“LEARNING AS A VERB: PROMOTING ACTIVE LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION THROUGH EFFECTIVE DESIGN STRATEGIES AND MEASUREMENT”
Professor Pedro Isaías, The University of Queensland, Australia
and
Professor Paula Miranda, Sustain.RD center, School of Technology,
Institute of Setubal, Portugal
Abstract
Higher education research is abundant on evidence about the importance of fostering active learning in the classroom, nonetheless, some teachers seem to remain reticent to its implementation. This reticence can have many origins, but in some cases it derives from the teachers’ uncertainty as to how to implement active learning and how to assess if it is a truly effective method with clear advantages to student learning. This workshop focuses on specific design strategies to maximise the effectiveness of active learning initiatives in higher education and on the methods that can be used to evaluate them. It proposes a framework to guide implementation and assist teachers with the most common barriers of the development of active learning approaches. At the same time, it will explore a comprehensive range of methods that can be employed during and after the active learning experience in order to determine its effectiveness. This interactive workshop aims to provide attendees with the tools that they require to more confidently and more meaningful transform their courses into effective active learning experiences.