Course activities are all of the exercises, assignments, projects, discussions, and more that allow students to apply their learning and practice their mastery of material from a unit or module.
Therefore, course activities and opportunities for interaction are critical to learner success in the online environment in particular. Not only do they provide ways for students to apply what they have learned, but they also foster engagement among learners and between learners and the instructor.
The trick is using the activities that are most suited to the learning objective you are trying to achieve and using a variety of activities, in order to engage as many learning styles as possible. So what are these 12 activity types? 1. Quizzes
These components in an online course also provide the foundation for the multiple types of interaction in a course, which include learner-to-content, learner-to-learner, and learner-to-instructor.
1. Quizzes 2. Buzz Groups 3. Snowballing 4. Brainstorming 5. Discussions and Group Learning 6. Debates 7. Presentations 8. Role-play 9. Training Games for Learners 10. Problem-solving Activities for Learners 11. Case Studies in Lesson Plans 12. Asking Questions Bonus Idea: Using Visuals What Kind of Activities Can You Run to Engage your Learners?
Whether your classes are in person, online or somewhere in between, here are 15 active learning activities to try with your students this semester.Think-pair-repair. ... Improv games. ... Brainwriting. ... Jigsaw. ... Concept mapping. ... The one-minute paper. ... Real-time reactions. ... Chain notes.More items...•
Content Focus (and Interaction) Whether the learning outcomes for a session or module include declarative or functioning knowledge, almost all of them will be supported in some way by the presentation of information to students. ... Interactivity (with Others) Focus. ... Critical Thinking. ... Production. ... Problem Solving. ... Reflection.
Student activities generally fall under one or more of the following categories:Academic.Civic Engagement.Diversity/Cultural.Honor Societies.Leisure.Recreational.Religious/Spiritual.Student-Run Event Planning Board.More items...
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Activity-based learning plays an important role in teaching the students to collaborate, communicate, interact and work in teams. Peers the other learners who are a part of the social environment contribute to the knowledge construction by sharing as well as identifying the affordances within the tasks at hand.
Learning activities are designed to develop learning that supports course outcomes. All learning activities should support course outcomes, and all course outcomes need to be supported by learning activities.
Extracurricular activities provide a channel for reinforcing the lessons learned in the classroom, offering students the opportunity to apply academic skills in a real-world context, and are thus considered part of a well-rounded education.
Before Class: Steps for preparing a lesson planIdentify the learning objectives. ... Plan the specific learning activities. ... Plan to assess student understanding. ... Plan to sequence the lesson in an engaging and meaningful manner. ... Create a realistic timeline. ... Plan for a lesson closure.
Course Description Guidelines should be no longer than 125 words. should begin most sentences with a verb. should be student-centered and explain how the reader would benefit from the course. should be written in the present tense and active voice.
The following are tips for writing a course description: The course description should be no longer than 100 words. Write from a student-centered perspective. Use present tense and active voice. Use clear and simple sentence structure and language.
Four Steps to Create Course Content that FlowsConsider your goals in teaching this course. Decide what you would like your students to accomplish from taking this course. ... Develop topics and subtopics, then narrow down further. ... Structure the course with what you have finalized. ... Plan your content types.
Event activities represent live, online seminars or in-person trainings scheduled for specific times. Sign up online for the event session that works for you, then return to the course after attending.
Quizzes are used to evaluate your learning, and can include a variety of question types (true/false, matching, multiple choice, etc.). You may find them at the beginning of a course, to assess what you already know, or at the end of a course, to demonstrate what you’ve learned.
In face-to-face learning environments, students' most preferred activity is to attend lectures, an activity that appeared in student comments nearly twice as frequently as their second favorite face-to-face activity, discussion.
Although taking exams, quizzes, and tests was the third most preferred activity in a face-to-face environment by students, it was the overwhelmingly number one choice for both students and faculty among all online activities (see table 2).
Rank is determined by response frequency; responses with frequencies below n = 100 not reported.
Course activities that require students to demonstrate their learning through a variety of methods help them feel more confident in expressing themselves, and they will be less likely to cheat.
Require activity logs. One way to encourage students to complete their course activities individually and in a timely manner is to require them to submit logs of how they completed these activities along with materials they are expected to submit for these assignments.
When students are allowed to choose resources to use in their course activities, they will most often use web resources out of convenience. Using only web resources can limit their research abilities and can also lead to plagiarism because students can simply cut and paste information from the web.
a printout of the references used with date and time of use. For collaborative activities, students can be required to maintain a journal of collaborative meetings and submit minutes of their meetings along with the papers or reports expected for those assignments.
Faculty should provide adequate instructions and information about: how the assignments should be completed. which resources may and may not be used, and. whether assignments should be completed individually or collaboratively.
Faculty can require students to brainstorm each writing assignment and submit an outline, followed by a series of incremental drafts or sections. Faculty can review the outlines and drafts and provide feedback while monitoring for cheating and plagiarism.
According to universal instructional design principles (Shaw, Scott, & McGuire, 2001), instructors should provide students with opportunities to express their learning and academic performance through multiple means . Course activities that require students to demonstrate their learning through a variety of methods help them feel more confident in expressing themselves, so they will be less likely to be tempted to cheat or plagiarize. Instructors should use a variety of activities, such as written papers, oral presentations, problem solving exercises and individual and group activities.
