Active learning

Active learning is an instructional practice that engages students to be active participants in their learning and provides opportunities for them to use higher order thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation (Krathwohl, 2002). It is an approach that moves the focus away from what the educator is doing, to what the student is doing. Basically, the key is to get students to do something (write, read, discuss, create) and think about what they are doing (reflect, analyse, synthesis, evaluate).

The broad definition of active learning identified in the literature is:

“Instructional activities involving students in doing things and thinking about what they are doing” (Bonwell and Eison, 1991)

As an educator, you play an important role in fostering a learner-centred environment by providing opportunities for students to read, write, create, reflect, discuss, and problem solve through the activities and resources you develop for your unit or course (Lumpkin, 2017). Active learning requires students to engage at a higher level of cognition and understanding since they are thinking about what they are learning as they go. Rather than being passive consumers of knowledge, they are builders of knowledge too (Michael 2006, Zepke 2013).

This resource will support you in integrating active learning into your synchronous (in person or online) and asynchronous classrooms (Self-paced online activities).

Misconceptions about active learning View

Though active learning has been around a long time, it still has some misconceptions and barriers to its implementation. The key is to shift thinking away from it being a method or strategy, and see it as more of an approach to teaching and learning (Prince, 2005).

“...many faculty assert that all learning is inherently active and that students are therefore actively involved while listening to formal presentations in the classroom. Analysis of the research literature (Chickering and Camson, 1987), however, suggests that students must do more than just listen: They must read, write, discuss, or be engaged in solving problems.” (Bonwell and Eison, 1991)

Here are five common misconceptions around active learning:

	‘Active learning is a fad.’ Active learning has been around a long time and has proven to be an effective learning approach with numerous types of activities that can be introduced to increase deeper learning and increase critical thinking (Lumpkin, 2017).
	‘My unit is active as I have assignments, labs or pracs.’ Though having assignments, labs and/or tutorials is a great way to apply or assess learning, more can be done to increase students' active involvement during synchronous and asynchronous learning.
	‘Active learning means I shouldn’t teach and only facilitate.’ Active learning doesn’t mean reducing the role of the educator but reshaping it to provide more opportunities for students to engage and take more ownership of their learning. As an educator, your role is paramount in facilitating the learning, by explaining the concepts and helping students make connections with what they are learning.
	‘Students have to be physically active for active learning to happen’ Active learning is about making the brain active and getting students to do and think about what they are learning. The doing part does not always mean something physical like moving around the classroom or physically creating something. It could be as simple as getting them to reflect on a question and having a discussion around it.
	‘If I experiment with active learning it may affect my SETU scores.’ It can sometimes feel daunting when integrating active learning or adapting your teaching to include more activities. You may be nervous that this change may negatively affect students’ perceptions, which may translate into reduced SETU scores. However, most evidence shows that when students are actively engaged in doing something and thinking about what they are doing, it will increase their overall satisfaction. The strategies discussed in these guides will support you in creating more opportunities for them to be active participants in their learning. Hence why setting expectations out early and including students in the discussion to let them know you are introducing something new will help with that transition.

Benefits of active learning View

What is the evidence that it works? View

7 recommendations on getting started View

Whether you are a novice or a veteran of active learning, there is always something new to learn to help you create more active and engaging learning experiences for students. Here are some practical strategies to get you started:

	Start small and work your way up If you are new to creating active learning experiences you can start small by introducing one activity into a session or topic. This could be as simple as introducing group discussions into your synchronous session or pausing during your presentation to get students to reflect on a question, write down their response and discuss it in pairs. As you get more comfortable, then you can begin chunking your synchronous sessions to include more activities where students can engage with you, the content or their peers.
	Select activities that align with the learning outcomes Not all activities are appropriate for all units and students. Make sure to select and design activities that align with the learning outcomes or that build rapport with students. It needs to allow students to do something with the content and think about what they are doing.
	Get students to work in pairs or small groups of three to four Small-group discussions challenge students' assumptions and improve problem-solving skills by requiring them to interact with one another and course material (Millis, 2012). Start by breaking students up into pairs or in small groups rather than starting the discussion as a whole class. This will give them more opportunities to build relationships with other students, retain information longer, and gain different perspectives on a topic.
	Provide clear instructions and guidance with activities for diverse learner needs To reduce cognitive load and potential frustrations, it is important that you provide clear instructions and guidance around the activity. In addition to the instructions, letting students know the goal and purpose of the activity and how it aligns with the learning outcomes or their future profession will also help increase their engagement. For valuable resources and insights, please check the resource on implementing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in tertiary education, which promotes inclusive teaching practices that accommodate diverse learner needs.
	Vary the use of active learning approaches to meet the academic needs of students When designing your activities and resources for your unit, identify ways that you can get students to actively participate in their learning from the individual activities, weekly topics, to the semester long projects. For example, think of ways that students can interact with the readings, how they will engage during your synchronous session, and how each of the activities relate to one another to scaffold their learning. Remember, the key is to get students to do something (write, read, discuss, create) and think about what they are doing (reflect, analyse, synthesis, evaluate).
	Create activities that focus on Bloom’s higher order thinking skills Learning facts and learning to do something are two different processes. To help make learning more active for students, you want to focus on getting students to apply, analyse, evaluate and create, which sit higher in Bloom’s taxonomy. Synchronous or asynchronous activities should allow students to have active construction of meaning where the student can connect information together.
	Obtain student feedback and adjust your activities and teaching Sometimes what you planned doesn’t always work out the way you thought due to a number of factors. To keep things relevant for students, it is important that you solicit students' anonymous feedback to help adjust your teaching and activities throughout the semester. This will provide you with more insight to modify activities based on need and evaluation of your students.

Feedback in action

Make your way through Incorporating Student Feedback and Enhancing Student Experience to learn how Monash University academics have used student feedback to amplify students’ voices and enhance their learning experience - these case studies demonstrate how actionable feedback can transform teaching and create a more responsive learning environment.

Education Performance Standards Framework

You can use the tabs on the left-hand side menu to navigate between the sections or click on the links below:
1. The How-to section provides you with instructions and/or strategies to implement in your teaching.
2. The Supporting your students section provides you with key strategies for creating a good learning experience and a list of resources to share.
3. The Related resources section provides you with additional resources.
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The Education Performance Standards identify the expectations of education practice at Monash – See the Education Performance Standards for more details.
Impact on student learning				Impact on educational knowledge		Impact on educational environment
Effective teaching and learning	Responsive program design	Student- centred orientation	Professional learning engagement	Pedagogical content knowledge	Education research performance	Education innovation	Education leadership
✓	✓	✓				✓
You could address marking and grading across these Practice Elements by providing evidence of how you: Demonstrated ability to use engaging, authentic and active approaches to teaching and learning. Demonstrated contributions to development of activities, units and courses using key active learning strategies. Demonstrated contributions to support positive student learning experiences in practice by creating a safe and active learning space. Demonstrated ability to create or adapt your teaching to include more active learning opportunities for students and solicit their feedback to improve your teaching and unit/course design.

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