You spent winter break painstakingly selecting readings and learning materials and constructing assignments that will engage your new students and teach them to truly value, and perhaps even learn to love something about, your subject matter. Now, a few weeks into the semester, someone has yawned, someone has tweeted during a lesson, perhaps many of the students have failed a quiz or did not do as well on the first essay as you would have liked. Often we can feel a bit powerless when courses don’t go as well as we had imagined. The most important thing to remember is that even the most seasoned professors run into similar problems and that class dynamics are rarely perfect and depend upon multiple factors including the specific skill level and initial interest of students in the class. In other words, this doesn’t mean you have failed at teaching. Actually, it means you have exhibited one of the attributes of a good teacher: the ability to recognize that something is not working as well as it could be and the desire to address this issue.

Remember, you are not alone. You have colleagues, department heads and other university or college services that you can reach out to. Most importantly, however, you have your students. They are the best people to ask about the particular issues in a class because they share this environment with you at least once a week. If they are struggling in the course, they will likely be able to give you a good indication of why. Even if you feel like a course is going well, it is a good idea to see what the students are thinking so that you are all on the same page.

Build in Time Specifically for Feedback

Feedback is only helpful if you truly build in the time to enable students to adequately respond. Trying to cram in student feedback into the last few minutes of a course might turn out to be counterproductive. I would suggest setting aside at least 10 minutes at the end of a class for student feedback. 10 minutes might seem like a long hiatus from precious content time but evaluating your students’ understanding of the material and taking time to figure out how this specific group of students best learns will ultimately strengthen your ability to teach them the material. If you really feel that taking time out of class is not possible, then it would be best to implement an online feedback option.

When to Elicit Feedback

It certainly is not overkill to ask for student feedback after every class, as this can be a great way to gauge a student’s learning progress. It really depends on what you are trying to evaluate. In general, the best times to ask for feedback are:

• After teaching a particularly difficult lesson of introducing a complex idea.

• At the end of a specific multi-class topic or module to assess students’ understanding of key concepts and ideas before moving onto the next topic.

• After returning an assignment, especially if it contains feedback from you. (I have found this method to be extremely helpful. I give a lot of written feedback on essays and want each of them to reflect on my comments instead of just noting the grade and shoving the paper into the abyss of their folder or backpack. Building in time in class for them to read through my comments and then write a response back to me ensures me that they have engaged with my feedback and are also thinking deeply about their writing process. This type of feedback can be done for any assignment type).

Build in Specific Questions when Asking for Feedback

In the past, I have asked students to just reflect on the course in general. Though that method was sometimes useful to gather my students’ thoughts, I found it more helpful to provide specific questions, especially if there was something in particular that I wanted them to address. The questions can still be open-ended but should have a focus. 2-3 questions should be fine.

Possible Feedback Methods

Eliciting feedback is sometimes a large demand on the professor’s time. For example, if you have over 100 students a semester, it will be extremely difficult to read an evaluation from each student, especially if you collect evaluations from students frequently. Below are ways that you can consolidate student feedback to make it more manageable (you can also combine methods if you wish):

• Individual Feedback- Ask each student to provide feedback and collect responses from each of them (time-intensive, only do this if you have the time to genuinely read them all).

• Group Feedback- Place students in small groups and have them discuss their opinions together. Then, instruct one of the students to write down what was discussed and collect one sheet from each group.

• Oral Feedback- Have the students write down information either individually or in groups and share their responses with you orally. This method will likely take more time. I suggest having students write down their responses first so that they have time to formulate their answers first and don’t feel put on the spot.

• Poll Everywhere- Simply go to polleverywhere.com, create an account and set up a poll. You can input specific questions and students can text answers to a designated number. Their responses will show up anonymously on the computer screen immediately after they text their answers. This method will also likely take more time than the written methods.

• Google Forms- A good online tool for gathering feedback if you don’t feel that you have time in class for it. Asking students to rate the usefulness of specific behaviors or assignments can be a good way to quickly get digestible information.

What to Do with the Feedback?

Feedback can provide you with a valuable picture of the learning progress and learning styles of individual students as well as a group of students. Yet it is also critical that you follow up with your students during class. The most important thing for you to communicate to them is that you are reading their responses and that the feedback is not just busy work. Students hate busy work. The following are methods I have tried or seen other teachers do:

• Hand back their feedback to them with a check on top, demonstrating to them that you have read and valued their responses. You should also follow one of the below options in addition to handing the feedback back to them.

