Teaching Tips

Think About Where You Will Stand

With no clear “front of room” you will need to decide where to connect your laptop, where you will present from, and where you will stand in the room. Most faculty use a slide advancer and roam the room, making eye contact with students, keeping groups on track, and making sure no one is hiding in the corners.

Half the Class Will Have Their Backs to You

At first this can seem off-putting to you and to the students. Tell them it’s ok not to follow you with their eyes while you are talking and walking about the room, and that it’s okay to look at their group monitors and their peers while you lecture.

Bring Your Own Laptop, Train Students to Bring Theirs

Most IFLEX classrooms do not have a computer in the room. This allows for flexibility, and many faculty prefer to present from their own laptops anyway. When they get used to it students enjoy using their own laptops for small group work.

Shorten Lectures to Allow for In-Class Groupwork

The number one thing you can do to make teaching in this room more successful is to reduce your slide lectures (or break them into shorter segments) and make 5-10 min intervals available for small group discussions and learning activities.

Keep Students Active and Engaged

Students may gravitate to far corners. Rearrange groups periodically, and offer students opportunities to work together. Walk around the room and play challenge games

Rearrange Furniture

Some IFLEX classrooms lend themselves to rearrangement for different types of group activities. Consider having 2 or 3 different arrangements, such as: auditorium style, conference or debate teams, a large circle of chairs. Please have them move furniture back to standard style at the end of class.