Duke’s 5 tech secrets to engaging classrooms

Chris Lorch, Lead for Learning Technologies Pilots and Integrations at Duke University, discusses the integration of emerging technologies in education, focusing on the challenges, strategies, and successes of improving learning outcomes. He shares the Duke faculty's favorite Wooclap use cases and much more. Let's dive in.

What's your role at Duke University?

Chris Lorch: I'm the Lead for Learning Technologies Pilots and Integrations at Duke, within a group called Learning Innovation and Lifetime Education. We focus on evaluating and implementing different technologies at Duke. We utilize emerging technologies to enhance education and improve learning practices and teaching at Duke.

What kind of technologies and tools have you explored and implemented lately?

Chris: We have a new learning management system at Duke, Canvas LMS, and we are also piloting tools like Wooclap this year. Thanks to the Canvas integration in Wooclap, these two actually work together seamlessly.

How do you collaborate with faculty in integrating these technologies?

Chris: We take on faculty requests. When faculty approach us, we discuss their needs and use cases for technology. We may do one-on-one consultations or work with them in cohorts. We also conduct trainings and workshops. Wooclap actually started as a project for student engagement and evolved to focus on various use cases.

Are there some questions or needs that come up frequently from instructors?

Chris: Generally, faculty are always looking to make their classes more engaging, although they're not always sure what that entails. They recognize it when they see active students in the classroom though. When students come to Duke, they are looking for engaging learning experiences, which technology can facilitate by offering new and effective ways to interact.

When evaluating technologies, what are you looking for specifically?

Chris: We look for technologies that are easy to use and can fulfill the instructors' use cases without being overly specialized or complicated. The goal is for instructors to spend minimal time setting up but gain significant benefits.

Why did you choose Wooclap?

Chris: Since joining Duke, I identified a need for tools like Wooclap that enhance student engagement, whether in in-person, hybrid, or fully online classes. Wooclap allows instructors to integrate with their existing presentation formats and active learning techniques, making it easier to adopt without overhauling their entire teaching approach. 

Wooclap is more than a simple student response system. It's about creating a more conversational and collaborative classroom experience. Plus it's easy to manage whether you have 20 or 100 students.

What impact do platforms like Wooclap have on learning outcomes?

Chris: Wooclap significantly enhances learning outcomes by fostering active engagement and deeper thinking. For instance, open-response questions encourage students to reflect on their learning in a meaningful way. Immediate feedback also helps instructors gauge understanding and adjust their teaching in real-time. This immediate, formative assessment is crucial for effective teaching. Finally, Wooclap is intuitive for students, so instructors don’t have to spend much time explaining how to use it.

Do you have an example of how Wooclap is being used in classrooms at Duke?

Chris: One example comes from a Neuroscience instructor who uses Wooclap's "label an image" feature to engage students with medical diagrams of the brain. Instead of using simple multiple-choice questions, students click on parts of the brain to identify functions. It provides a more interactive and practical learning experience. This type of engagement goes beyond rote memorization, helping students apply their knowledge in a real-world context.

What advice do you give to faculty when they start using Wooclap?

Chris: We encourage faculty to start by reviewing their learning objectives and lesson plans. The idea is to work backward from what they want students to achieve by the end of the class. It’s about thinking beyond just delivering content to understanding how to foster engagement and deeper learning. Only then does the technology come into play.

How has Wooclap's Canvas integration helped so far?

Chris: The Canvas integration provided by Wooclap has been crucial for us. It’s allowed us to show instructors what they might be missing from the LMS out of the box. The integration is designed to enhance the student experience, whether online or in a hybrid setting, by creating a seamless learning environment. It's about making the technology feel integrated and cohesive, not disjointed.

What is your favorite Wooclap feature?

Chris: The Message Wall is great for fostering interaction, allowing students to post comments and engage throughout the class, similar to a chat function in online courses. It works well in both in-person and hybrid settings, enabling real-time engagement without interrupting the lecture. Instructors can address comments when convenient, enhancing the interactive and collaborative nature of the learning experience.

Finally, how do you see the evolution of learning and teaching innovation?

Chris: I think it’s important to highlight the broader context. At Duke and beyond, we have an opportunity to rethink what effective learning looks like. Whether for undergraduate students or lifelong learners returning to education, we aim to create meaningful and engaging educational experiences. Tools like Wooclap are just one part of a larger strategy to revolutionize learning. We’re also excited to see more interdisciplinary use cases and collaborations between different departments.