• Integrate comments into your next lesson and point out any changes you may have made due to student feedback. This verbalization of student feedback and the effects it has on your teaching methods shows students that their voices truly matter and that they are at the center of your pedagogy.

• Post a single online that responds to some of the most important issues raised in the feedback.

Kaneb Center Resources

The Kaneb Center has resources and examples for those interested in an early-semester evaluation. You can access these resources by e-mailing the Kaneb Center at kaneb@nd.edu.

Further Reading:

• From ELA Today: https://ateqjournal.wordpress.com/2015/02/21/structures-and-practices-for-eliciting-student-feedback-2/ This document includes helpful methods and resources for eliciting student feedback geared at the secondary school level. High school teaching methods can often be invaluable in college classrooms.

• Information on eliciting student feedback from Brown University’s Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning: https://www.brown.edu/about/administration/sheridan-center/teaching-learning/feedback-teaching/getting-timely-feedback

When teachers open their classroom to discussion, all kinds of good things can happen: students may think about a topic on a deeper level, be exposed to a variety of perspectives, and even learn to respect those with whom they disagree.  Yet, discussions can also go badly, very badly.  Perhaps you may recall a time as a teacher or student when a discussion was derailed by one or two loudmouths, or when a discussion turned ugly, or when (from lack of participation) a planned discussion never got off the ground.  Today we look at strategies for reaping the potential benefits of class discussion.

First, there are many things that a teacher can do before the day of a discussion to help ensure the discussion will succeed:

• At the beginning of the semester explain the role that discussions will play in the course as a whole (i.e. how they contribute to the course’s learning goals), and spell out your expectations for student participation in the syllabus:
  • What are the ground rules? (Will you call on students or should they just speak out? How often should students speak?)
  • What is the purpose of class discussions? (e.g., you might say something like, “A discussion is not a debate to be won but a conversation intended to open up new perspectives and to teach active listening.”)
  • Emphasize the importance of respectful disagreement and the humility to learn to understand another’s view point
• During the preceding class remind students to prepare for the discussion:
  • Have students prepare questions for discussion in advance
  • Assign students positions to research and represent
  • Explain to the students how their homework will help them prepare for the coming discussion

Second, a teacher can help foster a stimulating discussion on the day of the discussion through a variety of tactics:

• At the beginning of the class, before the discussion, begin with a writing prompt or other creative activity to whet students’ imagination.
  • This is also a moment when students could be asked to prepare questions
  • Begin with a sentence-completion exercise such as:
    • “The most interesting idea from the reading is____, because…”
    • “The most confusing idea from the reading is…”
    • “The idea I disagree with the most is…”
  • Students could first share their questions/answers with a partner and/or in a small group of 3 or 4 to give students practice at articulating their thoughts in a less threatening context
  • Consider leading a brainstorming session, in which all ideas are put on the board to be catalogued and evaluated later
• Before launching into the discussion, remind students about the ground rules and the purpose of class discussions
  • Invite students to become “sociologists” who are excited to figure out why exactly people (their classmates) believe the things that they do
• During the discussion, the teacher must play many different roles and keep the discussion going
  • As Davis (2009; adapted from Forsyth, 2003) writes: the teacher “will need to serve as a gatekeeper (‘Makayla, you’ve been quiet. Do you have something to add?’), a mirror (‘The group seems to be focusing on…’), an observer (‘Why do we drift into tangents whenever…comes up?’), a validator (‘Great point!’), a negotiator (‘Can we come to consensus on this?’), and a reality tester (‘Do you realize how our comments can be interpreted?’).”
  • Take notes: identify places of confusion or misunderstanding that should be addressed; write down main points that should be summarized at the end
  • Move the conversation deeper: ask “Why would someone hold to this idea?” “What is at stake in this disagreement?” “How are these two ideas related?”
• After the discussion, wrap thing up and prepare for next time
  • Summarize the main points of the discussion for the class
  • Close with a writing prompt:
    • Ask students to summarize the discussion in 2-3 sentences
    • Or, ask the following: What idea discussed today has left the strongest impression on your mind? If you could say one more thing about today’s discussion, what would it be? What did you learn about a different perspective today?
  • Learn for next time by asking yourself: At what points did the discussion really take off? At what points did the discussion lag? How would you do things differently next time?

