Facilitating inclusivity and student engagement through use of pre-class activities

Abstract

This narrative discusses the author's use of pre-class assignments (a form of Just-in-Time Teaching, or JiTT, pedagogy) to improve student outcomes in the classroom.  Short activities were assigned prior to each day's lecture period across a variety of courses, with the goal of front-loading introductory and motivating material so that class time could be devoted to active learning.  A number of unintended benefits were observed with regards to classroom inclusivity and student engagement: notably, students were more confident in posing and answering questions in class, and students took advantage of regular invited opportunities to share their learning experiences with the author, readily expressing concerns about course pacing or material that they would not have otherwise brought to the attention of the professor.  The narrative discusses benefits and challenges to the implementation of such activities, including the issue of how to improve student buy-in by providing regular feedback to student activity responses.