At a recent Vevox webinar, Ulster University's criminology lecturers, Gabrielle and Brendan, unveiled their strategies for student engagement and ways to increased knowledge retention. By integrating Vevox into their teaching methods, they provided a rich, insightful exploration on elevating student participation and learning outcomes in their classes.

"Another notable performance measure is that no students failed the test in comparison to seven failing in the previous year." Dr. Gabrielle Nugent-Stephens, Lecturer at Ulster University

Let's take a look at what they have been doing to achieve such a high success rate for their student classes in our breakdown below. 

If you'd like to watch the whole webinar to take a deep dive into this story, see our recording below. Find the content useful? Press the suscribe button to get notified for all things Vevox and for more top tips from educators.

Key takeaways from the session 

Transforming induction activities

Moving away from typical administrative tasks or activities for new students, Ulster University breathe new life into these classes by using Vevox for interactive activities. Through engaging ice breakers and sparking compelling discussions, students were quickly drawn into a participative and inclusive environment from day one. This vital shift not only made transitions smoother for newcomers but also established a solid groundwork for a thriving interactive environment. 

Boosting student participation 

Employing Vevox's dynamic tools, such as polls, quizzes, and word clouds, Gabrielle and Brendan brought a new dimension to their teaching. These features were instrumental in enhancing comprehension and fostering lively debates in class, visibly improving participation throughout the semester. Vevox's capability for providing immediate, formative feedback proved invaluable in supporting students as they prepared for major assessments, vastly improving learning outcomes.

The anonymous Q&A was a great starting place because it allowed students to build their confidence in the platform and to know that when they were asking questions it was anonymous, so that they could put themselves forward without feeling in any way intimidated." - Gabrielle

Harnessing the power of instant feedback

Highlighting the critical role of timely feedback, Vevox stood out as a pivotal element in responsive teaching. It allowed the lecturers to quickly assess student understanding and adapt their methods on the fly, addressing any learning hurdles immediately. This responsive approach showed an increased in student confidence and maintained high engagement levels.

"Central to each of these sessions is our use of Vevox as a platform for engagement and for participation." Brendan Coyle, Lecturer 

How to avoid students from failing and on the path to success... 

Gabrielle and Brendan’s strategy at Ulster University serves as a testament to how you can combine a flipped learning approach with the helping hand of techonology (like Vevox) to create an active class. 

For educators aiming to enhance their instructional methods and cultivate dynamic classes, Vevox emerges as a key enabler and interactive pathway to collaborative learning. By using tools and techniques in this way, it helps students to retain knowledge in a much more effective way. In this case (and many others!) an 100% pass rate! 

Discover how Vevox can make your classes interactive and energizing, by signing up for live polling, Q&A or quizzing for free. Alternatively book a demo with our team to see it live in action.