Share your examples of Lucid in Higher Ed

I teach Computer Science III Advanced and use Lucid to help students plan their programs before writing any code. After we explore a specific data structure, students design (or research and adapt) a project that meaningfully incorporates that structure.

Before they begin coding, students pause to think through the program requirements. They determine how their data will be represented, how objects and classes will interact, and how the overall system should function. Using Lucid, they create simplified UML diagrams and flowcharts that map out both the structure and logic of their program.

I’ve streamlined the diagramming process using my own adapted templates to fit our project timelines while still reinforcing core design principles. The goal is to model a more professional development environment where planning and architectural thinking come first.

Once their diagrams are complete, students pitch their project to me. This allows me to verify their understanding of the program’s design and ensure they can clearly explain how the selected data structure is being implemented and why it’s appropriate.

I’ve included an example of the expected format below. I’m mindful about sharing student work publicly, so I’ve provided a sample instead.

Example UML/Flowchart Diagram for CS 3 Adv

​@barnettem Thank you so much for sharing your example!  What a great way to give students hands-on learning experiences that they can apply to their future careers.

My name is Roslyn and I’ve been and educator for almost 20 years. I started teaching in Middle School, made my way into teaching High School, and I’ve most recently I’ve landed in Higher Education. I teach a freshman seminar (Success 101) and a two year community college and I started using Lucid the moment it was made available to our faculty. I use Lucid as a way to initiate, support, and extend classroom conversations. More specifically, I create a board that anywhere from 1-3 questions. Each requires more than a yes or no response. My account is set to anonymous but students are invited to include their names at the end of their responses. After anywhere from 7-15 minutes, I begin to read aloud some responses (randomly selecting them), and then ask a question about a response to get the conversation amongst the students rolling. This is really useful, and important, because as new college students, most are not inclined to be the first to raise their hand, or to contribute to a conversation when all eyes are on them.

Bergen Community College

Hi ​@LifeLongLearner, thanks so much for adding to this thread with your experience using Lucid in higher ed, what a great example!

For your own privacy, I've removed your email from your response.

Out of curiosity, when you mention that your account is set to anonymous, are you using private mode to allow students to contribute? I can certainly see how that would be less intimidating and would open up participation. 

Hi Ambar D, 

It’s not private mode that I use (I believe I just uncheck a box that would show the user’s name). Then, I tell students that they are free to include their name if they’d like to-- this gives them agency in terms of how they participate and share. I do this over the course of the semester, and by the mid-point, more are including their names. The ability to speak up “quietly” is particularly important to first time college students, who arrive with learning differences, social and academic anxiety, and often feelings of overwhelm-- college initially for them is the great unknown. Lucid is one of the tools I use to create a safe space for my students each semester.

Oh I see ​@LifeLongLearner, turning off sticky note authors?

That’s also a great tool, certainly helpful for creating that safe space for students to contribute. What a thoughtful way to use facilitator tools!

I’m a instructional designer at West Liberty University so I’m always thinking of ways to make courses engaging and update traditional material, particularly online courses. This example of a single student assignment has students identify when types of biases commonly appear in the research process. Then they have to justify their answers. This was used in an undergraduate psychology course.