Coffee with Colleagues is a casual, collaborative webinar series where instructors come together to share real-world teaching experiences, explore educational tools, and exchange practical strategies. Each session is designed to spark fresh ideas and foster community among educators—all over a virtual cup of coffee. We will provide you with the top tips and tricks that were taken away from each session. Read below for insight into designing a low-stress classroom for your students—our first event of the semester! How can we design learning spaces that are both rigorous and relaxing? This session tackled that question head-on, with instructors swapping strategies for building community, using humor and music, and making assessments feel less intimidating. If you’re aiming to reduce anxiety and boost motivation in your classroom, this content is a must-read. ... View more

Tackling Stress and Anxiety: Strategies For Resilient Students Presented by Christine Mancuso and Julie Moore Supporting students through stress and anxiety doesn’t have to add to your workload. This session offers practical techniques to help students manage mental health challenges while staying engaged and motivated. Discover how AI can simplify creating low-stress assessments, streamline feedback, and personalize support for struggling learners—all while giving you more time to connect with your class. Leave with actionable strategies to build a calmer, more resilient learning environment where students can thrive.   Watch the recording ... View more

Fostering belonging with AI Presented by Erika Martinez Creating an inclusive classroom is more important than ever, and AI tools can help make it easier. This session explores how to foster a sense of belonging for every student, with practical tips for designing activities, assignments, and communication strategies that support diverse learners. Learn how AI can streamline tasks like creating personalized materials or facilitating peer engagement, freeing up time to focus on what matters most: building connections and making every student feel seen and supported. Walk away with ready-to-use strategies and a new confidence in using AI to enhance your teaching.   Watch the recording ... View more

Read about iClicker's impact in first-year experience courses at Boise State University below. ... View more

As part of iClicker’s ongoing mission to make active learning more accessible to every educator, the team is always brainstorming features that make it easier to engage students and deepen their learning. You may have noticed iClicker’s newest feature, the Pre-Created Quiz. These are quizzes that you set up in advance for students to take during class within the iClicker Student App. Unlike Quick Start quizzes, a Pre-Created Quiz allows you to add an answer key and feedback ahead of time, randomize questions, and include a short-answer format. With these new in-class options, we wanted to share some ways that Pre-Created Quizzes can enhance learning in your course: 1. Checking for Understanding As an educator, you can kickstart your class with a Pre-Created Quiz to assess students’ understanding of assigned readings or homework – or quiz them at the beginning and end of class on the same topic to gauge what they’ve learned that day. These in-class quizzes will introduce students to your testing style in a low-stakes environment and help identify areas that may need further attention. 2. Flexible Learning Pace Pre-Created Quizzes give students the ability to navigate between questions and respond at their own pace. With this flexibility, you can promote individualized learning experiences and accommodate diverse learning speeds.  3. Efficient Grading and Immediate Feedback When you create your quiz before class, you can upload a pre-set answer key and feedback for each question. When students complete the quiz, their responses are instantly graded, and they can see your feedback and the correct answers for each question. Educators save time on grading responses, and students get immediate feedback that reinforces the concepts they’re learning.  4. Customization With Question Variety iClicker’s Pre-Created Quizzes support both multiple-choice and short-answer question formats. Customize your quiz questions with a variety of question types to keep quizzes engaging, promote critical thinking, and cater to your students’ different learning styles. 5. Encouraging Academic Integrity Pre-Created Quizzes give educators the ability to randomize question order for each student as they take their quiz in the iClicker Student App. Differing the question sequence from student to student helps mitigate the risk of cheating during quizzes, ensuring a fair and secure assessment environment. 6. Digital Transition Pre-Created Quizzes are an easy way to start replacing traditional paper quizzes with digital alternatives. The digital format lets students work in the environment they are most accustomed to, and it helps you make the transition to a more digital classroom. It also contributes to environmental sustainability by reducing the need for physical materials in the classroom. A Pre-Created Quiz may require a little more work up-front to create, but it offers so many advantages when it comes to streamlining your grading and feedback process and engaging students in new ways. As the expert on your own course, you’re sure to uncover even more ideas for making the most of this quiz format. How do you plan to use Pre-Created Quizzes with your students? ... View more