Overview
The University has recently added three new FeedbackFruits tools to its academic technology ecosystem: Interactive Document, Interactive Video, and Interactive Audio. This blog post shares how three instructors used these tools to actively engage their students with course materials and with their peers.
In today's diverse educational landscape, traditional lectures and static readings often fall short. Many instructors continue to look for innovative ways to deliver content and facilitate meaningful student interaction with that content. If this sounds familiar, read on to see how FeedbackFruits interactive tools can be used to create dynamic, highly engaging learning activities.
Interactive Documents: Transform Readings into Dynamic Conversations
If you would like your students to move beyond passively reading assigned texts, the Interactive Document tool can help you turn reading assignments into collaborative workspaces, fostering accountability and deeper comprehension. Here are two use cases from UMN faculty:
Structured Engagement
Dr. Bennett McNulty, an Associate Professor of Philosophy in the College of Liberal Arts, used the Interactive Document tool for his upper-division philosophy course. Before each class, Dr. McNulty uploaded course readings into the Interactive Document tool and assigned students to add four specific annotations to each reading: the thesis, a piece of evidence, a counter-example, and a question. This consistent structure prepared students for discussions and engaged them in critically dissecting academic texts. Dr. McNulty noted that this led to far better engagement than traditional Canvas Discussion activities he had used in the past. He stated that organizing students into smaller learning groups fostered a stronger sense of class community and managed the volume of document annotations effectively. This innovative approach contributed to him receiving a Canvas Hall of Fame innovation award, directly cited by the nominating student for its positive impact.
Asynchronous Alternatives
Dr. Ryne Wilson, an Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing, created Interactive Document activities as an alternative for students who couldn't attend optional in-person sessions. He uploaded PDF articles into the Interactive Document tool and then embedded seven discussion questions within each article. Students were required to reply to each question before progressing through the document. The Interactive Document’s "locking" feature guided students to complete the readings and think critically about what they were reading. Students could also reply to peers and "like" comments, emulating an in-person group discussion in an asynchronous learning environment.
Interactive Video: Turning Viewers into Active Learners
Similar to how the Interactive Document tool engages students with text-based course materials, FeedbackFruits’ Interactive Video can transform passive viewing into active learning experiences.
Skill Development
Asa Olson, from the Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing, is using the Interactive Video tool to help students to prepare for national certification exams in the Integrative Health and Wellbeing Coaching program. He plans to embed in-video quiz questions into recordings of live coaching sessions. By focusing on asking higher-order questions, students are prompted to apply their knowledge, analyze scenarios, evaluate behaviors, and make recommendations. This moves beyond simple comprehension, challenging students to think critically about the demonstrated skills.
General Use Cases for FeedbackFruits Interactive Tools
FeedbackFruits interactive tools (Interactive Document, Interactive Video, Interactive Audio) can be used alone or in coordination to create a cohesive, engaging learning environment.
If you would like to try FeedbackFruits interactive tools with your students, consider the following use cases:
Interactive Document
- Guide reading by structuring direct student interaction (annotations, questions, peer discussion) with text to ensure comprehension and critical thinking.
Interactive Video
- Attach discussion forums within a video (or other materials) to foster student-to-student engagement around specific moments and enable peer comparison of subjective answers and deeper critical thinking.
Any Interactive Tool (Document, Video, or Audio)
- Prompt students to interact directly with the content (documents, videos, audio), breaking up one-way communication and passive consumption of course materials.
- Attach a FeedbackFruits optional reflection to your activity, asking students to pause and reflect at the end of the videos. This offers you opportunities to gather formative feedback and address any student questions that may come up.
- Foster community by enabling peer-to-peer dialogue directly within course material (documents, video, audio). As the instructor, you can always see student interactions and participate in the dialogue yourself as needed.
- Enhance accountability by requiring engagement before progressing through the document, offering automated grading for completing tasks, and using peer interactions to motivate learners to share their best work.
- Scale up your efficiency with activities that work effectively for both small groups and large classes (via the FeedbackFruits/Canvas integration).
If you would like to try any of the FeedbackFruits tools, see the FeedbackFruits technology page to get started, or contact atss@umn.edu to schedule a consultation with an academic technology support person.
Resources
- UMN Resources
- FeedbackFruits Resources
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