
In a traditional course, some activities are synchronous, like listening to lectures or participating in discussions, labs and small group work. Other activities might be asynchronous, like readings and homework assignments. Whether in person, online or remote, flexible teaching strategies allow synchronous activities to become asynchronous while still remaining engaging and interactive. The learning and teaching strategies listed below aim to help you on this path to creating active learning, presence, and engagement in your remote or flexible course.
It goes without saying that sharing knowledge in the form of reading, videos, podcasts, simulations, lab demos, etc. has value. The challenge is to help students care about, engage with, and question course content in productive ways. Students can benefit from your presence, enthusiasm, and engagement through direct instruction. To have the most impact, consider the sequence of your instruction in relation to students’ experience and prior knowledge.
Note: Explore the wide range of available media and Open Educational Resources. Don’t reinvent the wheel, but make sure to address any differences between your perspective / knowledge and those presented in the external media.
Many of these are adapted from Todd Finley’s 53 ways to check for students’ understanding of course material. Students could:
Students create more personalized learning experiences by engaging with each other. They often feel more comfortable asking questions and can gain deeper knowledge by explaining concepts. Peer-to-peer learning is very flexible — it can take place both synchronously and asynchronously.
Inquiry-based approaches let students discover knowledge rather than being presented with it. Discovery generates better learning retention, particularly when assisted by timely guidance (Halpern & Hakel 2003). Used across disciplines, this approach helps students learn to do scholarship rather than absorb it. The communication of findings is a key part of this process.
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.We'd love to hear from you. Full-service remote support is available to all PSU instructors through the Office of Academic Innovation. Contact the virtual Faculty Support Desk, Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm.