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Planning learning activities

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This module section title sounds like it implies more work, doesn't it? That may be true, but the amount of work may actually be pretty minimal. For instance, finding some appropriate graphics to insert into a text-heavy PowerPoint presentation may be the very thing that some students--say, those who prefer visual-nonverbal input or those for whom English is not a first language--need to grasp a difficult concept. Another example might involve using "buzz groups" to get students to recall prior knowledge, rather than spoon-feeding it to them in a review. Buzz groups, sometimes called dyad discussions, can be done in small classes or large auditoriums. More importantly, they create active learning opportunities, even if they are only a couple minutes in length.



Relevant personal information Return to top of page

In the personal information sections above we have identified some, but not all, categories of personal student information that impact learning. Below you will find activities to accommodate learners that fit within each category below:

  • Students have different native languages and varying levels of proficiency in English.
    • Create or revise text-based materials to help students identify key words and concepts.
    • Use appropriate graphics to provide contextual clues and/or to provide alternative means to learning complex topics.
    • Reinforce understanding of important vocabulary words or course concepts through handouts or simple, ungraded quizzes.
  • Students may have had different learning experiences at the university or at other universities.
    • If there is specific prerequisite information that your students must know before beginning some portion of your course, identify it on the course website and in your syllabus. This gives students the opportunity to review the material in advance in case you do not have time to cover it in class.  
  • Students have a variety of outside responsibilities, such as work and family.
    • Consider the workload for your course. Touch base with your students a couple of times per semester to determine the average amount of time it takes to complete labs or assignments.
  • Students do not all have equal access to technology.
    • When creating assignments that require students to use technology, make sure that all students have sufficient access to complete the assignment satisfactorily.
      • Example: For an assignment requiring specialized software like ChemDraw, make sure that campus computer laboratories have the application or that the software can be obtained easily.
    • Work with lab managers to maximize the amount of time that the labs are available for students to practice skills.


(We're missing the Activity Box that should be here. Should be: 1. Describe how you would accommodate students with low English proficiency.)


Learning styles and preferences Return to top of page

In the learning styles sections above, we identified some, but not all, learning styles and preferences. If you would like additional information on student learning styles, visit the Learning Styles module. Below you will find activities to accommodate students with different learning styles:

  • Perception
    • Intuitive: Use language that alerts intuitive learners at important points in a lecture, like "Picture a cell wall."
    • Sensory: Give students several sensory mechanisms to access the material, such as a physical description, a picture, etc.
  • Input modality
    • Visual - nonverbal (graphics-based visuals)
      • Use visual aids: lists, diagrams, charts, pictures, films, concept maps, real objects, etc.
      • Guide students through visualization exercises, which help students to imagine a situation or problem.
      • Demonstrate assigned tasks.
    • Visual - verbal (text-based visuals)
      • Write instructions for all assignments and tests.
      • Assign followup reading for any class lectures and discussions.
      • Use visual - verbal aids: handouts, outlines or lecture summary notes, written definitions of new terms, written and oral explanations for charts, graphs, and diagrams, etc.
    • Auditory
      • Present information through lectures, class discussions, small group activities, films, and tapes.
      • Brainstorm ideas aloud with students before beginning a reading or writing assignment.
      • Provide oral explanations of all charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, and pictures.
    • Tactile or kinesthetic
      • Require students to complete assignments with a partner or small group.
      • Encourage students to manipulate and assemble objects, materials, and models.
      • Encourage students to draw, underline, and highlight information in class notes and assigned readings.
  • Organization
    • Inductive: Present a case to the students and work with them to determine the underlying principles or theories.
    • Deductive: Present a principle or theory to the students and work with them to determine its consequences and applications.
  • Processing
    • Active: Use buzz groups to give students a chance to interact with each other and the material.
    • Reflective: Create assignments that require students to think about and prepare for upcoming lectures.
  • Understanding
    • Sequential and Global: You can help both sequential and global learners with the same simple presentation strategy. First, give an overview of the concept you are going to cover next. Then, break it down sequentially. Finally, summarize what you have covered to show how the steps fit within the big picture.

 

activity


1. Outline a presentation for your course and note the learning styles that different techniques or activities accommodate. 


Prior education and work experience Return to top of page

Students will come to your course with a wide spectrum of educational and practical experiences, both in your general field and within the specific content for your course. Below you will find activities to help your students check their knowledge for misconceptions and to test their skills for gaps or inconsistencies.

  • Students may have gone through the appropriate prerequisite courses, but that does not mean that they learned or retained the information that they need for your course. Provide quizzes and opportunities in lab for students to show that they know what they are supposed to know.
  • Some students may have worked in laboratories doing research for a grant project or for another professor's research project. However, graduate students or other laboratory workers may have shown your student some techniques that do not match what you would like to see in your course. Take a brief poll to see how many students have had prior lab experience. Individually meet with these students and discuss what they did in those labs.

 

activity


1. Create a quiz or brief lab activity that will determine how much prerequisite knowledge, or how many prerequisite skills, students can apply correctly.  



Expectations of course outcomes Return to top of page

Below you will find activities to help you meet students' expectations of the course:

  • Survey students to find out what they want to get from the course, beyond the defined course objectives.
  • Conduct a midsemester evaluation to determine how well you are meeting the expectations that students expressed in the first week.
  • Discuss the results of the midsemester evaluation with the students. Ask them to brainstorm solutions for expectations that have not been met and for which there are not yet plans.

 

activity


Design a Student Expectation Survey to give students on the first week of class.  


Motivation for taking the course Return to top of page

Students will take your course for different reasons. Below you will find some suggested activities to accommodate these motivations

  • Students may take your course to meet a general education requirement.  
    • Identify or create resources to help non-science majors succeed in your course.
  • Students may take your course as a prerequisite to other courses.  
    • Identify all courses for which your course is a prerequisite and find out what specific information will be used in those courses.  
    • Whenever possible, take a brief moment to point out the knowledge and skills that students will be required to use in future courses.  
  • Students may take your course in preparation for a particular career path.
    • Whenever possible, take time to discuss knowledge or skills that will be applied in various occupations.
  • Students may take your course to satisfy personal curiosity about the topic.  
    • Identify or create optional resources that will allow highly motivated students to apply course concepts to new situations or to learn tangential aspects of course concepts.

 

activity


1. Identify or create optional resources that will allow students to go beyond the course requirements or objectives.

 

 

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