2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Allowing for anonymous input in class discussions has been found to increase student participation, which is important because it is known that student participation during class time is correlated to academic performance. This is likely because student hesitation in participating is related to concerns of embarrassment, language barriers, and social anxiety that are alleviated by anonymous discussion methods. In this work, TopHat discussions in "anonymous" mode are used to create an inclusive environment for discussions in materials science courses, allowing students to contribute without the fear of being judged. This approach has been implemented in both a large introductory course (200-350 students, including materials majors and non-majors) and smaller, focused courses (20-60 materials majors) from sophomore to senior levels. The use of anonymous discussions significantly increased participation in all of these contexts. Anonymous questions can be applied to quickly determine if the students understand a concept prior to its introduction in class, to have students share their answers to example problems, or to have multipart back-and-forth conversations with the class at large. For example, a conversation could start with a big picture question such as "why are [X material] good for [Y application]" or "why might [X conditions] lead to failure in [Y material]"; the professor can read aloud some of the initial answers, provide input on these, and continue seeking further comments. This can include creating and adjusting questions in real time during class. Examples of these activities with their associated participation rates in anonymous discussions will be presented.