Learning Through Laughter

Though few college professors have pursued their chosen career because they were stellar comedians, they may do well to add some yucks to the syllabus.

Psychology professors Mark Shatz and Frank LoSchiavo of Ohio University have found that the use of levity in the virtual classroom can significantly boost student interest and participation.

"We know students taking online courses often view them as very distant and sometimes boring and impersonal, so we thought about the idea of trying to incorporate humor into online instruction with the idea of enhancing it," said Shatz, a professor of psychology who also teaches a popular humor-writing course.

The study took an existing online general psychology course and systematically enhanced it with the addition of humor in the form of self-deprecating jokes, cartoons, and top 10 lists related to the subject matter. Students were then randomly assigned to either the traditional section or the humor-enhanced section.

The researchers found that students in the humor-enhanced section were more likely to post comments on discussion boards. And the most important finding, Shatz said, is that humor can add personality to a situation such as online learning that is often viewed as sterile and remote.

Shatz offers encouragement for professors who worry they may not be funny enough for students: "They expect us to be boring and dull. We don't have to be funny, but the attempt at being funny tells students that we're trying to make the course more interesting."

(C) 2005 Industrial Engineer. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved

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