This document discusses active learning techniques that can be used in undergraduate engineering courses. It defines active learning as engaging students through activities that promote higher-order thinking skills. Examples of active learning include collaborative problem solving, brainstorming, and case studies. Research shows benefits of active learning include improved attendance, deeper questioning, greater interest, and higher grades. The document provides tips for incorporating active learning, such as starting with simple tasks and activities. It also addresses managing student resistance to active learning.

1. ActiveLearning:What, Why and How
ESED 8200: Teaching Undergraduate Engineering
Summer 2015
ESED8200-Summer2015

2. Active Learning
• By the end of this presentation, you will be able to:
• Summarize what active learning is
• Summarize the potential benefits of using active learning
techniques in your class
• Practice an activity for your class that engages students in paired
problem solving
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• From Father Guido Sarducci’s “Five
Minute University,” here’s what
you’ll remember from this course 5
years from now:
• Practice
• Feedback

3. What is Active Learning?
• Students are responsible for learning by engaging in activities
that promote analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of class
content.
• Examples of activities in class:
• Collaborative learning (peer instruction, paired problem solving)
• Problem formulation and prediction
• Trouble-shooting
• Brainstorming
• Concept mapping
• More advanced active learning techniques:
• Role-playing, simulations and games
• Case studies
• Challenge-based learning or problem-based learning
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4. Why Active Learning?
• Think: List as many benefits to active learning as you can
• Pair: Turn to your neighbor and compare your lists. Come up
with one list of the best ideas from both of you.
• Share: Read your list out loud to the class when your “pair” is
called on.
• This approach is called “Think-Pair-Share” and is one of the
simplest ways to actively engage students during class.
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5. Why Active Learning?
• Improved attendance
• Deeper questioning
• Greater lasting interest in
the subject
• Higher grades and lower
failing rates
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From Freeman, Eddy, McDonough, Smith,
Okoroafor, Jordt, and Wenderoth, 2014.

6. More evidence that active learning
has positive effects on learning
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From Freeman et al, 2014: Data on failure rates for classes using active learning versus
those with traditional lectures. Numbers below data points indicate the number of
independent studies; horizontal lines are 95% confidence intervals.

7. How do you fit it in?
• Can you afford NOT to?
• Our job is not to COVER material, but to UNCOVER it
• Time managements tips
• Use handouts
• Printed material will save time for students to take notes
• Leave holes and gaps in the handouts
• Axes without graphs
• Questions without answers
• Blanks within statements
• Don’t spend class time on material for definitions and
prerequisite material
• Identify resources for students to look up what they need to fill in
holes in their background knowledge
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8. How do you get started?
• Start simple!
• Assign one to two tasks during a 50-minute class period to
break up lecture
• Students work in groups of 3 - 5
• Allow about 5 minutes per activity
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9. How do you get started?
• Simple activities are best to start with:
• Sketch and label a flow chart (schematic, force diagram, etc.) for
this system.
• Draw a graph of what the problem solution should look like.
• Give several reasons why you might need or want to know the
solution to this problem.
• What's the next step?
• What's wrong with what I just wrote?
• How could I check this solution?
• What question do you have about what we just did?
• What variations of this problem might I put on the next test?
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10. What about students who don’t
want to engage in active learning?
• “Remind” them to work together
• Make yourself visible to them
• After a few exercises, most go along with it
• Even if 10% of your students don’t participate, you’re better
off than with lecturing and having 90% (or more) not
participate
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11. Further reading on active learning:
• Freeman, S; Eddy, S; McDonough, M; Smith, M; Okoroafor, N; Jordt, H; and
Wenderoth, M. 2014. Active learning increases student performance in science,
engineering and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science,
doi:10.1073/pnas.1319030111 http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111.short?rss=1&ssource=mfr
• Reaching Students: What Research Says About Effective Instruction in Undergraduate
Science and Engineering. 2015. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. PDF
available for download: http://www.nap.edu/catalog/18687/reaching-students-what-research-says-about-effective-instruction-in-undergraduate
• National Effective Teaching Institute Workshop Handout, available upon request at
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/NETI.html
• Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., and Smith, K. A. 1998. Active learning: Cooperation in
the college classroom (2nd ed.) Edina, MN: Interaction Book Co.
• King, A. 1993. From sage on the stage to guide on the side. College Teaching, 41(1),
30-35.
• Angelo, T. A. and Cross, K. P. 1993. Classroom Assessment Techniques: A handbook for
college teaching (2nd ed.), San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• More tips and resources on active learning are available on the Clemson University
College of Engineering and Science Graduate TA Training website:
http://www.clemson.edu/ces/research/graduate-studies/current-students/gta-training/index.html
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12. Now it’s your turn!
• Select from the list below an active learning approach, and
make a short presentation on the topic (See further
instructions on Blackboard):
• Collaborative learning/cooperative learning
• Problem-based learning
• Challenge-based (or discovery-based) learning
• Project-based learning
• Case-based instruction
• “Just in Time” Teaching (JiTT)
• Simulations, games and/or role playing
• Peer instruction
• Concept mapping
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