Mentimeter Announces New Online Inclusive Teaching Course: Strategies for Engaging All Students

The free course provides university-level educators with strategies to further a sense of belonging in the classroom through inclusive and anonymous engagement practices

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mentimeter, an audience engagement platform, today announced the launch of a new, free online course, “Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Engaging All Students.” The new course aims to arm university-level educators with strategies for furthering inclusivity and belonging in the classroom and to help develop the necessary skills to create an engaged, positive, and safe learning environment for all students.

With more than 385,000 Mentimeter presentations being held in higher education settings this year alone, Mentimeter’s course aims to break down barriers between educators and students, providing methods for students to engage on their own terms anonymously, turning once passive participants into real-time active contributors. According to a study, 72% of students felt more confident to participate through Mentimeter, with one student noting that Mentimeter enables the sharing of “thoughts and ideas of students who would otherwise be hesitant to answer or contribute in lectures.”

“Mentimeter strives to help higher education instructors create a positive environment where every voice is heard. That is why we designed the Inclusive Teaching course to help educators better understand classroom complexities that go beyond a one-size fits all approach,” said Anna Gullstrand, acting CEO of Mentimeter. “The magic comes from listening, seeing, and embracing everyone’s differences. Inclusion helps students build confidence and competence in the classroom. And we’ve found that anonymity can often provide every student, regardless of their background, an opportunity to interact in the classroom without feeling like they are battling bias or judgment.”

The course consists of three chapters – sense of belonging, fighting biases, and transformative reflection. Sense of belonging covers the importance of acceptance, representation, and connection in the classroom. The second chapter uncovers implicit biases and how to transition away from any marginalization. Transformative reflection explores the importance of continuous feedback and self-awareness exercises. Each chapter covers the theoretical background of examples, approaches to incorporate, and self-awareness exercises to reflect on the process and learn from other participants.

Mentimeter offers anonymous engagement tools, including voting, polls, and Q&As, which empower students to speak up and give a voice to others, leading to a more productive classroom that supports a culture of inclusivity. The Inclusive Teaching course builds on these foundational aspects by offering actionable strategies to facilitate constructive, safe, and inclusive conversations in the classroom.

“Implementing inclusive teaching strategies doesn’t require drastic, sudden changes,” said Silvia Yancheva, the course instructor. “Instead it asks for a commitment to hearing and seeing your students as they are, continuously and without judgment. This course will hopefully be a great resource for all instructors looking to enhance their practice and make meaningful changes to their classroom environment.”

For more information about the course, visit: https://academy.mentimeter.com/courses/inclusive-teaching-strategies-for-engaging-all-students

About Mentimeter:

Mentimeter is an audience engagement platform (AEP) that makes it easier to listen and to be heard by transforming passive audiences into active contributors. We are fundamentally changing the culture of presentations, lectures, and workshops in business and education from talking to listening. Whether on-site, remote, or hybrid, Mentimeter creates a unique, transparent, and engaging experience for everyone. Since launching in 2012, more than 280 million people have gathered opinions, questions, and thoughts through our dynamic AEP.

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