More methods.
Less madness.
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 all students learn and retain new knowledge and skills.
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.
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.
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.
In Jigsaw, students work in small groups to develop knowledge about a given topic before teaching what they have learned to another group.
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.
In Analytic Teams, each team member assumes a different role with specific responsibilities to perform while listening to a lecture or watching a video.
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
Paper Seminar provides a framework for meaningful discussion centered on student work.
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.
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.
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What We Do
The demanding realm of higher education can be surprisingly low on practical resources. You want all students to succeed, and the K. Patricia Cross Academy is here to help you help students 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 353,049 visitors, and best of all, it's anonymous and always free.
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.
LATEST POST
Skip the Slides – 5 Alternatives that Can Create More Engaging Presentations
Whether created with PowerPoint, Keynote, Prezi, or another program, slide decks appear to be the current default format for any type of oral presentation. The disadvantage of automatically adopting this standard approach, however, is that many people have grown tired of slide presentations, especially poorly executed ones. Slide Replacements can provide greater flexibility when creating your own form.
FEATURED COLLECTION
Fostering Diversity & Inclusion
Whether you're teaching in a classroom or online, fostering community and inclusion in your class is key to student engagement and collaborative learning. In this collection of articles, we explore ways to practice inclusive teaching, to encourage meaningful connection and communication, and to help students care about learning during an age of significant distraction.
Inclusive Teaching: Teaching for All to Learn
Inclusive teaching is not easy. It means digging deeper into why imbalances in participation, success, and completion exist. To adopt inclusive pedagogy, instructors necessarily engage in examining their own bias and awareness. In this article, we consider our responsibility, as educators, to practice inclusive teaching, and cover various techniques and methods for doing so.
Meaningful Peer Interaction: Combatting Isolation in Online Courses
It’s common knowledge for any educator who has taught online that it can be a significant challenge for students who are learning online to develop feelings of connection with their peers and teacher. Feelings of isolation when learning online have been around for as long as online learning has existed. In this article, we examine three key ways to combat that sense of isolation and encourage meaningful peer interaction.
7 Steps to Help Students Care About Learning During a Time of Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic and its surrounding political climate find us all in a time of crisis. Teachers and students alike are often caring for family members, friends, and themselves. It seems simple common sense that students who really care about what they are learning will invest the time and effort required to learn it well and remember it longer. So how do we help students focus their care on learning, during a crisis, during an age of significant distraction?
POPULAR ARTICLES ON
Online Teaching
As instruction is increasingly accomplished in an online environment, this collection of articles focuses on aiding instructors in their development of successful, high-impact approaches to online teaching. Learn about developing effective discussion boards, managing time in an online course, creating an engaging teaching persona, and more!
K. Patricia Cross
A 20th century thought leader whose influence on higher education is profound and enduring, Dr. K. Patricia Cross authored eight books, more than 200 publications, and lectured widely in the United States and abroad.
Our Instructors
Elizabeth F. Barkley
- Executive Director of the K. Patricia Cross Academy
- Co-Founder of Faculty2Faculty: The Alliance for Research-Based Teaching
- College Professor & Author
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.
Claire H. Major
- Executive Information Officer of the K. Patricia Cross Academy
- Co-Founder of Faculty2Faculty: The Alliance for Research-Based Teaching
- University Professor & Author
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.