Active Learning

When many of us think back to our college classrooms, we recall vibrant (and not so vibrant) lectures from professors, punctuated by occasional exams. Research has since shown that there are superior ways to help students learn and that the “old school” method of classroom lecture is simply ineffective in that regard. Active learning is one of the best – and fun, and easiest – ways to involve students with course material. Active learning is anything that is not passive; in other words, anything that does NOT involve students sitting and merely observing something (lecture, video, etc.). When engaged in active learning, students are doing things like moving, talking, touching, writing, and creating.

Many studies have demonstrated that active learning helps students remember information and get better grades. Does this mean you need to stop lecturing? NO. But lectures are more effective when briefly (ten minutes, for example) interrupted by active learning experiences.  In the largest and most comprehensive meta-analysis of undergraduate STEM classes, Freeman et al. found that just 10-15% of class time devoted to active learning resulted in better retention and test performance and that “active learning confers disproportionate benefits for STEM students from disadvantaged backgrounds and for female students in male-dominated fields.”

There are countless ways to incorporate active learning into your classes. The University of Michigan shares a document that offers a long list of strategies, as well as faculty examples

  • Clarification pauses – stop lecturing to let students ask questions
  • Writing activities such as a “minute paper” – give students one or two minutes to write everything they remember about a concept covered during class
  • Self-assessment – give a graded or ungraded quiz
  • Large-group discussion – prepare a list of questions for class discussion
  • Think-pair-share – students work individually on a problem or question, then compare answers with a partner, then share out to the class
  • Cooperative groups – small groups work on a problem or question then share out
  • Peer review – students turn in an assignment to the instructor and to another student. The student offers critical review in addition to the instructor’s
  • Group evaluations – peer review of group assignments
  • Brainstorming – Give individuals or groups a topic or problem and a minute to write as many solutions as possible
  • Case studies – have students apply classroom knowledge to real-life stories
  • Hands-on technology – students use technology such as simulation programs
  • Interactive lecture – pause the lecture to allow students to observe and interpret features of images, interpret graphs, make calculations and estimates, etc. 
  • Active review sessions – games or simulations used by individuals or groups
  • Role playing – students act out a part or position
  • Jigsaw discussion – a general topic is divided into smaller, interrelated pieces. Each member of a team is assigned to read and become an expert on a different topic and teach the other team members about that puzzle piece. Then the puzzle is reassembled
  • Inquiry learning – the instructor identifies an idea or concept for mastery, then a question is posed that asks students to make observations, pose hypotheses, and speculate on conclusions
  • Forum theater - use theater to depict a situation and then have students enter into the sketch to act out possible solutions
  • Experiential learning - Plan site visits that allow students to see and experience applications of theories and concepts discussed in the class.
  • Muddiest point – ask students to jot down one thing from the lecture that they found hardest to understand
  • Digital media creation – ask students to create digital representations of a concept or a project (websites, videos, memes, graphic novels, etc.)
  • Clickers – use audience response systems to clarify understanding or poll students
  • Short writing assignments – have students write during class individually or in groups

Some other ideas include student-led reviews, student debates, student-generated exam questions, a class research symposium, journaling, newsletters, and concept mapping. There’s no end to the list of active learning – be creative!