The Last Class

One of the possible assignments for the end of the semester is what Professor Elizabeth Bleicher calls, “The Last Class”, an assignment that “constitutes a metacognitive exercise that requires students to use the critical thinking skills developed in the course to process the educational experience in which they have been mutually and individually engaged” (2011). She reports that students enjoy this exercise because it gives them a clear summary of the semester’s worth of learning, encourages collaboration and participation in shaping the course, and it builds community of engaged and active learners.

Here are some of the prompts Professor Bleicher uses for “The Last Class” to engage students in critiquing the class they just completed:

• Readings – what readings did you enjoy, which reading were valuable, are there any readings that shouldn’t be used next semester, would you like to suggest any other readings;
• Units – which units were the most valuable, and which were the least valuable, were they presented in a good order, would you like to recommend any other units;
• Writing – which assignments should be used the following semester, were the instructions helpful, would you change anything;
• Activities – what activities did you like the most, which didn’t you like;
• Suggestions – do you have any advice for improving the class, what could we do without, was there anything you would change;
• Favorites – what did you like the most about this class, what did you like the least about the class;
• Advice – what is your advice for future students in this class;
• Big Questions – what was this course about, what questions did this course try to answer, are there any other questions you would like to have discussed;
• Films – can you suggest any films that cover the issues we discussed;
• Media – can you advise on which media to use (artifacts, audio or video clips) to start our discussions;
• Future – would you like to stay involved and assist with the course after the semester is over (please include your name).

Bleicher, E. (2011). The last class: Critical thinking, reflection, course effectiveness, and student engagement. Honors in Practice – Online Archive. Paper 130. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1129&context=nchchip