Here are some ideas for instructors to engage students in Canvas Groups:
- Collaborative Writing and Notetaking (Documents), Presentations, Spreadsheets
Ask students to use the Collaborations feature in their Groups to collaborate on documents, presentations and spreadsheets and add you to their Collaboration. Or, create Collaborations as an Instructor and add student Groups to the collaborative documents, presentations and spreadsheets. - Students share research, assignments and presentations
Ask students to use the Discussions feature in their Groups to share research about the weekly course topic(s) by posting and discussing internet or library resources, descriptions, comparisons, and current events. Or, create Discussions as an Instructor and add student Groups to the Discussions. Students sharing academic research located within the school library encourages use of the school's library and use of academic references. Also have students share their assignments and presentations to allow students to learn from each other. Instructors can also create a Group Assignment for students to submit their documents and presentations as a group rather than individually.
- Students answer open-ended questions or perform peer reviews
Create Discussions as an Instructor and add student Groups to the discussions. Ask questions that allow for more than one correct answer to avoid repetitive student responses and provide opportunities for discussion. Ideas for writing effective discussion questions are in Designing Effective Discussions, Stanford Teaching Commons. Have students evaluate/critique ideas, research, drafts, final assignments, presentations, and projects. Instructors can also create a Group Assignment for students to submit their documents and presentations as a group rather than individually.
- Student practice course topics without worrying about a grade
Ask students to use the Discussions feature in their Groups to share work before and after it is assessed, and provide feedback to each other without worrying about a grade: brainstorming, ideas, goals, drafts, research, critiques, final projects, papers or presentations. Instead of jumping directly from learning to assessment with no opportunities to practice: nongraded discussions provide students with practice and feedback before submitting work for a grade. - Students create and share possible test questions for others to answer, flash cards or games for others to use to study / ask questions.
Provide links to free flashcard and game services for students to use in their Groups:- Quizlet
- Nearpod
- PollEverywhere
- Socrative
- Kahoot
- Quizizz
Ask students to use the Discussions feature in their Groups to share their flashcards / games and help each other study.
Let me know if anyone has ideas to add!
Panda Images by Annalise Batista from Pixabay and Ranjat M from Pixabay
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