What is Humorous Instruction

Intentional humor used in online classes develops classroom community, creates student-faculty relationships, enhances peer-peer relationships, and increases student engagement. A learning environment with humor helps students and faculty engage with others, apart from their roles, and constructs a genuine sense of connection. When intentionally embedded into course content, humor has been seen to increase student satisfaction and motivation. When used effectively, humor reduces anxiety and a sense of threat, which helps students learn more effectively. The use of humor acts as a stress relief, which aids in cognition and long-term memory. Additionally, student perception of faculty who use humor is positive. In the online environment, humor can be embedded in a variety of technology-enhanced forms such as videotaped lectures, discussion threads, and posted as memes and gifs. This chapter reviews best practices for implementing humor into course design for online higher education.