Drs. Katherine Wilford, Demetrius Collins, and Megan Flores from the University of St. Augustine described how they engage students in their health science courses in a virtual setting in a recorded 2020 Lilly Conference session. Wilford defined student engagement and the relationship between engagement and satisfaction. Some of the studies mentioned by Wilford using active learning increased student satisfaction. This is interesting, Wilford mentioned it was because of how the course was more student-centered and contextualizad. Barriers to engagement were also discussed and included technology learning curves, distractions, and lack of familiarity/comfort with strategies to engage with students virtually. This makes sense and continues to be a challenge for us. Dr. Collins described tools they use to engage students in virtual lecture, focusing on Menti, Kahoot, and breakout rooms. I didn’t know much about Menti, and this was the first explanation that helped me understand the platform. It seems similar to Poll Everywhere. Anonymous questions can be asked. There are also reactions like thumbs up on Menti and quiz competition with a leaderboard. Menti is also a presentation tool: you can incorporate slides and then present word clouds. Collins showed examples of Menti tools and functionality. One question Collins asks the class is “What are your biggest concerns about this class?” and the results are anonymously presented as a word cloud for discussion. I like this and may try to use for quick feedback after presenting complex topics or assignment guidelines. Collins explained that you can copy Menti links into PowerPoint or upload slides to Menti. The free version of Menti does not offer asynchronous format. Collins mentions Kahoot can be used asynchronously by setting deadlines. You can post or share Kahoot links. I wonder how accessible Menti and Kahoot are? I worry that Kahoot timing stresses me out and may also cause anxiety to students. Collins did mention that Kahoot allows you to increase time and even do team challenges. One disadvantage that Kahoot has is that you can only do multiple choice questions. Collins talked about the use of breakout rooms to break up lectures. Flores talked about virtual labs for physical therapy students. One way I liked they did group presentations was by having students teach concepts by making a commercial. All group members should contribute. Flores showed a student commercial video assignment. The video was short and informative. Importantly, these videos are shared for other groups in the course to study. I can see how others would want to watch the creations from their peers. Flores described how they use virtual simulations and then use debrief shape cards to share different thoughts and perspectives. The cards serve as visuals and prompts. I thought this may work too for breakout room activities. The ore brief and debrief sessions are very important to introduce the simulation and make sure all important learning objectives are met. Wilford discussed the use of virtual student hours, weekly video announcements, and discussion boards to connect with students virtually. As mentioned by Wilford, the little stuff matters: play music to start sessions, make time for small talk, and ask questions. This session had numerous tools and ideas used to share ideas and engage students in physical therapy courses. The use of simulations reminded me of live or recorded case studies with structured pre and post discussions. The idea of students creating commercials to explain techniques or concepts id fantastic! I see this as a potential option for a project in two courses I teach!