An online or hybrid course that is high-touch and engaging involves meaningful learning activities. Learning activities include interactions and engagements that allow learners to practice, self-assess, obtain feedback, and establish retention and transfer of their learning.
These interactions can be categorized into three types: learner-content interaction, learner-learner interaction, and learner-instructor interaction. To identify the appropriate learning activities for your course, consider the kinds of interaction that will contribute to a deeper understanding of the instructional material, ...
Moreover, because games have rewards like scores, points, and even prizes, they positively reinforce learning behaviors that lead to knowledge retention and provide ongoing performance feedback.
As mentioned, in order for employee training activities to be enthralling, adult learners need to feel they are in control of the learning process. This control makes them take a more active role in their learning, which is core to their engagement and knowledge retention.
Regardless of whether you opt for eLearning or an ILT program, quizzes/assessments are absolutely imperative to the success of any training program. Quizzes offer feedback that’s not only beneficial to trainees, but to those who are delivering the program.
Instructor-led training (ILT) is just what it sounds like – training that’s led by an instructor. It incorporates both traditional face-to-face learning and virtual instructor-led training activities (VILT). That notwithstanding, ILT courses tend to be instructor-focused versus learner-focused. Put otherwise, the learner doesn’t have much input ...
Here’s one thing you can do in eLearning that is exceptionally challenging in synchronous (V)ILT: develop training videos. At first glance, the task of developing a training video might seem daunting. But if you have a web camera and microphone, you’re off to the races!
Moreover, because games have rewards like scores, points, and even prizes, they positively reinforce learning behaviors that lead to knowledge retention and provide ongoing performance feedback. Competitive games are also especially rewarding for the high-performing employee.
At first glance, a microlearning course might seem like more of a training program than a training activity, but it doesn’t have to be! Microlearning courses aren’t very conducive to ILT because they involve training that’s delivered in bite-sized and easy-to-digest pieces. As such, each microlearning module is laser-focused and therefore aims to address a single question, problem, or learning objective.
3 Alligator Platforms 1 6′ 2×8 board Cross the alligator river without being eaten! The Alligator Crossing is a series of platforms set out approximately 8 feet apart that the group must cross using a 6 foot board. Each platform becomes progressively smaller. The object is to get the entire group from behind a line on the ground onto each …
This is a popular standard ropes course element constructed on poles or trees. Mohawk Walk The Mohawk Walk is series of footcables strung between trees or poles, typically in a zig zag pattern. The object is to get the entire group from the first tree to the last without touching the ground, and without the aid of foreign objects (sticks, …
profesionaly installed and inspected cable with rope swing attached. Platforms and or hula hoops. Teams must swing across an imaginary obstacle (River; Canyon; Lava Pit; Quick sand) while safely transporting resources with them.
åÊ Porthole The Porthole is constructed by suspending a tire between poles or trees. The objective is to cross from one side of the porthole to the other without touching the porthole. The group must create a plan that takes participant physical ability and size to lift, pass, and spot participants in order to get them through. Photo courtesy of …
From the Ghost Ranch Ropes Course Manual, by Dr. Sylvia Shirley. Ropes Course Manual – Ghost RanchDownload The ropes course is a very safe place when all safety procedures are followed, but there is the possibility of serious injury if they are not. For this reason the facilitator has the final say on safety.
We collected a variety of Ropes Course resources and in order to get them to you quickly, we’ll post them for download. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll add pictures, element descriptions, and other features based on all of the amazing resources that were submitted.
åÊ Swinging Log The Swinging Log is a popular ropes course element that is constructed between trees or poles. A tree or log is suspended with cables between trees or poles, making it very difficult to stand on. The objective is to perform various group balancing tasks on top of the log. Sample Tasks Have individuals stand on one end …
When teaching a process, hand out index cards with a step of the process to each participant. Next , ask the participants to get themselves in order from beginning to end. Once they are in line, review each step of the process and make any adjustments that are needed . If the group is large, use a piece of cardstock with a keyword printed on the front and select a small number of people to complete the exercise in front of everyone else. The cardstock with the keyword will help those in the audience to stay involved in the process.
When a portion of your lecture has ended, have participants turn to each other and discuss the two or three main points learned . This works best if you have them write down their answers. Most people will write when you tell them to. Writing the answers will keep them focused on the task of learning.
No, of course not. By building active learning techniques into the structure of the class, any instructor can improve his or her class. Following are 25 ways to engage participants in a lecture-based program or lecture module in a training seminar.
When to use games for Classroom Training: You can use games at the start of a training session to allow participants to become familiar with each other (the so-called ice-breakers), or during the session when you want to re-energize your participants.
Commonly, you run role-plays in groups of three, where two participants play a role each and one participant acts as an observer (if the class is not divisible by three, there can be two observers). You can run the role-play more than once for the same group so that participants can rotate roles.
Another type of visual you can ask participants to draw is a mind-map.
One simplified model with four phases of instructions is the Anchor, Content, Application, Future Use model.
Training activities can be fun. Training should be engaging. Training must be meaningful. I have been asked to design many training modules and have worked on several teams that value the fun aspect of training over the other two aspects I mentioned.