Just in Time Teaching (JiTT)
Just in Time Teaching shows explicit evidence of learning - both to you and to them.
Quote from Michael Dugdale, John Abbott College
What is it?
Just in Time Teaching (JiTT) is an instructional approach wherein students complete an assignment and submit it online prior to class time. The instructor reviews the body of work and prepares or adapts the in-class activities according to student capabilities and performance on the pre-class work.
Purpose: The assignment serves as (a) feedback to the instructor on knowledge gaps and/or misconceptions, and (b) preparation for students on the content they will engage with in class.
Skills Promoted
- Metacognition
- Self-regulation
- Knowledge organization
Who's using it?
SALTISE community members who use this strategy and are willing to share advice and/or resources.
| Institution | Discipline | Instructor | Classroom settings |
|---|---|---|---|
|
McGill University Level: University |
Engineering |
Traditional Classroom Classroom size: 100 |
|
|
University of Guelph Level: University |
Environmental Science |
Traditional Classroom Classroom size: 20-40 |
|
|
University of Guelph Level: University |
Environmental Science |
Traditional Classroom Classroom size: 30 |
|
|
McGill University Level: University |
Engineering |
Traditional Classroom Classroom size: 75-95 |
|
|
John Abbott College Level: College |
Physics |
Traditional Classroom Classroom size: 30-40 |
| Institution |
McGill University Level: University |
University of Guelph Level: University |
University of Guelph Level: University |
McGill University Level: University |
John Abbott College Level: College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discipline |
Engineering |
Environmental Science |
Environmental Science |
Engineering |
Physics |
| Instructor | |||||
| Classroom settings |
Traditional Classroom Classroom size: 100 |
Traditional Classroom Classroom size: 20-40 |
Traditional Classroom Classroom size: 30 |
Traditional Classroom Classroom size: 75-95 |
Traditional Classroom Classroom size: 30-40 |
Why use it?
Benefits
Challenges
Benefits
JiTT is a good way for the instructor to collect information on the problems students face and the questions they have. This should inform the instructor’s choice of what material will be covered or prioritized in the following lesson.
This strategy shows explicit evidence of learning – both to you and to the students – by tracking their progress. You can compare the knowledge with which the student begins to their final summary and to their further questions. Metacognition is a critical component of learning, and making the responses available to the students allows them to see exactly what they have learned.
Challenges
This strategy can require a lot of work. Once you’ve done this, you need to think carefully about what you do in class: students will already have learned a lot and you don’t want to just repeat what they already know. You need a whole set of activities to make use of this content.
Because it requires a lot of work, you must beware of ending up with an activity that becomes too hard to change, effectively trapping you in the event that you realize it must be altered. For example, once your JiTT questions are built, they might not fit your next class. Keep your individual exercises modular so you can make changes on the fly.
Ready to try it out?
JiTT is an activity typically completed out of class prior to covering the material in class. This particular implementation is Flip-JiTT, a flipped classroom approach to Just in Time Teaching developed by Michael Dugdale – Watch Flip-JiTT. It differs from traditional JiTT in that it explicitly prompts metacognition, and the problems completed are a bit more involved (traditional JiTT requires students to answer only 1-2 conceptual questions).
STEP 1: Instructor designs online assignments/exercises for students to complete prior to the upcoming class.
STEP 2: Students (generally as individuals) complete the assigned tasks and post answers to online system.
STEP 3: Instructor reviews student responses from the online system and determines upcoming class content.
Related Activities
Helpful resources
References
Marrs, K. A. and Novak, G. (2004). Just-in-Time Teaching in Biology: creating an active learner classroom using the internet. Cell Biology Education.
Simkins, S. and Maier, M. (2004). Using just-in-time teaching techniques in the principles of Economics course. Social Science Computer Review.
Luo, W. (2008). Just-in-Time-Teaching (JiTT) improves students’ performance in classes-adaptation of JiTT in four geography courses. Journal of Geoscience Education.
Novak, G. M., Patterson, E. T. and Gavrin, A. (1998). Just-in-Time Teaching: Active learner pedagogy with WWW. Paper presented at IASTED, Cancun, Mexico.
Higdon, J. and Topaz, C. (2009). Blogs and wikis as instructional tools: A social software adaptation of just-in-time teaching. College Teaching, Taylor & Francis.
Howard, J. R. (2004). Just-in-Time Teaching in Sociology or how I convinced my students to actually read the assignment. Teaching Sociology.
Marrs, K. A., Blake, R. E. and Gavrin, A. D. (2003). Web-based warm up exercises in just-in-time teaching. Journal of College Science Teaching, National Science Teachers Association.
Video
Just-in-Time Teaching, Dr. Fidelma Rigby – Associate Professor of OB/GYN, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University
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