Category: Student Engagement

The Enrollment Cliff Is Here and Now What?

Higher education is facing a pivotal moment. Institutions across the country are bracing for a significant decline in enrollment—a phenomenon widely known as the Enrollment Cliff. This looming challenge is not a distant threat but a present reality. According to EducationDynamics’ 2025 Landscape of Higher Education report, 29% of Americans perceive the cost of education as unjustifiable, raising concerns about affordability and value. At the same time, the last several years have been marked by year-over-year enrollment declines, with freshman enrollment declining by 1.5% overall in fall 2022, including a 5.6% drop at highly selective institutions. These continued losses signal a diminishing undergraduate pipeline, making it increasingly difficult for colleges to recover pre-pandemic enrollment levels.

Colleges and universities that rely on traditional enrollment strategies find themselves at risk as the pool of prospective students shrinks.

The question is no longer whether institutions will be impacted but rather how they will adapt. Understanding and engaging the Modern Learner is critical to developing sustainable enrollment strategies. Institutions that recognize this shift and align their marketing, recruitment and engagement strategies accordingly will be the ones that thrive in the changing landscape.

What Caused the Enrollment Cliff?

The Enrollment Cliff stems from a variety of factors, including demographic and behavioral changes. Declining birth rates in the early 2000s have resulted in fewer high school graduates, meaning a smaller population of traditional college-aged students. At the same time, the percentage of high school graduates choosing to enroll in college has been significantly decreasing, with 9% choosing not to pursue college after completing high school. Amid this environment, the value of a degree has also been increasingly questioned. Rising tuition costs, skepticism about degree value, and the rise in alternative pathways have all contributed to this shift.

For decades, institutions have relied on a steady pipeline of high school graduates to sustain enrollment. However, this model is no longer sustainable. Institutions must rethink their recruitment strategies and expand their focus beyond the traditional student demographic to remain competitive in an increasingly uncertain landscape.

Why is College Enrollment Declining?

While the Enrollment Cliff is primarily driven by demographic trends, the decline in college enrollment is also influenced by shifting student priorities and perceptions of higher education. Economic uncertainties, rising concerns about student debt, and the growing number of alternative credentials have made prospective students more hesitant about pursuing a four-year degree. As we discussed in our previous blog article, Seeing Past the Enrollment Cliff of 2025, this shift is compounded by the growing demand for more flexible, career-oriented education options, alongside the growing belief among students that the cost of a traditional college education is increasingly unjustifiable.

Despite overall enrollment projections remaining flat throughout 2030, this stagnation masks a critical shift—the student population is becoming more diverse in age and educational backgrounds. Non-traditional students—working adults, career changers, and life-long learners—are now a growing factor in higher education. Institutions that fail to recognize and adapt to these changing dynamics are falling behind.

Additionally, the financial health of many colleges and universities is increasingly at stake. Since 2019, institutional risk levels have risen, signaling heightened financial pressures due to enrollment declines. As tuition revenue declines, schools must find innovative ways to attract and retain students.

Who is the New College Student? It’s the Modern Learner.

To combat the Enrollment Cliff, institutions must first understand who they are trying to reach—the Modern Learner.

The Modern Learner is not bound by traditional academic pathways. They prioritize flexibility and accessibility, seeking educational experiences that align with career objectives, financial constraints, and personal commitments. Modern Learners are the architects of their own educational journeys, emphasizing cost, convenience, and career outcomes as their primary decision-factors.

Modern Learners expect institutions to meet them where they are—whether that means offering online and hybrid courses, providing transparent career-aligned curriculums, or delivering personalized learning experiences. The assumption that age determines learning modality is outdated. Today, students of all backgrounds demand control over how, when, and where they learn.

Institutions that recognize these evolving preferences and tailor their offerings accordingly will be best positioned to sustain and grow their enrollment in coming years.

How to Combat the Enrollment Cliff with a Unified Strategy

Higher education professionals can effectively navigate the enrollment cliff, but success in this new landscape necessitates intentional strategic adjustments. Higher education professionals must adopt a unified enrollment and marketing strategy that directly addresses the evolving preferences of Modern Learners. A nonunified approach will not be sufficient; institutions need an integrated strategy that builds brand strength, prioritizes engagement and delivers tailored messaging at critical moments to impact student decision-making

Build a Strong Brand and Reputation

A strong institutional brand is essential for long-terms sustainability. More than just a marketing tool, a well-defined brand communicates an institution’s value proposition and helps establish trust with prospective students. A compelling brand differentiates an institution from its competitors, making it easier to attract and retain students.

Data from the 2025 Modern Learner report underscores the importance of brand on enrollment decisions, with 58% of students initiating their search by looking for schools first, not programs. Institutions that effectively position themselves as student-centered, outcome-focused and accessible will gain a competitive advantage.

Focus on Engagement and Personalization

Understanding Modern Learners is only the first step. Engaging them effectively is what is truly critical. Institutions must shift from broad, one-size-fits all marketing approaches to highly personalized engagement strategies. Modern Learners want to feel valued. Their perception of higher education is influenced by their interactions with an institution, from the first website visit to ongoing conversations with admissions personnel. Research from the Modern Learner Report reveals that only one-third of Modern Learners are considered active promoters when it comes to their educational experience. This highlights a significant opportunity to innovate engagement strategies and approach outreach with a student-oriented mindset, as institutions that prioritize personalized communication and meaningful interactions can foster stronger connections, increase student satisfaction, and ultimately drive enrollment and retention.

Deliver the Right Message at the Right Time in the Right Place

Modern Learners move quickly through the decision-making process. Institutions must ensure their messaging is consistent, compelling, and delivered at the right time. A cohesive communication strategy is essential for guiding students through their enrollment journey.

Data from the Modern Learner Report illustrates how rapidly prospective students compile a shortlist of schools. Once they identify potential institutions, they make application decisions swiftly. Across both undergraduate and graduate Modern Learners, most students take fewer than three weeks between building a consideration set and making their initial inquiries. Notably, 20% of undergraduate Modern Learners complete this process within just one week. While this trend holds across most Modern Learner segments, traditional undergraduate students tend to take longer, with 34% waiting one to months before making inquiries. Colleges and universities that provide timely, relevant, and persuasive messaging will have a stronger chance of converting interest into enrollment by remaining top of mind.

