Comprehensive Student Success Program

Skits & Demos

The key to student success lies in engaging students in their own learning. Finding ways to move from a “sage on the stage” to a more dynamic format that requires students to be involved in the learning process is challenging in any setting but is particularly difficult in large enrollment courses. Skits and demonstrations in the lecture hall can be used as a way to clear up student misconceptions and as a platform for teaching study skills in the context of the curriculum. These activities can be paired with a think-pair-share approach in combination with “clickers” or similar response tools to ensure full class engagement and probe the level of understanding of the students. Including activities of this nature livens up the classroom and makes it a smaller, friendlier environment than a straight lecture approach. Included here are examples of demonstrations and skits we have created for use in our Introductory Biology courses. While you can use the videos in your class, we highly recommend you run them live in your classroom for maximum impact. Instructor’s notes are included with information on materials preparation and directions for implementing the activities.

Skits & Demo Materials