Just-in-Time Teaching
Just-in-Time Teaching (frequently abbreviated JiTT) is a teaching and learning strategy that seeks to maximize the effectiveness of class time, personalize teaching, and increase student engagement. Students complete a pre-class activity that assesses their understanding of assigned readings or other course content. Crucially, the instructor reviews student responses to this pre-class activity and adapts in-class activities and lectures to answer common questions, emphasize muddy concepts, or gloss over concepts students have mastered.
Not to be confused with Just-in-Time Learning, wherein targeted instruction is provided at the learner’s point of need, rather than at pre-scheduled times, places, and paces.
- Choose one or two key concepts in an assigned reading or viewing.
- Develop open-ended questions that check students’ understanding. For example, “in your own words, explain how [concept] works.” You can use a Brightspace quiz or assignment, Microsoft Form, or another online collection method. Set the due date for student responses so that you have time to review their answers.
- Decide how or whether you want to assess student responses (many instructors grade for completion only).
- After responses are due, read or skim them.
- Adjust your class plan in light of student responses. Some ideas:
- Display two responses and have students discuss their merits in pairs; poll the class to see which response they think is best.
- Show an exemplary answer and ask students why it is exemplary, or under what circumstances the answer would need to be amended.
- Plan to spend more time discussing a concept many students are struggling with; plan to spend less or no time on a concept students have mastered.
- Pull a couple of quotes from student responses; use them to emphasize correct understanding and explain common misconceptions.
- See the Resources tab for examples with further guidance.
- This strategy adapts instruction according to regular pre-class formative assessment.
- Open-ended questions can promote students’ critical thinking and drawing of connections between course material and previous knowledge or experience.
- Can be considered an “add-on” to a flipped classroom.
Samples
Research
- “Just-In-Time Teaching: Active Learner Pedagogy With WWW”. Novak & Patterson, 1998.
- Just in Time Teaching: Across the Disciplines, and Across the Academy
- “Effectiveness of Just in Time Teaching on Student Achievement in an Introductory Thermodynamics Course” Liberatore et al, 2013.
- “Game-Based Learning and Just-in-Time Teaching to Address Misconceptions and Improve Safety and Learning in Laboratory Activities.” Llanos et al, 2021.
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