment within which it operates. This new environment offers exciting new possibilities but also raises challenges. Low cost, ubiquity, accessibility and ease of use are all potential affordances, which are making social media technologies an attractive option for transforming teaching…

Use Twitter @replies/mentions to reach out to professional networks beyond the class

October 20, 2016
Description Twitter is a social network that allows individuals to follow other users, post their own tweets, and create a network within which they can communicate. Participants on Twitter receive a Twitter “handle” or username, which is preceded by an “at” symbol: @. For example, this author’s Twitter username is @digirhet. Discussions and conversations among…

Use Mobile Communication Technologies to Increase Students’ Feelings of Connectedness and Instructor Support

October 20, 2016
Description Use of mobile communication technology in the higher education setting is still a relatively new area of study. On brick and mortar campuses, students who have face-to-face interaction with their professors and peers can often be seen texting or “tweeting” between classes or in class. Such mobile messaging usage in class can be very…

Use Social Networking Tools to Facilitate Small Group Problem-Based Learning

October 20, 2016
Description With the rapid growth of technologies and the appearance of social media the potential of technology-supported PBL seems significant, since it can be used to enrich interactions between students and reduce the time constraints of the traditional classroom. Social media tools are used in many institutions for educational purposes in numerous, innovative ways even…

Scaffold Learning with Wikis

April 20, 2015
Description A Wiki is a website that offers the capability for users to easily create and edit pages collaboratively. As such the Wiki technology has the potential to facilitate and enhance online collaboration and provides Higher Education with new prospects for collaboration, knowledge creation and student interaction. The main feature of a Wiki is the…

Facilitate Group Projects with Wikis

April 16, 2015
Description As we look at wikis in higher education, we can see several possible strategies – informal, formal, and using wikis as a topical resource. The video below highlights UCF faculty and student’s experience using a wiki in the classroom: https://vimeo.com/cdlvideo/review/114565907/4ed9459cb3 Wikis can be used for group projects to foster collaboration and organize content. Instructor…

Assess Authentic Learning with Student-Generated Social Videos

April 9, 2015
Student generated video; have students create their own videos to illustrate course concepts or ideas. Share not only with other fellow students, but also with family and friends. Benefits: student-centered learning; motivation; anchored instruction Copyright concerns: Increase students’ awareness of intellectual property; cannot use whatever they can find online Learn about Fair use; educational &…

Use Social Networking Tools to Engage Students in Extended Professional Networks

April 9, 2015
Description A social networking service (SNS) is an online site that focuses on building social relations among people. Through social networking services, such as Facebook and Twitter, people or groups can share ideas, activities, events, and interests within their networks. Besides communicating with family and friends, SNSs can be used to interact with students and…

Use Social Networking Tools to Share with Students Brief Supplemental Content Links and Status Updates Related to Course Work

April 9, 2015
Description Instructors use social networking tools, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. to interact with students and engage student learning. See the following Innovative Online Teaching Practice video for details on how social networking tools may be implemented in an online course. While the focus is on Twitter, the principles are applicable to other social…