I wrote a bestselling book on humor writing, Comedy Writing Secrets. I know how to target humor, write one-liners, and even perform stand-up comedy.
Which is why I sometimes hate the jokes I write for my online courses.
As a professor, my job is to educate, not entertain. If I make a lecture too funny, students may remember the joke and forget the concept.
That’s the strange paradox of instructional humor.
In comedy, success is measured by laughter.
In education, success is measured by learning.
A perfectly crafted gag can actually distract from the material you want students to remember. A big laugh can become the highlight of the lesson—while the key idea quietly disappears.
There’s another issue.
If you’re consistently hilarious, students begin to expect it. Suddenly every lecture needs a punchline, and the course starts to feel more like a comedy set than a classroom.
That’s why I often rewrite classroom humor to reduce the comic effect. The goal isn’t to eliminate humor, but to make sure it supports the material rather than competes with it.
Most instructional humor should serve a clear purpose.
Used thoughtfully, humor can:
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increase attention
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build rapport between instructor and students
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provide a mental break during difficult material
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reinforce understanding of a concept
But humor that exists only to get laughs can easily turn a serious course into educational fluff.
When I write or perform comedy, I ask one question:
“Is this funny?”
When I add humor to a class, I ask a completely different question:
“Will this help students learn?”
Because in the classroom, the joke isn’t the goal.
Learning is.
