Implementing Active Learning

Active Learning (AL) is an instructional approach that engages students in the materials they are learning through, promoting critical thinking and collaboration between educators and learners. 

USF’s commitment to academic excellence includes the conversion of all qualified classrooms into active learning spaces in support of two University Strategic Initiatives:

  • Increasing technology solutions to enhance learning and improve service; and
  • Facilities to support outstanding educational programs.

This webpage provides resources on how to incorporate active learning into your teaching and information about existing active learning spaces at USF.

Venn diagram representing the interconnected relationship of pedagogy, [learning] space, and technology in the active learning ecosystem.

Active learning pedagogies promote the retention and deeper understanding of material, as students are engaging with content rather than passively listening. Bligh (1998) found that among students who are actively engaged in class, far fewer experience a "drop off" in concentration; after just 10-15 minutes, a learner stops listening effectively. Freeman et al. (2014) further notes that students' exam scores improved by about 6% in active learning sections. 

In addition, flipped pedagogical approaches encourage students to acquire and construct their own knowledge: “A lecture can transmit information in a way that engages and even inspires students . . . In this student-centered approach, the teacher gives up the role of the “sage on the stage” and becomes the “guide on the side” (Bernstein, 2018, p. 291). 

A 2018 EDUCAUSE publication describes Active Learning Classrooms as a vital innovation in contemporary learning, indicating spaces that promote student engagement and collaboration positively impact students' class performances. Although research remains in development, colleagues at North Carolina State University, UC Berkeley, and the University of Washington have launched pilots for expanding ALCs across their campuses. ALCs challenge instructors to incorporate technology and reframe knowledge acquisition as a two-way relationship with students.

John Belcher (Professor of Physics, MIT) and fellow instructors at the university began the Technology Enhanced Active Learning (TEAL) Project to analyze student success in their courses. Since the project's conception in the late 1990s, the principal researchers have developed new first-year physics courses that combine traditional lecture-based teaching with flipped teaching techniques including interactive presentations and opportunities for students to collaborate.

the TEAL Project AT MIT 

The Echo360 Active Learning Platform includes a suite of student response and engagement tools that can be embedded into presentations and recordings to assess learning and provoke thoughtful discussions in class. Echo360 allows instructors to track student engagement by creating response activities and accessing metrics on video view counts, grades, and more. Engagements can be integrated to Canvas courses for easy grading and accessibility in traditional, flipped, and digital (online/hybrid) courses. Use Echo360 to flip your course – students can view video lectures on the go and come to class prepared for discussions and experiential learning.

View this Echo360 recording in a new window

In supported classrooms, Echo360 can automatically record your multimedia presentations and capture audio/video through microphones and an instructor-facing video camera. Recordings are accessible via a web interface and the Echo360 mobile app and can be further integrated into your Canvas course. New for January 2019: Echo360 ALP automatically transcribes audio into transcripts and closed captioning, accommodating different learning styles.

In addition, USF students and faculty can upload their own recordings and take advantage of its active learning tools available in the Echo360 ALP using Universal Capture. This software can be installed on any macOS or PC computer. 

Echo360 ALP platform and lecture capture at USF

USF is committed to supporting TEAL through the opening of Gleeson 213, the university's first TEAL classroom. This space features (6) LCD TVs and a main AV system, each supporting connectivity via HDMI and AirPlay. The room also includes (40) Steelcase "Node" chairs for flexible rearrangement.

Read the story: Creating Gleeson 213

Group of students facing instructor and breakout television display in active learning classroom

USF has a variety of classrooms with flexible furniture and enhanced technology to support active learning. The interactive table below highlights these spaces.

Access the Airtable in a new window