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Video Library

Teaching Techniques for

Higher Education

Whether you find yourself teaching online, on-site, or a hybrid of both, our free teaching techniques are focused on helping your students learn and retain new knowledge and skills.

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Digital Story

Students use computer-based tools, such as video, audio, graphics, and web publishing, to tell personal or academic stories about life experiences relevant to course themes.

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3-2-1

In the 3-2-1 technique, students write about 3 things they learned in the lecture, 2 things they found particularly interesting from the lecture, and 1 question they still have about the lecture content.

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Contemporary Issues Journal

Students look for recent events or developments in the real world that are related to their coursework, then analyze these current affairs to identify the connections to course material in entries that they write in a journal.

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Jigsaw

In Jigsaw, students work in small groups to develop knowledge about a given topic before teaching what they have learned to another group.

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Group Grid

In Group Grid, group members are given pieces of information and asked to place them in the blank cells of a grid according to category rubrics, which helps them clarify conceptual categories and develop sorting skills.

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Analytic Teams

In Analytic Teams, each team member assumes a different role with specific responsibilities to perform while listening to a lecture or watching a video.

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Team Jeopardy

Team Jeopardy is a game in which student teams take turns selecting a square from a grid that is organized vertically by category and horizontally by difficulty. Each square shows the number of points the team can earn if they answer a question correctly, and more challenging questions have the potential to earn more points. Download example slides here: Google

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Paper Seminar

Paper Seminar provides a framework for meaningful discussion centered on student work.

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Three-Minute Message

3-Minute Messages are modeled on the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) academic competition, in which students have three minutes to present a compelling argument and to support it with convincing details and examples.

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    Engaged Teaching

    A Handbook for College Faculty

    Available now, Engaged Teaching: A Handbook for College Faculty provides college faculty with a dynamic model of what it means to be an engaged teacher and offers practical strategies and techniques for putting the model into practice.

    Order your copy today and save off regular pricing, in celebration of the first anniversary of this new release!

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    What We Do

    The demanding realm of higher education can be surprisingly low on practical resources. You want your students to succeed, and the K. Patricia Cross Academy is here to help you do just that. As a nonprofit, our content is complimentary, concise, and packed with proven ways to earn measurable results. Launched in 2019, we already have had over 194,751 visitors, and best of all, it's anonymous and always free.

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    Thank you for making this amazing resource freely available. Faculty, as you are aware, are feeling very overwhelmed and these resources on the web site are getting them excited to revamp their courses for the fall. 

    Faculty Member

    The Cross Academy is a resource every teacher should utilize.  The ideas and information create engaging opportunities for students and are easy for teachers to adapt to their lessons. After Dr. Major's class I shared this resource with my mom, an educator of 40 years, who loves the ideas and has implemented a few in her high school classroom.

    Museum Director

    After learning about the K. Patricia Cross Academy, I have shared it with my colleagues at my community college.  We are grateful for the free resources the academy provides and it has been a tremendous resource for our instructors.  Personally, the academy has helped me create unique activities to connect with our students during freshmen seminars.

    Faculty Member

    My institution is always pushing me to attend workshops but honestly, I never go because of the commute and because I don’t have the time. These 24/7 online videos will be SO helpful.

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    I included the [K. Patricia Cross Academy] website in the facilitated online workshop I created for faculty to help them move to online teaching. The gratitude for sharing this site with faculty has been overwhelming! They are finding it so very helpful! We have even linked it to our Faculty Toolkit web page through Faculty Professional Development. 

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      CrossCurrents

      Our blog offers an in-depth look at relevant teaching techniques and learning theory aimed at keeping your students active and engaged in your classrooms.

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      Latest Post

      6 Icebreakers to Help Students Feel Comfortable in Your Class

      According to surveys, two of the main concerns of most students on the first day of class are whether they will like the instructor and how well they will get along with their classmates (Provitera-McGlynn, 2001). The first days of the semester establish the tone for the next weeks. According to Cavanaugh (2016), “On the first few days of class

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      K. Patricia Cross

      A 20th century thought leader whose influence on higher education is profound and enduring, Dr. K. Patricia Cross has authored eight books, more than 200 publications, and has lectured widely in the United States and abroad.

      Legend & Legacy

      Our Instructors

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      Elizabeth F. Barkley

      An innovative educator who has dedicated over four decades to serving students and teachers, Elizabeth is both the Executive Director of the K. Patricia Cross Academy, and an instructor.

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      Claire H. Major

      A thought leader devoted to elevating higher education, Claire serves as the Executive Information Officer of the K. Patricia Cross Academy, and as an engaging instructor.

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