Designing Active Learning Activities

There are many designs for learning activities. Some are fairly common, such as labs, studios, and group problem-solving. Others might include complex tasks or specialized materials. You may want to explore different designs to determine what would work best for your class.

Sometimes the active learning assignment and process will be fairly self-evident, based on the knowledge and skills you want students to practice. Other times, you may have to work a bit to develop the activity. Some of these guiding questions can help:

What is your intended learning outcome?

• Do you want students to gain new knowledge through discovery or put some new knowledge to use?
• Do you want them to practice a skill?
• Are you trying to get students to find or evaluate new information sources?
• Do you want students to make observations and put them to use?

What evidence of learning will students produce?

• Will students verbally report out their results?
• Do they have to show their work on paper or a whiteboard?
• Do you expect all groups to arrive at the same conclusion (e.g., working out a problem), or will these vary based on their approach or interpretation of the instructions (such as interpretations of a reading)?

How much classroom time will it realistically take?

• Plan a little extra time–you don’t want to skimp on work time if students need it, or have to skip the debrief. 
• You may want to have a short add-on activity or additional debrief questions ready in case the activity goes quicker than you anticipated.

Teaching

• Consider the foundational knowledge students need to successfully complete the activity. Think in terms of:
  • Major concepts
  • Processes and formulas
  • Examples or similar problems
• Consider the level of rigor in the activity. Are students learning a new concept, or does the activity reinforce knowledge they learned previously?  
  • Rigor will vary by activity and as you scaffold learning throughout the term.

Logistics

• What supplies, handouts, props, or other materials will students need?
• Have you provided clear instructions for what students have to do?
  • Are these available on a handout or slide so students can refer to them as they work?
• Consider the estimated timing of each component of the activity. Make the estimated timing clear to students during the activity and ensure that you are keeping track of time also. 

Internal

• Active Learning Strategies (pdf), RIT Center for Teaching and Learning (includes considerations for large classes)
• CTL Summer Institute 2023 Active Learning Presenter Materials 

External

• Active Learning, Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning
• How can you incorporate active learning into your classroom  University of Michigan Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) (includes a continuum of techniques from Simple to Complex)
• 226 Active Learning Techniques University of Iowa Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching 
• Active Learning from the Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching 

To schedule a consultation through the Center for Teaching and Learning to discuss how to intentionally integrate active learning in your classroom, email CTL@rit.edu.