A way to engage students with material by asking questions that relate to how to use the information outside the context of the course.
When you want to help students see the value/utility of material, to think more deeply about the presented material, or to have clear direction with how material could be used in their future courses or lives.
As part of curriculum development, many instructors focus on developing learning objectives students should master by the end of the unit/module and/or course. Assessments are then designed around the learning objectives. Many times, the learning objectives and assessments simply require the student to memorize and regurgitate facts or bits of knowledge. An alternative approach is to reframe the learning objectives as “essential questions” that encourage the students to think more deeply about the material. Why should the student be able to “Summarize the key events of…” or “Name the organelles of a cell.” for example? Essential questions should be open-ended, not have a “right or wrong” answer, and potentially lead to more questions (Wiggins and McTighe, 2008). Another aspect to consider is what you are assessing: course content knowledge or student behavior about course content. (Honeycutt, 2012). As part of lecture, you can incorporate “Why you should care” moments. Bring in real-world examples of how material is used outside of a classroom setting. The main idea is to demonstrate the relevance of the coursework.
https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/examples-of-essential-questions/
https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/strategies-to-help-students/
https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/art-asking-questions/
From Dr. Tara Allen: One way I have done this is to ask students to find a news article or resource that relates to the material we discuss in class. They then write a one page summary of that article and discuss how it connects to the course content. Feedback on this type of assignment has been really positive and I have used it in my Human Anatomy and Physiology classes. Students appreciate seeing how they will use the material we discuss further on in their education. I have made this a homework assignment but have also provided this opportunity as a way to earn a bit of extra credit to apply towards an exam score.
Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2008). Understanding by design. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Honeycutt, B. (2012, April 16). A Syllabus Tip: Embed Big Questions. Faculty Focus. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/course-design-ideas/a-syllabus-tip-embed-big-questions/