Four Easy Steps to Implement Active Learning in Your Teaching

The most commonly seen assignments follow the pattern of instructor prompt, student submission and instructor grading. Active learning research (Bruner, 1996) demonstrated that by adding student agency, peer review and reflection, collaboration and cultural awareness, students learning is greatly enhanced in terms of motivation, engagement and learning outcome. This presentation will demonstrate how to transform a regular assignment into an active learning experience by adding agency, reflection, collaboration, and cultural awareness. Examples of active learning activities in undergraduate elective courses, undergraduate core courses, and graduate level core courses are analyzed. Bring your assignment, may it be a quiz, short essay, big term project, and we will discuss in groups and use the active learning strategies to vivify your assignment.