Bibliography and Further Reading:

Davis, Barbara Gross. Tools for Teaching, Second edition. San Francisco: Jossey­­‑Bass, 2009.

Forsyth, D. R. The Professor’s Guide to Teaching: Psychological Principles and Practices. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2003.

“How to Lead a Discussion.” Stanford University Teaching Commons. https://teachingcommons.stanford.edu/resources/teaching/small-groups-and-discussions/how-lead-discussion

“Discussions.”  Vanderbilt University, Center for Teaching. https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/discussions/

“Leading Scintillating, Stimulating, Substantive Class Discussions.” Colombia University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Teaching Center. http://www.columbia.edu/cu/tat/pdfs/discussions.pdf

With the start of a new semester, how can instructors and teaching assistants be sure they are creating a positive learning environment for their students? Beyond devoting time to preparation, creating effective classroom materials and assignments, and getting to know the class, one of the most important things you can do to start the semester off right is to clearly communicate your expectations to the students and understand their expectations of you as an instructor. Research shows that when expectations are well-reasoned and clearly laid out, student learning, motivation, and engagement all increase. Clearly communicating expectations for the course can also reduce conflict and confusion later in the semester by establishing policies upfront. Oftentimes, the best way to communicate your expectations is to put them in writing in a syllabus or policy sheet and to discuss them with students during the first class sessions. Here are five common areas of mutual expectations to consider discussing with your students early in the semester:

1. How should students communicate with you?

At a very basic level, consider telling your students how you prefer to be addressed (Dr., Prof., your first name?). Students should also know how to get in contact with you: what are your office hours, will you respond by phone or email, and how long will you take to respond? You may also let students know how to give you feedback, such as whether you will collect mid-semester evaluations.

2. What are the expectations regarding assignments and grading?

Lack of clarity in the grading process can be a source of anxiety for both students and instructors. Early in the semester, let students know what assignments they are expected to complete and when they are due. Consider establishing a policy for if/how you will re-grade assignments, and let students know about your late policy, the honor code, and what grade scale you use. Later in the semester you may also address whether you will read drafts of assignments and when you expect to return graded work.

3. What are your expectations for the classroom?

How should a student come prepared for each class, and what will a typical class section look like? Do you have policies for engaging in discussion or ensuring safety in a science lab? You might also communicate with students about whether you have policies for using laptops, cell phones, or other technology in the classroom.

4. Do you have policies for emergencies or special exceptions?

Over the course of the semester, it is likely that at least one student will miss class for an excused (or unexcused) reason. What should that student do to get caught up with the missed work? What if a student is absent for a test, quiz, or for turning in a homework assignment? Do you grant extra credit or test retakes, and if so, in what cases?

5. How can students succeed in the course?

One technique for promoting success is to have students from previous classes give advice for how to succeed in the course and to distribute it to students early in the semester. The start of the semester is also a great time to let students know about other resources that will help them do well in your class – such as where they can get assistance with writing, tutoring, disabilities, mental health, or skills related to your course. While it may seem obvious, being clear at the start of the class about what makes a successful student sets the tone that you have high expectations and that students have lots of opportunities to meet them.

You may have other expectations for students in the context of your course; be sure to take some time early in the semester to think about your expectations and communicate them clearly with your students. Then, turn the tables around and ask students what they expect from you. Once you have established reasonable mutual expectations, keep the communication going throughout the semester to ensure everyone is on the same page and ready to learn.

Want to know more about mutual expectations?

Turn it into a first-day activity. Write down what you expect of your students and what you think students expect of you. Then have students work together to list what they expect of you and what they think you expect of them. Compare lists and see whether your expectations match up!

Additional Resources

“Narrowing the Gap between Students and Instructors: A Study of Expectations” – Zimmerman et al.

Successful Beginnings for College Teaching: Engaging Your Students from the First Day – Provitera-McGlynn

7 Tips for the First Day

From all of us at the Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning, we wish you and yours a happy holiday.

