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Learn techniques to encourage engagement and collaboration

This course is all about helping you increase student learning by making your classes more engaging and interactive.

We will dive into two closely connected topics: active learning and student engagement. Upon completion of the course, you will have gained relevant knowledge and skills about these topics, as well as developed strategies tailored to your specific teaching practices. Consequently, this course goes beyond generic advice or a list of ‘tips & tricks’ to stimulate active learning. We will discuss underlying students’ epistemic beliefs, motivation for active learning, dynamics of in-class student engagement processes, and translate those into practical personalized strategies that can work for you in your context.

The course itself is designed as an active learning experience. You will not just learn about active learning and student engagement, you will experience it firsthand. This parallel process strengthens the learning during the course. Each of the four sessions blends information (theory and strategies), application (hands-on activities), and reflection (feedback and making sense of your experiences). Between sessions, you will be encouraged to apply what you have learned in your own teaching practice and observe a peer’s lesson, so you can learn from different approaches.

There is no formal assessment involved. If desired, a certificate of participation can be provided.

Why teaching during the course matters
To really benefit from the course, we recommend you be actively teaching while the course runs. This way, you can put your learning into practice: see what works for you or what does not, and realize meaningful outcomes such as more student engagement.

More about this course
Introduction
Dates, costs and contact

VU Centre for Teaching & Learning
Overview CTL courses

for professionals in higher education

Contact and more information

Do you have questions about the design or content of the course?

If so, contact the course instructor, Jan Willem Grijpma: j.w.grijpma@vu.nl.

Contact

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