What happens when instructors focus on the environment they create for students in their classroom?

In this time-out, I’ll focus the discussion on a classroom’s motivational climate, which is largely facilitated by how the instructor cultivates the environment to the degree that students feel some control, cared for, and the course experience is designed in such a way to address and enhance students sense of interest, success, and utility.

Jones et al (2022): https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/23328584211073167

Jones et al (2024): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191491X24000324?via%3Dihub

Jones & Carter (2019): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11218-019-09500-x

The MUSIC Model website: https://www.themusicmodel.com/

How do you deal with students and their phones in class?

Students are obviously using their devices in class, and sometimes even to assist and engage with learning and the instructors. I’m curious how we should approach discussing and streamlining device use in our classrooms, and creating an environment that accepts the reality of the ubiquity of these devices but also acknowledges optimal and fair use strategies. This time-out will center on student perceptions and a few practical suggestions for how to approach off-task device use in your classrooms.

Ruppel et al 2023: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/87567555.2023.2233106

Stowell et al 2018: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/87567555.2018.1437533

Deng et al (2022): https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/87567555.2021.1973947

Petranek and Gallegos (2024): https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/87567555.2023.2183377

Andrade (2025): https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/87567555.2023.2245526

Karlins (2022): https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/87567555.2021.1985423

How do the words you select for your syllabus influence initial impressions? In this time-out, we will pause and reflect on the tone of our syllabi, and how the words we use to communicate our thoughts about the course can shift how learners may be feeling on those first days.

Harnish & Bridges: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11218-011-9152-4

Waggoner Denton & Veloso: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11218-011-9152-4

Gurung & Galardi: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0098628321994632

Can college teachers enhance a student’s sense of belonging on campus? In this time-out, we’ll explore how college teachers classroom practices, and even very brief interventions, can change a students’ sense of belonging, and why this matters.

Kirby & Thomas: https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2021.1950659

Keely et al: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15328023top3302_1

Hammarlund et al: https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biab146

Walton et al: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ade4420

Cheng et al: https://doi.org/10.1080/10401334.2021.1984921

Strayhorn: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-021-09559-5

How much does an instructor’s mindset influence the student experience? This episode will explore how much an instructor’s frame of mind and how they approach students, their potential, and their classes can influence student’s learning and outcomes.

Muenks et al 2024: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11218-024-09948-6

Muenks et al 2020: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-30956-001?doi=1

Rutten et al 2024: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0361476X2400064X

Why don’t students read and what can we do about it? In this continuation from the last episode on reading, I’ll share some reasons why college students are not reading, and then provide a few additional tools and strategies that instructors can use to help enhance the importance of reading in their classes and supports for students to actually do that reading.

Kerr and Frese 2017: https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2016.1222577

Gurung and Martin 2011: https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628310390913

Dubus and Toledo 2015: https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2014.972319

Davis and Ritchey 2023: https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2023.2271619

Sylan 2018: https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2018.1518892

What can you do to help students be more compliant with assigned readings? In this episode I’ll cover some strategies you might consider adopting to help students feel more confident in their approach to reading, to help them comply more often with the readings you assign.

Sappington et al 2002 https://doi.org/10.1207/S15328023TOP2904_02

Cserni & Rademacher 2021: https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2020.1863318

Ritchey & List 2022: https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2021.1924607

Hatteberg and Steffy 2013: https://doi.org/10.1177/0092055X13490752

Thornill 2024: https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2024.2363779

Have you ever given students one last task before they leave class? Exit tickets can be a quick and effective way to formatively assess students' learning and can even lead to improved performance on larger course assignments that summatively assess their knowledge. In this short episode, I’ll discuss a very short intervention to help maximize learning at the end of a course meeting.

Rodriguez et al 2024: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/87567555.2024.2355210