Igniting Student Engagement: FigJam for Higher Education Professors

FigJam is an innovative software, made by Figma, that can truly ignite an engaging in-person or online classroom experience.

For those professors balancing teaching, research, office hours, university service, and student support, there can be limited time to learn new tools. FigJam, however, is easy to learn. It is a collaborative whiteboard platform designed to streamline workflows and improve student engagement within the classroom primarily, though I can imagine scenarios where between-class homework using FigJam is implemented by teachers.

“FigJam is an online whiteboard where possibilities turn into plans. Teachers can facilitate collaborative group learning while encouraging active participation from students. It’s best suited for classroom discussions, brainstorms, and group work.”

FigJam offers a powerful toolkit to transform your teaching and learning experience.

Boosting Efficiency: FigJam as an Academic Partner

Instead of scattered lecture notes and email threads, Figjam can support course organization and collaboration. More relevant to my upcoming use case, the software can be used to craft engaging presentations with multimedia elements, brainstorm research ideas with interactive mapping components, and to collaborate on course materials with students in real-time. It allows for the streamlining of group projects with shared FigJam boards, while eliminating confusion and ensuring everyone’s on the same page. For the online classroom, it can seriously improve engagement through fostering active participation and deeper understanding in your students.

Picture facilitating lively seminars where complex concepts come alive through visual aids like timelines and diagrams. Imagine the types of quizzes you could offer and content polls keeping students engaged during lectures. It can also help with the pacing of long classroom sessions and break-up lectures into small chunks.

I am always in search of ways in which lectures can be made more dynamic. FigJam can change passive lectures into dynamic learning experiences.

Key Takeaways for Higher Education Professors

Pricing and Downloading FigJam

FigJam offers a free Starter plan with basic features suitable for individual use or small projects, with unlimited personal drafts. However, for greater potential, consider the FigJam Professional plan, starting at $3 per user per month. This plan unlocks features like unlimited FigJam files, whiteboards, and advanced collaboration tools. Now that’s cheap, but here’s some better news: the Professional plan is free for students and educators.

FigJam offers a wealth of resources specifically tailored for higher education, including comprehensive tutorials, LMS integration guides, and even a dedicated educator community for sharing best practices and seeking support.

Here’s a helpful article about this plan from Figma.

Download FigJam for free on any device or access it directly through your web browser.