Do you need quick inspiration for ‘tried and tested’ learning activities? See the table below, containing activity ideas and suggestions for technology adaptations (depending on delivery mode).
These ideas have been inspired by the fantastic resource: AdvanceHE ’52etc’ Engaging Toolkit Cards.
Note: Some of these activities are great ice-breakers!
Think-pair-share, small group discussion
Students think/recall about a concept/experience individually, share it with their peers, and then share it with the wider class.
| live online session | asynchronous (online) | in-person classroom |
|---|---|---|
| Pose a question and display a timer for students to note their individual reflections.
Following this, use breakout rooms in Collaborate or Teams meetings, to engage in small group discussions. Students can use a collaborative O365 document to note their observations. |
Post a discussion question and a list of student pairs/groups in a clearly signposted area of the Blackboard module. The instructions or question could take the format of text or a screencast.
Students can use a collaborative O365 document to note their observations. Set up Blackboard groups, and enable collaborative authoring tools such as the discussion forum, wiki or the group Collaborate room, for members use outside of live teaching. |
Pose a question and display it on the classroom whiteboard. Set a timer for students to note their individual reflections.
Students can use a collaborative O365 document to support in-person collaboration. You could set these up before the session, to give lecturer access and ability to share on the class whiteboard. Alternatively, you could ask groups to post their observations on a class 'back channel' displayed on the whiteboard (for example, Padlet). |
Polling + Post-Poll discussion
Polling activity can be used to ask a question with multiple options or students can present their feelings/agreement/
disagreement with given statements.
| live online session | asnychonous (online) | in-person classroom |
|---|---|---|
| Use the polling features in Collaborate or Teams meetings to ask questions and show responses in real-time.
If using an alternative student response app, it may be useful to turn on the meeting screen-share to display results to students. After-poll discussion can be carried out via the chat or break out groups. |
Post an embedded Microsoft Form in Blackboard and share the results. You can export as a report, surmise on a PowerPoint slide or in a screencast recording.
After-poll discussion could be carried out in a Blackboard discussion forum. |
Use a student response app. Students without a device can use gestures or google images to indicate their choice.
After-poll discussion can be carried out via a ‘back channel’ displayed on the classroom whiteboard (for example, using Padlet). |
Posters and 'Gallery walks'
Asking students to create 'Posters' on flip-chart paper, followed by 'Gallery walks', is a way to engage students in displaying their thinking or outcomes for peer feedback and improvement. Posters can be as simple as a mind-map. This type of activity provides a good opportunity for self-reflection after it has been completed.
| live online session | asnychonous (online) | in-person classroom |
|---|---|---|
| Use in-meeting co-authoring tools, such as Microsoft Whiteboard or Collaborate Whiteboard for students to record and share ideas in small groups.
Collaborative authoring tools, such as PowerPoint online and OneNote, allow students to annotate on shared documents in real-time. Microsoft inking tools allow freehand annotation on shared O365 documents. |
Blackboard discussion forums allow posting of text, images, video and urls (for example, where students want to share links to work stored in cloud platforms such as their university OneDrive). Students could provide peer feedback using a rubric/checklist and commenting on discussion forum posts.
Alternatively, you could provide links to sharing platforms such as Padlet to give group access to student creations and display outcomes in a ‘gallery’ view. Platform commenting features could be used for peer feedback. If wanting to keep feedback restricted from wider class view, use Turnitin PeerMark assessment. |
You could ask students to upload photos of their poster to a sharing platform such as Padlet, or use this platform post some of the key points or observations arising from their poster activity.
Alternatively, take photos of posters and upload to Blackboard for students to download copies and view on their own devices. |
Fishbowl
Fishbowl is a strategy for organising small group discussions. Half of the students are assigned to the inner circle and the other half are assigned to the outer circle. First, students placed in the inner circle or in the ‘fishbowl’ have a discussion, and the students in the outer circle listen to the discussion and take notes. The roles are then switched.
Both the groups can be prompted to think and make notes using some questions, such as:
- Two things that were new learning points for you.
- One idea that you disagree with. Why?
