How Can DEAP OER Resources Help?
We understand that your time as a faculty member is precious, with countless responsibilities demanding your attention. That’s why we’ve condensed our active learning strategies into user-friendly and concise 2-page handouts. Here’s why our handouts are the ideal choice for busy educators:
- Easy to Implement: Each handout provides step-by-step instructions on how to apply active learning strategies in your classroom. No need to spend hours researching or designing lesson plans. We’ve done the work for you!
- Comprehensive yet Concise: Our handouts ensure you have access to a wide array of active learning strategies tailored to different subjects and learning objectives, all in just two pages. Emphasize active engagement without overwhelming yourself or your students!
- Time-Saving: Gone are the days of searching through lengthy textbooks or online resources to find the right activity for your lesson. Our handouts curate the best strategies, saving you valuable time that can be better spent on other important aspects of your teaching.
Resources on Competencies and Instructional Strategies that Support Competency Integration
DOWNLOAD: Overview of Cross-Disciplinary Skills
- Cross-disciplinary skills, such as communication and critical thinking, are skills that are domain agnostic that can be transferred across domains and contexts. This handout provides an overview of cross-disciplinary skills and how they can be developed across the program duration using the spiral curriculum.
DOWNLOAD: Overview of Dispositions
- Dispositions, such as lifelong learning orientation and perseverance, are personal qualities that determine how a person chooses to act or behave by knowing why and when a task or behavior is needed and motivating appropriate action. This handout provides an overview of dispositions and how they can be developed across the program duration using the spiral curriculum.
DOWNLOAD: Case-Based Learning
- Case-based learning is an instructional approach that uses real-world scenarios or problems as a basis for students to apply their knowledge and develop critical thinking skills. This method encourages active participation and facilitates deeper understanding by placing students in the role of problem-solvers within authentic contexts.
DOWNLOAD: DEAP Flipped Classroom
- The flipped classroom model reverses traditional learning environments by delivering instructional content, often online, outside of the classroom. It transforms class time into an interactive learning session where students engage in practical applications, discussions, and collaborative activities, thereby deepening their understanding of the subject matter.
Download: Scaffolding in Computing Science
Scaffolding, as described in the document, is a teaching approach where instructors provide temporary support to help learners achieve tasks they cannot accomplish alone. Rooted in Vygotsky’s theory, scaffolding bridges the gap between a learner’s current abilities and their potential development. In computing education, this strategy is especially valuable for helping students grasp complex programming concepts and problem-solving techniques. As learners develop competence, the support is gradually reduced, promoting independent learning. Key components of scaffolding include breaking down complex tasks, offering targeted support and challenges, fostering collaborative learning, and encouraging reflective practice. The document also stresses the importance of adjusting scaffolding based on ongoing feedback and the learners’ evolving needs.
Download: Gamification
Gamification uses elements like points, badges, levels, and challenges to make learning more engaging. In computing education, it helps students build technical and problem-solving skills through interactive experiences. Research shows gamification boosts interest and participation, but thoughtful design is important to avoid distractions and ensure clear benefits. When aligned with learning goals, such as teamwork or conceptual understanding, gamified activities like virtual farm or city traffic simulations can enhance programming, algorithms, and cybersecurity lessons. With careful integration, gamification can make learning both effective and enjoyable.
Resources on Introducing Cross-Disciplinary Skills into Curriculum
DOWNLOAD: Teamwork Cross-Disciplinary Skill
- Teamwork skill involves the ability to effectively collaborate and communicate with others to achieve a common goal, demonstrating empathy, responsibility, and adaptability within a group setting. It is essential for navigating complex projects and diverse work environments, fostering innovation and problem-solving through collective effort.
DOWNLOAD: Embedding Teamwork in Your Course
- Looking to integrate teamwork meaningfully into your course? This guide offers practical, research-backed strategies to help students develop essential skills like communication, collaboration, and critical thinking through well-structured team activities. From single-class sessions to capstone projects, you will find flexible examples and tools to set clear expectations and boost student engagement.
Companion Resources:
Resources on Introducing Dispositions into Curriculum
DOWNLOAD: Perseverance
- Perseverance is a key skill for student success in computing and future careers. This informational resource provides straightforward strategies and examples, like coding challenges, debugging tasks, and peer feedback, to help students build resilience, stay motivated, and work through difficulties. Here, you will find practical ways to integrate perseverance into everyday coursework.
DOWNLOAD: Perseverance Role Play Activity
- The Tech Support Troubleshooters role-play is a practical, low-tech classroom activity that helps computing students build essential soft skills through realistic troubleshooting scenarios. Students take turns acting as IT support and users, practicing perseverance, as well as communication, and problem-solving under pressure. This activity bridges technical knowledge with professional skills, preparing students for real-world client interactions.