Build Your Own Active Learning Adventure
Session Type
Interactive Presentation
Session Location
University Hall, ADP Center 1145
Start Date
30-5-2019 10:00 AM
End Date
30-5-2019 10:45 AM
Key Terms
active learning, collaboration across departments, faculty resources, teaching challenges and solutions
Brief Abstract
Active learning can present unique challenges that may prevent faculty from adapting it for use in their classroom. As part of a collaboration across departments, a group of instructional designers seek to build a toolbox of resources that will support faculty through guided interactivity and provide for self-directed exploration of solutions to common challenges to active learning.
Proposal
Active learning can present unique challenges that may prevent faculty from adapting it for use in their classroom. This project seeks to build a toolbox of practical strategies and solutions to address the most common challenges that active learning instructors face. The resource guide will be in the form of an interactive set of pathways that can be explored according to each individual’s needs.
What sets this project apart is the collaborative nature of the participants. The project grew from a shared interest in active learning among several instructional designers (IDs) within one university across several schools and units. The instructional designers formed a community of practice in order to develop a shared set of resources that could meet the diverse needs of the faculty that they support. Through this joint effort, the instructional designers hope to build a model for future partnerships between IDs within and across institutions.
We begin our discussion of active learning with the following quote defining what learning is:
“Acquiring knowledge and skills and having them readily available from memory so you can make sense of futures problems and opportunities”
(Brown, Roediger, and McDaniel, 2014)
With that in mind active learning in particular can be thought of as “the process of having students engage in some activity that forces them to reflect upon ideas and how they are using those ideas.” (Collins and O’Brien, 2003) Such an open opportunity for engaging students can be overwhelming for instructors, especially when things go wrong (as they often can!) As instructional designers we are invested in identifying common challenges and solutions in active learning, synthesizing research in best practices, and building a toolbox of resources that we can share with the faculty we serve.
The format of this presentation will be a focus group. The presenters will start with an overview of the project origins, progress, and a blueprint for content / prototype. Then, the audience will be invited to share feedback and personal experiences through guided discussion questions posed by the presenters.
References:
Brown, Peter C., Roediger III, Henry L., and McDaniel, Mark A. (2014) Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning. Belknap Press, Boston, MA.
Collins JW 3rd and O’Brien NP (editors). (2003) The Greenwood Dictionary of Education. Westport, CT: Greenwood.
Build Your Own Active Learning Adventure
University Hall, ADP Center 1145
Active learning can present unique challenges that may prevent faculty from adapting it for use in their classroom. This project seeks to build a toolbox of practical strategies and solutions to address the most common challenges that active learning instructors face. The resource guide will be in the form of an interactive set of pathways that can be explored according to each individual’s needs.
What sets this project apart is the collaborative nature of the participants. The project grew from a shared interest in active learning among several instructional designers (IDs) within one university across several schools and units. The instructional designers formed a community of practice in order to develop a shared set of resources that could meet the diverse needs of the faculty that they support. Through this joint effort, the instructional designers hope to build a model for future partnerships between IDs within and across institutions.
We begin our discussion of active learning with the following quote defining what learning is:
“Acquiring knowledge and skills and having them readily available from memory so you can make sense of futures problems and opportunities”
(Brown, Roediger, and McDaniel, 2014)
With that in mind active learning in particular can be thought of as “the process of having students engage in some activity that forces them to reflect upon ideas and how they are using those ideas.” (Collins and O’Brien, 2003) Such an open opportunity for engaging students can be overwhelming for instructors, especially when things go wrong (as they often can!) As instructional designers we are invested in identifying common challenges and solutions in active learning, synthesizing research in best practices, and building a toolbox of resources that we can share with the faculty we serve.
The format of this presentation will be a focus group. The presenters will start with an overview of the project origins, progress, and a blueprint for content / prototype. Then, the audience will be invited to share feedback and personal experiences through guided discussion questions posed by the presenters.
References:
Brown, Peter C., Roediger III, Henry L., and McDaniel, Mark A. (2014) Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning. Belknap Press, Boston, MA.
Collins JW 3rd and O’Brien NP (editors). (2003) The Greenwood Dictionary of Education. Westport, CT: Greenwood.
