The first day of class always carries its own kind of electricity. There is a quiet buzz in the air—new faces filled with curiosity, new stories waiting to be written, and the promise of a fresh semester ahead. While the students may be new to me, my approach to starting the semester is consistent. I begin with Connect.

For me, Connect is not just a digital platform; it is my deliberate way of connecting with every single student in a large class. In spaces where it might be easy for students to feel like just another name on a roster, Connect becomes my bridge between the material we will study and the human relationships that support learning. It goes beyond introductions. It is about making meaningful content and showing students from day one that their presence and progress matter.

How does it work? It begins with something familiar—adaptive SmartBook® assignments. These assignments, which are often promoted as “adaptive for all students,” become much more in my classroom when paired with intentional design. I customize them to align directly with my course learning objectives, ensuring they are not busy work but purposeful preparation. Each assignment is designed to take no more than 30 to 45 minutes and is available for a full week, giving students flexibility in completing them. By setting the due date for the start of lecture—whether that’smy 9:30 AM or 3:30 PMp.m class, I establish a rhythm where students come in prepared and primed for discussion.

This practice serves two important purposes. First, it allows me to take a quick glance at the performance dashboard before class. I can immediately see which students have not completed the assignment and use that as a gentle starting point for connection. Often, a quick check-in reveals more than a missing task: sometimes it’s a technical issue, other times a time-management struggle, and occasionally it is simply a matter of encouragement. Whatever the reason, that moment of attention tells students that I notice and that I care.

Second, it ensures that the material is fresh in students’ minds. Walking into class with the concepts already activated means that the lecture is not their first encounter with the material. Instead, it becomes a deeper exploration. Students are more willing to ask questions, engage in dialogue, and connect new knowledge with prior understanding. In this way, the SmartBook is not just a digital requirement; it becomes a shared foundation for collective learning.

What I have found most powerful, however, are the human responses. Students often tell me they appreciate this connection—that I notice when they struggle, that I reach out instead of letting things slide, and that I use digital tools to enhance, rather than replace, the student–teacher relationship.

On the first day, and every day after, Connect is more than a system. It is a symbol of my commitment to building relationships, cultivating accountability, and showing students that they are seen and valued. That is where true learning begins.

Assessing more than memorization-Connect for critical thinking 

At first glance, the phrase “critical thinking” paired with everyday learning might seem contradictory. After all, critical thinking is not inherently digital—it is a skill, a mindset, and a way of approaching information. Some may believe that all we need to do is tell students to think critically and they will simply start doing it. But, as every educator knows, telling students to “think harder” is not enough. What matters is creating the conditions, the scaffolding, and the opportunities for students to engage in critical thought in ways that are meaningful to them.

This is where Connect tools, when used with purpose, can play a powerful role. They are not magic shortcuts, nor replacements for genuine intellectual engagement. Instead, they serve as platforms to highlight relevance, context, and connection. One such tool is the Relevancy Modules. At its core, this tool directs students’ attention toward why what they are learning matters. By establishing personal stakes in the material, the Relevancy Module naturally encourages deeper processing, which is the heart of critical thinking.

Think of it this way: students often encounter abstract concepts—say, the cell cycle—in a vacuum. On its own, it may seem like just another set of steps to memorize. But what if, instead, students were guided to consider when the cell cycle goes wrong and how that connects to cancer? Suddenly, the discussion is not just about mitosis, prophase, or checkpoints; it is about the realities of disease, medical treatment, and even personal or family experiences with health. When relevance enters the picture, the rote facts transform into questions of consequence: Why does this matter? What happens if this process fails? How do we know, and what can we do about it? That shift is what critical thinking looks like in action.

The beauty of digital tools like the Relevancy Module is that they make this type of framing systematic. Instead of leaving students to stumble onto relevance on their own, the tool deliberately guides them to it. Once students see that their learning has weight beyond the classroom, they are more likely to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize ideas—key aspects of critical thinking.

It is also important to recognize that these tools do not replace the role of the teacher. Rather, they support the educator’s efforts to make content meaningful. Teachers still shape the questions, provide feedback, and model what it looks like to think critically. The digital tool simply amplifies these efforts, offering a structured way to connect abstract knowledge to real-world stakes.

In the end, supporting critical thinking is not about technology for its own sake. It is about intentional teaching. Digital tools, when thoughtfully chosen and aligned with learning objectives, can highlight relevance, spark curiosity, and invite students into deeper levels of thought. If we use them wisely, they will not only help students master content but also prepare them with the lifelong skill of asking meaningful questions, evaluating evidence, and making reasoned decisions. And that, ultimately, is the very purpose of education.

How to use digital tools to monitor and improve participation

So here it goes--

Higher education is undergoing one of the most rapid paradigm shifts since the introduction of the GI Bill. For decades, teaching has steadily moved into the digital realm, reshaping how instructors deliver content and how students engage with it. From the first integration of computers in classrooms to the use of smartphones for everyday communication, nearly every aspect of education has become digital. Even simple reminders to students—whether through email, text, or a learning management system—are now mediated by technology. Within this landscape, tools like Connect are not just add-ons; they are transformative features that help bridge the gap between instruction and student success.

At its core, Connect provides instructors with a suite of adaptive learning tools designed to strengthen both teaching and learning outcomes. Among its most powerful features is the performance dashboard, which offers a real-time snapshot of student progress. This function does more than track who has submitted work; it reveals trends, highlights areas of struggle, and surfaces opportunities for timely intervention. In large classes especially, this is invaluable. Instead of guessing whether students understood the material, instructors can rely on precise data to guide their decisions. A dashboard glance before class enables quick adjustments—perhaps a targeted review, a clarification of a misunderstood concept, or an alternative explanation that resonates better with learners.

Equally important is the item analysis feature. When paired with carefully designed assessments aligned to Bloom’s taxonomy, item analysis allows instructors to evaluate not just if students got the “right” answer, but how they performed across different levels of cognitive challenge. For instance, a set of questions targeting higher-order skills—such as applying, analyzing, or evaluating—can be filtered and reviewed to see how well students are mastering these critical thinking abilities. The analysis shows not only overall class performance but also the percentage of students who succeeded on specific questions. This transparency provides a clear view of strengths and weaknesses at both the individual and class-wide levels.

The real benefit lies in how quickly instructors can act on this information. If a significant portion of students struggle with a concept, the instructor can immediately adapt their teaching strategy. Perhaps the content needs to be presented differently, supported with an additional example, or reinforced through group discussion. Alternatively, it may simply require rephrasing the assessment question to remove unnecessary confusion. Either way, the turnaround time is minimal. Within minutes, an instructor can pivot to ensure learning continues effectively rather than allowing gaps to persist. This responsiveness creates a dynamic classroom environment where teaching and learning continually adjust to one another.

In this sense, Connect creates a win–win scenario. Students benefit from timely support that addresses their learning needs, while instructors gain actionable insights that enhance their teaching effectiveness. The integration of dashboards and item analysis doesn’t just add another digital layer; it enhances the very fabric of teaching and learning. As higher education continues its digital transformation, tools like CONNECT are not merely icing on the cake—they are integral to fostering meaningful, data-informed, and student-centered learning experiences.