2.1 The value of active learning
The literature on the application and value of active learning (compared to traditional, more passive teaching approaches) is vast. The following themes have been highlighted as common areas in which the value of active learning is evident:
- Student engagement and participation: Active learning encourages engagement and participation by all students, in contrast to a more passive environment that may be found in a lecture-based classroom. Through active learning, all students – regardless of background – are involved in thinking, doing, and talking; and students collaborate with each other to explore concepts and build knowledge. These facets of active learning – including collaboration, community-building, and engagement – can all contribute to enhanced student motivation, as well as a more inclusive classroom (Ambrose et al., 2010; Tanner 2013; McGuire, 2015).
- Knowledge comprehension and retention: Research has shown that active learning techniques can be more effective than passive teaching techniques at generating comprehension and retention (Delauriers et al., 2011). Because active learning requires students to construct their own knowledge, it better equips students to retain information. Additionally, active learning often provides students with alternative ways to comprehend and grapple with concepts (Handelsman et al., 2007).
- Student retention: Attrition rates among students in their first and second years within higher education are high (Braxton, Milem, & Sullivan, 2000). As mentioned in Module 3, this is due to a number of factors, one of which is the nature of students’ classroom or learning experiences. Students with negative classroom experiences – who feel that they lack academic support, or whose teachers fail to scaffold their work or engage them, are more likely to drop out prematurely than are students whose classroom experiences are more positive. Active learning techniques provide ways for students to engage meaningfully with each other and the content, ensuring they are more invested in their coursework (Braxton, Milem, & Sullivan, 2000).
- Student performance: A meta-analysis of 225 studies comparing active learning to lecturing in science, engineering, and mathematics courses found that active learning leads to an increase in final exam scores, higher performance on tests of disciplinary concepts, and reduced failure rates (Freeman et al., 2014). Furthermore, underrepresented minority students, women, and students with weaker academic backgrounds benefit disproportionately from active learning (Eddy and Hogan 2014; Preszler 2009; Lorenzo, Crouch, and Mazur 2006; Haak et al. 2011; Bullard, Felder, and Raubenheimer, 2008).
While the list above is not exhaustive, it indicates some of the many reasons why instructors might consider incorporating active learning into their higher education classrooms. The following sections take a closer look at examples of active learning techniques.