Will Higher Education Survive?

The Enrollment Cliff is not merely a challenge; it is a catalyst for change. While institutions that fail to adapt may struggle, those that embrace change will find opportunities for growth and innovation.

The future of higher education belongs to institutions that recognize the needs of the Modern Learner and evolve accordingly. Those that prioritize flexibility, career alignment, and student-centric engagement will not just endure the Enrollment Cliff—they will turn it into an opportunity for strategic transformation.

At EducationDynamics, we aim to be a trusted partner in your journey. By leveraging data-driven insights, personalized marketing and strategic enrollment management, we help you build stronger connections with prospective students, strengthen institutional reputation, and drive sustainable revenue growth. Together, we can navigate these changes and create lasting impact.

The Enrollment Cliff is here. The time to act is now. Partner with EducationDynamics to create a unified enrollment and communication strategy that will position your institution for long-term success.

Source link

March 25, 2025
Student experience is becoming more transactional – but that doesn’t make it less meaningful

It seems that few can agree about what the future student experience will look like but there is a growing consensus that for the majority of higher education institutions (bar a few outliers) it will – and probably should – look different from today.

For your institution, that might look like a question of curriculum – addressing student demand for practical skills, career competencies and civic values to be more robustly embedded in academic courses. It might be about the structure of delivery – with the Lifelong Learning Entitlement funding per credit model due to roll out in the next few years and the associated opportunity to flex how students access programmes of study and accrue credit. It might be a question of modality and responding to demands for flexibility in accessing learning materials remotely using technology.

When you combine all these changes and trends you potentially arrive at a more fragmented and transient model of higher education, with students passing through campus or logging in remotely to pick up their higher education work alongside their other commitments. Academic community – at least in the traditional sense of the campus being the locus of daily activity for students and academics – already appears at risk, and some worry that there is a version of the future in which it is much-reduced or disappears altogether.

Flexibility, not fragmentation

With most higher education institutions facing difficult financial circumstances without any immediate prospect of external relief, the likelihood is that cost-saving measures reduce both the institutional capacity to provide wraparound services and the opportunities for the kind of human-to-human contact that shows up organically when everyone is co-located. Sam Sanders

One of the challenges for higher education in the decade ahead will be how to sustain motivation and engagement, build connection and belonging, and support students’ wellbeing, while responding to that shifting pattern of how students practically encounter learning.

The current model still relies on high-quality person to person interaction in classrooms, labs, on placement, in accessing services, and in extra-curricular activities. When you have enough of that kind of rich human interaction it’s possible to some extent to tolerate a degree of (for want of a better word) shonky-ness in students’ functional and administrative interactions with their institution.

That’s not a reflection of the skills and professionalism of the staff who manage those interactions; it’s testament to the messiness of decades of technology systems procurement that has not kept up with the changing demands of higher education operational management. The amount of institutional resource devoted to maintaining and updating these systems, setting up workarounds when they don’t serve desired institutional processes, and extracting and translating data from them is no longer justifiable in the current environment.

Lots of institutional leaders accept that change is coming. Many are leading significant transformation and reform programmes that respond to one or more of the changes noted above. But they are often trying – at some expense – to build a change agenda on top of a fragile foundational infrastructure. And this is where a change in mindset and culture will be needed to allow institutions to build the kind of student experiences that we think are likely to become dominant within the next decade.

Don’t fear the transactional

Maintaining quality when resources are constrained requires a deep appreciation of the “moments that matter” in student experience – those that will have lasting impact on students’ sense of academic identity and connection, and by association their success – and those that can be, essentially, transactional. Pete Moss

If, as seems to be the case, the sector is moving towards a world in which students need a greater bulk of their interaction with their institution to be in that “transactional” bucket two things follow:

One is that the meaningful bits of learning, teaching, academic support and student development have to be REALLY meaningful, enriching encounters for both students and the staff who are educating them – because it’s these moments that will bring the education experience to life and have a transformative effect on students. To some degree how each institution creates that sense of meaningfulness and where it chooses to focus its pedagogical efforts may act as a differentiator to guide student choice.

The second is that the transactional bits have to REALLY work – at a baseline be low-friction, designed with the user in mind, and make the best possible use of technologies to support a more grab-and-go, self-service, accessible-anywhere model that can be scaled for a diverse student body with complicated lives.

Transactional should not mean ‘one-size-fits-all’ – in fact careful investment in technology should mean that it is possible to build a more inclusive experience through adapting to students’ needs, whether that’s about deploying translation software, integrating assistive technologies, or natural language search functionality. Lizzie Falkowska

Optimally, institutions will be seeking to get to the point where it is possible to track a student right from their first interaction with the institution all the way through becoming an alumnus – and be able to accommodate a student being several things at once, or moving “backwards” along that critical path as well as “forwards.” Having the data foundations in place to understand where a student is now, as well as where they have come from, and even where they want to get to, makes it possible to build a genuinely personalised experience.

In this “transactional” domain, there is much less opportunity for strategic differentiation with competitor institutions – though there is a lot of opportunity for hygiene failure, if students who find their institution difficult to deal with decide to take their credits and port them elsewhere. Institutional staff, too, need to be able to quickly and easily conduct transactional business with the institution, so that their time is devoted as much as possible to the knowledge and student engagement work that is simply more important.

Critically, the more that institutions adopt common core frameworks and processes in that transactional bucket of activity, the more efficient the whole sector can be, and the more value can be realised in the “meaningful” bucket. That means resisting the urge to tinker and adapt, letting go of the myth of exceptionalism, and embracing an “adopt not adapt” mindset.

Fixing the foundations

To get there, institutions need to go back to basics in the engine-room of the student experience – the student record system. The student system of 15-20 years ago was a completely internally focused statutory engine, existing for award board grids and HESA returns. Student records is now seen as a student-centric platform that happens to support other outputs and outcomes, both student-facing interactions, and management information that can drive decision-making about where resource input is generating the best returns.

