Active learning refers to any teaching method in which students are engaged in their own learning. Strategies may include generating ideas, collaborating with others, applying concepts to practice, investigating and hypothesizing, practicing skills, decision making, and creating new knowledge or solutions. Active learning often involves metacognition, or reflecting on one’s own learning. Active learning strategies may include short and relatively unstructured tasks, such as reflective pauses and Think-Pair-Share, to more complex and structured tasks, such as case studies, jigsaw, and simulation.
Resources:
Active Learning Continuum (pdf)
Learning with the Jigsaw Method (pdf)
Calkins, S. & Rivnay, J. (2022) “The Jigsaw Design Challenge”, Journal of Effective Teaching in Higher Education. 4(3). doi: https://doi.org/10.36021/jethe.v4i3.249
In a traditional (restricted) lecture, instructors tend to overload students with information, in an effort to “cover” as much content they can within their allotted time with students, as efficiently as possible. The knowledge flows in one direction, from the instructor to the students, with the intention that students will reproduce the information in a later context (e.g. exam). Students are expected to be passive recipients but may raise questions if there is time. Students may feel distanced from the content and each other, and may even feel actively silenced. This model is often referred to as “the sage on the stage.”
In an engaged lecture, educators focus on helping students understand and make sense of the content for themselves. They will provide students to engage with the content and each other, and the session is more of a dialogue than a monologue. Students will have opportunities to reflect on their own learning and make connections among ideas. An engaged lecture will emphasize key concepts by incorporating inclusive and active learning strategies throughout the session.
Problematized lecture: One type of engaged lecture is the problematized lecture, during which the content of a single lecture is turned into a question or challenge for students to explore together. There are usually five steps:
Begin with a question or problem. (Many instructors begin by turning the title of the session into a question). This should only be a minute or so.
Help students understand the significance of the problem. This should only be a few minutes.
Allow students to answer the question or problem for themselves through active learning strategies. This is the focus of the session
Answer the question or problem. The instructor might just clarify or enhance student understanding by providing their expert knowledge. This should only be a few minutes
Leave students with a question or problem. This might be picked up at the next session, or just something to think about as they leave the session.
Resources:
Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Harvard University Press
Light, G., Calkins, S. C., & Cox, R. (2009). Learning and teaching in higher education: The Reflective Professional.
Learning by Inquiry collectively describes educational methods that are student-focused, learning-centered, and which emphasize a process where students grapple together with a shared question or problem. The focus is on the discovery process, by generating questions and ideas, and building curiosity. The activities emphasize approaches emphasize group work and collaboration, critical and creative thinking, decision-making and communication. Students are expected to make connections among ideas, identify patterns and questions, and make meaning for themselves. They are not expected to rely on the instructor for answers. These approaches mainly vary by:
Question/problem type: Are the students being asked to solve authentic real-world problems and develop solutions? Or are they deepening their understanding of a question, where the focus is on discovery and exploring more questions and possibilities?
Duration: Are the student groups formed for a single session or set of sessions? Or are they formed for the duration of a course, or the length of a project?
Resources:
Approaches to Learning by Inquiry (pdf)
This approach prepares students for clinical practices, by asking them to apply knowledge to authentic clinical situations and contexts. The process tends to be more guided and more directly focused.
Resources:
Haugland MJ, Rosenberg I, Aasekjær K. Collaborative learning in small groups in an online course - a case study. BMC Med Educ. 2022 Mar 10;22(1):165. doi: 10.1186/s12909-022-03232-x. PMID: 35272639; PMCID: PMC8908554.
This approach incorporates game design elements and principles into a learning context. Such elements might include features such as peer competition, leaderboards, badges and points, which are incorporated to encourage motivation, teamwork, engagement, and communication and enhance learning.
Resources:
Gamification and Games-Based Learning Resources at RFU (PDF).
Alonso-Sánchez, J.A., Alonso, J.L. & Santana-Monagas, E. Gamification in Higher Education: A Case Study in Educational Sciences. TechTrends 69, 507–518 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-025-01056-2
Problem-based learning challenges students to resolve complex, authentic “real world” problems, and develop practical solutions and answers. Students identify the concepts and information that they need to know to solve the problem. The process emphasizes reasonable decision-making and problem-solving. There is usually no prework and tends to be less guided.
Project-based learning expects students to produce and/or implement a useful product, strategy or solution. The process emphasizes problem-solving, collaboration, design-thinking, and creativity. A project is usually carried out a part or all of a term.
Resources:
Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Harvard University Press.
Light, G., Calkins, S. C., & Cox, R. (2009). Learning and teaching in higher education: The Reflective Professional.
Team-Based Learning (TBL): This evidence-based collaborative learning strategy approach focuses on preparing and testing students individually on pre-work before they come together in a group. It emphasizes problem-solving and decision-making, and usually follows a more structured and guided approach which emphasizes mutual accountability.
TBL typically follows a three-step cycle:
Pre-Class Prep: Students review materials (e.g. readings,videos) before class or the start of a module.
In-class Readiness Assurance Testing (RAT): Students individually take a short test or quiz (IRAT), usually with about 5-20 items, and submit their responses. In teams, students take the same test again (TRAT), using scratch cards. Both IRAT and TRAT scores count toward the grade.
In-Class Application Focused Exercise: The remainder of the session focuses on exercises and activities designed to help them deepen their understanding of the knowledge in Steps 1 and 2. Students work together to solve a challenge, communicate their team’s solution to the rest of the class, and decide as a class which solution is optimal.
Resources:
Burgess, A., & Matar, E. (2023). Team-based learning (TBL): theory, planning, practice, and implementation. In Clinical education for the health professions: Theory and practice (pp. 1325-1353). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.