Strategies to Engage Students in Group Informational Sessions

1. Strategies to Engage Students in Group Informational Sessions By Hilleary Himes and Jeff Gugino

2. Today we will discuss… Informational sessions Orientation/FTCAP Group Presentations Active learning Strategies to engage students

3. Informational Sessions FTCAP (First year testing, consulting, and advising program) Presentations: First year students considering business Second year students preparing to enter a major Major nights Provide information about degree audits, exploratory tools, available resources

4. Active Learning Learn by doing: students learn through experience (Dewey 1938) Encourages deeper learning as opposed to “surface” learning (Brockbank & McGill 1998)

5. Benefits of Active Learning • Increase likelihood of comprehension of material • Encourage interaction with peers • Students create knowledge and contribute to the experience

6. Strategies • Online activities • Classroom Response System • Reflection tools • Think, Pair, Share • Discussion

7. Check screen for: ANS: Response choices To submit answer, press green arrow. ON/OFF

8. I have given informational sessions? True False

9. Online Activities • Pre-orientation: • learn about requirements • interact with Penn State websites • research and evaluate their chosen major • Pre-FTCAP module: http://www.psu.edu/dus/ftcap/advising/up/assignment/degree_skin.swf

10. Classroom Response System PowerPoint Receiver Clickers

11. Benefits in Advising Provides instant feedback Encourage critical thinking Improve learning by getting students active in learning process Make changes to material Assess students’ understanding Students can assess their own understanding Increase in participation

12. Increase in Participation "Putting up your hand in class is pretty complex thing, kind of dangerous, socially and academically. But everyone is willing to give anonymous answers. Everyone is equally involved and the answers are honest. And fast." Victor Edmonds, Educational Technology Services, University of California at Berkeley

13. I have given a presentation where I felt many of the participants were not engaged. True False

14. FTCAP Quiz • 5 question quiz • Checking for understanding from the preparatory assignments • Reviewed correct answers after quiz • Focus information on student input

15. Clicker Quiz Results * Question altered between 2009 and 2010 ** Question not used in 2010

16. What CGPA are you planning to earn in your first year?

17. What CGPA are you planning to earn in your first year?

18. Does your institution have a classroom response system? • Yes • No • I do not know

19. Think-Pair-Share Case Study You are finding it hard to study in your room because your roommate is sleeping all of the time and is annoying. On top of that, your first exam grades were surprisingly low. You believe that you studied enough, but felt like the professor asked questions that weren’t covered in class. You are tired and frustrated. What should you do?

20. Think-Pair-Share • Think about types of informational sessions that would be beneficial to your students. • Identify goals to help you carry out your informational sessions • Pair and share your ideas!

21. Reflective Thinking • Students intentionally evaluate internal beliefs and external information to create their own knowledge/conclusions

22. Reflection Activities

23. Discussion What techniques are you using that you would consider Active Learning?

24. The Future of Engaging Students Cell phones • Positives • Most students already have them • One less thing for them to carry around • Negatives • Not every student has a cell phone • Their cell phone plan may not allow free texting • You give them a reason to have their cell phones out

25. Question & Answer PollEverywhere.com

26. How informative was this session for you? On a scale of 1 through 9 1 = Can I have my hour back? 5 = It was interesting. 9 = It answered every question I had about active learning!