With the semester ending and only a handful of papers and tests lefts to be graded it is easy to lose sight of what has happened this semester in favor of refocusing on the upcoming holidays and all of the classes you will be responsible for next semester. But before you open the eggnog and start writing next semester’s syllabi there are many good reasons to spend time reflecting on the classes you have just completed. As we examine a few of these reasons it is helpful to remember that reflection can encourage deeper thought and can allow for honest self-critiquing rather than an unhelpful, un-descriptive evaluation, i.e. “things went fine this semester”.

• Self-Evaluations: As mentioned in a previous blog post (Write your own Evaluations), one of the best ways to improve your teaching is by writing your own evaluations of the course. Especially at the end of a semester, by revisiting your original learning goals, re-examining your mid-semester feedback, and reviewing your good and bad teaching moments throughout the class, you can gain greater insight into what techniques worked well and why, which will prove helpful when you start working on the next iteration of the class.
• Write it Down: Maryellen Weimer at Faculty Focus wrote a short blog which highly encouraged writing down your reflections. Her reasoning is that by fixing words and thoughts on paper (or hard disk) they can be used weeks or months in the future when memory would have started to fade. The process of writing down internal thoughts can also be helpful to crystallize otherwise amorphous musings.
• Higher Levels of Learning: Reflection is not just helpful for you, but also for your students. Now if it is too late for this semester, save this tip for the future, but incorporating reflection activities into the last few class periods of a semester can help students reach higher level of learning. There are a number of practical ideas provided in the blog post, Teaching Higher Levels of Learning at the End of the Semester. One of my favorites is having the current students write a letter to future students about what topics to focus on and how best to learn the material. It encourages them to think not only about the material, but also requires them to examine their own study habits and synthesize ideas for helping others learn.

While reflection is something that is best used regularly and not just at the end of a semester, the above suggestions and references will provide a good starting place as you wrap up this semester.

As finals week approaches, so too does finals week stress. If the papers and exams to grade are piling up, be sure to carve out time to relax and maintain your physical and mental health. Finals week and the end of the semester are also important times to be conscious about students’ stress levels and mental health needs. According to a number of recent reports, mental health issues are widespread among today’s college students and are one of the most significant challenges to academic success. This may be most evident during final exams due to students’ workload, high-stakes assessments, procrastination, life changes at the end of the semester, and even weather and seasonal changes. As you wrap up this semester and begin planning for spring classes, here are five tips for helping students in distress and being responsive to the health needs of students:

1. Know the symptoms of potential mental health issues. Some of the most visible signs include missing class often, changes in mood, appearance, or academic performance, being disruptive in class, perfectionism and disproportionate responses to grades, and repeated requests for exemptions/extensions for class assignments. Some students may also directly disclose their health concerns with you. If you have concerns about a student, speak with them in private to determine what the appropriate actions are for their situation. Concerned about a Notre Dame student but not sure how to help? Contact the University Counseling Center (UCC) Warm Line at 574-631-7336 to consult with a staff member about how to proceed.
2. Be prepared with resources for students in need. Faculty and teaching assistants at Notre Dame should be familiar with the many resources offered by the UCC; if you determine that a student requires help that you are not equipped to provide, you may refer the student to the UCC or consider walking with them to the counseling center. You might also include a statement in your syllabus about mental health and a list of other resources available to students on campus; see a (partial) list of other resources available to help students at the end of this post. As you work with students, it is important to note that if a student reports an incident of sexual misconduct, violence, harassment, or stalking, faculty and teaching assistants are required by law to report the disclosure to the Deputy Title IX Coordinator. In the event of a serious crisis or if you are concerned that somebody is in a life-threatening circumstance, you should call 911 immediately.
3. Build a healthy learning community. Work to ensure that students feel included and respected in your classroom and able to participate in the learning process. Before class begins, talk with students about how they are doing. This is a good strategy for creating a welcoming classroom environment, and signals to students that you take their overall well-being seriously. Building rapport with students also allows you to gauge where students are at with respect to your course and makes sharing potential concerns with them an easier experience. Include active learning activities to get students talking to their peers and building important social connections, and make sure students understand what is expected of them to succeed in your course.
4. Remind students about resources. In addition to listing resources in your syllabus, you may want to remind all students of these resources during crucial times of the semester (especially mid-terms and finals week). One strategy for doing so is to send an email to all of your students indicating that you are aware that their stress levels may be higher during that time period and inviting them to speak to you or to utilize the UCC or other resources on campus if they have concerns. This is one small way to reduce the stigma of seeking help, and may be the little push students need to seek valuable assistance.
5. Consider your course design. Without drastically changing the fundamentals of your course, there are a few small steps you can take so that all students can be successful without undue stress. For example, try converting large high-stakes (and high-pressure) assignments into smaller ones. A final exam that was worth 70% of one’s grade could be broken down into smaller tests and quizzes. A final paper could be scaffolded to encourage effort throughout the semester instead of writing it the night before it is due. Importantly, in addition to reducing the stress on students, these strategies often lead to higher-quality work and greater retention of course material. Other helpful course design factors include thinking about due dates, the order in which material is presented, and the background knowledge required to complete assignments.

