Introduction
As you consider introducing engaging activities in your course, first consider your goals for the exercise. You likely have an overarching learning outcome in mind, but what else do you hope the activity will achieve? Do you want to spur creativity? Do you want to foster a sense of community? Do you want students to make connections to the real world or demonstrate their understanding and application of the material? Perhaps you want to prompt critical thinking about a concept or encourage students to work together to solve a problem. Your activity objectives may be a combination of several of these goals—or something entirely different.
It can be helpful to start by identifying the activity objectives as an anchor point and then choosing one or more strategies you would like to use as a framework to reach those goals. (For inspiration and more details about different strategies, please read Exploring Active Learning Strategies and Techniques.) Keep your objectives and strategies in mind as you develop the specific details of your activity and how you plan to implement it.
Below are some activity examples that follow this process. Expand the sections beneath each activity to view its objectives and strategies, the directions on how to facilitate the activity in your course, the benefits of the activity, and the resources you'll need. (Also, consider how you can adapt the activities for your course.) The activities below may be used in a live setting or within Canvas. (See the Canvas Setup sections for guidance.)
Activity: The Icebreaker
Icebreakers are ideal for helping students get to know one another, which can foster a sense of community and establish familiarity among classmates in preparation for future group discussions and projects. The following example places students in a fictitious environment of another planet.
Activity Details
Activity Objectives
Students will:
- Think creatively
- Learn about one another
- Work as a team
- Share and consider perspectives
- Have fun
Activity Strategies
- Gamification
- Collaborative group work
- Icebreaker
Activity Directions
- Divide students into groups, and give each group an Alien activity sheet.
- Explain to students that they are passengers on a spaceship and it has landed on an alien planet by accident instead of back home on Earth. They have three months’ worth of food and water and direct communication with the airbase on Earth.
- As a group, students can choose only three resources from the provided activity sheet, and they must decide as a team if they will stay on the ship or explore the planet.
- Let students know that they'll be expected to share their decisions with the class upon returning to the large group.
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To wrap up the activity when all students have returned to the large group, ask a member from each student group to share which three resources their team chose and if they decided to stay on the ship or explore. They should explain their choices based on the group’s attributes.
As you monitor each student group, provide prompts as needed to keep the dialogue flowing. If students get stuck, encourage them to refer to the “Things to Consider” section of the activity sheet. You can also suggest motivators that they may not have considered such as potential wealth or fame should they discover something incredible on the planet or the potential risk of bringing back something contaminated if they leave.
If you experience resistance that there is not enough information to make decisions, you may also suggest that the ship is equipped with resources that could aid them that aren’t on the list such as space suits or decontamination chambers. Encourage students to focus more on the advantages of their group dynamic and if staying on board or leaving to explore would be better suited for the team.
Activity Benefits
By placing a group of strangers together in a foreign environment where they must work together and share their opinions, strengths, and instincts, they learn quickly about each other and how they approach and navigate situations differently.
A fictional prompt helps take the pressure off of the rules of everyday life. It propels students into a creative space where there aren’t any rules or wrong answers. This creates a neutral environment with a fun, game-like sandbox for students to explore.
Asking students to explain their choices based on their personal attributes fosters engagement and encourages respect for others.
Canvas Setup
Post this activity within a Canvas discussion that prompts students to respond.
Students should share their top attributes that would be helpful in the situation, whether they think they should leave or stay on the ship, and which three resources they would choose.
Ask students to respond to an opposing viewpoint, that is, another student’s post that is the opposite of their choice of either leaving or staying on the ship.
Activity Resources
Download the Alien activity sheet
Additional Resources
Explore the resources below for more ideas about icebreakers and classroom community development.
Activity: Application of Content to Real-life Situations
Foster student interest and learning by providing students with opportunities to apply concepts and make connections to the real world. Consider the activity below as you seek ways to engage students in your course by bringing realistic situations into the classroom.
