Top Instructional Practices (TIPs)

 

TIPs are intended to provide instructors with practical strategies for enhancing their classroom management, student learning environment, and overall student success. Not every technique is appropriate for every instructor or every course due to differences in disciplines and instructional modalities. To determine what works best for their classes, instructors should feel free to read the incorporated research and experiment with the outlined TIPs. For more research on Top Instructional Practices, click on this annotated bibliography.

Prior to the start of the semester

  • Email students before class starts
    • Welcome students
    • Stress your interest in their success
    • Communicate your willingness to help
    • Include brief logistics (Course overview, how to get started, materials needed, office hours, etc.)
    • Emailing students early can provide the foundation for a strong relationship

Prior to the course census date

Throughout the semester

  • Build relationships with students
    • All modalities
      • Encourage outside-of-class meetings (i.e. attend office hours).
      • Discover students’ interests.
      • Attend student events outside of class (i.e. athletic events, club events, performances).
    • Face-to-face
      • Arrive to class early to socialize with students
    • Online
      • Post announcements.
      • Send reminders.
      • Engage in the discussion boards.
      • Record instructor videos.
      • Use replace strings in announcements (personalize with student’s name).
  • Give students the opportunity for connection (belonging)
    • Incorporate supplemental instructors.
    • “Question-of-the-day” or other fun attendance activity.
    • Give tips for how to manage college coursework and have students practice management skills together (i.e. methods for breaking down assignments, time management, studying large quantities of material).
    • Consider having students complete assignments or projects in pairs or in groups.
    • Encourage study groups before and after class.
    • Use a “for fun” discussion board.
  • Communicate with students that are
    • Excelling
      • Note what is going well for the student.
      • Express appreciation for their hard work.
      • Encourage them to continue working hard toward their success.
    • Missing assignments or late assignments
      • Outline assignments that the student is missing.
      • Inform the student of the best way to get caught up.
      • Help the student come up with a plan for successful course completion.
      • Provide encouragement.
  • Respond to students in a timely manner
    • Active and timely interaction and communication promote student engagement
    • Let students know the timeframe in which they can expect a response from you
  • Grade assignments in a timely manner.
    • Feedback is influential to students’ engagement
  • Help students make a connection with course material
    • Incorporate current research/information from your field
    • Relate material to real-life situations
    • Providing student with authentic learning can increase engagement and student success
  • Provide positive and constructive feedback.
    • Note something that the student is doing well. (i.e. their effort, their ideas, etc.).
    • Note areas for improvement.
    • Provide encouragement and resources for future success.
  • Treat students with a high level of care.
    • Offer support and encouragement to students.

At the end of the semester