As educators, we want students to be successful, and an important component of students’ success is mental health and well-being. You may be one of the first people to recognize that students are experiencing difficulty, and though you should not act as a counselor to students, you can still be a supportive mentor by being conscious of where students are at and prepared with resources available to help them succeed. These tips are merely a starting point for responding to mental health issues in the classroom; for more information about resources at Notre Dame and about mental health on college campuses, see the selected links below:

Resources at Notre Dame

• Helping Students in Distress: Tips for Faculty and Staff
• Faculty and Staff Resources for Responding to Relationship & Sexual Violence
• University Counseling Center
• Notre Dame Care Consultants
• McDonald Center for Student Well-Being
• Campus Ministry: Need to Talk?

Further Reading

• College Students Speak: A Survey Report on Mental Health
• A Strategic Primer on College Student Mental Health
• College Students in Distress: A Resource Guide for Faculty, Staff, and Campus Community by Bruce Sharkin
• “Mental Health and Academic Success in College” by Eisenberg et al.
• “We Are Not Prepared for Students in Distress” by Katie Pryal

Welcome back from Thanksgiving break. Only two weeks of class remain. At this point in the semester, students and instructors alike are often worn out and tempted to take one of two avenues:

1) They may be enticed to turn on cruise control, check out mentally, and start winter break a few weeks early. This first option may be particularly attractive when final class sessions are devoted to student presentations. If students are not required to engage their classmates’ presentations actively, they may be inclined to listen to each presentation only passively. Make sure all students have something active to do while they listen to their classmates’ work such as a presentation evaluation. In the future, also try not to pack all presentations into a few final weeks; if presentations are spread out more evenly across the second half of the semester, each class may include a combination of activities.

2) Students and instructors may be enticed to shift into high gear, to overwork and cram as much as possible. This second option lures students who have been slacking and instructors who have fallen behind schedule. Cramming helps no one. Students who slack and then cram may succeed in memorizing facts, but will miss out on higher levels of learning. Instructors who fall behind and then cram content into the last days of class only overwhelm their students. Moreover, they miss the crucial moment afforded by the end of semester when higher levels of learning can happen, like synthesis and application. In the future, leave open days in the semester for catch up in order to save the final class days for review, reflection, and higher levels of learning.

To promote higher level learning at the end of the semester, while avoiding both cruise control and shifting into high gear, help students reflect on their learning from the whole semester:

1. Revisit the course’s learning goals introduced at the beginning of the semester. Have students take a moment and consider to what degree they have accomplished these learning goals.
2. Ask students to create final exam essays/questions which would measure student comprehension of the course’s learning goals.
3. Invite students to synthesize their learning through a creative project (e.g. a diagram, a timeline, a concept map, creative writing, or visual art).
4. Revisit readings and/or assignments from the beginning of the semester so that students can appreciate what and how much they have learned.
5. Ask students to prepare answers to questions such as: What are the most important things that you learned in this course? How will you apply this learning in your life?
6. Have students compose a letter to future students of the course advising them on what they need to know and how they should best go about learning it.
7. Invite students to reflect on their development as learners, thinkers, and writers. Have students answer questions such as: What did you learn about yourself as a student this semester? Did you learn (or implement) any study strategies this semester that helped you be successful? What would you have done differently if you had to repeat this semester?

Sources and Further Reading

For those who are interested in today’s topic, variations of many of the tips offered here today, as well as dozens of other good ideas, can be found on many academic blogs and articles on the web; I encourage you to peruse the following:

Tami J. Eggleston, Gabie E. Smith, “Parting Ways: Ending Your Course,” Observer 15.3 (March, 2002).

Columbia University, “Ending the Semester on a Positive Note.”