The breadth of things in the student experience that need to be supported has expanded rapidly, and will continue to need to be adapted. Right now, institutions need their student record system to be able to cope with feeding data into other platforms to allow (within institutional data ethics frameworks) useful reporting on things like usage and engagement patterns. Increasingly ubiquitous AI functionality in information search, student support, and analytics needs to be underpinned by high quality data or it will not realise any value when rolled out.

Going further, as institutions start to explore opportunities for strategic collaboration, co-design of qualifications and pathways in response to regional skills demands, or start to diversify their portfolio to capture the benefits of the LLE funding model, moving toward a common data framework and standards will be a key enabler for new opportunities to emerge.

The extent to which the sector is able to adopt a common set of standards and interoperability expectations for student records is the extent to which it can move forward collectively with establishing a high quality baseline for managing the bit of student experience that might be “transactional” in their function, but that will matter greatly as creating the foundations for the bits that really do create lasting value.

This article is published in association with KPMG.

Source link

March 25, 2025
Maximizing Student Engagement During Live Online Seminars – Faculty Focus
There are many approaches to designing an online course, and finding the right balance may depend on a variety of factors ranging from content topics to types of assessments. Students who opt for e-learning likely prefer it for the flexibility it affords, but that doesn’t mean they want to miss out on engaging with their classmates or instructor in a meaningful way. So, educators must continue to shift their thinking and go back to the basics to deliver their online course content in a way that creates a direct relationship with their students (Meyer, 2014). One way to incorporate human engagement is through a synchronous seminar—nothing beats live interaction—, where learners and educators can convene for a meaningful exchange.

Survey Says

Seminars are not new to the online environment, although for anyone who has taught in this environment there have been many iterations over the years as technology and curriculum have dramatically changed. So, after many years of teaching online courses, we firmly believe that a weekly one-hour seminar with our students is one of the most valuable aspects of the e-learning experience. However, to determine if our assessment was correct, we surveyed virtual instructors and students gathering both quantitative data and qualitative data. It was clear that while there were many differences in the presentation techniques, seminars were considered of great value to all.

Here are the four top take-aways from our survey.

First, students and faculty both felt that spending time in the seminar was most beneficial in helping students gain greater understanding of the material for that unit. Students were able to ask questions and get immediate answers or feedback, which was particularly satisfying and gave them confidence to move forward.

Second, students expressed the need for more connectivity through live seminars with fellow classmates and this concept mimics the physical classroom setting where students engage with one another. This also led to the point that instructors believed these virtual conversations helped build greater networking skills and they could see that in other areas of the asynchronous aspects of the course.

Third, instructors mentioned that they found better academic results from students participating in the weekly sessions, while students expressed that they felt more engaged in the course material which substantiated the reason they were more successful.

Fourth and finally, students and instructors shared that participating in live sessions resulted in having an attitude of greater interest and there was markedly more enthusiasm generated. Student and faculty behavior became more meaningful as they shared these personal emotions in the weekly session together.

Suggestions for Creating an Engaging Live Seminar

Reflecting on the survey responses, we noticed a direct relationship between how instructors presented their material, and the value students derived from participating in these one-hour, live sessions. We also have learned, through student feedback in our own courses, how to truly engage with a wide range of learning personalities, so we have come up with the top five suggestions for you to consider using in your presentations during online seminars.
1. This is not a lecture. Students do not want to be sermonized or given a one-hour soliloquy that doesn’t give them the opportunity to speak. They want live interaction that gives them the sense of being heard. So, give them audio and video permissions so they can see each other and build connections.
1. Poll questions and chat boxes. This follows clearly after the last one, in which students want engagement in conversation about the subject matter. Most platforms have a tool that allows you to ask students questions, and they can select answers in the form of polls with true/false, multiple choice or other response scales. You can also include what we call a “chat box” which is a specific titled slide that has an open-ended question and students are asked to brainstorm ideas or practice the topics being presented followed by the instructor offering a guided response from the textbook or reliable source that gives students some additional feedback on their thinking.
1. No black and white slides. Instructors should remember that they are meeting with many different students, so constructing a visual PowerPoint to go along with the audio is a great idea but be succinct and creative. Consider including 4-5 bullet points used as talking points and give each slide some pizazz by using color and graphics from which a natural conversation flows. Students may see something in the graphics or the points that might help to generate a deeper dive into the topic taking the group in a new and unexpected direction that can personalize the presentation.
1. Breakout rooms. This activity can take anywhere from a few minutes to even half of the class session. Give students the opportunity to connect in smaller groups, just like in the on-ground classes, giving them a topic to discuss and then bring back to the larger group. Change out your groups each week so students can engage with other classmates and visit each breakout room to build on that engagement.
1. Field trips. Take your students outside this live classroom. Perhaps you already share links for them to view short videos online, but have you considered going on a live visit? I once had a student in my food and beverage class who was actually in the kitchen at her restaurant during a seminar. She walked us through the kitchen and dining area with her webcam explaining the exact topics we were focusing on for that week. It was a spontaneous, yet memorable experience for everyone in the class. You might want to set up a guest speaker or visit in advance to test the technology, review the expectations and practice, so determine what works best for you and meet your university guidelines.
Remember, students not only want to connect with the subject matter, but most importantly to their classmates and instructors.

Why Adopt Some of These Practices

If you are not currently hosting weekly live seminars, consider the reasons and determine if you and your students could benefit from live sessions. Maybe surveying your department or simply asking informally about their opinion would give you and your colleagues some better guidance regarding reaction to the value of live seminars. Don’t you want your students to find greater value in your course?

If you do have synchronous learning in your course, perhaps some of these points will help to validate the work you are doing and if you are not using any of them, we hope you might consider experimenting in an upcoming session to investigate how they change the engagement in your classroom.

We have found that students who attend live seminars are more likely to reach out when they encounter life challenges or to ask further questions about assignments because they feel connected to us. We have also determined that the engaged student is more academically successful, and this supports retention efforts.

