Course Design

• Active learning: active learning is an approach to learning and teaching that seeks to center the student learning experience by creating opportunities for students to actively engage in their learning and reflect upon their experiences. Evidence has shown that this type of learning and teaching leads to a range of positive outcomes for learners (Prince, 2004).

• Flipped learning: flipped learning is a commonly adopted active learning approach. It aims to create deeper levels of engagement by asking students to engage with course materials in advance, and using class time for in-depth discussions.

• The co-creation section of these pages has tips on how to co-create learning and teaching with students, and the benefits this has for engagement.

Learning activities

Below are some simple ways to engage students in large lectures, each with an illustrative case study:

• Case Study: 1 Stop & Write (1 page)
• Case Study: 2 Interactive Windows (1 page)
• Case Study: 3 Quectures (1 page)

Assessment

• Reflection toolkit: One of the best ways of assessing the extent to which students have engaged in their own learning is through reflection. The reflection toolkit provides a useful overview of how (and when) to assess using reflection.

Active learning

• Research summary 1: Freeman et al (2014) (1 page): In 2014, Freeman and colleagues published an important and highly cited review of STEM research into the effectiveness of active learning. This paper highlighted the significant benefits to students from active learning.

• This short video (5 mins) from MIT provides an overview of active learning and its effectiveness.

Flipped classroom

• This 1 minute video from the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of Texas provides a brief overview of a flipped classroom.