Margaret Walsh, “Five Tips for Wrapping Up a Course.”

Peter Connor, “Managing the End of the Semester.”

Ball State University, “Teaching Tip: Ending a Course.”

Before you leave campus for the break, consider checking out a book on teaching and learning from the Kaneb Library and from all of us at the Kaneb Center we wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving

Can humor be used in the classroom to promote learning? The short answer to this question is “Yes;” so long as humor is used thoughtfully and appropriately. As pedagogy writer Alicja Rieger states, “Humor has been reported to increase motivation, enhance the retention of new information, advance problem-solving skills, encourage creativity and critical thinking, facilitate a positive learning environment, and decrease exam anxiety.”¹ On the other hand, unthoughtful or inappropriate humor can have the opposite effect; students subjected to such negative humor are more likely to be disengaged from class and are less likely to achieve the class’s learning goals. Here I will offer some thoughts on how to use humor effectively to foster student learning while avoiding some of the pitfalls of humor.

First, some helpful guidelines:

1. Never, under any circumstance, make fun of someone (other than yourself), or tell a joke at someone else’s expense
2. In the same vein, do not give students nicknames or make fun of their names
3. Be absolutely certain that your humor will not be perceived as offensive- there are obvious themes to avoid (sex, stereo-types); yet, other less-obvious subjects may also be taboo; know your audience
4. Humor related to course material is preferable to unrelated humor (which can be distracting)
5. Don’t use humor (just) as “filler;” use humor strategically to promote specific learning goals (see below)

With these guidelines in mind, here are some positive ways humor can be used in the classroom to promote learning:

1. Begin the class with humor to spark student interest, raise students’ expectations, lower anxiety, and create a more relaxed, positive learning environment:
   • Start with funny anecdote about the day’s subject matter or from your own life
     • For example, before discussing a new chemistry equation, describe something funny about the chemist who first articulated the equation or an unusual application of the equation.
     • In a philosophy course, before discussing a difficult text, a teacher could admit to her students that the first time she tried to read the text as a student she had to drink lots of coffee to stay awake, and thus developed her coffee addiction.
2. Illustrate important ideas by breaking convention; do things professors are not supposed to do, and students will remember the idea
   • Put on a funny hat (when representing the views of historical figure now deemed incorrect)
   • Open the door of the classroom and with excitement pretend to talk to someone in the hallway, saying something like “Everyone should know about this…” (when describing a breakthrough in your field)
   • Draw a funny cartoon figure on the whiteboard with a speech balloon in which you can write out an important quote.
3. Use humor to encourage deep thinking
   • Have students work on a difficult concept or equation though a silly or outlandish example:
     • For illustration, suppose in an economics class you want students to reflect on how the tax code affects the economy. You could give them two minutes to write down in as much detail as possible what would happen to the economy if coffee was suddenly taxed at 50% while money spent on hot dogs was returned as a tax credit.
     • In my theology course, I ask my students to picture an ancient theologian traveling via Dr. Who’s phone booth to meet a more recent historical person and to imagine what that theologian would have to say to that historical person.
     • When teaching self-defense, one law professor asks his students to imagine a scenario where “a limping crazy man wields a lumberman’s axe and approaches a student track star limbering up for a run. If the wild man is 200 feet away, does the student have a duty to retreat or can she pick up and use a submachine gun conveniently left on a park bench?”²
   • Present three challenges to an important idea, two serious and one silly.  A “silly” challenge, carefully designed, can be used to spark a good discussion about methodology.

Further reading:

Ron Deiter, “The Use of Humor as a Teaching Tool in the College Classroom,” North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture 44 (2000): 20-28

For a brief bibliography: http://pedagogy.merlot.org/HumorintheClassroom.html

For extensive bibliography on the use of humor to further learning in anxiety-producing courses, see: Neelam Kher, Susan Molstad, and Roberta Donahue, “Using Humor in the College Classroom to Enhance Teaching Effectiveness in “Dread Courses’,” College Student Journal 33 (1999): 400.

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~slm/AdjCI/Startclass/Humor.html

***

¹ Alicja Rieger, “Energize Your Classroom with Humor,” The Teaching Professor, 26.7 (2012): 5,8.

² Perry Binder, “The Case for Humor in the College Classroom,”  The Huffington Post (2010).