Tyler Fairbanks of Norwich, a senior majoring in sociology, was among four students at Eastern Connecticut State University who presented on their experiences with “open pedagogy” on March 4 at the 2022 Connecticut OER Virtual Summit.

Fairbanks spoke as part of a panel titled “Student Perspectives on Open Pedagogy.”

Fairbanks said his first encounter with Open Pedagogy was initially accessing the online textbook “Introduction to Sociology.”

“For most of my life, I’ve been taught by the educational system to memorize and repeat the correct answers,” he said. “Open pedagogy . . . asks students to participate in a much more intimate manner, challenging them to truly digest the material given and communicate its key concepts.”

“The students were magnificent on the panel discussion,” said Sociology Professor Nicolas Simon.

Friends & Neighbors is a regular feature. To contribute, email times@theday.com.