Active Learning Workshops

Trainee sitting at tables in a classroom

What is Active Learning?

Active learning is not a new concept. Though coined by Bonwell and Eisen (1991), aspects of active learning can be found in studies by Piaget, Vygotsky, and Dewey*.

Active Learning is a broad set of methods designed to actively engage learners with the course materials through a variety of instructional strategies. In contrast to more traditional didactic instruction where the instructor primarily teaches in the form of lecturing and students are more passive receivers of the information, in active learning environments, learners are active participants in their learning through self-reflection, interacting with classmates, and/or the instructor.

What are the Benefits of Active Learning?

Engages learners at higher levels of thinking
Higher conceptual understanding and application of the course materials and content (Hake, 1998)
Learners who experience active learning retain more than during passive instruction (Tabrizi, 2017)
In STEM+M fields, learners on average have higher exam scores when instructed using active learning techniques (Freeman, 2014)

What Professional Development Opportunities are Available?

As a BCM educator, a variety of active learning-focused professional development opportunities are available to you. The Center for Teaching and eLearning, Huffington Department of Education, Innovation and Technology is offering a variety of active learning workshops from designing your lessons, and selecting the technology to the delivery of your instruction.

A full listing of the workshops is below. We recommend that you take the workshop(s) in order to optimize the effectiveness, however, depending on your school or program affiliation, you can take as many workshops as you’d like.

Part 1: Active Learning and Designing Your Instruction

ID: 1.1
Length: 2 hours

Facilitators

Dr. Nancy Moreno
Dr. Alana Newell
Dr. Sherita Love

In this foundational workshop, we’ll explore your current teaching methods and reframe them through a focus on active learning. Learners will also be introduced to the Session Strategy Planning Template and the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge framework.

By the end of this workshop, learners will be able to:

Describe a rationale for applying active learning into teaching
Plan for using student-centered approaches in own teaching
Find and select tools and resources for planning active learning sessions

ID: 1.3a
Suggested pre-requisite: 1.2
Length: 2 hours

Facilitator(s)

Mr. Raffy Macapinlac
Ms. Jessica Klotman
Dr. Sherita Love

In this interactive session, we’ll identify and explore active learning strategies to increase student engagement and achievement in large group facilitations.

By the end of this workshop, learners will be able to:

Describe and identify active learning approaches that support various levels of educational goals
Analyze a course session or learning activity for active learning approaches
Apply an active learning strategy to an educational goal for a new or existing course session or learning activity

ID: 1.3b
Suggested pre-requisite: 1.3a
Length: 2 hours

Facilitator(s)

Dr. Andrew Bergmann

In this interactive session, we’ll identify and explore active learning strategies when delivering problem-based learning instruction.

This workshop is an alternative to the following active learning workshops:

Rethinking your Teaching
Active Learning Strategies in Facilitating Large Group Instruction
Delivering Your Instruction

The Active Learning Bootcamp will be divided into two parts.

Part 1: Rethinking Your Teaching and Delivery
Part 2: Active Learning and Delivery Strategies for Large Groups"

Part 2: Active Learning and Academic Technology

Suggested pre-requisite: all of Part 1: Active Learning and Designing Your Instruction

ID: 2.1
Suggested pre-requisite: Part 1: Active Learning and Designing Your Instruction
Length: 2 hours

Facilitator(s)

Dr. Sherita Love
Dr. Tyson Pillow

In this workshop, learners will explore ways to advance learning objectives and improve outcomes through active learning and academic technologies.

By the end of this workshop, learners will be able to:

Identify uses for major academic tech
Given the active learning strategy, select the best tech

ID: 2.2
Suggested pre-requisite: 2.1
Length: 2 hours

Facilitator(s)

Center for Teaching and eLearning Team

In this interactive workshop, learners will explore effective layout as well as formatting skills and tools that can create dynamic and impactful slides, including audio, animation and transitions. Learners will also be introduced to the active learning PowerPoint template.

By the end of this workshop, learners will be able to:

Use design and layout templates to encourage and support engagement
Format slides for effective message delivery
Organize layers and understand effective layering techniques
Use animation, embedded video and other multi-media to enhance engagement

ID: 2.3
Suggested pre-requisite: 2.2
Length: 1 hour

Facilitator(s)

Ms. Jessica Klotman

Poll Everywhere is a tool that can be used to engage your learners in online and in-person instruction. Integrating Poll Everywhere in your instruction can enhance student participation, amplify classroom teaching and allow you to assess student understanding.

By the end of this workshop, learners will be able to:

Recognize the pedagogical benefits of using Poll Everywhere to engage learners in in-person, online and in hybrid settings
Identify different question types in Poll Everywhere
Create a poll, select appropriate settings, embed it into a presentation and access student data

ID: 2.4
Suggested pre-requisite: 2.3
Length: 1 hour

Facilitator(s)

Ms. Jessica Klotman

Padlet is a collaborative tool where learners actively engage by creating and sharing posts related to course content. Like a virtual bulletin board, learners can post, comment and upload a variety of media (e.g., files, images, videos, links, drawings, gifs). During this workshop, participants will learn to create a Padlet as well as best practices for increasing engagement in-person, online and in hybrid formats.

By the end of this workshop, learners will be able to:

Recognize the pedagogical benefits of using Padlet to engage learners
Create a Padlet board, attach a variety of media, use recommended settings, respond to a post and share a board with others
Apply best practices for using Padlet to build community and increase collaboration

Part 3: Delivering Your Instruction

Suggested pre-requisite: all of Part 2: Active Learning and Academic Technology

ID: 3.1
Suggested pre-requisite: Part 2: Active Learning and Academic Technology
Length: 2 hours

Facilitator(s)

Dr. Sandra Haudek
Dr. Sherita Love
Dr. McMillian

In this interactive session, we will identify and explore active learning strategies to increase student engagement and achievement in large-group facilitations. Learners will also get the opportunity to test your technology connection between campuses.

ID: 3.2
Suggested pre-requisite: 3.1
Length: 2 hours
Click here to view schedule and register

Facilitator(s)

Dr. Andrew Bergemann

In this interactive session, we’ll apply active learning strategies when delivering problem-based learning instruction. This is a continuation of Part 1.

*References

Bonwell, C.C. & Eisen, J.A. (1991). Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. School of Education and Human Development, George Washington University: Washington DC.

Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8410-8415.

Hake, R. R. (1998). Interactive-engagement versus traditional methods: A six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics courses. American Journal of Physics, 66(1), 64-74.

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