»Active Learning

Active Learning: Benefits and Strategies

The concept of active learning isn’t new, and is something that should be implemented in college classrooms to engage students and support their learning. Instead of long, instructor-led lectures, active learning encourages more student participation in class, in ways that get them doing, discussing, and thinking about what they’re learning.

Active learning can take many forms, and can be implemented in a myriad of ways. The benefits of active learning are well-documented, and include:

• Helping students remember what they’ve learned
• Providing multiple ways of learning and engaging with the material
• Helping create community in the classroom
• Allowing for opportunities for immediate and frequent feedback
• Helping instructors gain insight into what students are thinking and learning
• Supporting the progression of learning

There are many types of active learning activities that can be used to make class time engaging and enjoyable for students. It can be helpful to select just one or two activities to start with in a term to get comfortable with active learning. Additionally, planning and preparation are key to the success of these kinds of activities, which can include:

• Polling
• Think-Pair-Share
• One-minute reflections/papers
• Structured debates
• Concept mapping
• Problem-Based Learning (PBL)
• Case studies
• Group presentations
• And so many more!

Keep in mind that implementing active learning does not mean abandoning the lecture format. Breaking up a lecture with short active learning activities can not only help keep students engaged but also makes lecturing more effective for student learning.

These types of activities give you and your students a chance to check their understanding of the material being covered, to reinforce concepts being learned, and to identify any possible learning gaps so they can be addressed in a timely manner. For example, you might embed a brief activity after every 20-minutes of lecture. This doesn’t have to be complicated; a quick poll or 5-minute reflection can be effective.

We highly recommend reviewing the resources linked below for additional information about active learning and examples of activities that can be used in the classroom.