What is Active Learning?

Active learning is an approach to instruction that involves actively engaging students with the course material through discussions, problem solving, case studies, role plays and other methods. Active learning approaches place a greater degree of responsibility on the learner than passive approaches such as lectures, but instructor guidance is still crucial in the active learning classroom. Active learning activities may range in length from a couple of minutes to whole class sessions or may take place over multiple class sessions.

Active learning activities can be used to:

·         Get student attention and increase motivation

·         Assess students' prior knowledge

·         Promote problem solving and application, and deepen student understanding

·         Assess whether students understood the material

·         Explore the relevance of the course material in students' professional or everyday lives