News Roundup: Engaging Non-Majors and Introverts

This week, instructors share methods for engaging different types of students, from non-majors to introverts to students in large lectures.

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Helping Students Persist
Heather Tinsley, a biology professor, engages non-majors by drawing on their interests and career goals. For instance, she posits questions like, “Should genetically modified foods be labeled?” to demonstrate how students might encounter biology in the real world. (The Chronicle of Higher Education Teaching Newsletter)

Teaching at Scale
Maintaining student engagement in large lecture classes is challenging, Heather McQueen writes. She combats this disconnect by using “quectures,” a type of flipped classroom that asks students to formulate questions before attending lectures and drive discussion during class, encouraging greater understanding of course content. (Teaching Matters)

In One Tech-Filled Writing Class, The Class Clown Is the Professor
Mark Marino uses humor and nontraditional exercises to encourage students to take a deeper look at the world around them. (EdSurge)

How to Be Political
Rather than pretending to be apolitical, reasons David Gooblar, instructors should disclose their beliefs and help students develop critical thinking skills by acting as equal participants in discussions—while making it clear that their personal opinions don’t influence their evaluations of students’ progress. (Vitae)

Recognizing the Differences Between Shy and Introverted Students
Since introverts may find group discussions exhausting, Adam Chapnick recommends encouraging quieter students by reminding them of how their participation benefits their learning and their classmates’ learning. (University Affairs)

A Listener Question: Catching Up
When time is short and content is long, especially before a final exam, Bonni Stachowiak suggests instructors direct students to online resources they can consult independently. She also advises mixing up the topics and explaining the thought behind teaching approaches to support retention of the material. (Teaching in Higher Ed)