What is Active Learning?
Active learning is an approach to teaching that has become very popular in many institutions of higher education across the United States, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses. Although it can be defined in a variety of ways, active learning basically consists of the following:
students are involved in more than listening;
less emphasis is placed on transmitting information and more on developing students’ skills;
students are involved in higher-order thinking (analysis, synthesis, evaluation);
students are engaged in activities (e.g., reading, discussing, writing); and
greater emphasis is placed on students’ exploration of their own attitudes and values (Bonwell & Eison, 1991, p. 2).
Others, such as the “AUSSE/NSSE [define] active learning as ‘students’ efforts to actively construct their knowledge’” (ACER, 2007, as cited in Carr, Palmer, & Hagel, 2015, p. 2). However one defines it, online learning environments are shaped by how learners interact. Yet, what does “interaction” mean and look like in online courses?
Interaction, “commonly understood as actions among individuals” (Abrami, Bernard, Bures, Borokhovski, & Tamim, 2011, p. 86), occurs in online courses through student-to-content, student-to-student, and student-to-instructor interactions (Abrami et al., 2011; Bernard et al., 2009; Moore, 1989). Therefore, to involve online learners in active learning, instructors and instructional designers should consider ways in which students might interact with content, their fellow peers, and their instructor(s).
Research on the use of active learning techniques has shown that it increases student performance in a variety of content areas (e.g., Arthurs & Kreager, 2017; Carr et al., 2015; Chen, Bastedo, & Howard, 2018; Freeman et al., 2014) and provides “significant opportunities … for improved student performance and new datasets for educational research” (Sit & Brudzinski, 2017, p. 629). The next sections provide examples of interaction that can be achieved in online courses.
Active Learning With Content
Students answer questions or take a quiz online while watching or after watching an instructional video or short lecture.
Students analyze a case study or solve a real-world problem. The content can be print-based or can also incorporate multimedia.
Students complete polls about content, where relevant, immediate feedback can be provided.
Students annotate readings. This could be scaffolded with prompts embedded in readings.
Students engage with simulations.
Active Learning With Peers
Students work with peers collaboratively to complete group assignments.
Students engage with their peers in online discussions.
Students are encouraged (or required) to form study groups to learn from and with one another.
Students participate in mock trials or debates to argue different perspectives.
Students conduct peer review (i.e., provide constructive and critical feedback) of their peers’ work.
Students brainstorm ideas to solve problems or to answer a question.
Students engage in group or team, online scavenger hunts or an escape room/digital breakout related to the content.
Active Learning With Instructors
Instructors engage with students in online discussions. To ensure learning is “active,” instructors should craft discussion questions at the higher levels of the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (Milman, 2009).
Students and instructors have web-conferences to discuss questions and/or touch base about progress on assignments and/or comprehension of material.
Instructors record Q & A videos that answer questions students might have about content. This can also be conducted live and recorded/shared with those unable to attend synchronously.
Below are some additional resources for designing active learning that I have referred to in my own teaching:
Allen, M. W., & Bingham, T. (2016). Michael Allen’s guide to e-learning: Building interactive, fun, and effective learning programs for any company. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Biech, E., Silberman, M., & Auerbach, C. (2015). 101 more ways to make training active. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Buckley, K. M., Beyna, B., Dudley-Brown, S. (2005). Promoting active learning through on-line discussion boards. Nurse Educator, 30(1), 32-36.
Silberman, M. L., & Biech, E. (2015). Active training: A handbook of techniques, designs, case examples, and tips. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
University of Illinois. (n.d.). Online instructional activities index. Retrieved from https://www.uis.edu/ion/resources/instructional-activities-index/
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