Olaf Olsen

Verbal communication is an integral part of active listening. Encourage the conversation by providing comments to let students know you are focused on what they are saying.

Students are very different from business customers. Learning institutions can be selective about students while businesses cannot. Learning institutions continually test students to see if they may continue. This is certainly not true of a business.

Nonacademic factors include the responsibilities of an adult learner outside the classroom as well as situational, personal, and institutional barriers.

A better procedure is to call on students whether or not they volunteer. This is sometimes referred to as “cold calling.” Some instructors hesitate to employ cold calling, fearing that it may intimidate students or make them uncomfortable. However, research indicates that in classrooms where cold calling is used, students are actually more likely to volunteer responses than in classrooms where cold calling is not used.

Redirection questions can be used on a regular basis to help students understand the instructor’s expectations and to help them develop positive habits.

Research on participation in college classrooms reveals that, in classes of fewer than 40 students, four or five students do about 75 percent of the talking. I have seen this in my classroom.

Guiding the learning process is, for most instructors, the most important use of questioning. It simply indicates how much students are comprehending, serving as a check for understanding and identifying misunderstandings.

An evaluation can help instructors adjust instruction, offer needed support, and create learning environments that encourage participation. 

Psychological safety is essential because adults bring prior experiences, identities, and vulnerabilities into the learning space.

Understanding class policies would make me feel more secure. Knowing the attendance, test make-up, extra credit, etc. policies would help me to understand where there might be some wiggle room and where policies are finite.