Creating an engaging classroom where students are motivated and excited to learn is important to all instructors. Here are six strategies—each submitted by an instructor in our WileyPLUS community—to strengthen student engagement in your classroom.

1. 6 Ways to
Promote
Student
Engagement

2. Engaged students are more likely to participate in class, retain
information, and be more confident learners. So how do you
create a stimulating learning environment that fosters student
interaction?
Here are six helpful strategies from instructors in our WileyPLUS
community that you can begin to implement right away.

3. Be available.
Schedule and announce regular office hours so that your
students know when you are available for extra help. Students
often feel more comfortable talking to their instructors outside
of class, so get to class early and linger for a few minutes after
to signal to them that you welcome individual questions.

4. Plan group work.
Encourage students to work together in small groups of four
or fewer students. To achieve this, you can give group quizzes
that allow them to talk to each other to find the answers without
relying on their notes. Also consider assigning group projects
that must be completed outside of class using collaboration
tools like GoogleDocs. If students need extra help, suggest that
they form small study groups that can meet regularly after class.

5. Create a friendly environment.
Kick off the semester with an ice-breaker game where students
ask each other questions (have each student find at least two
other students with similar study habits or interests). You can
also arrange desks in a circle to create a natural setting for
discussion and collaboration. Consider grouping students
together who do not know each other outside of class to help
them expand their peer resource group.

6. Keep the conversation going.
Incorporate content discussions in every lecture, set aside time
for brainstorming sessions, and ask open-ended questions—but
make sure to wait for an answer before moving on. Discussion
boards work great because students can post their own work
or research as well as read and reply to other posts. For online
courses, plan assignments that require either phone calls
between students or online conferencing.

7. Expand their circles.
Ask students to attend professional events together, which
will encourage them to begin networking with peers and
potential employers. They can also volunteer with professional
organizations, attend chapter meetings, or participate in
community-based projects as part of the course. This type
of experience both instills confidence and helps them start
preparing for their future professions.

8. Reward collaborative behavior.
One idea is to give students colored cards with their names on
them and mark a point on the cards when they participate in
class. Collect the cards at the end of each class and tally the
students’ “credit” for the week, which could translate into extra
credit points on a test or a whole-class reward like free time or a
special guest speaker.

9. These tips and strategies were gathered from instructors in
the WileyPLUS Studio, an online community of educators who
connect, collaborate, and share ideas using activities related
to WileyPLUS.
wileyplus.com