Why use Just-in-Time Teaching

Enhancing Student Learning

One of the most compelling reasons to use Just-in-Time Teaching is that it improves student learning (Novak & Patterson, 1998). Presumably this is a result of increasing the amount of time students grapple with the course material outside of class (Astin, 1993; Bransford, et al. (eds.), 2000), providing students with feedback about their learning on a very short time-scale (Angelo & Cross, 1993), and helping instructors to identify and address student beliefs and misconceptions (Science Teaching Reconsidered, 2004). In particular, you can design JiTT exercises to help students

• start thinking about the upcoming lesson before class begins, thereby coming to class better prepared to contribute to the construction of the content of the lesson
• relate the course material to real-world issues
• develop and practice writing skills
• feel a sense of control over their learning, as they get nearly immediate feedback to their efforts and see their contributions enhance the quality of the classroom activity

Motivating Students to Learn

Students are better motivated to learn, and consequently learn more, when they see course material as being relevant and useful (Bransford, et al. (eds.), 2000).

• Just-in-Time Teaching can be used to illustrate the relevance of course material through web-based enrichment pages often called "Good Fors" - as in, What is this material good for? (Novak & Middendorf, 2004).

Students Love It

Laura Guertin calls her JiTT questions "GeoBytes" and "DinoBytes," depending on the course. Here's what some of her students have to say about them:

• "Overall I think GeoBytes are one of the best things this class has to offer for my learning."
• "I really felt the GeoBytes offered something that our Professor couldn't go that much into. It was a good way of learning something extra on our own, and then coming together Friday and discussing it."
• GeoBytes "[M]ake the topics more interesting to our age group."
• "I also like being able to voice my opinion without having to talk in front of a whole class full of people."
• "They also encourage you to form your own hypotheses on different topics"
• "The GeoBytes are helpful because they provide us with a different perspective on things. By discussing our responses in class, it helps to understand the different views on issues."
• "They help us relate what we are studying to present day affairs."
• "At first the DinoBytes felt like "busy work," but now I can see that they helped me get more out of the course. If I hadn't been doing DinoBytes, I don't think I would have thought as much about some aspects of the material."

Benefits for the Instructor

Improving student motivation to learn is an obvious benefit to the instructor. As an instructor, you can also be more confident that your class time is well-spent, addressing topics that are confusing your students while not spending precious time on topics they've already mastered.

• The JiTT exercises provide a live feedback loop between students and the instructor in a short time frame. This gives the students a sense that the course is fresh. Instructors who use JiTT in their classrooms also credit it with increasing the quality of their interactions with students. (Novak & Middendorf, 2004).
• The instructor can see if there are any misconceptions about the course content that require extra discussion time in class
• The instructor can assess students' prior knowledge and beliefs about the lesson content in time to discuss these with the class as the course unfolds
• Instructors can use JiTT to collect formative feedback on the topic of the week (did students find it challenging to understand, did they enjoy reading about the subject, should additional time be spent in class on the topic, etc.)

For further information

See Chapter 2: "Why use JiTT?" from Novak et al. (1999) Just-in-Time Teaching: Blending Active Learning with Web Technology. (Full citation and bibliographic information.)