Are your students disengaged and checked out, having come back from the holiday break? Are you looking for ways to re-engage your students through the end of the semester? One strategy you can try is starting with low-stakes check-ins that rebuild rapport, such as brief polls, quick writes, or a “one thing I learned/one thing I forgot” prompt to ease everyone back into the learning mindset. Another way to encourage students is to revisit key concepts through short, interactive refreshers such as a mini-case study or a mini-problem set to solve to help students regain confidence in their skills and the knowledge they learned before break. Ultimately, structuring the end of the semester with with clear, energizing goals and giving students a small early win (a solvable challenge, a collaborative task, or an applied example) can boost student motivation and focus in your classes. Another strategy you can try is the thoughtful use of authentic assessment, assignments that mirror the real decisions, tasks, and problems students will encounter beyond the classroom. When students return from time away, they’re often recalibrating their sense of purpose and relevance in the university space. Authentic assessment helps to anchor learning in meaningful, real-world scenarios, reactivating previous knowledge through practical application. Even small shifts can make a big impact, such as swapping a traditional quiz for a small group project, inviting students to create a product or explanation for a real audience, or using an example from current events to revisit key course concepts. These approaches not only rekindle prior knowledge but also spark curiosity, agency, and a sense of momentum. If you’re looking to reengage your students post-break, consider weaving in one authentic task; it’s a practical, high-impact way to remind students why the work they do in your course matters. To learn more about how to engage students, please review ID&D's Renewing Momentum: Post-Midterm Engagement Strategies and Authentic Assessments articles. |
