Engage students creatively, thoughtfully for top impact.

Blame it on video games and other fast-paced distractions. The short attention span of today's students challenges faculty to devise creative ways to capture and hold their attention ... especially in the humanities where "practicality" is not directly evident.

Certain pedagogical practices such as journals, political activism and art installations can increase student engagement. At the National Association for Women in Catholic Higher Education (NAWCHE) conference held at St. John's University in New York City in June, three of the school's faculty discussed how they encourage active citizenship and ethical engagement in class.

Panelists were Dr. Trent Hamann, assistant professor of philosophy, Dr. Barbara Koziak, director of the Women and Gender Studies program, and associate professor of government and politics, and Dr. Judith Ryder, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology. Both women teach classes in the Women and Gender Studies program.

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St. John's is a Vincentian school run by an order of priests who focus on service to others. The curriculum includes an academic service-learning program, which requires students to engage in a community service activity in class as a way to understand course concepts. The experience is designed to help students to develop a set of personal characteristics and virtues such as truth, love, respect, opportunity, excellence and service as well as empowering them to leave their comfort zones.

Use journals

Journaling is a requirement in Hamann's feminist philosophy courses. "Journal writing has a long history in philosophy," he said. "The ancient Greeks thought that philosophy begins with the question, 'How might I live?'" But that question leads to other questions: "How am I now living?" and "How might I live differently?" Writing in journals not only answers those questions but can entice students into the practice of philosophy.