our activities extended the work of students out of the confines of our classroom and into a more public space: LeBlanc's students are giving loans to real people, not connected with the college, and my students are writing for the entire campus audience. My intuitive sense is that if you can find an activity that will require students to prepare or showcase their work for a public audience, this will help them see connections between your discipline and your course and the world around them. This can help boost motivation by invoking larger, more public purposes for their course work.
