How can I encourage student interaction in my unit?

The development of peer friendships is a powerful factor in student retention. With students spending less time on campus than before (Armitage and Krause, 2012) it has become increasingly important to provide students an opportunity to develop relationships within the curriculum. This is particularly important for students who live far away from campus, or who have additional caring responsibilities, which limit their ability to socialise outside of class (Thomas 2012).

Strategies and Tips

Schedule ice-breaker activities in as part of your class time. Don’t limit these to week 1 – it’s a good idea to use them regularly throughout the semester.
Make peer-peer discussion and group work an integral part of your class time through the use of active learning techniques such as peer instruction or think-pair-share. Although some students can be hesitant about group work, research (Masika & Jones 2016) has shown that it is an effective way to promote students’ feelings of belonging and develop communities of practice. It is important when setting up group work for students that it is carefully planned and facilitated.
Set up a PASS group for your unit. It is possible to run PASS sessions as a face-to-face group or online and they are an effective way to build learning communities that are unit specific. You can find out more information about PASS here.
Organise social opportunities either as part of the curriculum or alongside it. When social events are organised by staff they are more likely to be attended by students who live away from campus and can improve their social integration (Thomas 2002) You might like to provide open invites to your class to join you and the other unit tutors for dinner at a local restaurant for example.

Practical Tip

Library resources on facilitating group work for students

Resources and quick guides on student-centred learning activities

Link to WSU guide on flipped classrooms as well as other resources on active learning.

Website on team-based learning pedagogy which provides practical resources on embedding team-based learning in your unit.

Whiteboard instruction for mathematics

Resource form the University of Wollongong which explains how to engage in whiteboard instruction for mathematics.

Information on PASS

Looking deeper into design

Incorporate student centred learning approaches into your unit design. There are numerous approaches that you can use in order to encourage student interaction, such as project-based/team based learning or problem based learning, or whiteboard rooms for mathematics. It’s important when introducing non-traditional teaching formats into your classroom that you are clear and explicit about what is expected from students.
You may want to consider flipping your classroom to allow more time in class for student-centred learning approaches and small group discussion. This can be a powerful way to transform the learning experience in your unit, but to do this effectively, both teachers and students need to be guided in how to work in this new format. If you are considering flipping your classroom, contact your curriculum advisor.