Activity Details
Activity Objectives
Students will:
- Connect learning to the real world
- Work with peers
- Develop a sense of community within the classroom
Activity Strategies
- Collaborative group work
- Real-world situations/problem-solving
- Engage with students’ interests
Activity Directions
- Divide students into small groups, and give each person the AI activity sheet.
- Students should consider the top 5 uses of AI (as of December 2023), then share one way AI could (or does) improve their lives.
- The group should then propose one way AI could be used to positively impact the community or world.
- To wrap up the activity when all students have returned to the large group, each small group must share their theoretical approach to creating a community or global positive impact utilizing AI, and the large group can discuss the ideas.
Considerations
The activity sheet’s purpose is to summarize concepts for students to consider during the activity. (Note: If you're creating a variation of this activity, consider developing an activity sheet that reinforces key points of a real-world lesson in your course.)
Activity Benefits
Prompting students to consider real-world content and situations engages their interest and encourages them to think creatively about how they might utilize the information for themselves and outside of themselves.
Canvas Setup
Post this activity within a Canvas discussion that prompts students to respond.
Students should individually reflect and share their answers to the questions (both individual impacts and a community/global impact).
Ask students to engage with peers by discussing everyone’s responses. Encourage students to respond using video to foster a greater sense of community among the class.
Activity Resources
Download the AI activity sheet
The AI activity sheet above was generated using two AI resources. The information was provided by ChatGPT, and the image was created with Midjourney.
Additional Resources
Below are additional resources for you to consider as you help students connect course concepts to the real world and promote a sense of community within the classroom.
Activity: The Fishbone Method
A fishbone diagram is a versatile tool that visually organizes ideas that emerge from brainstorming and discussions to help reveal causes, effects, solutions, and actionable items. In the activity below, the diagram is used as a framework to reveal factors that impact and collectively cause student engagement to increase. (Another example and blank templates are provided within the Activity Resources section.)
Activity Details
Activity Objectives
Students will:
- Brainstorm
- Identify related elements
- Organize ideas in a visual format
- Work with peers
Activity Strategies
- Fishbone method
- Collaborative group work
- Real-world situations/problem-solving
Activity Directions
- In this activity, “Low Recycling Rates” is the problem (placed at the head of the fish). This is the main topic to be explored.
- Determine major categories for the problem's causes, and note them at the ends of the fish "bones." (Alternatively, students could determine the major categories of causes as part of the activity.)
- Ask students to brainstorm and share possible causes for low community participation in recycling programs based on the major categories.
- List each possible cause within its related major category.
- Suggestion: For a deeper root-cause analysis, consider encouraging students to briefly explain why a cause is a problem; this could provide more insight into possible solutions.
- At the end of the group discussion, the completed diagram will provide a holistic view of the brainstorming session or discussion. It can be used as a resource for review or for further investigation through other activities.
Activity Benefits
The fishbone allows a group to parse down a large topic piece by piece so it is more digestible.
The process can help students detangle complexities and give them space to explore how problems, needs, or effects have developed and identify actions to address them.
Canvas Setup
Post this activity within a Canvas discussion that prompts students to respond.
Provide a blank fishbone diagram template for students to access such as a downloadable PDF or a link to a collaborative Google Slide, or encourage students to create their own fishbone diagrams.
Consider providing a completed example of the fishbone method you would like to use and how you would like students to fill it out. (Feel free to use our fishbone diagram example linked below.)
Add the effect, problem, or need as the fish head and the main causes/categories at the ends of the fish "bones" (alternatively, students may determine these).
Students can collaborate in Google Slides to fill in the template, then use the discussion forum to discuss what they’ve learned, or they can individually complete the template and share it as a PDF via the discussion forum. If you use the latter approach, consider setting up the discussion so that students need to post before they can see others’ finished work.
Activity Resources
Download examples and templates below:
Additional Resources
Below are some additional resources to explore regarding the fishbone method.