Effective Learning Strategies Forum - Poster Sessions
Tuesday, August 5, 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

10. Strategies for Holding Students' Attention
Presenter: Robert Allen, University of Utah

Description: It was the 10th week of Spring Semester and Steve, Assistant Professor of Accounting, was 35 minutes into his three-hour evening class. As he looked around the room, he noted with concern that the class appeared uninterested, unengaged, and there was no indication that the atmosphere would change any time soon. If you've ever felt like Steve, then this session may be just for you. Specific objectives of the session include:

• Learning how to watch your students and assess their level of attention;
• Using variety in classroom activities/pedagogy by:
  a. Changing gears every 20-30 minutes;
  b. Incorporating a variety of activities/pedagogies (e.g., short cases, group problems/activities, role plays, questions, lecture, etc.);
• Maintaining your enthusiasm for the content you're teaching;
• Appropriately giving students short mental breaks that will help them get back on task and ready to concentrate again;
  a. Incorporating short video clips, news articles, jokes, comic strips, etc.

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