Innovative teaching: Assistant professor uses digital tools to create collaborative workspace

Headshot of Andrew Jackson

When classes resumed this fall, Andrew Jackson, an assistant professor in the Department of Career and Information Studies, made it a priority to ensure all of his students—whether they were attending class in-person or remotely—remained engaged in collaborative discussions.

“Classroom discussion is typically a big part of my instruction, especially in an introductory, graduate-level course like Introduction to Qualitative Research where students are exploring new concepts,” said Jackson. “I’ve added a few tools to facilitate class discussion and collaboration, which complement our Zoom meetings well.”

To encourage student engagement, Jackson uses a variety of digital tools, such as Slido, a free-for-education polling software, and MURAL, a collaborative workspace that allows users to post sticky notes, text, drawings, and more onto a single platform. He uses these tools not only to pose questions and test students’ understanding of pre-class materials, but also to help them brainstorm new ideas.

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