Whether you are new to online teaching or a seasoned instructor, we’d love to hear from you about your online seminar experience after trying out one or two of these practices. Feel free to email us with your results: Mimi Gough, [email protected] and Glenn Walton, [email protected]

Mimi Gough, MBA, MSED, Professor, Business and IT Department, Purdue University Global is a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) and course lead in Hospitality and Tourism Services and Hospitality Sustainability. She teaches undergraduate topics related to management, customer service and the tourism/hospitality industry. Gough began her teaching career in higher education in 1991 and facilitated the transition of ground campus courses to online courses in 2007. She has presented research and workshops on topics ranging from Marketing Destinations to Online Curriculum culminating with numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals since 2013.

Glenn L. Walton, MS, Professor, Business and IT Department, Purdue University Global teaches undergraduate courses in Management and Marketing. After working for a Fortune 500 company in advertising for over two decades, he began his higher education teaching career 15 years ago. He currently serves as a member of the university Futures Thinking & Innovation Team and has experience in teaching on ground, hybrid, and online courses.

References:

Meyer, K. A. (2014). Student engagement in online learning: What works and why. ASHE Higher Education Report, 40(6), 1–114. doi:10.1002/aehe.20018
Source link
March 21, 2025
Introducing the InsightsEDU Echo Webinar Series

EducationDynamics is excited to announce our new webinar series — the InsightsEDU Echo Webinar Series. This series is designed to expand access to the impactful sessions delivered at InsightsEDU 2025. Whether you attended the conference or are looking to gain valuable insights into higher education marketing, recruitment, and enrollment strategies, this webinar series brings expert-led presentations directly to you.

Join us throughout March and April for these exclusive webinars:

March 13: Engaging the Modern Learner | 1 PM ET

This webinar presents insights and discoveries from our most recent report, “Engaging the Modern Learner: 2025 Report on the Preferences & Behaviors Shaping Higher Ed.” These findings lay out the framework for a strategic approach built upon strengthened institutional reputation and engagement strategies that deliver the right message, at the right time to all students and institutional stakeholders.

Speakers: Greg Clayton, President of Enrollment Management Services, and Katie Tomlinson, Sr. Director of Analytics and Business Intelligence.
Register Here

March 20: A Roadmap to Marketing Transformation | 2 PM ET

Discover proven strategies for navigating marketing transformation in higher education. This session will explore how institutions can modernize their marketing tactics to better align with today’s digital-first landscape.

Speakers: Jamie Ceman, Senior Executive Vice President, RW Jones Agency.
Register Here

March 27: From Silos to Synergy: Transforming Enrollment Through Collaboration | 2 PM ET

Learn how cross-departmental collaboration can unlock new strategies for enrollment growth. This webinar will provide actionable steps for aligning marketing, admissions, and academic teams.

Speakers: Dr. Jodi Blinco, Vice President for Enrollment Management Consulting.
Register Here

April 3: Navigating the Enrollment Shift | 2 PM ET

Join EducationDynamics and the experts from EY Parthenon for a solutions-focused conversation about the impact and implications of the Enrollment Cliff. Participants will leave with a better understanding of the full impact of the changes facing higher education and the opportunities available for thriving in the evolving educational landscape.

Speakers: Tracy Kreikemeier, Chief Relationship Officer at EducationDynamics, Kate Kruger, Partner/Principal at EY-Parthenon, and Elizabeth Palmer, Senior Director at EY-Parthenon.
Register Here

April 10: Evolving Your Marketing Approach in the New Era | 2 PM ET

Explore how AI is transforming search algorithms, user behavior, and website optimization. This session, led by Sarah Russell, VP of Marketing at EducationDynamics, will deliver practical techniques to future-proof your SEO efforts and create a full-funnel marketing strategy that moves students from awareness to enrollment.

Speakers: Sarah Russell, Vice President of Marketing, EducationDynamics.
Register Here

April 17: The Art and Science of Why People Care | 2 PM ET

Uncover the psychological and strategic factors that influence student decision-making and engagement. Learn how to craft messaging and brands that resonate, inspire, and build lasting relationships.

Speakers: Kelly Ratliff, Director of Client Success and Solutions, RW Jones Agency, and Renee Daly, VP of Brand Strategy, RW Jones Agency.
Register Here

Source link

March 12, 2025
Tired of Awkward Silences? Upgrade your Think-Pair-Share – Faculty Focus

I’ve tried a few different techniques for class discussions over the years, some that I’ve written about previously in Faculty Focus. In recent years, I’ve dialed in a 3-step process for discussion in my face-to-face classes, which has helped me create an engaged classroom climate. It’s Think-Pair-Share (TPS), with some upgrades.

I refined my TPS process after attending Jeremy Rentz’s workshop “Put Your Hammer Down” (detailed in the Best of the 2021 Teaching Professor Conference). His key idea was “The person doing the learning is the person doing the work.” I thought about how to get my students to do more “work” in my large lecture-based classes. Although I knew the active learning benefits of a technique like TPS, I struggled to implement it well. There were often too many awkward silences for TPS to be as engaging as I would have liked. After Jeremy’s workshop, I made some upgrades to TPS that invigorated it for students and for me.

Step #1: Think
Upgrade: Discussion Bubbles

Instead of posing my discussion question after I’ve covered the content on my slide, I now put the question in a Discussion Bubble next to the content. Prior to implementing this, I would review the slide and then pose my question, either a specific one, or something general like “anyone have anything to add?” Then there would be the awkward silence while students think, and I would try to be chill. Having a Discussion Bubble primes students to think and be ready to share (in small or large groups) once I’m done reviewing the slide. It not only decreases the awkwardness (which seems to feed off itself), but it also increases small and large group discussion participation.

Sometimes these discussion bubbles include a polling question that I use to record and display students’ opinions (e.g., Do you prefer a, b, or c?). Students can then see that they are not alone in their views and are more confident to share their perspectives in Steps 2 and 3.

