"Active learning methods engage students in the learning process by encouraging them to discover, process, and apply information. Empirical support for the positive impact of active learning on student achievement is extensive" (Chickering & Gamson, 1987).

Overview

“Active learning is generally defined as any instructional method that engages students in the learning process. In short, active learning requires students to do meaningful learning activities and think about what they are doing” (Prince, 2004).

In its basic form, active learning is simply the opposite of passive learning. With passive learning, students sit back and receive information from a sensory source, such as a class lecture by the instructor, reading a textbook, or watching a video, and attempt to learn material through an internalized process. With active learning, students are engaging the material to be learned directly through various means such as class participation, group collaboration, or some kind of creation-based activity; the goals of which are to allow for a deeper understanding of the material to be learned through the act of doing.