- One idea that you strongly agree with. Why?
| live online session | asnychonous (online) | in-person classroom |
|---|---|---|
| Students can take turns role playing a solution and others can watch and respond in chat or through live discussion. Encourage students to turn off webcams so focus can be on the role play. | Students can use a discussion forum and take an inner circle and outer circle approach, while the outer circle reads the responses from all the students in the inner circle first, and then responds with their observations. | Students can take turns role playing or miming a solution for others to critique, watch, etc. Instructor leads the whole class discussion after the fishbowl has ended. |
Muddiest point
Individually students take a few minutes to write down the areas that they find most confusing or difficult. Peers / faculty provide explanations to clarify the concept.
| live online session | asnychonous (online) | in-person classroom |
|---|---|---|
| Encourage students to identify any unclear or “muddy points”. Muddiest points can be added in the chat or on a shared screen or through a digital pin-board (such as Padlet). | Pose a question in a discussion forum. | Students can share their muddiest point using a digital pin-board (such as Padlet) or through a collaborative O365 document. |
Four corners
Students move to one of the four corners (strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree) of the room to identify their position on a specific statement.
| live online session | asnychonous (online) | in-person classroom |
|---|---|---|
| Use the polling features in Collaborate or Teams meetings.
If using an alternative student response app, it may be useful to turn on screen-share to display aggregated results to students in real-time. |
Post an embedded Microsoft Form in Blackboard and share the results.
You can export Forms as a report, surmise on a PowerPoint slide or in a screencast recording. |
Students are asked to display a colour on their phone screen by selecting a google image.
Other options could be to raise hands or other movement to indicate agreement. If using a student response app, it may be useful to display aggregated results to students in real-time on the classroom whiteboard. |
What’s missing?
On a PowerPoint slide, display a list of ideas, terms, equation, or rationale. Students can identify the missing pieces in the given ideas/equation/glossary.
| live online session | asnychonous (online) | in-person classroom |
|---|---|---|
| Present a list of ideas, terms, equation, or rationale via a dedicated presentation slide. Students can respond with what is missing using chat, polls in Collaborate or Teams meetings, or live discussion as a class or breakout groups. | In your screencast lecture slides, present a list of ideas, terms, equation or rationale and prompt students to identify ‘what’s missing?’. Students could respond in a Microsoft Form embedded within the recording. | Using slides, present a list of ideas, terms, equation or rationale. Students respond with what is missing, using a student response app or collaborative O365 doc. |
Aha and Huh? wall
Students identify one or two “ahas” (ideas that were new to them) and one “huh?” (idea that is still confusing for them).
| live online session | asnychonous (online) | in-person classroom |
|---|---|---|
| Students post an “aha” and “huh?” in the meeting chat. These posts can be used to guide discussion or future instruction. You can also use a student response app or Padlet for this purpose. | Students post their “aha” and a ‘huh?’ moments in a discussion forum. These can be used to guide discussion in a future live session. | Use a student response app or Padlet for this purpose. |
Pro/con list
Pro/cons list is a strategy used to elicit arguments in favour or against a certain statement.
| live online session | asnychonous (online) | in-person classroom |
|---|---|---|
| Students can co-author a pro/con list using an O365 collaborative document in real time. It may be useful to display on a shared screen during the online meeting as students pool ideas.
Alternatively, use in-meeting co-authoring tools, such as Whiteboards in Collaborate or Microsoft Teams meetings, |
Students can co-author a pro/con list using an O365 collaborative document, this can be embedded into the Blackboard module page. | Together create a pro/con list using an O365 collaborative document in real time. It may be useful to display on the classroom whiteboard screen as students contribute. |
Entry/Exit Tickets
Entry and exit tickets are questions that are given to students before or after the session, to check the understanding about specific concepts.
| live online | asynchronous (online) | in-person classroom |
|---|---|---|
| At the beginning or end of a session, students respond to a question in the chat or use in-meeting polls found in Collaborate or Teams meetings. | Before or after a session, students respond to a question in a class discussion forum, Microsoft Form or Blackboard test. | At the beginning or end of a session, students respond to a question using a student response app. |
For good practice guidance, see the Digital Learning Activities toolkit.