Step #2: Pair
Upgrade: 1-Minute Timer

I give students one minute to talk with classmates about their thoughts on the discussion bubble or their answer to the polling question. On the very first day, I tell students that I will use my watch to set a 1-minute timer and that we’ll have a few of these in every class. I believe that these short, reliable segments help students feel safe and avoid too-lengthy, awkward small-talk. At the end of the one-minute paired discussion, I don’t check to see if they need more time as I have large classes, and the level of discussion is variable. In recent course surveys (classes of 90-175 students), about 70% of students wanted to keep these 1-minute discussions and only 13% wanted to change them (some were undecided). Further, about 44% of students agreed that these 1-minute discussions helped them feel more connected to their classmates (42% had mixed or neutral feelings) and 63% said they were comfortable sharing in class. So, it’s not perfect for everyone, but it’s benefiting many students. Also, I don’t have students pair off every time that I have a discussion bubble—sometimes I skip Step 2 and go straight to Step 3.

After Step 1 and maybe 2, I incentivize large group discussion with an extra credit point for sharing aloud. I’ve written previously about my Fired-Up and Ready to Discuss process, which involves giving students up to 1 point each class (and 3-5 points total for the semester) for sharing aloud. I have undergraduate teaching assistants present and poised to enter the student’s point into the gradebook as soon as they say their name and share (and if they forget, they can find the teaching assistants after class). It’s an immediate reward that encourages sharing in a large class. Only about ½ of students in my large classes share aloud and earn Fired-up Points, but in a class of 100 students, getting 50 to talk aloud is enough to create an engaging classroom climate. In recent surveys, 70% of the students want to keep Fired Up (and only about 10% want to change it).

This upgraded TPS not only helps students “do the work,” but it also makes for a fun and engaging class. It gives my lectures a predicable rhythm that creates psychological safety for student engagement. It also helps me stay confident and relaxed, which isomorphically encourages students to relax and take the risk to share their thoughts.

Dr. Ashley Harvey is a professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University (CSU). Since 2007, she has taught more than 10,000 students across 15 different courses in over 150 undergraduate and graduate sections. Dr. Harvey has spoken at TEDx, is a licensed marriage and family therapist, and earlier in her career worked at the CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital as a grief counselor and educator.

References

Harvey, Ashley. “An activity that promotes engagement with required readings, even in large classes.” Faculty Focus. February 2017. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/activity-promotes-engagement-required-readings-even-large-classes/

Harvey, Ashley. “Fired up and ready to discuss.” Faculty Focus. February 2020. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-classroom-management/fired-up-and-ready-to-discuss/

Rentz, Jeremy. “Put the hammer down and build your teaching toolbox.” The Best of the 2021 Teaching Professor Conference. October 2021. https://www.magnapubs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/free-report-Best-of-TPC-2021-opt.pdf

Source link

March 10, 2025
Tired of Awkward Silences? Upgrade your Think-Pair-Share – Faculty Focus

I’ve tried a few different techniques for class discussions over the years, some that I’ve written about previously in Faculty Focus. In recent years, I’ve dialed in a 3-step process for discussion in my face-to-face classes, which has helped me create an engaged classroom climate. It’s Think-Pair-Share (TPS), with some upgrades.

I refined my TPS process after attending Jeremy Rentz’s workshop “Put Your Hammer Down” (detailed in the Best of the 2021 Teaching Professor Conference). His key idea was “The person doing the learning is the person doing the work.” I thought about how to get my students to do more “work” in my large lecture-based classes. Although I knew the active learning benefits of a technique like TPS, I struggled to implement it well. There were often too many awkward silences for TPS to be as engaging as I would have liked. After Jeremy’s workshop, I made some upgrades to TPS that invigorated it for students and for me.

Step #1: Think
Upgrade: Discussion Bubbles

Instead of posing my discussion question after I’ve covered the content on my slide, I now put the question in a Discussion Bubble next to the content. Prior to implementing this, I would review the slide and then pose my question, either a specific one, or something general like “anyone have anything to add?” Then there would be the awkward silence while students think, and I would try to be chill. Having a Discussion Bubble primes students to think and be ready to share (in small or large groups) once I’m done reviewing the slide. It not only decreases the awkwardness (which seems to feed off itself), but it also increases small and large group discussion participation.

Sometimes these discussion bubbles include a polling question that I use to record and display students’ opinions (e.g., Do you prefer a, b, or c?). Students can then see that they are not alone in their views and are more confident to share their perspectives in Steps 2 and 3.

Step #2: Pair
Upgrade: 1-Minute Timer

I give students one minute to talk with classmates about their thoughts on the discussion bubble or their answer to the polling question. On the very first day, I tell students that I will use my watch to set a 1-minute timer and that we’ll have a few of these in every class. I believe that these short, reliable segments help students feel safe and avoid too-lengthy, awkward small-talk. At the end of the one-minute paired discussion, I don’t check to see if they need more time as I have large classes, and the level of discussion is variable. In recent course surveys (classes of 90-175 students), about 70% of students wanted to keep these 1-minute discussions and only 13% wanted to change them (some were undecided). Further, about 44% of students agreed that these 1-minute discussions helped them feel more connected to their classmates (42% had mixed or neutral feelings) and 63% said they were comfortable sharing in class. So, it’s not perfect for everyone, but it’s benefiting many students. Also, I don’t have students pair off every time that I have a discussion bubble—sometimes I skip Step 2 and go straight to Step 3.

After Step 1 and maybe 2, I incentivize large group discussion with an extra credit point for sharing aloud. I’ve written previously about my Fired-Up and Ready to Discuss process, which involves giving students up to 1 point each class (and 3-5 points total for the semester) for sharing aloud. I have undergraduate teaching assistants present and poised to enter the student’s point into the gradebook as soon as they say their name and share (and if they forget, they can find the teaching assistants after class). It’s an immediate reward that encourages sharing in a large class. Only about ½ of students in my large classes share aloud and earn Fired-up Points, but in a class of 100 students, getting 50 to talk aloud is enough to create an engaging classroom climate. In recent surveys, 70% of the students want to keep Fired Up (and only about 10% want to change it).

This upgraded TPS not only helps students “do the work,” but it also makes for a fun and engaging class. It gives my lectures a predicable rhythm that creates psychological safety for student engagement. It also helps me stay confident and relaxed, which isomorphically encourages students to relax and take the risk to share their thoughts.

