Introduction to Active Learning

1. Introduction to Active Learning Energizing the Classroom Brian Rybarczyk, Ph.D. UNC Chapel Hill Department of Biology

2. Objectives • Introduce concept of active learning • Demonstrate techniques & activities • Incorporate active learning into your future teaching

3. da Vinci and the Renaissance Embodies essence of the Renaissance ‘Rebirth’ of learning Thinking outside the box Ideas Discovery Experiment Change is good

4. Brainstorm Activity Write down ways that your professors taught you Effective methods Ineffective methods

5. Brainstorm Activity II What are some ways you learn best now as a scientist?

6. active learning lecture What is Active Learning? 100 % Retained 50 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Time of class (min) From: McKeachie, Teaching tips: Strategies, research and theory forfor college and university teachers, Houghton-Mifflin (1998)

7. What is Active Learning?

8. Problem-Based Learning Learn By Doing Inquiry-based learning Cooperative Learning What is Active Learning? students solve problems, answer questions, formulate questions of their own, discuss, explain, debate, or brainstorm during class Active Learning

9. What is the purpose? • Increase student participation • Increase student engagement • Increase student retention • More student ownership in course • Less lecturing by instructor • More exciting classroom experience • Higher level thinking

10. Improving Lectures • Plan objectives • Include graphics, charts, graphs, etc • Plan what you want to annotate • Learn students’ names • Cue important points • Give short activities • Give students time to generate questions • Have students summarize major points

11. Examples of Active Learning • Dr. Robert Beichner – NCSU • SCALE-UP – researching effectiveness of active learning in physics and chemistry • http://scaleup.ncsu.edu/ • Example of SCALE-UP Activity

12. Active Techniques • Think-pair-share (pair-share) • Role playing, simulations • Muddiest point/clearest point • Group quizzing • Generate lists • Cooperative learning • Minute papers and writing assignments • PBL and case studies • Concept maps

14. Reading Primary Literature • Provide one figure/table to each student group • Propose a title for the paper • Delete abstract and have students write a summary

15. Case Studies

16. Case Studies

17. Concerns & Issues What are your concerns about using active learning activities & techniques?

18. Suggestions • Describe to the students what is happening and why • State expectations • Incorporate assessments with activities • Start off simple (low risk) • Ask questions, walk around classroom, be attentive to student questions • Have students rely on each other

19. Resources National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science (case study collection): http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/case.html Problem Based Learning (U of Delaware): http://www.udel.edu/pbl/ MERLOT – (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching http://www.merlot.org Journals of Interest: Innovate: www.innovateonline.info/index.php CBE Life Science Education – www.lifescied.org/ Journal of College Science Teaching – www.nsta.org Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education – www.bambed.org

20. Brian Rybarczyk, Ph.D. brybar@unc.edu