Instructional Strategies

A list of discussion strategies and tools to facilitate discussions in synchronous and asynchronous courses.

Students may disengage from the classroom for a variety of reasons. Here, we provide some background on disengagement, highight academic and personal supports for students, and outline some strategies for helping students re-engage.

Cameras Optional is a webinar recording discussing strategies for engaging students during synchronous classes without relying on students' web cameras. Engagement strategies discussed are also useful in asynchronous and face-to-face courses.

Microsoft Teams is a digital hub for fast and flexible communication, collaboration, and resource-sharing and is now available to Loyola users in a version applicable to teaching and learning. Learn more about how to utilize Teams in your course.

View the Blended Learning Model webinar and visit the self-paced learning module which provides an overview of the flipped classroom, the benefits and challenges of using it in the classroom, how it can be structured and implemented in your classroom, and ways in which to assess it.

View the webinar on Peer Learning and visit the self-paced learning module which answers some common questions about Peer Learning, including: What is it? What are the benefits? What are the challenges? Two specific methods of implementing peer learning in your course and how to assess peer learning activities are also discussed.

View the webinar on Problem-and Project-Based Learning and visit the self-paced learning modules which discusses the basics of problem- and project-based learning: what it is, the benefits and challenges to using it, how to implement it in an online class, and how to assess it.

View the webinar on Gamification and visit the self-paced module, in which learners become familiar with the basics of gamification: what it is, the benefits and challenges to using it, how to structure it in a class, how to assess it, and strategies for implementing it online.

Group work is one of the more powerful teaching strategies available to instructors. This module covers the evidence-based practices to use when creating group activities or long-term group projects and how to execute them in online environments.  

This training focuses on the importance of utilizing interactive lectures to improve student attention and engagement. It begins with an overview of the research, discusses how to design and implement interactive lectures both synchronously and asynchronously, and provides a list of resources and readings to guide you further. This is part of the Active Learning Series.