Dr. Ashley Harvey is a professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University (CSU). Since 2007, she has taught more than 10,000 students across 15 different courses in over 150 undergraduate and graduate sections. Dr. Harvey has spoken at TEDx, is a licensed marriage and family therapist, and earlier in her career worked at the CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital as a grief counselor and educator.

References

Harvey, Ashley. “An activity that promotes engagement with required readings, even in large classes.” Faculty Focus. February 2017. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/activity-promotes-engagement-required-readings-even-large-classes/

Harvey, Ashley. “Fired up and ready to discuss.” Faculty Focus. February 2020. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-classroom-management/fired-up-and-ready-to-discuss/

Rentz, Jeremy. “Put the hammer down and build your teaching toolbox.” The Best of the 2021 Teaching Professor Conference. October 2021. https://www.magnapubs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/free-report-Best-of-TPC-2021-opt.pdf

Source link

March 10, 2025
Graduate Student Preferences Webinar | Collegis Education
Your graduate programs should be thriving, but if you’re relying on outdated outreach tactics, you’re leaving enrollments on the table. Today’s grad students expect more personalization, relevance, and connection. And if you’re not aligning with their needs, another institution will. The only way to meet them where they are is by asking the right questions and getting real answers. That’s exactly what Collegis Education and UPCEA did, and now we’re pulling back the curtain to share what we found.

Unlock Graduate Enrollment Growt
Proven Strategies for Engaging Graduate Students
Date: April 8, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm (Eastern) / 1:00 pm (Central)
Join Tracy Chapman, Chief Academic Officer at Collegis Education, and Bruce Etter, Senior Director of Research & Consulting at UPCEA, for their upcoming webinar “Unlock Graduate Enrollment Growth: Proven Strategies for Engaging Graduate Students.” In this session, they’ll reveal some surprising discoveries about graduate enrollment and the factors that drive impact and growth.

Walk away with a clear understanding of:
- graduate student needs and expectations,
- why grad students disengage during their enrollment journey,
- what information grad students are willing to give you and when, and
- how to best communicate and reach graduate students actively evaluating programs.
Who should attend:
- Presidents
- Provosts
- Enrollment leaders
- Marketing leaders
At the end, we’ll leave room for questions and conversion, and all attendees will receive a copy of the entire research report. See you on April 8!
Source link
March 6, 2025
Beyond Syllabus Week: Creative Strategies to Engage Students from Day One – Faculty Focus
Ever wonder why students don’t read the syllabus, despite the time and effort we put into creating it? It serves as a contract between instructors and students (Eberly, Newton, & Wiggins, 2001), outlining the entire semester’s expectations, assignments, and deadlines. Yet, many students simply aren’t motivated to read it. They often find syllabi overwhelming, unengaging, or even unreadable. In many classes, professors go over the syllabus during the first week (Richmond, 2016), so frequently that students have dubbed it “syllabus week” — not exactly the most exciting start to a semester! Students often form impressions about their courses within the first few minutes of class (Roberto, 2021). Simply standing in front of the room and reading through the syllabus page by page isn’t the most engaging way to showcase what your class has to offer.

What if there were more effective ways to get students to not only read it, but to actively engage with it? Many students skip over it because learning management systems (LMS) like Canvas, Blackboard, and D2L now contain everything they need in one place. Yet, as instructors, we still rely on the syllabus to provide a clear roadmap for the semester.

So, how can we make it more engaging? Below are some strategies to encourage students not only to read the syllabus but to enjoy exploring what your class has to offer and what to expect throughout the semester. Here are five effective strategies to encourage students to engage with your syllabus. While some involve additional technology, leveraging these tools can enhance the experience and make the syllabus more interactive.
1. Use Notebook LM to create a podcast of your syllabus. Professors can use Notebook LM to generate a podcast version of their syllabus by uploading your syllabus and allow the AI to summarize and structure the content into an engaging audio format. This makes the syllabus more accessible and interactive for students.
1. Do polling questions using apps like PollEverywhere, Mentimeter and my favorite, Slido, to create interactive quizzes about key syllabus details. By turning the syllabus into a fun, live Q&A session, students engage actively while reinforcing important information about course policies, deadlines, and expectations in an engaging and memorable way.
1. Think-Pair-Share. Ask students to reflect on the following questions: How does this syllabus compare to others you’ve had? What strengths stand out to you? What challenges do you anticipate after reading it? Have them write down their thoughts individually, then pair up to discuss their responses. Finally, bring the class together for a group discussion, allowing you to clarify any questions or concerns as students share their insights. This activity not only helps students engage with the syllabus but also fosters a sense of community on the first day by encouraging interaction and shared understanding.
1. Have students annotate the syllabus. Have students annotate the syllabus—a great suggestion from an X post by Remi Kalir. In pairs or small groups, students will review the syllabus together, adding annotations that include clarifying questions, opinions on assignments and readings, and responses to course policies. Using a shared document like Google Docs allows everyone to see and engage with each other’s comments in real time. Another tool to use could be Perusall as the annotation tool. This not only helps students actively engage with the syllabus but also serves as a valuable community-building activity on the first day. The professor can then review the comments to address questions and provide further clarification.
1. Syllabus Station. In this community-building activity, students will work in groups to identify three key takeaways from the syllabus. At a designated syllabus station in a gallery walk, each group will review a hard copy of the syllabus, discuss its most important points, and write their top three on a large post-it poster. As groups rotate through the stations, they will add their insights to the poster, creating a collaborative summary of essential course information. This interactive approach encourages engagement with the syllabus while fostering teamwork. (I wrote an article on this in Faculty Focus, highlighting different first-day stations I use in class. Begin the Semester with Classroom Community Building Activities to Increase Student Engagement)
Many of these strategies align with community-building activities that foster a supportive and engaging classroom environment, encouraging student participation and a sense of belonging (Ricevuto & McLaughlin, 2022). By implementing one of these approaches, you not only help students engage with the syllabus but also strengthen classroom connections—creating a win-win situation.

