CAT's: not just a furry friend. using active learning in your classrooms (abstract only)

As educators want to try to find new ways to engage our students in and out of the classroom, allowing them to enhance their learning as well as their overall experience of the class. Active learning techniques challenge students to learn in a "non-traditional" way by developing critical thinking skills and having a little fun at the same time. While our students become more effective students, we can also become more effective educators, as we can quickly and accurately assess learning outcomes. In this discussion, you will hear from faculty members that currently use active learning in their classroom such as classroom assessment techniques (CATs) [4], Team-Based Learning (TBL) [5], and Just in Time Teaching (JITT). We will provide short in-session demonstrations of these activities, ending with time to consult with each other to select activities that will be good for every attendee's specific classroom.