Course Development

Classroom Assessment Techniques for Distance Education: Brainstorming

Karen Hallett
Instructional Consulting

Descriptions

Brainstorming can be of value at the beginning of a lecture to stimulate interest in the topic to be discussed. The students are presented with an issue or a problem and asked to contribute as many ideas or solutions as they can. Then the suggestions are categorized and used as a basis for further discussion.

Teaching Improvement

• better uses of available technology (effective uses)
• uses of appropriate strategies for distance education environment
• provide more contact with students, accessibility
• provide information about tailoring instructional activities to meet student's needs

Improving student learning

• improve opportunities to ask questions
• improve opportunities for input and feedback
• provide more contact with students accessibility

Criteria

• equally accessible from both sites
• immediacy of use
• adaptable to a wide range of learning situations
• require minimal time investment of students/instructor
• has continued use as learning tool for students, instructional resource for instructor.