Additionally, many of these techniques can be adapted for online courses with slight modifications. In an online setting, these techniques can be easily adapted:
- Annotation activities can be done using collaborative tools like Hypothesis or Perusall, where students can highlight and comment directly on the syllabus.
- Polling questions using Slido, PollEverywhere, or Mentimeter can be embedded in a live session or asynchronously in a discussion board.
- Gallery walk-style activities can be recreated using shared Google Docs, Padlet boards, or discussion forums where students contribute key syllabus takeaways.
- Podcast versions of the syllabus can be recorded using Notebook LM, making it more accessible for students who prefer audio content.
By making small adjustments, these interactive techniques can work just as effectively in an online environment, ensuring that students engage with the syllabus while also building a sense of community within the virtual classroom.

By using these interactive strategies, you can transform the syllabus from a passive document into an engaging, community-building tool. Whether through annotation activities, polling questions, collaborative discussions, or creative formats like podcasts, these approaches help students actively engage with course expectations while fostering a sense of connection with their peers. When students feel involved from the start, they are more likely to participate, ask questions, and take ownership of their learning. Creating a welcoming and interactive syllabus experience not only ensures students understand the course structure but also sets the tone for a supportive and engaging classroom environment—both in-person and online.

Dr. Joanne Ricevuto is the Assistant Vice President for Instructional Success, overseeing faculty programming at her institution and leading professional development workshops on key topics in higher education. She also serves as the managing editor for the Office of Instructional Success website. With over 20 years of experience in higher education, she has taught as a professor of early childhood education and has authored numerous articles on virtual learning and student engagement. She is also the co-author of Engaging Virtual Environments: Creative Ideas and Online Tools to Promote Student Interaction, Participation, and Active Learning.

References

Elberly, M. B., Newton, S. E., & Wiggins, R. A. (2001). The syllabus as a tool for learner-centered learning. The Journal of General Education, 50, 56–74.

Ricevuto, J. & McLaughlin, L. (2022). Engaging virtual environments: Creative ideas and online tools to promote student interaction, participation, and active learning. Stylus Publishing.

Richmond A. S. (2016). Constructing a learner-centered syllabus: One professor’s journey. IDEA paper #60. IDEA Center, Inc.

Roberto, M. (2021, April 9). Engaging students on the first day and every day: 7 strategies for connecting in the classroom. Harvard Business Publishing Education.
Source link
February 26, 2025
Increasing Classroom Engagement – Faculty Focus
In undergraduate classrooms, instructors encounter a variety of students with diverse backgrounds and different personalities. Since discussion-based learning, both in-person and virtual, remains important, teachers should find ways to encourage student engagement in classroom activities and discussions. Student engagement is also critical to the success of students who are more self-directed and specialized, as it allows them to dive deeper into course material within their specialized areas of interest.

When more students are engaged, class conversations become richer, enhancing student learning. For instance, introverted students may have strong opinions and much to contribute but may hesitate to share during class. Students, whether introverted or not, might feel uncomfortable or uninterested in joining group discussions for various reasons. It is the instructor’s challenge to create a comfortable class environment. Not only will students benefit, but instructors can feel more at ease in their own classrooms.

Genuine connections between students are based on trust, which can be encouraged in several ways. Trust-building connections are fostered in an environment with instructor presence and constructive feedback. Students benefit from instructor buy-in, effort, and intention.

To boost classroom interaction and active participation, instructors can include proven strategies in their “teaching toolkit” to foster empathetic connections among their students. Here are some suggestions for your consideration:
- Outline course guidelines clearly. Students need to understand what is expected of them in your course. If class participation standards are set from the beginning—with appropriate explanations regarding “why”—student buy-in should increase. After students understand course expectations, instructors should make every effort to give students timely and constructive feedback. Doing so keeps students accountable and reinforces the course guidelines.
- Model reflective listening. When students participate in a class discussion, instructors should make eye contact, give full attention, and provide visual cues to show understanding. Taking a moment to paraphrase or ask clarifying questions shows engagement and listening on the instructor’s part.
- Encourage reflective listening. Help reduce distractions when students speak. Invite students to validate each other’s responses. Brief instructor participation when students are having group discussions and modeling behavior you seek to encourage can go a long way.
- Praise appropriately. Offer brief, genuine praise when students reflectively listen to each other and provide gentle reminders when appropriate.
- Creatively introduce group discussions. Mix things up. Consider having students draw questions from a hat for discussion or assign a different group member to lead the discussion for each question. You may wish to time discussions or set goals so student groups stay focused and on task.
- Use a variety of classroom activities, but don’t overdo it. Include a group discussion or short activity during every class period. Recognize that classroom activities are like seasoning on food—a little is great, but too much can be overwhelming. Classroom activities should drive home the purpose of the course material being covered. In-class activities can break up what may be perceived as monotony by students.
- Encourage students to interact with new classmates. Student groups should rotate frequently to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to interact with different individuals. You may wish to randomly assign groups to mix students up.
- Invite alternative views. Be sensitive to different perspectives and alternate points of view. Help students recognize that conflicts can be resolved without contention. Students don’t have to agree on a particular topic or point of view, but they do need to show respect to others. To help students and teachers better understand the importance of respecting different perspectives, share a mantra with your students, such as: “Seek to understand before seeking to be understood” to emphasize the value of listening and understanding others’ viewpoints before expressing one’s own views to foster a more respectful and open-minded classroom environment.
- Use peer feedback grading. Learning to give constructive feedback is a skill students can learn with practice. Prompting from the instructor can go a long way when it comes to feedback. Making suggestions such as having students include pros and cons or commenting only on things that are in the student’s control may be helpful.
- Share stories. Who doesn’t enjoy an interesting and relevant story? Stories help students remember information in a fun way. Collect stories that illustrate key principles and important points you’re trying to teach. Stories are relatable and can put listeners at ease.
- Encourage students to share their own stories. Classrooms consist of diverse individuals with a multitude of different stories and perspectives. Sharing stories is an excellent way for students to learn more about the worldviews of others.
- Use appropriate humor. Laughter creates connection. Including tasteful humor in activities and discussions can improve student buy-in and retention. An easy place to start could be to include a joke or riddle-of-the-week for your class to contemplate.
- Invite student feedback. Make course consistency and fairness a priority. Students need to feel they are valuable and their opinions matter. After receiving excellent feedback, instructors should seriously consider making appropriate changes.
Recognize that potential pitfalls can also accompany increased student engagement. Classroom challenges may include:
- Uneven participation or nonparticipation. Some students may attempt to dominate activities and discussions. In any group, some individuals will always be more talkative while others will be quieter.
- Inconsistent results. No two student groups are ever the same. What works in one class may fail spectacularly in another. Stay flexible and be ready to move on if something isn’t working.
- Time management. Activities may take longer than anticipated, so be conscious of the clock. Setting a timer can be helpful to keep everyone on task.
- Student conflicts. Disagreements can lead to conflict, so it’s important to foster a culture of classroom respect to minimize conflict and prevent personal attacks.
- Overwhelmed introverts. Some students may feel uncomfortable speaking and participating in group activities, but be patient and gently encourage their involvement.
- Increased preparation time. Successful activities often need advance planning and materials, so keeping a list of activity and discussion ideas can help avoid last-minute scrambling.
While practice doesn’t necessarily make perfect, expect to have some less-than-perfect experiences as you adjust your teaching style to incorporate some of these techniques. Keep what works—jettison the rest. With forethought and practice, you can make your classrooms more open and inviting to your students.

