LibGuides: Student Engagement Guide: Active Learning

Active Learning

Active Learning: What Is It and How Can I Apply It to My Class?

Active learning can be defined as any type of instructional method in which the learner is engaged in the process of learning in a meaningful way. The core elements of active learning are student activity and engagement. Design active learning strategies around learner outcomes of objectives, more of a positive effect on learning (Prince, 2004).

Benefits of Using Active Learning Strategies

Learners will gain a deeper understanding of the material by thinking deeply, engaging in collaborative discussions, making personal connections to the material.
Through reflection, learners will more easily form concrete connections between the material and prior knowledge.
Learners will develop strong metacognitive skills such as:
- Monitoring comprehension
- Monitoring learning strategies
- Self-assessment
Learners will build connections with one another when engaging in collaborative learning.
Extensive research has shown that active learning can lead to positive gains in the following:
- Critical thinking skills
- Retention of content
- Transfer
- Motivation (Doyle, 2019).

How to Choose Meaningful Active Learning Strategies

One of the first steps to creating active learning within a face-to-face or online environment is to first choose a specific learning outcome or objective. When creating an activity or assignment, reflect on the following questions:

What are the most important concepts or information that students need to take away from this lesson?
What are misconceptions that students the content?
What are areas where students have difficulty understanding?
What is practice that students could do to help them prepare for an upcoming assignment or assessment?

Regardless of the active learning strategy that your use, fully explain your rational and reason behind the activity to your students (Center for Educational Innovation, 2020).

Creating Active Learning Activities in Moodle LMS

Moodle LMS’s activities promote active learning strategies in an online environment.
The proceeding Table 2 ((UNSW Teaching, 2020) presents a list of active learning activities that are available in Moodle LMS.

Table 2.

Learning activities available in Moodle LMS

Moodle Tools	Function	Teaching Strategy/Learning
Wiki	Group projects, research, or a group essay.	Information transfer, peer-to-peer learning, co-create content.
Blog	Present, reflect, and comment on postings.	Communicate, peer-to-peer learning.
Lightbox	Create a galley of images and have students contribute.	Students share images, communicate, or engage in peer-to-peer learning.
Glossary	Define, build, share, search, review, and rate.	Communication, interactive, co-create content, assess learning.
Feedback	Self-assess, gather data, survey, compare choices, feedback, and questions.	Assess learning, metacognition skills.
Forum	Discuss group work and collaborate.	Communicate, interact, asses learning, peer-to-peer learning.
Chat	Synchronous, discussion, collaborate.	Communicate, interact, and peer-to-peer learning.
Choice	Select, poll, vote.	Manage learning, feedback, communicate, and interactivity.
Questionnaire	Gather data, survey, evaluate.	Manage learning, feedback from students.

Note. UNSW Teaching. (2020, April 20). What Can You Do with Moodle? UNSW Teaching. https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/moodle-what-you-can-do.

Learn more about active learning by listening to The Active Learning Podcast on Apple Podcasts.

References

Center for Educational Innovation. (2020, April 17). Active Learning. Center for Educational Innovation Advance Your Teaching. Engage Your Learners. https://cei.umn.edu/active-learning#anchor-rationale

Doyle, L. (2019). The Benefits of Active Learning in Higher Education. Northeastern University Graduate Programs. https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/active-learning-higher-education/

Phillips, J. M. (2005). Strategies for Active Learning in Online Continuing Education. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 36(2), 8.

Prince, M. (2004). Does Active Learning Work? A Review of the Research. Journal of Engineering Education, 93(3), 223–231. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.2004.tb00809.x

UNSW Teaching. (2020, April 20). What Can You Do with Moodle? UNSW Teaching. https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/moodle-what-you-can-do

Beyond The Lecture: Short Activities

Practical lectures are student-centered and incorporate active learning strategies to engage students. You can break up your lecture by engaging students in short “think-pair-share” or electronic polling; be sure to organize your content so that similar information is together.

Center for Teaching and Learning. Making Lectures More Active. Indiana University and Purdue University Indianapolis.
Center for Teaching Innovation. Getting Started with Moving the Lecture Outside the Classroom. Cornell University.
Teaching and Learning Transformation Center. Approaches to Engaging Lectures. University of Maryland.
Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning. Lecturing. Harvard University.

Beyond the Lecture: Consider Presenting Your Content Towards the End of Class

Consider Presenting Your Content Towards the End of Class

Let students work with the content before the lecture.
They become curious.
They think about the material on a deeper level.
Then, present the information.
Student will be more invested in the concepts you share.
“Norman Eng…recommends teachers start class with a discussion, question, challenge, or activity that connects to the content, then move into a lecture.”

Reference

Gonzalez, J. (2019, March 26). 5 Ways College Teachers can improve their instruction. Cult of Pedagogy. https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/teaching-college/

Using Storytelling to Engage Your Students

Active Learning Cheat Sheet
The Vanderbilt active learning cheat sheet provides practical tips for educators, covering classroom environment, activity planning, implementation, and evaluation.
Active Learning
Active learning: students engage with material through activities like discussion and problem-solving, rather than passively listening. Resources like the University of Minnesota's CEI website offer strategies for implementation.
Unleashing the Power of Active Learning: Revolutionizing Online Education for Unprecedented Engagement and Achievement
Active learning enhances online education. The article recommends collaborative tools, interactive activities, reflection, and multimedia to increase student engagement and achievement.
Active Learning
This page from Cornell University's Center for Teaching Innovation explains that active learning engages students through thinking, discussing, investigating, and creating, enhancing their learning experience. It also provides guidance on how to implement active learning techniques.
Four Tried and True Methods for Engaging Students in Class
Four different methods used for maintaining an engaged classroom. They are: A) preparation for the readings, B) contact after class, C) writing before class, and D) "turn to your neighbor" tasks during lecture.
Gamification: 5 Effective Ways to Gamify Learning in Higher Education
This post examines gamification’s role in boosting learning outcomes and engagement in higher education, detailing its impact and classroom application strategies.
Active Learning Designs
UC Berkeley's resource outlines active learning designs that promote student understanding through interaction and discourse, offering specific strategies like guided discovery and problem-solving.