As a college professor, it can be difficult to obtain and maintain our students’ attention, especially for classes lasting up to four hours at a time. Sometimes, it seems as if learning goes down the drain as students appear drowsy, non-responsive, and non-engaged. Some students appear to take up space and do not seem enthused to learn after all your hard efforts as a professional educator.

In the seventies and eighties, it was not unusual for college students to attend and listen to a two- to four-hour class being taught. In today’s educational arena, students can’t maintain their attention throughout an entire two- to four hour-class lecture. – How have students changed?

            First, we should discuss the types of students that exist in today’s world. There are the full-time students who are young (18 to 25) and attend classes during the day. There are also those students who are older, work all day, and attend night classes.

            Next, we need to understand why students are easily distracted. The younger, full-time students grew up in an age of instant gratification. Most of their childhood life included cable or satellite television with access to over sixty channels, video games, internet availability, and a lot of entertainment opportunities. If one mode of entertainment starts to bore them; they easily change to another mode of entertainment. How would these students tolerate a four-hour lecture without any variety? What would be their motivating factor?

            The working adult student has to wake up early in the morning, commute to the job, work eight to nine hours, and then attend a three to four hour lecture at night. Most of these students have families and bills to be concerned about. How can these students handle a straight four-hour lecture?

            Both of these types of students can easily become bored and end up tuning out a large portion of a lecture. As instructors, we must obtain and maintain their attention in order to achieve our goal of teaching. How can this be accomplished?

            An instructor should become an “Edutainer,” where the instructor entertains the students while providing an education and meeting the course objectives. An important teaching technique of education is to use variety, by utilizing various mediums such as video, in-class skits, demonstrations, and Power Point slides along with lectures. Within the lecture, the instructor can add comedy and discussions of personal experiences of the professor or students.

Here is an outline of how a professor can improve the overall learning experience and become an edutainer.

Edutaining Step 1:  Show videos that add value while entertaining. Incorporating medium such as videos or DVDs will enhance the learning experience, provided that they are not boring. There are some videos that provide valuable learning experience while entertaining. For example, The Billion Dollar Bubble released in 1976 provides an entertaining account of the Equity Funding fraud case with its chairman, Stanley Goldblum, in the early 1970s. The video reflects a large corporate fraud as it presents the true story of the $2 billion insurance fraud scandal of the Equity Funding Corporation of America. The methods utilized in this bogus insurance scheme, the reasons behind the fraud, and the callous attitude among the management are highlighted in this video. The film runtime is sixty minutes and stars Sam Wanamaker and James Woods. The runtime is perfect for a four-hour class and will generate much class discussion.

There are several videos or DVDs that are available with similar attributes. Adding this type of medium should not replace the lecture environment, but help enhance the overall learning experience. The key is to consider the film length, how it is presented, and timing.

Edutaining Step 2: Involve students in skits. The instructor can set up a scenario that corresponds with the lecture and select students to participate. Once the students understand the scenario, the instructor lets the students execute the scenario. Then, the class is encouraged to analyze the skit as portrayed by the participating students. The discussion should be tied to the lesson provided by the lecture.

Edutaining Step 3: Conduct an impromptu satire. The instructor should consider performing an impromptu satire to provide an element of surprise. An example would include the performance of an impromptu satire prior to a chapter discussing Operations Management in an Introduction to Business class. In this illustration, the instructor takes a garbage can and walks throughout the classroom collecting items to place in the garbage can. By repeating the steps in collecting the items, the instructor clearly demonstrates inefficiency. This then leads to analysis and discussion of what inefficiency is and how it can be avoided. Once this discussion has been completed, the instructor can easily flow into the chapter subject matter to be covered in class. -The element of surprise from these types of satire enhances the learning experience.

Edutaining Step 4: Add demonstrations with scenarios. The instructor should consider adding demonstrations of related subject matter that include job-related scenarios, case study analysis, or any other type of demonstration. For example, a Marketing class could include a demonstration of a soda taste test and a Management class could include a case study analysis of a real-life business situation that could lead to class discussion.

Edutaining Step 5: Add some jazz to the Power Point slides. If the instructor isn’t careful, Power Point slides can become boring. It is important to add some flavor to otherwise boring slides by adding pictures, sound effects, movie clips, and surprise slides. Including pictures with cartoon figures and animals that relate to the subject matter make it more interesting; students will be more inclined to pay attention to the lecture. As the instructor defines money and money supply, for example, the instructor should consider a funny picture of an animal with a wallet in order to keep the interest of the students. Adding short movie clips and sound effects that relate to the subject matter will also keep students interested in the slide presentation. Having surprise slides such as unexpected music, picture, and/or sound will keep students awake and interested in the presentation of the subject material. A database instructor may feel that database design is interesting, but the students may not have the same passion.

Edutaining Step 6: Make the lecture more interesting by adding flair. This can be accomplished by including voice changes, comedy, and facial expressions. Changing voice pitch occasionally during the lecture will help emphasize key points and prevent a “monotone syndrome.“ When students constantly hear the same pitch in a professor’s voice, it becomes hypnotic and makes it hard for the students to stay focused. Changes in pitch keep the students interested. Impromptu and planned comedy within the lecture will also hold the students’ interest. It is important to keep comedy short and related to the subject matter or relevant to the situation. Short comedy routines or even one-liners are best. To add even more interest, adding simple facial expressions can help.

Edutaining Step 7: Make the lecture more interesting by adding work-related examples. Using previous work or life experiences that are relevant to the lecture can add value and help the students understand the lesson being taught. The instructor can solicit experiences from the class that relate to the lesson. This will help ensure that the students feel engaged in the learning process.

Edutaining Step 8: Make the lecture more interesting by engaging all students. Inviting the students to talk and discuss the topics being taught will help ensure students’ interest. The instructor should call on the students by name and have them present answers to questions asked. If a student gives an incorrect answer, it is important to not put a student down. The instructor should give encouragement and move onto a better answer. Engaging students and providing encouragement will help keep students interested and involved during the lecture.

While all these steps help enhance the lecture process, there are some simple rules to remember in order to not lose control in the classroom. It is critical not to overdo any particular technique and the instructor must remember that some  of them may not be appropriate for all lessons. The instructor should strategically utilize these steps within the lesson plans and, most importantly, be natural in the delivery process. Also, the instructor should not try to change their teaching style overnight. It is best to start slowly.

I have utilized these methods in my teaching delivery style and have noticed much success. Students have indicated that they learn better in this type of environment and look for classes taught by either me or other professors following a similar style.

It is important to provide an education and have the students learn, but when we both educate and entertain, we are more successful at teaching the subject material and holding the students’ interest longer. Regardless of whether the subject is database, management, or world history, it can become more interesting with edutaining.