Dr. Allie Hamstead DC is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Sciences at Sherman College of Chiropractic. She specializes in perinatal and pediatric care. She graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2007 and Sherman College in 2012. She is a practicing chiropractor in Simpsonville, South Carolina and mother to four daughters.

Kenneth L. Alford is a professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University and a Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired). He has authored/edited 13 books and over 200 articles.
Source link
February 21, 2025
The Power of Students’ Stories – Faculty Focus
The power of human stories is undeniable. Whether conveyed through music, art, writing, or oral storytelling—sharing one’s lived experience can have a profound impact. Stories connect people by tapping into their universal emotions, experiences, and values. They can also preserve and pass on traditions, customs, language, and culture or be utilized as a persuasive tool to inspire action.

In educational settings, storytelling can be transformative. When students are given opportunities to reflect on their lives and narrate their experiences, they can better understand themselves and others. Stories also give students a voice, which is particularly important for those who are disenfranchised. By sharing their stories, the inequities they experience are humanized, which might lead to institutional change, such as policy shifts that can close equity gaps.

Ways to Integrate Storytelling in the Classroom
1. Storytelling Templates: Offer a simple storytelling template to guide students in their reflective thinking and writing. It might be helpful to have them consider the main characters, setting, and plot of their narratives. Stories can be organized chronologically, thematically, or by using a cause/effect or problem/solution design.
Example:
1. What are your goals in school? How will having an education improve your life?
1. What challenges, if any, have you experienced in school?
1. How are you working to overcome these challenges?
1. How can the school help you succeed? What support or resources would help?
1. Interactive Journals: Utilize an interactive journal, where students can share their stories. Then, a teacher can respond with positive feedback, questions, or additional reflective prompts.
1. Exit Tickets: Give students exit tickets at the end of class so they can write stories to share personal connections they have made with class concepts. This can help them slowly feel more comfortable sharing their stories and begin to see the relevance of the material to their personal or professional lives.
1. Human Library: Every student has a story to share. It might be about their role as a student, athletic accomplishments, time in the military, or experiences in a family. Each student’s story is like a book that their classmates can “check out” to learn more about them.
1. Student Interviews: As an icebreaker during the first week of class, students can create interview questions so they can get to know their classmates. Ideally, they will meet most, if not all, of their peers, which will help them start to build a classroom community.
1. Creative Outlets: Encourage students to share their stories through podcasts, blog posts, comic strips, posters, or presentations. Creative expression may help students talk about experiences that are difficult to put into words.
Although there are many benefits to having students share their stories, there may also be challenges to consider. For some students, it can be emotionally draining to revisit past experiences, especially if they are traumatic. As such, it is important for teachers to approach these activities with compassion and understanding.

Considerations for Respectful Storytelling
1. Safe Learning Spaces: Building a safe learning space where trust is built may prime students for sharing their stories. This takes time, so teachers may want to wait to assign storytelling until rapport has been built in the classroom.
1. Promote Boundaries: Not everyone will feel comfortable sharing their stories. Teachers may give students the option to opt out or to choose what parts of their stories they feel comfortable sharing.
1. Encourage Respectful Listening: The audience should have clear expectations for how to respectfully listen to their classmates’ stories. By using empathetic body language such as leaning in, nodding, and making eye-contact when a student is opening up, it can have a profound impact and provide validation.
1. Alternate Assignments: If speaking openly is too personal, teachers can let students share their stories in alternate formats. Consider creative outlets, such as art, music, or memory boxes.
1. Model Vulnerability: Teachers can model storytelling in class. Then, they can speak to the courage it takes to be vulnerable in front of others.
1. Acknowledge Effort: When students do take the risk and open up in class, teachers can genuinely praise their efforts. This is particularly important when students are sharing a tough topic.
Incorporating storytelling into the classroom can empower students to share their unique experiences and perspectives. By thoughtfully guiding these activities, teachers can create spaces where all students feel seen and valued. When students share their stories, they build bridges of compassion, which can foster inclusion in the classroom and enrich the learning community.

Amy M. Anderson, EdD, teaches communication studies courses at Spokane Community College and Whitworth University. She earned her doctorate in teaching and learning from Grand Canyon University and her master’s degree in communication and leadership studies from Gonzaga University. Amy enjoys researching, writing, and presenting on topics relating to communication, higher education, leadership, teaching, and reflective practice. She is also passionate about improving equity, diversity, and inclusion in and out of higher education institutions.

Kelly R. Maguire, EdD, teaches for the College of Doctoral Studies at Grand Canyon University. She earned a doctorate in teaching and learning from Grand Canyon University, a master’s degree in English, and a master’s degree in elementary education from Northern Arizona University. Her bachelor’s degree in elementary education was earned at the University of Arizona. Her research and presenting interests include teacher training, pre-service teachers, microteaching, content knowledge, and reflective practice.
Source link
February 14, 2025