VIDEO: How an Engagement Trigger at the Start of Class Improves Student Engagement

Originally posted on the Association of College and University Educator’s Q Blog.

For years, Bonita Veysey began each of the classes she taught at Rutgers School of Criminal Justice in a similar way.

“I used to start every class with housekeeping stuff,” Veysey told The Newark Times in a recent interview. “It was a way to get something done while I waited for people to arrive.”

This semester, however, Veysey changed her routine after she completed ACUE’s module on Planning an Effective Class Session. Research shows that students are more engaged in their learning at the beginning of class, so Veysey implemented an engagement trigger in the first several minutes of every class.

“It has been amazing,” said Veysey. “My students are showing up on time, and they’re not wasting that time.”

Veysey is leading a cohort of faculty who are enrolled in ACUE’s Course in Effective Teaching Practices, which launched this semester as a cornerstone initiative of Rutgers University–Newark’s P3 Collaboratory. Veysey said that despite her having nearly two decades of experience in the classroom, the program has helped her refine and improve her practice.

“This has given me a completely new view of teaching,” Veysey said.

Check out the complete Newark Times video interview in which Veysey and Alexander Sannella discuss teaching practices they’ve learned and implemented and the immediate response they’re seeing from students below.