“Even though we will be striving to be in-person in the fall, there are so many things I’ve learned that I will not only use online or hybrid, but in any future in-person classes I teach. It’s been an invaluable experience, thanks to all of the Minerva instructors...The joy I felt when something clicked is what I want my students to experience and take with them as well. Thank you for this wonderful year!”
Engaging online instruction can dramatically improve access to and quality of education. To fully realize this potential, institutions must invest in upskilling teachers and educators in digital pedagogy in order to maximize student learning and success. The Student Engagement Strategies (SES) course series is designed to help educators learn how to facilitate fully active learning in their classrooms, with a special emphasis on virtual environments. Through this course, institutions can support their instructors to be able to apply principles from learning science to their course design. Participants will learn how to maximize student learning, facilitate engaging classroom sessions, and develop rigorous and reliable assessments.
Minerva faculty have rigorous training grounded in learning science and years of experience developing and teaching virtual courses across many disciplinary contexts. Based on our classroom experiences and research, we have identified universal strategies for designing and delivering effective and engaging online courses.
As the only synchronous course available for education professionals, participants will benefit from live, seminar-style instruction with active participation with other participants.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Analyze, understand, and apply principles from the science of learning
- Practice techniques to facilitate student engagement in virtual and in-person classroom environments
- Build strategies for outcomes-based teaching and assessment in virtual and in-person classroom environments
Active Learning in Small Seminars
All Minerva classes are synchronous and conducted on our virtual learning platform. Seminars are capped at 20 students and focus on discussion, debate, and collaborative work sessions. This active learning approach stimulates deep cognition, enhancing your understanding of course material and furthering your ability to apply concepts to unfamiliar situations in novel ways.
In each session, your professor prompts students to participate in the lively exchange of ideas and deep engagement with course material that are the hallmarks of active learning. Classes include breakout groups, polls, simulations, and presentations, which give you numerous opportunities to develop and apply practical knowledge that is both relevant to your career and critical for the world.
Learn more about strategies to successfully engage students
For institutions interested in learning about cohort pricing and scheduling, complete the form below.
Session Format
The SES course series consists of four stand-alone modules. Module 1 is required for participation in all subsequent modules. After completing Module 1, institutions are able to select which subsequent modules, 2-4, best fit their individual needs. Participating institutions may select a version with a practicum component to receive customized, 1:1 feedback from experienced Minerva faculty.
Each session employs a flipped-classroom approach, where participants are required to complete readings and activities before the class meeting in order to promote robust discussion. During the class session, participants will take part in a variety of fully active learning tasks, such as polling, debates, and breakout groups, to engage more deeply with the material and one another. Fully active learning pedagogy has been shown to significantly improve information retention and retrieval compared to lecture-based passive learning. At the end of each session, participants will complete short assignments to apply and reflect upon their learning.Expected time for each module (2 sessions) is approximately 9 hours. Each session will require 90 minutes for pre-class preparation, 90 minutes of class time, and 90 minutes of post-class assessment work.
Module 1: Essential Elements of Effective Virtual Classroom
*Required for all following modules
Session 1 topics:
- The 16 principles of the science of learning
- Purpose, relevance, and transfer
Session 2 topics:
- Building community in the virtual classroom
- Inclusion in online classrooms
Module 2: Course Planning and Lesson Design for Virtual Classrooms
Session 1 topics:
- Outcomes-based teaching
- Define and organize learning goals
Session 2 topics:
- Frameworks to design synchronous and asynchronous activities
- Capitalizing on data, cases, simulations, and teamwork online
Module 3: Facilitation Techniques for Virtual Classrooms
Session 1 topics:
- Bringing lessons to life
- Effective instructor practices for virtual classrooms
Session 2 topics:
- Incentivizing preparation and engagement
- Strategies for keeping an engaging pace
- Facilitating student dialogue
Module 4: Assessment Design for Virtual Classrooms
Session 1 topics:
- Planning your course assessment journey
- Best practices for providing formative feedback
Session 2 topics:
- Designing fair, reliable, and valid online assessments
Session Pricing
Module 1: $500 per person with a minimum of 10 participants per cohort.
Modules 2-4: $525 per person with a minimum of 10 participants per cohort.
Discounted pricing is available for cohorts with 15 or more participants.
Forum
All classes are conducted in live, interactive video seminars that provide:
- Direct interaction with your professor
- Dynamic instruction, peer learning, and frequent feedback
- Attendance from anywhere with broadband internet
- Simplified schedule and assignment management
- Enhanced performance review and progress tracking
Participant
Bentley University
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