Bolstering active learning in the classroom: Strategies to design effective questions

Facilitator:  Alexandra MacKay, Professor, Teaching Stream, Finance, Rotman School of Management 
Lecturing can be an efficient way to convey course content to the student audience, particularly since the lecturer is an expert in the subject matter. However, passive listening, without interaction is less likely to engage students in deep learning (Chi & Wylie, 2014). Student disengagement and distracted attention may not always be obvious to the lecturer. Instructors can create a learning environment in which students are encouraged or inspired or even required to take an active role (e.g., doing, observing, and reflecting). One effective strategy within the active learning toolkit is questioning – questions to introduce and motivate a topic, questions to stimulate inquiry and analysis, questions to solicit debate and active engagement with the topic.  
This session will explore some techniques for developing and scaffolding questions that can be applied to all disciplines. Planning effective questions requires time and careful consideration, just as a lecture would. The session will delve into strategies for eliciting active student engagement, and potential pitfalls. We will consider what might go amiss and temptations the instructor will wish to overcome. There will be discussion of how to evaluate success at fostering active learning in the classroom ‘lecture’ session.  
Our faculty facilitators in this lunch series have completed 25 modules and earned the Certificate in Effective University Instruction offered by the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) in partnership with CTSI. Learn more about the ACUE Lunch and Learn Series (https://teaching.utoronto.ca/acue-lunch-and-learn/).