Using humor to create a positive learning environment

Abstract

How to enhance student learning is a critical issue in academia. Throughout the author's academic career, teaching effectiveness has always been an on-going challenge. Consequently, he has experimented with different teaching techniques and approaches. The author's experience as a teacher, industry trainer and presenter to various community and professional groups helped him to recognize that humor can enhance interest and learning in a given topic. As a result, he has been using humor to promote a positive learning environment in the courses he teaches. In the paper the author will describe how he uses humor to create a positive classroom learning environment. The paper will identify the benefits derived from using humor as a classroom teaching technique. Also, the paper will provide ideas for technology and engineering faculty on how they can integrate humor into their courses to develop a positive learning environment.