Socrates in the lecture hall. Reflecting through philosophical questions.
Reflection is essential for learning, but in the lecture hall it doesn’t always work well. Students can hesitate to express their opinions for fear of saying something stupid, or they think there can be only one right answer. Philosophical questions can help overcome these barriers.
(April 2025)
How can self-regulated learning be encouraged in higher education?
How can you as a teacher make your students more independent? In this tip, we first discuss the what and how of self-regulated learning (SRL). We then discuss how to build and support SRL in your students.
(January 2025)
Working with case studies
In this teaching tip, we start with a brief reflection on the value of working with case studies. Then, using examples, we discuss how to use case studies in your programme component. We finish off with some points of interest in terms of design, guidance and assessment.
(September 2024)
Peer feedback and assessment as an activating teaching method
Wondering how to use peer feedback and assessment as an activating teaching method in your programme component? Discover the benefits, explore potential pitfalls and get practical tips and pointers so you can get started right away.
(April 2024)
A manageable group of students
As a teacher, do you ever experience challenges in keeping students' attention? Are you sometimes unsure how best to deal with disruptive elements such as mutual chatter, laughter or other distractions? This teaching tip offers practical pointers and strategies to create a positive learning climate and minimise undesirable behaviour.
(March 2024)
Preparation and supervision of lab practicals
In this teaching tip we focus on the preparation and supervision of lab practicals as a teacher. We give tips and tricks on the following aspects: purpose of the practical, function of the practical, monitoring study pressure, activating prior knowledge, importance of feedback, individual versus group work and learning material.
(February 2024)
The world of the lab
In this teaching tip, we explore the world of the lab and look at two forms of practicals: cookbook experiments and guided research experiments. We address possible pitfalls in organising them and provide tips to optimise supervision.
(September 2023)
Gamified education
Gamification: using video game design to motivate and actively engage students. It’s important to apply gamification correctly in education, as incorrect implementation can have negative effects on the learning behaviour and motivation of students. That’s why in this tip we’ll go into some do’s and don’ts of gamification in education.
(July 2023)
Activating students
Activating students: how do you go about it? Is activation always necessary for better learning outcomes? How do you ensure that it remains feasible for you and that students experience it as added value?
(April 2023)
Actively engaging large student groups
The active involvement of students in lectures is important, even in higher education. Learning is not a passive activity. For large groups of students, however, ensuring active student participation is not simple. We present a few tips and tricks, grouped according to frequently asked questions from lecturers who teach large groups of students.
(February 2023)
Active learning spaces
In this ECHO Teaching Tip, we will discuss what active learning spaces are and provide some tips and aspects to be mindful of when using such spaces.
(December 2022)
What makes a group assignment successful?
Although students usually don’t like having to do group assignments, many studies on collaborative learning have shown that they can learn a lot from working together. In this teaching tip, we’ll take a look at the factors that can contribute to successful group assignments.
(November 2022)
Game-based teaching
Students play video games. Yet the gaming world and the academic world rarely coincide, which is a pity because games can achieve a great deal in education. This ECHO Teaching Tip aims to provide a framework and practical advice on integrating a video game into a programme component.
(May 2022)
Humour and irony in higher education
Higher education is also a good place to laugh. Certainly because various studies point to the importance of humor in education and also point to a number of possible benefits. In this ECHO teaching tip, we give you some possible angles, considerations, and suggestions for using humor and irony in your teaching.
(February 2022)
Positive vibration, yeah! A positive classroom climate
In a positive classroom climate, students are more motivated and open to activation. This means that a positive climate has a positive impact on student learning. In this teaching tip we look at how you can foster a positive classroom climate.
(November 2020)
How to make online lectures interactive
In this ECHO Tip, we discuss five activating applications that can be incorporated easily into online lectures, for both large and small student groups. We focus on increasing the effectiveness of synchronous online lectures or tutorials, with live communication between the lecturer and the students.
(September 2020)
Activating students online
How can we motivate our students to take part in distance learning and keep them active?
(April 2020)
Flipped classroom
In a ‘flipped’ classroom the teaching structure is turned upside down: before the lesson, students go through the learning materials independently, so that the face-to-face sessions with the teacher can be used to explore the learning content in more depth in exercises and assignments under the supervision of the teacher. This tip will teach you how to use the flipped classroom in your own courses.
(November 2019)
Activate as many students as possible
If you want to crate a culture of activation, it is important to try to activate as many students as possible. In this tip, we offer suggestions on how to overcome the barriers to activation that students often face.
(May 2018)
Culture of activation
It is important to implement a culture of activation in our teaching. What is a culture of activation, and how can it be achieved? We address these questions in this tip.
(February 2018)
Socratic method: questions and answers
A teaching and learning talk (i.e. the Socratic method) is a highly directive, structured dialogue in which the teacher uses targeted questions in the attempt to lead students to a particular insight or solution to a problem. The following tips can help the talk proceed smoothly.
(February 2016)
The one-minute-paper
In this tip, we will discuss the original form of the one-minute paper, as well as some possible variations, with their pros and cons.
(October 2015)
Polling
‘What do you think of the following proposition?’ ‘Who agrees with it?’ One possible teaching method for activating students involves working with polls.
(November 2014)
Activating large student groups
For large groups of students ensuring active student participation is not simple. We present a few tips and tricks, grouped according to frequently asked questions from lecturers who teach large groups of students.
(September 2014)
Dividing students for group work
In this tip, we suggest several alternatives, in addition to the well-known group-composition methods. We also address frequently asked questions on group size and such matters as dissolving student groups in case of problems. We conclude by considering group composition at the programme level.
(January 2014)
Activating small student groups
Some activating teaching methods can be applied to small groups of students (fewer than 60 students). We discuss four possible variants.
Activating and motivating lectures
In this teaching tip we present an overview of several options for activating students, thereby motivating them to continue following lectures attentively.
Organising activating teaching methods
Students who are actively involved are likely to learn more during contact moments than they would by merely listening to a lecturer. This teaching tip provides a number of general tips to keep in mind when organising activating teaching methods.
Encouraging students to engage with the course content
In this tip, we provide a few simple ways of encouraging students to be more actively engaged with the course material.