Classroom management for university educators

Keeping a lecture hall or tutorial group switched on is one of the biggest challenges lecturers face. These resources are designed to help you make sure your students get the most out of your classes.

Tips for student engagement

Lectures can be filled with fascinating information and lively discussions, but no matter what you teach, it’s difficult to keep every student fully focussed. Here are some tips to help you keep your students engaged and avoid distractions:

• Create presentations that stimulate and fascinate. Make sure your presentations and content are engaging from the start, and use interactive technology wherever possible.
• Make your lectures meaningful. Explaining what you’ll be covering and why it’s important is a useful way to reinforce why your students should take your lecture seriously.
• Plan your lectures carefully. Creating a thorough lesson plan is a great way to make sure every minute of your lecture is filled with engaging content.
• Use humor. It’s not always easy to do, but injecting some humor into difficult subjects is a great way to keep students interested.
• Measure student engagement. Getting feedback from your students at the end of each lecture is a fantastic way to find out what you can improve.

Classroom management resources

Here are some more guides and tips on how to manage a class and keep your students motivated and attentive:

• Seven tips to keep students’ attention
• Classroom management resources from Anglia Ruskin University
• Ten ways to promote student engagement
• How to engage students in lectures
• Lecture engagement evaluation tool

Resources for international students

Many countries like the UK and the US are welcoming more and more international students to their universities every year.

Teaching international students can present new challenges. Although students coming from overseas need to have good English language skills, communication and cultural barriers can still exist. These resources are designed to help lecturers of international students:

• Lecture tips for international students

• Teaching international students: pedagogical issues and strategies

• 10 tips on how to teach international students effectively

• Recognizing and addressing cultural variations in the classroom

• Ways to help your ESL students

  Studying abroad has so many benefits for international students, but it can be a difficult transition, especially in the first few months. It's worth researching how you can best support them, and help them get the most out of their experience.