Creating space for different learner abilities in one course can be a challenge for all classroom participants. On one hand, students with more advanced prior knowledge may get bored and disengaged easily, while students with less prior knowledge can become frustrated and experience performance altering self-doubt. Navigating these challenges as the course instructor is difficult, and once the course is built it can feel daunting to make adjustments. In addition, often instructors don’t know if students have a difference in prior knowledge until the semester is underway, which is why planning ahead is vital. Keep reading to learn about some of the strategies that you can implement in your current course and to prepare for future classes.
Strategies with minimal preparation time
The following strategies are less time intensive and still promise good results:
- Offer resources on the Canvas course site on course “need to know” topics, and list campus learning skills development resources (library, academic success units, tutoring, etc.).
- Encourage students to organize study groups, or set them up yourself, at any point of the semester.
- Do your office hours lack attendance? Plan specific knowledge enhancing topics/discussions to give students a sense of what to expect and catch their interest.
- Make students aware of applicable events in the community that can add to/fill in their knowledge (e.g., public lectures, workshops, readings, site visits).
Strategies that can be implemented over time
Some practices require more forethought and planning. Consider the following ideas for a future semester.
- Creating pre-assessments (done through Canvas for ease of instruction) can help determine if some learners can skip specific chapters or activities. Then, you can offer higher-level content or small group projects as alternatives for those students.
- Provide practice quizzes and/or examples of previous students’ work so that students who are less familiar with the topic have resources to support their learning.
- Assign reading guides that ask questions specific to what you need students to learn from the material.
- Provide students choice when completing assignments (not only will this support their learning, but providing choice is also motivating and learner-centered). Some options are to let students choose:
- The level of challenge for an assignment. Provide the baseline assignment task and material, then offer an advanced version that students can complete to take their learning further.
- What content they study. Let students choose between texts and material that address the same topic in different ways (e.g. a research paper versus an academic blog post).
- How they complete an assignment or show learning. For example, students could choose between writing an essay or designing a portfolio.
- Let students choose what quiz questions they answer. The quiz might say, “Answer four of the following six questions that you’re most confident in.”
Using these strategies, and others you might suggest, can help ensure that your course is set up to serve students with different prior knowledge levels, as well as save you time during the semester and make teaching more joyful.