Enhancing Classroom Participation

Category: Instructional Strategies

The benefits of student participation are widely recognized but getting students to participate can be a challenge. Here you'll find resources we have developed for our SF State faculty as well as information and resources for strategies and techniques you can use to increase participation in your class. Come to a workshop or sign up for a consultation for assistance with specific questions you may have.

For some general guidelines and information on encouraging and facilitating participation in your classroom, you may want to visit some of the following links.

• Town Halls and Post-It Notes
  This first person article focuses on the techniques of using post-it notes to go from 'seminars' to 'town hall meetings' in the classroom. Addressing the issue of required participation and creating structured cooperative learning opportunities, you may find some techniques and information here to work with.
• Ideas for Increasing Class Participation
  This seminar handout from Carnegie Mellon gives some tips for increasing class participation and encouraging active learning.
• Suggestions for Instructors
  The NYU Stern School of Business has put together a few more tips for what to say on your syllabus, techniques for increasing class participation and ones for managing over participators.
• SF State Collaboratory
  The Collaboratory, located in Burk Hall 229 and managed by Academic Technology, provides the most modern classroom environment on campus for students and teachers to experience real-time collaborative learning with a variety of technology tools. Teachers who use the Collaboratory find that they enhance student participation by facilitating anonymous input from 100% of their class. The room design provides a safe and supportive environment for student interaction and encourages open communication from all participants online or offline.

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